Now we’ve got Hallowe’en out of the way and the ghosts have all been put to bed for another year it’s time to embrace the winter! November may not be everyone’s favourite month of course. Here in northern Europe autumn’s brilliant colours fade into greys and browns. Dark, misty evenings draw in and chilly, frosty mornings become the norm. Like Sweden, northern parts of China will see the first snowfalls of the winter. Just days ago, Beijing’s Forbidden City became a fairytale palace as early snows blanketed the city. Yes, November is colder, greyer and darker and tells us firmly: No, it’s not a joke, winter is really here!

So, what are the positives of this in-between month? Well, the festive season is that much closer with pre-Christmas festivities in Sweden just around the corner. Families and friends spend more time together as the nights get darker and colder and warm stoves and welcoming lights encourage cosy nights in.

In Asia the big winter holiday, the lunar new year, is a little further away but another Asian tradition – a far more recent one – is celebrated in mid-November: Singles’ Day, the greatest online shopping event in the world, has its origins in a university dorm in the southern Chinese city of Nanjing.  Legend has it that in the early 1990s four single Nanjing University students chose November 11th to celebrate (or commiserate with one another – the stories differ!) their unattached state.

Why this date? Well, the four single digits and the term ‘Double 11’ 双11 as it is known in Chinese may give you a clue! Then in 2009 this quirky celebration of singleness turned commercial - with a vengeance. Online shopping platforms in China coopted the day as a kind of Black Friday on steroids to boost sales the 24-hour shopping frenzy soon swept worldwide.

Here at Yocha Studios we like to do things a little differently. It’s our goal to bring you the best quality Asian design at the best prices all year round – not just on one day. So, we thought we’d make a special effort – not only for Singles Day or Black Friday but for a whole month – and offer you our entire top-quality line at 20% off right across the (jul)board starting today November 15th!  This is a unique opportunity to pick up all items at unbelievable prices. And no need to rush - we know the choice is difficult, so take your time to decide.

We hope that browsing our range of products at these special prices will make the long road to the holiday season a bit more bearable.

Till next time, Happy November!