Johanna's Christmas Johanna Basford Adult Colouring Book Review

I love Christmas as much as Kanye loves Kanye, (shocking revelation, I know!) but that's not to say I don't find the fast pace of the festive season stressful and exhausting. I've lost count of how many Christmases I've gotten so run down from the stresses and pressures of the festive season that I've made myself ill- and I'm sure I'm not the only one. We have to-do lists a mile long, a bustling social calendar full of parties, get-togethers & family gatherings (well, I haven't due to my health, but you probably do!), hectic workloads, financial pressures, and very little time to just rest and relax. It's exhausting just thinking about it all.

I think it's important to find some time for ourselves to put our feet up, relax, and de-stress during the festive season, even if it's just for half an hour between tasks. I find popping on a Christmas movie, and colouring away in an adult Christmas colouring book an effective way to de-stress- no, really! Channelling all that negative energy in to creating pretty pictures really helps to release stress, and ease your worries, leaving you feeling calm and relaxed in no time at all. If you don't believe me, give it a try for yourself; I promise it helps! (It works for me, anyway).

I recently bought myself a gorgeous new Christmas colouring book to enjoy this Christmas- Johanna's Christmas by Johanna Basford, which I think you'll love if you're a fan of colouring-in.

Johanna's Christmas is the latest adult colouring book from Johanna Basford, the creator of the best-selling colouring books Secret Garden, Enchanted Forest, Lost Ocean, and Magical Jungle, who to date has sold over twenty million copies worldwide. I have a copy of the Secret Garden, and it's lovely.

This new title is the first festive book from the illustrator, filled with page after page of intricate, Christmas-themed line drawings in Basford's pretty signature style. There are bauble-laden Christmas trees, flurries of snowflakes, festive wreaths, sleighs full of presents, decadent decorations, gingerbread houses, and so many more Christmas illustrations just waiting to be brought to life with colour this Christmas. The designs are all so beautiful, and the only hard part is deciding which to colour first. 

There are 36 double sided pages of illustrations to work through, plus one double sided blank page for testing out colours at the back, which can all be pulled out of the book for framing, scrap booking, crafting, pinning to notice boards, or for giving to loved ones. This could also come in handy if there are several of your family or friends who want to colour with you without purchasing the book themselves.

Most of the illustrations on the back of the pages are one of three recurring patterns- baubles, presents, and holly, and while this is repetitive, it means you can use ink pens on the illustration on the front without having to worry about ruining the picture behind too much- you still have other chances to colour it on another page. You can even colour the inner covers, introduction, and publishing info pages if you want!

The book is made from good-quality, reasonably thick white paper, which really helps to make the colours pop, and should be just about thick enough to prevent ink bleeding through the paper, if you go gently. Personally, I like to use Crayola colouring pencils for colouring, as I think they give the best, most vibrant results; cheap sets just don't compare. And who doesn't want a good excuse to use some Crayolas?

I've already began colouring my way through the book, which I've really enjoyed so far. It's been a pleasure to colour in and it's been helping me to relax and calm down from the stress of having a massive to do list and not enough energy or hours in the day- although I haven't done as much colouring-in as I'd like thanks to an arthritic flare up which is giving me awful pain and stiffness in my hands, and making it difficult for me to use them, so I apologise for the lack of colour in the photos. I had hoped to have several completed pages to share, but nothing ever goes to plan when you're living with chronic pain and illness.

Johanna's Christmas is one of the best adult colouring books available this Christmas, and it's sure to keep you occupied throughout the festive season and beyond. If you're looking for a way to de-stress, and perhaps even aid your mental health over the holidays, go grab yourself a copy and a pack of colouring pencils and give it a try. I promise you won't regret it!

Available now with a RRP of £12.99. I bought my copy on Amazon here, where it's currently just £5!

Will you be de-stressing with a Christmas colouring book this Christmas?

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