I've been managing to eat really healthily this term while I've been at university but now that it's Christmas time, I've decided to treat myself and just eat whatever comes my way! I know that in my family there will be tins of sweets, biscuits, crackers and cheese, chocolates, fizzy juice, mince pies - not to mention the main Christmas dinner!
The first thing I eat on Christmas day is usually some chocolate coins! Although my favourite foods that I eat on Christmas day are pigs-in-blankets (sausages wrapped in bacon) and sage and onion stuffing. Both are amaaaazing.
I also love Christmas pudding. Who am I kidding? I love nearly all puddings. What's your favourite holiday food?
I thought that it might be fun to tell you guys what I and my family get up to over Christmas as I know this can differ vastly for different people.
In my house we have 4 Christmas trees. Yes, 4. They are all fake but it's still a crazy number in my opinion! We have the fancy-schmancy tree in the living room which is all gold and beautiful, then in the dining room we have a mis-matched tree of all the baubles we have that aren't gold and then both my sister and I have a tree in our bedrooms. These usually go up pretty early in December.
Christmas Eve is a quiet night in watching TV with my parents, sister and my Grandpa. Then on Christmas Day, my mum's family arrive for about 2 nights. It's a full house! We don't see the rest of my dad's family until New Year's.
On Christmas Day my sister and I get to open our presents from Santa first. Then when everyone else arrives for Christmas lunch at about 2pm we get to open presents from our friends and relatives.
After lunch it's usually a short walk around the block, sometimes further afield depending on the weather. And after that it's a cosy evening in playing card games.
One week to go!
I have to admit that this year I had to limit myself when it came to listening to Christmas music. A Christmas Spotify playlist flashed up in late November and before I could stop myself, I had clicked on it and I was singing away. In November. Not okay. About 2 songs in I realised I'd be bored of Christmas music if I played it every day until Christmas.
In early December I allowed myself to listen to the Frozen soundtrack (not necessarily Christmassy, but definitely Wintery). After I was bored of it I moved on to Justin Bieber's 2011 Christmas album (I was clearly saving the best until closer to Christmas). At this point, just before Christmas it's Michael Bublé's 2012 Christmas album (which I absolutely adore yet everyone around me seems to hate). And just before Christmas, when the holidays have properly started my family puts on just your regular Christmas hits!
Hello! 8 days to go! This post is one that I've been excited to do ever since I arranged it. Today's post is a collab with Chloe from basicallychloe. We are both posting about the winter items that we can't live without, so once you're finished reading my post make sure and head over there to check our her post (unless that's where you came from, in which case - hello!).
(1) The first item is a good, comfy pair of boots. I have a gorgeous pair of brown Chelsea boots from Miss KG which I got in a sale maybe one or two years ago? They've lasted me so so well and I wear them all Autumn and Winter - unfortunately I don't have a picture of them as they're in getting new soles put on (that should show you how much I wear them!). Obviously my exact ones aren't available but I found some very similar from New Look (£44.99), Topshop (£75.00) and Miss KG (£65.00 reduced from £90.00). The Topshop ones are my favourites!
(2) My second item is a cosy blanket scarf - it wasn't until I borrowed my friend's blanket scarf that I realised how awesome these are. I got this scarf from Topshop (£22.00), and they had a few different colours and patterns - I know it seems like a lot of money but this scarf is huge and really soft. No regrets splashing out at all.
(3) Moisturising skincare - The combination of the cold weather and having the central heating on really plays havoc with my skin and dries it out. I recommend the Nip+Fab Dragon's Blood Fix Plumping Mask (£7.45 reduced from £14.95 or available in the Skin Saviours Mask Set £9.95) as an overnight mask or just as a leave-on mask too. I also love the Burt's Bees lip balm (no surprise there as I mention it all the time) (£3.99). Finally, The Body Shop's Vitamin E Overnight Serum-in-oil is a magic oil that works wonders (£15.00).
(4) Flask - I've got a little flask which is ideal for carrying for the walk to university as it warms me from the inside and allows me my caffeine fix!
(5) ALL THE FLUFFY SOCKS. My personal favourites have little foxes on them. I love.
(6) Similarly, ALL THE COSY JUMPERS. Bonus points if they are stolen from relatives, friends or significant others.
Thank you very much to Chloe for doing this collab with me! I really enjoyed writing it.
Let me know in the comments what you can't live without during the Winter!
Oops - guess who didn't manage to post yesterday? Me! I'm always rubbish at posting every day.
Top of my wishlist this year was a waterproof jacket - I have a cosy parka, and a leather jacket for day-to-day but when Scottish weather is doing it's worst I have nothing to keep me dry!
I've recently been brave enough to buy and actually light a candle that I'm responsible for - it made me feel ridiculously grown up! So I've also asked for a candle for Christmas to add to my growing collection.
I haven't had any perfume other than little testers for ages and so I'm hoping to get some perfume because I would never think to buy it for myself, it always slips my mind when I have money to spend on myself.
I've recently been trying to use up lots of half empty bottles that I've got lying around and I've fallen back in love with Sanctuary Spa bath products so I've asked my uncle if he could possibly get me something new to try from that range (he is going to look funny buying bath stuff for me hehe).
Other than that, I've not asked for anything else in particular. I'm really excited to see what I get on Christmas day, I absolutely love opening my presents and discovering what I've got. And although I love spoiling my friends and family, I always get a bit nervous when they are opening what I've got them. I'm incredibly lucky to have such amazing and supportive friends and family, in addition to you awesome readers, and my final Christmas wish is that you all have a Merry Christmas!
11 days to go! And that means (including this one) 11 more Blogmas posts from me, posted everyday at 6pm GMT.
Today are my ideas for gifts to give someone in a stocking, although these would also be good to give individually to your friends or secret Santa! Also, be creative, a hamper of gift box filled with goodies is just as nice to receive as a stocking!
Lipbalm
As soon as the central heating is put on in my house my lips just dry up! My favourite lipbalms are EOS (£7.00) and Burt's Bees (£3.99).
Sweets
A little tube or bag of sweeties is always a nice (and cheap) gift.
Chocolate coins
I always get a bag of chocolate coins in the toe of my stocking!
Minis
Soap&Glory or Body Shop miniatures are a really great gift to receive as you might get to try a product you've never had before - and if you decide you love it then you can go buy the full size product!
Handcream
My picks are philosophy, Soap&Glory and The Body Shop.
Makeup
A new lipstick or nail polish is a great thing to find in your stocking! I love Rimmel lipsticks and Barry M nail polishes.
Jewellery
Finally, if your budget allows it then a nice piece of jewellery is an incredible thing to find in your stocking as you never think you'll get something so pricey in there! A necklace or some earrings are great options.
See you tomorrow!
Welcome to the first of (hopefully) twelve posts over the next few days leading up to, that's right, Christmas! I fully considered doing regular Blogmas but with having just had a set of really tough exams, I'm glad that I decided to do a shortened version.
I planned on having this post up much earlier in the day. I was supposed to be sat at a table seat on a train this afternoon down to my parent's house where I was going to make a start on Blogmas but the train was cancelled and I ended up sitting on my suitcase on a train nearly three hours later than planned. Bloody train faults!
This first post is going to be a list of activities that I want to do over the Christmas holidays. This should serve as a reminder to me and, hopefully, will maybe be a source of inspiration for you guys!
1. Decorate a Christmas tree
2. Watch at least one Christmas film (The Snowman, The Holiday, Love Actually and Elf are on the cards)
3. Redesign my blog appearance
4. Fill my handwritten recipe book with more healthy recipes
5. Eat mince pies
6. Rejig my Spotify playlists
7. Play cards with my grandparents
8. Spend time with my friends from high school
Let me know in the comments what you're most looking forwards to doing over the festive period!
