The Cracking Christmas Tag

A late one from me today. I was aiming to have this post up this afternoon, but I was half way through writing it when my Mum decided it was time to decorate the Christmas tree, and I had go join in. Now the tree is up and decorated, it's time to play catch up!

Tonight, I'm going to answer a fun new tag post called The Cracking Christmas Tag, which I recently came across on another blog. (I forget which one, sorry). The tag was created by Nina Louise Law and Becc4, and features ten quirky questions about Christmas that will help get you in to the Christmas spirit. I thought it would be fun to give it a go, so that is what I'm going to do. If you want to know what I get up to on Christmas Eve or which Christmas songs I loathe, tonight is the night you'll find out. This is The Cracking Christmas Tag.

Weirdest family tradition?

I've been wracking my brain for an answer for this, but I haven't been able to come up with anything; I think all my Christmas traditions are pretty normal. I guess we're really boring! Seriously, the weirdest tradition I could come up with is that ever since I was little, it's always been my job to set the table for Christmas dinner, and I don't really know why! I have two sisters, but somehow it was always left to me, while they slacked off and played with their new Christmas toys. Twenty five + years later, and the job is still mine. Luckily, I'm weird, and have always enjoyed dressing the table for Christmas dinner, so I've never actually minded. I like making things look pretty.

It's Christmas Eve; what are you doing?

I usually spend the morning popping out to the supermarket with my sister for any last minute supplies we need, and baking goodies in the kitchen while blasting out some Christmas tunes. I always make my blackberry and apple trifle on Christmas Eve ready for Christmas Day. Afterwards, I usually put on a Christmas movie or two and wrap any last minute gifts- usually my Dad's gifts to my Mum. Lazy bugger! If my Auntie is hosting her Christmas Eve party (occasionally it's a couple of days earlier), then everyone starts getting ready to travel to Worcester around lunchtime. I haven't been able to go since I've been chronically ill, though, (around seven or eight Christmases now) because it's too far for me to comfortably travel and the whole day would cause me too much pain. If I sucked it up and went anyway, I'd have to spend Christmas Day recovering in bed, which would totally suck, so I stay home these days. I spend the afternoon watching Christmas movies with the dog, and finish up any last minute tasks, like putting up birthday decorations for my Mum, whose birthday is also on Christmas Day! If my family stay home, I basically do the same thing, but with company. In the evening, I'll / we'll start grazing on a buffet or enjoy a cheeky takeaway, and then I'll generally reach my pain threshold, and crawl back upstairs to rest up for Christmas Day. I'll get in to my new Christmas PJs, relax with a face mask, do my nails, and enjoy some of the contents of my Christmas Eve box while watching some festive TV. My younger sister always joins me around half ten to watch a festive episode of The Vicar of Dibley together, as there's one on every year. I'll basically spend the rest of the night watching Christmas movies and reading until I fall asleep in the early hours of Christmas morning. I'm so rock 'n' roll!

Top 3 Christmas Dinner Components?

1. My sister's and brother-in-law's goose fat roast potatoes.

2. My Mum's sage and onion stuffing (she makes it with sausage meat).

3. Turkey!

When do you decorate your house? November, the beginning of December, the week of Christmas?

I never put my decorations up before December, but I like to put them up as early in December as possible. I usually begin decorating my bedroom for Christmas on the 1st, and we always used to decorate downstairs a few days in to December, but it gets later and later every year, and we only started putting the decorations up this afternoon! The tree is finally up and decorated, but we still have so much left to do! That's tomorrow job.

Loved and loathed Christmas songs?

There are so many Christmas songs that I love! I have hundreds in my iTunes library. I love the classics and the oldies- basically the stuff I grew up on in the eighties and nineties- but I'm not a fan of much modern Christmas music.

Some of my favourites are:

Last Christmas by Wham.

I Believe In Father Christmas by Greg Lake.

Step in to Christmas by Elton John.

Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin Stevens.

2000 Miles by The Pretenders.

A Spaceman Came Travelling by Chris de Burgh.

Stop the Cavalry by Jonah Lewie.

Fairytale of New York by The Pogues.

Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney.

Underneath the Tree by Kelly Clarkson.

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), and All Alone on Christmas by Darlene Love.

Mary's Boy Child by Boney M.

Troika by Lieutenant Kije.

It's Only Christmas by Ronan Keating.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! by Dean Martin.

I loathe loathe loathe...

Santa Buddy by Michael Bublé. (Cringe!)

Let it Go and Do You Wanna Build A Snowman from the Frozen Soundtrack.

Any of those dodgy nineties / noughties Christmas pop songs from bands like The Spice Girls, Steps, and Kylie Minogue.

One big present or lots of little things to open?

I prefer to get lots of little things to open. I love receiving a gift bag or box full of fun, thoughtful, little presents that someone has put a lot of effort in to choosing, and it's always great to have more presents to open- it makes that Christmas morning magic last longer!

What is your favourite Christmas decoration? (Include a photo if you have one).

I'm not sure I could choose just one; I'm emotionally attached to so many of my decorations. I have two resin Mickey Mouse decorations circa 1990, one in the shape of a Christmas tree and the other a stocking, that I've always been particularly fond of. I got them when I was about five, along with a little drum and a hobby horse decoration, to make me feel better after I burst my ear drum at school and had to go to hospital. They're usually the first decorations I search for when we get the decorations out- and I still have to fight my sister to be able to put them on the tree because she does the same! I also really love my colourful vintage-style baubles from Rex London, all of my kitsch decorations, and some pretty white galaxy-effect baubles we have on our main tree that look amazing when the fairy lights hit them. I haven't got any decent photos of them to hand, but I'll share some when I blog a Christmas bedroom tour in the next week or so.

Do you like to have a themed tree or one with a bit of everything?

Themed trees aren't my thing; I'll always prefer them to be mismatched with sentimental decorations that have been collected over a life time, and bring back decades of great memories- kind of like a 3-D scrapbook. The family tree is covered in decorations in all kind of shapes, styles, and colours that have been collected not only during mine and my sister's life times, but my parents' and even my Nana's. I think some of them are as much as seventy years old! Nothing matches, it's so not Instagrammable, and it always looks like the eighties threw up on it, but I love it, and there are so many great memories attached to it all.

Christmas pudding: yay or nay?

Yay? I'm not crazy about it, but I don't mind a little portion with custard now and then. The best one I ever tried came with sticky toffee sauce- that was amazing!

What's at the top of your Christmas wishlist this year?

I have my eye on a little grey floral 'Alpine Ditsy print' speaker from Cath Kidston, some Erstwilder brooches, a handful of beauty palettes, and a few creative books. I actually blogged my Christmas list on Wednesday, so you can see what's on it here.

And that is The Cracking Christmas Tag.

I tag... anyone who wants to have a go! If you decide to answer the tag on your own blog, make sure you leave me your links so I can have a read!

What is your weirdest family Christmas tradition?