What I Got For Christmas (2014)

I'm not going to do a wish list post this week as I don't feel like I should be wishing for new things less than a week after Christmas. I was given so many lovely, generous presents this year, and I'm more than content with what I have. I'm grateful for what I have.

My family spoiled me with gifts this Christmas (far more than I deserved!), and I thought I'd give you a little peek at some of the presents I was given. Now, I know there are mixed feelings about these kinds of posts, but I'm not writing it to brag; it's just a little insight in to my world. I personally love reading these sort of posts (probably because I'm nosey!), and I know many people do, too. If you don't, you might want to close this page now. If so, thanks for visiting! No hard feelings?

I don't know why, but every Christmas I gather all of my presents together like this and take photos; I've done this since I was little. This year I was spoiled rotten and got some amazing presents; I even got several things that had been on my wish list for ages! I don't ever like to ask for specific gifts, but my Mum and little sister pestered me for ideas this year until I gave in.

My little sister got me a gorgeous cloth-bound edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, which has the most amazing flamingo print design, and is even illustrated. I've wanted this cloth bound edition for years; mostly because of the cover but also because I'm a big fan of all things Alice in Wonderland and have been since I was little. I've not read the books since childhood, so I'm looking forward to reading them again soon.

My Mum got me a hardback copy of the latest Stephen King novel, 'Revival', and Begin Again on DVD. I've wanted both for ages.

My parents very generously got me a new camera, the Canon Powershot SX170 IS (although I chose it). We looked in to lots of different cameras, but this one seemed the best for our budget. It has 16 mega pixels and an amazing 32 x zoom, which is about twice as much zoom as my old one! I tried it outdoors yesterday for the first time, and the photos do look a lot sharper!

I've actually needed a new camera for a couple of years, since my old Canon (the one I've always used for blog photos) is on it's way out. A DSLR is way out of reach right now (one day!), but this seems like a pretty decent point and shoot that should be perfect for blog photos, taking to concerts, and every day use. I couldn't be happier or more grateful for this amazing present, and I was so surprised to receive lots of other prezzies from my parents alongside it.

One of my favourite presents this Christmas was Benefit's Box O' Blushers gift set, which was given to me by my older sister and brother-in-law. Benefit is one of my favourite make up brands, but it's not often I can afford to treat myself to their products, so I was so excited to be given a set of six face powders, and a highlighter to play with. The sis did well this year! I'll give you guys a closer look at it soon.

My parents gave me all of The Body Shop goodies in the photos above, including a lip gloss, soap, and bath jelly from the seasonal Glazed Apple range. I love the scent! I was also given a pot of the Vitamin E Moisture Cream, which I was so surprised to receive. I've been using it daily for a decade and was scraping the last dregs from the pot- and I miraculously had one waiting for me on Christmas morning! The funny thing is, my Mum didn't know I use it! Perfect serendipitous gift giving! The purple OPI nail polish in 'My Little Petunia' was also from my parents.

The rest of the beauty products were from my relatives, which included: a Nivea Luscious Beautiful Lips lipbalm set, Simple hydrating light moisturiser, Simple refreshing facial wash gel, P.S. Love Your Skin gentle facial cleansing wipes, Tesco aloe vera & green tea soap, Derma V10 coconut body butter, and Studio nail polish collection set called 'All That Glitters'.

I was also given a huge stash of chocolates, biscuits, and Pringles, mostly from my parents. A couple of boxes of chocolates were from relatives on my Dad's side of the family. I think this lot's going to see me through 'til Easter!

I got a fleecy fairisle onesie from my parents, and a cobalt blue lace scarf from one of my Aunties.

And finally, a random assortment of things from my Aunties. The Minnie Mouse wash bag was filled with some of the beauty products above. I was also given a little notebook with a rabbit on the front; a necklace, and a compact mirror. 

I received some Christmas money, too, which has been well spent (more on that when my purchases arrive), and I've been told a parcel is on its way to me from my best friend, which may or may not be from The Body Shop... 

So overall, I've been extremely spoiled by my family this year, and I know it! A big thank you to my family for buying me all of these lovely gifts; I'm a very lucky lady!

What did you get for Christmas this year? If you've blogged about what you got I'd love to see your posts, so leave me your links below!

My Christmas 2014

I can't believe Christmas has already come and gone; the whole festive season passed by far too quickly for me this year! Christmas Eve was pretty boring and uneventful, but I had a lovely Christmas Day at home with my family. Here's a few snippets from my Christmas celebrations...

On Christmas Eve morning, I went over to my sister's house, which is just around the corner from mine, and we quickly made Christmas crackers and table favours for Christmas Day.

We used a cracker kit from Hobbycraft for our crackers, and filled them with novelty chocolates from M&S- how cute are the brussel sprouts?- and also included a scratch card in each one. 

For the table favours, we added gold coins and a few Lindt chocolates to pretty cake cases, wrapped them in red or white embellished tulle, and tied them red ribbons. They were far from perfect but they went down really well with the family on Christmas Day!

Annoyingly, the cracker kit I bought was missing one cracker, and I didn't know about it until Christmas Eve afternoon, so I had to get creative on Christmas Eve night. I channelled my inner Kirstie, and made a cracker from scratch using cardboard tubes, scraps of red fabric, double-sided tape, and red ribbons. Sure, it was far from perfect and couldn't be snapped over Christmas dinner, but I was impressed with my last minute creativity. Even if it did take me over an hour to make!

I also made my blackberry and apple trifle on Christmas Eve. I've been making it every Christmas for almost a decade, so it's a tradition for me to make it every year now. It's delicious, if I do say so myself! I left the custard to set over night in the fridge and added the cream on Christmas Day- but I didn't manage to get a photo of the finished trifle before everybody dug in.

On Christmas Eve, I wore my South fox print dress, which is an old favourite of mine. It's already been featured in a couple of outfit posts, so I didn't take any proper photos of me wearing it. I didn't manage to get any photos of my Christmas Day outfit either. I couldn't really afford new clothes for the festive season this year, so I just wore my red polka dot Lady Vintage dress that I blogged about a week or two ago and absolutely adore.

I wore my make up the same way for both the 24th and 25th. I went with my signature look- green lids lined with black liner, followed by some festive green glitter. I used white and green pencil liners on the bottom lash lines, and finished with a couple of coats of jet black mascara. I'm not usually one for selfies as I hate my face, but I felt good this Christmas!

On Christmas Day, my Mum woke my sister and I up at 10am; the latest we've ever got up on Christmas morning! I set my alarm for 9, but I must've slept through it. Again. I wasn't being lazy; I was still awake at 5am.

My pile of presents from my parents, waiting for me on the sofa. I was spoiled rotten this year!

I opened my presents while wearing my new pyjamas from Dorothy Perkins. I love this Alaskan nature print!

My Christmas jumper and Christmas tree in my bedroom on Christmas Day.

Just some of the lovely presents I was given this year. I'll be blogging about what I got in a couple of days time.

Setting the table for Christmas dinner has always been my job. Is it weird that I enjoy it? I put on a festive playlist and often lose an hour putting it all together. It's just my immediate family and I on Christmas Day, so it's nothing fancy. Nothing matches but nobody cares. We have a loose green and red them, and use the same table cloth and place mats we've had forever. We're definitely not modern when it comes to Christmas; we're traditional and sentimental all the way!

I'm not qualified in napkin origami, so I made paper planes again...

We ate off my Mum's Port Merion china this year. They're not festive, but they matched the colour scheme.

My handmade table favours.

No other food needed, just turkey. Okay, maybe some roast potatoes and stuffing would be good, too... 

Our Christmas dinner was delicious, and it was lovely to sit around the table with my parents, sisters, and brother-in-law. We only ever eat at the table together on Christmas Day, (and occasionally on New Year's Day and Easter Sunday, if we have a big turkey dinner like this one), so Christmas lunch feels really special every year. As usual, we all ended up laughing until our sides hurt and I choked on my turkey. We were even in hysterics at the industrial strength crackers that turned in to a game of tug of war and sent chocolates flying in every direction. Christmas dinner is a health hazard when the six of us get together! 

After Christmas dinner, my older sister took my Mum off to A&E while the rest of us crashed in front of the TV. My Mum badly cut her leg on Christmas Eve night when she was retrieving presents she'd hidden under a drawer in her bedroom. She caught her leg on a piece of metal and took a big chunk out of her shin. There was so much blood, but she wouldn't listen to us when we told her she needed to go to hospital and get it seen to. I was sure it needed stitches. I don't think she realised how bad it was until the next afternoon, when she saw it with her glasses on, so she reluctantly gave in. She didn't want to go to A&E on Christmas Day / her birthday, but we made her go. Sure enough, she needed four stitches and four injections, but luckily they only missed out on two hours of the festivities. Never a dull moment in our house!

My younger sister got this White Rabbit teddy for Christmas off our older sister. He looks a bit startled!

I was forced to watch Frozen after Christmas dinner; I was not happy. It was the THIRD time a family member had put it on in about five hours. Am I the only one who is fed up to the back teeth of hearing about Frozen? I haven't gone a day without hearing about it on Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr, on TV, or blogs, or in real life since the film came out. It's doing my head in!

Once everybody was home, we just had a lazy afternoon watching TV. My sister and brother-in-law headed home around 6pm, and I popped over for a while, where we did the same thing. I had to admit defeat before two hours had passed, and came home to turkey sandwiches, festive TV, and my bed. I was so sore and shattered, that I pretty much crashed. One minute I was watching Family Guy, and the next I was waking in a daze at 2am! I somehow managed to spend 9 hours out of bed on Christmas Day, which was a huge achievement for me. It's been a long time since I last did so, and I'm pleased I got to enjoy a normal Christmas and not one in bed on my lonesome.

Overall, I had a great Christmas! I got to spend some quality time with my family, I got spoiled rotten with presents, and indulged in some delicious food... What more could anybody possibly ask for at Christmas? 

I watched a couple of those documentaries on the Boxing Day Tsunami this week, which claimed the lives of almost 300,000 people a decade ago, and I still can't help thinking how lucky I am to have had the Christmas I had when millions weren't awarded the same privilege that day. And I know millions all around the world won't have been so lucky this year, either. I'm so thankful for what I have! I'm just sad it's over for another year.

How was your Christmas? How did you celebrate, and what was the best present you got?

List- It Wouldn't Be Christmas Without...

Merry Christmas guys! It's finally here!

I hope you're all having a good one so far, or had a great xmas day yesterday if you live on the other side of the world. And for those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, happy Thursday! 

I've put together a fun, light-hearted post today, since most of us will be too busy to spend much time online. It's a list of things that I associate with Christmas; things that happen every December and things it just wouldn't be Christmas without- good or bad.

♥ Putting the tree up as early as possible in December... but never before the 1st.

♥ Decorating the tree while listening to the album '100% Christmas'. (We've done so since '94!)

♥ Decorating the mantle with fir branches, pinecones, and other natural decorations.

♥ Getting sentimental over old Christmas decorations when we decorate the tree.

♥ Watching Santa Claus the Movie a million times.

♥ Screaming "IT'S CHRISTMAAAAASSSSS!!!" at least once. Don't pretend you've never done it!

♥ The Coca Cola Christmas advert.

♥ Attending my town's turning-on-of-the-lights event. (Although I've missed the last few years).

♥ Driving around to look for Christmas lights.

♥ Making my apple and blackberry trifle, and a cheesecake on Christmas Eve.

♥ Going to our annual Christmas Eve party at my Auntie's.

♥ Driving to and from the annual Christmas family gathering with a Christmas CD playing, while we watch out for Christmas lights.

♥ Going Christmas shopping and coming home with aches and pains everywhere, and bruised wrists from too many shopping bags.

♥ The smell of turkey and stuffing roasting in the oven on Xmas day.

♥ Being made to wrap up all of my Dad's presents to my Mum.

♥ Wanting to murder people in the supermarket during the Christmas food shop.

♥ Watching The Vicar of Dibley's 'Christmas Lunch Incident'.

♥ Wrapping presents beautifully while listening to festive tunes or watching a Christmas movie or two. Or three or four...

♥ The smell of real Christmas trees and fir branches.

♥ Listening to lots of festive tunes throughout the festive season.

♥ Baking on Christmas Eve.

♥ Laughing until my sides hurt during Christmas dinner.

♥ Indulging in a few Cadbury's Roses.

♥ Indulging in a hot chocolate or two from Costa.

♥ Making Christmas Crackers from a Hobbycraft kit and filling them with lovely treats.

♥ Buying Christmas cards from Paperchase. They make the best cards!

♥ Lush's Christmas range. I can barely remember a Christmas without it! I get some every year.

♥ Buying or receiving new PJs and slippers. An ideal ensemble for after eating way too much Christmas food!

♥ Watching the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special. It never gets old! "Six months?!"

♥ Tills crashing on the busiest shopping days known to man.

♥ Wearing a paper crown and groaning at bad recycled jokes.

♥ The smiles on loved ones faces when they open the presents you got so right.

♥ Visiting a garden centre or department store to buy new decorations, and to soak up the festive atmosphere in the Christmas department.

♥ Fairy lights! Fairy lights make everything better. Fact.

♥ Watching Home Alone and Home Alone 2.

♥ Hearing the Home Alone theme tune.

♥ Spending dark December evenings crafting Christmassy things.

♥ Lots of Christmas movie marathons.

♥ Seeing a concert, play, musical, and / or pantomime at the theatre..

♥ Adding at least one new decoration to the collection.

♥ Watching a Tim Allen Christmas movie... whether you want to or not!

♥ Watching Love Actually at least once.

♥ Singing along to The Pogues.

♥ Having at least one young kid trying to Christmas carol door to door for money. Give them a quid, and tell them to bugger off!

♥ Having your life choices judged at every gathering. (Yeah, thanks, distant relative, I'm already aware that my life isn't perfect but it's MY life, and I'll live it however I damn well please.)

♥ Reading A Christmas Carol.

♥ At least one bust up between friends or relatives who can't stand each other.

♥ Sound tracking the season with festive music.

♥ Christmas shopping at the crack of dawn to avoid the crowds.

♥ Writing Christmas cards to people you've not said two words to in fifteen years.

♥ My Mum's sage and onion stuffing; she makes it with sausage-meat, and it's the best stuffing ever.

♥ Crying at Noel's Christmas Presents.

♥ Wearing Christmas jumpers at every opportunity.

♥ Drinking before midday.

♥ Food comas.

♥ Claiming you'll never ever  eat anything again after eating way too much Christmas food..

♥ ...but still managing to eat cake or chocolate for breakfast on Boxing Day.

♥ Watching The Snowman on Christmas Eve. It always brings back a ton of memories of childhood Christmas Eve excitement.

♥ The John Lewis Christmas advert.

♥ Seeing the old Toys 'R' Us advert from the nineties.

♥ Playing board games on Christmas Day.

♥ Getting sellotape everywhere but on the right part of the wrapping paper.

♥ Wearing glitter nail polish at every opportunity.

♥ Wearing velvet, lace, sequins, and / or glitter to a Christmas party.

♥ The Body Shop's Cranberry range.

♥ Getting a new Christmas Dress to wear on Christmas Day.

♥ Watching Christmas With The Kranks, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street, The Family Stone, Elf, Deck The Halls, The Holiday, A Christmas Carol, The Santa Clause, The Polar Express, Meet Me in St Louis...

... I could keep listing for hours!

Merry Christmas everyone! Have a few drinks for me!

Christmas Home Tour Part Two (2014)

Hey guys!

I'm sorry that my posts have been all over the place this past week. I've managed to break my laptop by spilling the tiniest bit of Pepsi on my keyboard. The laptop still works, but the keyboard is completely dead. It could not have happened at a worse time! I had so many Christmas posts planned and half written in my drafts, that I never managed to schedule, too. Wah! I've been getting by by using the 'ease of access' on screen keyboard; have you ever used it? You use the cursor to click each letter, and it takes about half an hour to write one sentence. Ha ha! I can't write fast with it; it's so frustrating it makes me want to chuck the laptop out of the window!

My sister has lent me her laptop for the night, so I'm going to attempt to get a few posts scheduled. I doubt there's little point in me sending my laptop to get fixed or replaced with PC World 'til after Boxing Day, and with New Year's I'm not sure how long it might take to get it back this time. So, if I become AWOL for a while after Christmas, you'll know why! 

So, for now, I've got a Christmas home tour to share with you, which has been a long time coming. I've already shown you how my bedroom is decorated for Christmas, so today I'll be giving you a peek at the main decorations downstairs.

Our main Christmas tree will never win prizes for appearance, theme, or decoration technique;   nothing matches, there's absolutely no order to it, and the tree isn't all that pretty... but it's ours and that's what matters. It's adorned with decorations collected over at least five decades (possibly seven), so it's basically a tree-shaped scrapbook full of ornaments that hold memories and make us sentimental.

This year, I added loads of honeycomb pom poms to the collection; some ended up under the tree for a while until we found places to hang them, and call me mad, but I actually quite liked how they looked underneath it. 

Decorating the fire place has always been my job at Christmas. I like to dress it with fir branches and sprigs of holly, picked fresh from our garden, before adding in pine cones (some natural, some spray-painted gold) that we've collected over the years. I also add gold candles, and a menagerie of woodland animals made from straw and other natural materials, and the newest addition is a faux garland complete with fairy lights.

I think the fox is my favourite.

The owls are the newest animals to the fire place zoo.

I love this glittery squirrel!

Mr hedgehog has sustained a head injury since last Christmas. I've tried to disguise it by hiding him in the foliage.

We have about thirty of these big honeycomb pom poms hanging up in the living room and dotted around our tiny dining room. I don't know why, but I have such a thing for them at the moment; I love mid-century style Christmas decorations. My Mum said they're exactly like the decorations her family had when she was growing up in the late fifties and sixties. We bought them on Amazon (here) for little more than a pound each- a bargain compared to most out there.

We finally mounted our stag trophy* on the wall (which is the most difficult thing to photograph!), and I hung a couple of pom poms from his antlers! They're all from The Christmas Boutique.

My mum's snowman decoration is adorable. I love the little village scene in his stomach.

More pinecones and holly in a bowl.

The wreath on our front door.

My Mum's Christmas cross stitch picture.

We hung some Christmas bunting along the ugly beam in the kitchen. I think it was from Sainsburys.

The Christmas tree yesterday, complete with presents that I spent fifteen painful hours wrapping.

Cute snow scene bauble.

These galaxy orbs are some of my very favourite decorations. They look so beautiful when the fairy lights twinkle against them.

An oldie from when I was really young.

I hate these ugly angel decorations!

And that's my home all set for Christmas! If you'd like to see how my bedroom has been decorated for Christmas, you can take a peek here.

Merry Christmas everyone!

How is your home decorated for Christmas?