Look, we know it's only October, but you try drawing Christmas scenes all day every day and see if Bing Crosby doesn't sing White Christmas to you in your dreams. Every night.

Anyway, those of you who keep an eye on our social accounts will have noticed we took a little trip to the big smoke last month. This was Paper Parade's first official business trip, and despite it very literally being a flying visit, we had a ball and returned north full of inspiration. The main purpose of the trip was to go and have a nosy around Top Drawer, a specialist trade show for gifts and stationery, among other things. We'll be back at Top Drawer in January, this time as exhibitors! More on that another time.

 Admittedly, we got a bit sidetracked by the free tasters in the gift food section, but we did manage to have a thorough look around all the beautiful stationery and make a start on planning our Christmas range! 

All work and no play is certainly not the Paper Parade way, so we made a pit stop for a refreshing but eye-wateringly London priced cocktail at Sketch, where the walls are decked in David Shrigley illustrations. Heart eye emoji alert. 

With the desk stationery selection all ordered, it's back to the grind and safe to say we are getting through a fair bit of red and green gouache. This will be our first Christmas in the shop, so the pressure is on for a very exciting collection of our own products. Watch this space for cards, boxed sets, wrapping paper, gift tags and some very special calligra-fied decor.  

 We've got lots of stocking fillers and gift ideas making their way to the shelves over the next few weeks, ideal for your stationery obsessed loved ones. We are busy updating the website too, soon you'll be able to shop all our desk accessories online as well as in store. Click and collect will also be an option, so if you're one of the rare breed that is super organised about Christmas shopping, you can save on postage costs! 

Roll on December. Is that sleigh bells we hear?