Our couriers have just advised that due to very heavy volumes of parcels they can guarantee delivery before Christmas to mainland UK destinations only for parcels they receive by the afternoon of December 21st. This means that our effective closing time for new Christmas orders is midnight tomorrow, Tuesday 20th December. (And I’m afraid that if you are in a more remote part of these islands, that moment is … any second now.) Thanks to the strikes, the last posting day for Royal Mail is far behind us. So please be sure to choose the courier option for any time-sensitive order under the threshold for free shipping. We are of course sending all parcels that qualify for free shipping out by courier at the moment.

We will continue to pack and send until lunchtime on December 23rd, but it is probable that parcels sent that day will not arrive until after Christmas.

From December 23rd Tereza, Nikola, Lee and John will be taking a hard-earned rest from parcel-packing and they’ll be back on January 4th. Any orders placed during this time will be sent on their return. The Cambridge Imprint office will also be closed for the holidays and Susie, who so patiently untangles the occasional mystery of a mislaid parcel and who has been kept incredibly busy by the Royal Mail strikes, will, we hope, have her feet up for every minute of that time.

If you’re in need of a last-minute present do remember our gift vouchers. Available at the touch of a button, they are the perfect present for any pattern or paper enthusiast, who will then be able to browse happily on our website during the holidays, marvelling at your generosity.