This December, we will be recommending five items that we think are fun, festive, classical and enjoyable! Every Monday, five members of the WildKat team will recommend some Christmas and Holiday-themed items that mean something to them. We will also be including links to everything in the descriptions below. Be sure to check back each week as we will be sharing a new list of recommendations!

This week, we have Maddy Sherratt, Alex Krupp, Alexander Elsner, Anastasia Sledkova, and Mathilde Rouxel sharing their recommendations!

Recipe

Gingerbread Syrup

‘No surprises here…I am truly a coffee lover and have accumulated a small (but ever-growing) cafetière collection in my kitchen. This Christmas, I’ve been tempted to buy many a festive coffee – a gingerbread latte being my favourite – and I thought why not make it myself! Therefore, I will be giving this BBC Good Food recipe a shot over the weekend and plan to gift it to friends this Christmas. As well as making some for myself – naturally.’

Find the recipe here: BBC Good Food

As recommended by Maddy Sherratt

Christmas Music

‘Songs for Christmas Singalong (Volumes I–V)’ – Sufjan Stevens

‘This is a pretty heavy 5 LP Vinyl Box by multi-instrumentalist and Indie-Wunderkind Sufjan Stevens. I love his music and here he interprets a very varied selection of Christmas songs, from old carols to (Pop) Christmas classics. Expect five hours of that charming weirdness that fans adore from Sufjan with Banjos, singing saws, soft vocals and fragile arrangements.‘

You can watch and sing-along here on Youtube

As recommended by Alex Krupp

Charity

Mind

‘With Christmas soon approaching, coronavirus restrictions ever-tightening and the winter days getting darker, it has never been as important than it is now to focus on mental health. 2020 has been a year of uncertainty and Mind are there to offer support for those who need it most. They’re encouraging people to take part in a ‘virtual crafternoon’ – a great idea for raising money this Christmas.’

Read more on their website: Mind.org

As recommended by Alexander Elsner

Christmas Album

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” – Vince Guaraldi Trio 1965

‘Love this album, it’s the sound of Christmas in my house, a bit cheeky and full of joy.’

Listen to the album on Spotify

As recommended by Anastasia Sledkova

Music Subscription

NomadPlay

‘For a musical Christmas, you can offer a 3-month subscription to NomadPlay! The platform allows all musicians, from beginners to advanced, to play while being accompanied by prestigious artists from the classical and jazz music scene: Renaud Capuçon, the Orchestre national d’Île-de-France, the Quatuor Zaïde, Enzo Carniel, the Talens Lyriques, the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, Vanessa Wagner, the Orchestre National de Jazz… More than 5000 scores interpreted by our 200 artistic partners! Accessible to all levels, more than 25 instruments available. An original gift to slip under a musician’s tree!’

Link to buy: NomadPlay

Recommended by Mathilde Rouxel