'I've Been Visited By A 'Secret Santa'!

While this year has been a difficult one it has had its moments when, as if to say 'don't give up old boy' something nice has happened. The day before yesterday my Mum went to put some paper in the re-cycling and found that someone had left a present on our doorstep!

The Mystery Gift!

 The present was not labelled nor was there a card but I knew somehow it was meant for me and was the result of either my writing this blog, my work as 'The Clean Up Man' or a 'ripple' from last years 'Operation Spread Christmas Spirit' campaign...

Sadly, Mum opened the end of the parcel to see what it was before I could stop her so I already know what is in it but I won't enlighten you all until the big day! I am really pleased to know that 'someone out there' also has the spirit of the season in their heart and shares my wacky sense of humour. I hope they had as much fun 'sneaking up' on my house to drop off the present without being seen that I have when trying to drop cards in people's letterboxes on Christmas Eve! Being a burglar may be a horrid and selfish thing to do but I would not want their 'job' I can tell you! HA HA

It looks like today I am going to have to help Mum with some last minute Christmas shopping but I still have one or two presents of my own to get so that's fine. I am SOOO late this year on competing my Christmas present buying and have REALLY struggled to think of what to buy a couple of my friends. I know there are 'safe' options that I can get but I LOVE to come up with something new, un-expected and different that is just right so have been reluctant so far to buy the 'same old same old'. Still, I am sure my friends would rather have something they like than something different they don't and so I may have to concede defeat this year and 'revert to type'...

Overall, I think I have done quite well this year at keeping Christmas in my thoughts but I can't say I have really felt the 'fuzzy warm feeling' I usually get much. I guess that was always going to be a bit much to ask though this year having lost TWO people who were close to my heart...

Oh well, time to get ready for a days shopping and then I will have my last session of present wrapping to do for this year. I have not written any 'Operation Spread Christmas Spirit' cards out yet either so if I am to do it for a third year...

'Could Mixpixie Save Your Life This Christmas?'

I am almost ashamed to admit it but something new about the modern world has met with my approval! Now, those of you who know me well will realise that this kind of revelation does not happen everyday so by God 'Mixpixie' must be good!

So who or what in the hell is or are Mixpixie anyway?

Well, Mixpixie is a new website that enables you to put together custom made CD compilations. A bit like 'Moonpig.com' only not with cards. To be honest, I wasn't convinced that the idea was going to be any good when I first looked into it. I thought that it would either be really hard to design the CD cover you wanted, be WAYY too expensive or that the songs you could put on your chosen CD would be re-records or inferior versions. I am glad to report, however, that in fact the contrary is true! Mixpixie have access to 14 million songs and all the ones I clicked on were original recordings by the original artist. Putting your chosen CD together is actually very easy as well. All you do is choose one of the CD designs available, customise it by adding the title and a written message for the inside and then select the songs you want to go on the CD. Tracks cost 99p each and you can put up to 10 on your CD. A full ten track customised CD ends up costing you about £15 something and postage and packing is another £2.99 so its not the cheapest way of buying songs but I can assure you the CD's when you get them (and I got mine the day after I ordered it!) are top quality and sound great. The packaging is every bit as good as any digipack you can buy in HMV or from Amazon and whoever you are buying the CD for will be well chuffed, I promise. 

The CD designs are NOT tacky, they don't look cheap and they are proper digipacks NOT fold over cardboard ones like the free CD's you get in the paper. All of the tracks are officially licensed so your favourite artist isn't losing out either which is nice. What is especially great though about Mixpixie is that its possible to select the exact tracks from albums you want and you can even move them about on the disc if you want to create the best 'album listen' if so inclined. When artists I love re-issue 'expanded' versions of an album I have already purchased I usually have to buy the same album again just to get the extra songs I want but this will become a thing of the past now. 

The other exciting thing about Mixpixie is that you can compile your own 'wicked' CD compilations and give them great covers etc just for fun with 100% what you want on the disc and 0% of tracks you already have or don't want. Much better than burning off a blank and boring CD from itunes!

There is also a fun feature that allows you to record a 20 second personal message on the disc if you want to but I decided not to do that as heard once or twice that message may be welcome but every time you play the CD - NO!

Check out Mixpixie.com - http://www.mixpixie.com/ - you won't find a better, more original way of giving someone a truly personal AND personalised gift this Christmas!