Celebrate the Most Important 2016 Trends With Our Very Own Awards

Last night (or very early this morning UK time) saw this year’s Golden Globes handed out and therefore kick-starting awards season. So in order to celebrate this annual distribution of gongs and statuettes, My Favourite Voucher Codes have put together our very own awards to recognise the best of 2016 in categories that might otherwise get overlooked…

Best Trend for Lazy People

The Award Goes to Hygge

By now you should all know that it’s pronounced ‘hooga’, it’s almost reached its peak and we’ll be sick of it by March if we’re not already. But let’s not forget that it’s a trend that actually encourages us to relish in our natural state, which is of course, under a blanket watching TV. Ok, so you have to do this with some degree of style thanks to hygge’s Scandinavian origins, but we can all manage lazy and just a little bit fashionable, right? If you want to nail two trends in one, New Look can save you money on a stylish Mermaid Blanket in their up to 70% off sale, with their Grey Velvet Mermaid Tail Blanket now only £12 (was £24.99).

Best Book to Read on a Sunday Afternoon

The Award Goes to The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

A bittersweet winner here, but even before the devastating announcement of her passing over the Christmas period, many of us would have had Carrie Fisher’s latest biography on our to-read list during the last few weeks of 2016. There’s no more fitting a tribute than to settle down on a Sunday afternoon this winter to read about her behind-the-scenes adventures whilst filming Star Wars (especially those involving a young Harrison Ford), and you can use The Works to buy a copy for £13.49 (was £16.99). You can also find other must-read books here.

Best Fashion Accessory That Doesn’t Cost the Earth

The Award Goes to Pin Badges

According to those in the know, this 2016 trend is set to continue well into 2017 and thank goodness for that because what could be more bank-balance friendly than a handful of badges to add to your top or jacket? Not only will they make sure you ease effortless cool, but they have the ability to transform an outfit in seconds. There are many places you can pick up pin badges online (auction sites, handmade market places etc), but there aren’t too many up-to-the-minute trends that you can source from your local car boot sale.

Best Gadget for People Who Don’t Usually Buy the Latest Gadgets

The Award Goes to the Amazon Echo

There are some people who quite happily queue up for hours to get their hands on the latest phone/tablet/games releases and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this – if that’s what they want to spend their money on then good for them. But on the other hand, there are also people who most certainly not do any of the above. For a gadget to attraction the attention of the latter group it has to be so much more than the usual upgrade or update – it has to be exceptional value for money as well as being exceptionally useful. In 2016, Amazon were at it again with the release of the Amazon Echo, their new voice-activated Bluetooth device from which you can stream your music and audiobooks, control the temperature of your home and even ask the latest football scores. At £149.99, it’s not even prohibitively expensive unlike some other ‘must-have’ releases, and you can also use Amazon to take advantage of any deals on it in the near future.

It may have been a bit of a rough ride in places, but this list of awards shows that 2016 wasn’t all bad, right? And if we can make 2017 just a little bit better with the odd pin badge or two then bring it on…

By Anna Scott, 9th January 2016