Saturday 31 December 2022

Looking Back on 2022



I can't believe we're already saying 'goodbye' to 2022. I'm sure I say this every year, but it only feels like a minute since we were ringing in the last new year, and I was writing my last annual reminder of all the things I didn't do. Is it just me, or have the last twelve months flown by?

For me, they shouldn't have, as 2022 was one of the most boring and uneventful years of my life. Looking back on the year, I've realised just how little living I did. I spent most of 2022 at home, just riding out my chronic pain, tachycardia, and fatigue a day at a time. If we don't include my holiday in September, I can probably count how many times I left the house all year on two hands- including for medical appointments! I'm pretty disappointed in myself for just how little living I managed, and how little I pushed myself to try.

All I really have to show for 2022 is an overnight trip to Bournemouth to see Ronan Keating, a visit to Whipsnade Zoo, a few trips in to town with my sister, and a week's holiday to Cornwall. Cornwall was definitely a highlight of the year, with time by the sea, lots of good food, day trips to beautiful Padstow and St. Ives, and fun visits to Newquay Zoo and The Screech Owl Sanctuary. It was a blissful week away from it all, and exactly the kind of escapism I needed. 

The rest of 2022 was just spent surviving, and enjoying the little things in life. I read a lot and finished 46 books; played Animal Crossing and FarmVille 3 (for far more hours than I probably should admit); cross stitched and painted; attempted to blog; became addicted to the Shadow and Bone books, The Folk of the Air series, and The Ballad of Never After and made them my whole personality; watched some good movies and TV shows; wasted time online; and spent time with my family and my dog. That's about it.

Wow, my year sounds pathetic.

Catching Covid-19 in June, the first time I went without a mask in a crowd, was also an experience, and one I'm not likely to forget in a hurry. I was sick for a month, and while it wasn't as bad as it could've been, it was horrendous. Though, the guilt I felt for making my whole family sick was worse. (Read about it here).

As for Polka Spots and Freckle Dots... well, the less said about that, the better. I celebrated my blog's 10th birthday in March, but I also blogged less in 2022 than in any year since I began blogging. It wasn't for lack of trying- I attempted to write almost every day, but either the words wouldn't come, or I didn't have the spoons to take the photos I needed to post. I managed to post every month, and caught up a little in December, but my tally of posts for the year is pretty darn sad. Here's hoping I can do better in 2023. It's definitely something I hope to improve on over the next twelve months.

So, basically, embarrassingly, I didn't experience much in 2022. I didn't reach any of life's milestones, I didn't meet anyone new, I didn't see the world, I just didn't live. But- I made it through another difficult year of chronic pain and illness, and that's an achievement of it's own. I can be proud of making it through another 365 days of  constant pain, fatigue, tachycardia, and all my other symptoms, even if I have little else to be proud of.

And that's okay.

It's okay if the only thing you did this year was survive. We don't always have to live our lives to the full, achieve our dreams, or do impressive things. Being alive, and making the best of the lives we've been given is okay, too. We can always try again next year.

And I hope that I will.

What's the best thing that happened to you in 2022?

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Sunday 25 December 2022

Merry Christmas


Hey guys!

I just stopping by to wish you all a very Merry Christmas- or a very Merry Sunday, if you don't celebrate it. I hope you have a wonderful day celebrating with your family and friends (or simply enjoying your own company), getting spoiled with presents, eating lots of delicious festive treats, and doing all those things that make Christmas special to you. 

I'll be spending today enjoying the festivities with my family at home in The Cotswolds. I'm looking forward to giving gifts, sitting down to Christmas dinner in the afternoon, falling in to a food coma in front of some festive TV, breaking out a board game or two, indulging in a few treats, and finally making some time to relax after a busy month.

It's going to be great. I can't wait!

I'll be back to tell you all about it in a few days, but for now, I'm going to log off, and soak up as much festive cheer as I can before it's all over for another year. In the meantime, you can probably find me sharing snippets of my day on Instagram.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, everyone. I hope it's the best one yet.

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Wednesday 21 December 2022

Currently at Christmas

Can you believe it's only a few more days 'til Christmas?

I'm not sure where the month has gone, but it doesn't feel like we're nearing the big day. Maybe it's just that I still don't feel festive. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going to feel Christmassy at all this year.

Anyway, in an effort to get in to the holiday spirit, I'm here for a catch up, and since it's December, this post is going to be giving off a lot of festive vibes. You have been warned. 

(As always, please excuse the quality of my photos. I'm still stuck using an ancient point-and-shoot with a scratched lens, and the quality is awful).

This is what I've been up to:

Reading

I intended to spend all month reading Christmas-themed stories, but I failed at that from day one. I began reading The Cruel Prince at the end of November, and became so hooked on it, I just couldn't wait a month to read The Wicked King, and of course, when I finished that, I had to dive right in to The Queen of Nothing. I. Am. Obsessed. The Folk of the Air series is amazing, and it's without a doubt one of the best book series' I've ever read. I think I might even love these books more than the Shadow and Bone books- and you all know how much I adore those. The Folk of the Air is a dark YA fantasy series, set in a magical Faerie land, with a morally-grey mortal heroine, a cruel but loveable faerie prince / king, battles, curses, murder, the best group of spies, and a little bit of romance and seduction. The magical world of Faerie is enchanting, and I love Jude becoming bad-ass with power and shamelessly murdering anyone who gets in her way; and poor, damaged Cardan who starts off cruel and detestable, but who's really a funny, mischievous sweetheart who just wants to be loved. His backstory is one of the saddest things I've ever heard, and the way his family neglected and abused him broke my heart. I hated Lady Asha, Dain, and Balekin so much... but maybe not as much as I hated Locke and Taryn. Even if she redeemed herself a little in the last book. I'm sad the main series is over for me now as all three books were so good, but I'm looking forward to reading the companion book of short stories, How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories, and the new book, The Stolen Heir, which comes out next month. Just read them all, promise?

Aside from getting lost in Faerie, I have read some Christmas stories this December. I've been slowly making my way through A German Christmas: Festive Tales from Berlin to Bavaria, a short story or two at a time. It's a book of classic festive short stories written by German, Austrian, and Swiss writers, and they're charming. I've also just started Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar, which is supposedly a modernisation of The Nutcracker.

Watching

I've watched some Christmas movies so far this month, but not as many as I would normally have by this stage of the festive season. I just can't seem to get in to the mood for Christmas this year, and that's really unusual for me. I'm not sure why I'm not feeling it this year. Maybe it's just because I've barely done any of the big festive activities at all yet? Who knows. Anyway, this month, I've been watching Home Alone, Home Alone 2, The Holiday, Santa Claus the Movie, The Muppets Christmas Carol, While You Were Sleeping, The Santa Clause, and Meet Me in St. Louis. And I've also been enjoying Kirstie's Handmade Christmas, and a couple of Christmas specials.

Listening

The Christmas tunes have been broken out. I've been playing all the usual festive classics, listening to some Christmas songs on Magic radio most weekday mornings, and have had Ronan's Winter Songs album on repeat. Old habits never die.

Playing

When I've had a little spare time in the evenings, I've been winding down with Animal Crossing New Horizons to enjoy the festivities in game. I haven't built anything exciting since I'm recollecting the recipes and haven't got all my festive furniture yet, but I'm having fun collecting them all, making snowmen, and enjoying the pretty fairy lights in the trees. Here's a very pink Christmas home I built in ACNH Happy Home Paradise a few months ago.

Stitching

I haven't found much time to sew lately. I'm still working on the Satsuma Street retro bauble designs I showed you in my last 'currently' post, and haven't done loads since then. I'm hoping to work on them a bit more this week, but I'm unlikely to get them finished in time for Christmas.

Wrapping

I've thankfully got all of my presents wrapped already, apart from the few that haven't been delivered yet. I actually started wrapping in October to take some of the pressure off, and have just wrapped everything else as I've bought them, and it's been a huge help. It's really made a difference to my pain levels this December, so I'm glad I did this. This year, I bought the loveliest snail mail wrapping paper from Gabi & Gaby, and wrapped them with pastel pink and blue satin ribbons from Hobbycraft.

Writing

I surprised myself by getting all my cards written and sent / given out at the start of the month, instead of at the last minute. Miracles do happen. This year's cards were from Whistlefish.

Buying

Most of my money has been spent on presents, but a few Christmas Erstwilder brooches and earrings may have been bought last month, and several books may have also jumped in to my basket lately. Including a few gorgeous editions from Owlcrate in the Black Friday sale. I'll be sure to review those ones once they arrive.

Enjoying

Accessorising all my outfits with Christmas brooches and earrings, and counting down the days to Christmas with my Essie nail polish Advent calendar. It's the little things...

Loving

Seeing all the pretty Christmas lights everywhere, brightening up the dark winter evenings. Christmas lights make everything better. Fact.

Liking

Filling my days with Christmas-themed activities. They're much more fun than regular-themed activities.

Needing

Some sleep and a good rest. Preparing for Christmas is tiring work. Roll on Boxing Day, when I can finally relax again.

Wanting

A lovely Christmas with my family, and to find lots of pretty books under the tree this year.

Wishing

I could've got out and about to do all the fun festive things, and had someone to enjoy them all with. I've missed out on all the fun holiday activities like Christmas light switch ons, Christmas markets, browsing decorations in the garden centre, Christmas parties... basically all of it, and it sucks. Okay, maybe I don't care so much about missing Christmas parties, but I wanted to do all the rest. Sometimes I resent my health just a little bit. (Do you hear those tiny violins)??

Decorating

I finally decorated my bedroom for Christmas at the end of last week. I got a potted tree from Tesco's the week before, but I hadn't been feeling great pain-wise, and couldn't find where my Mum had hidden a box of my decorations, so I started really late this year. I've got a tree up with all my presents wrapped underneath, retro deer ornaments dotted around, hoop art on the wall, Christmas tea lights by my TV, and I've even hung some decorations from my white-twig Easter tree. My bedroom basically looks like Christmas threw up on it, and I'm so proud. We still haven't put up the tree in the living room, though. 

Eating

A Christmas Doughnut Time doughnut or two might have come home with me last time I was in town. They have a brand new shop in the Westgate in Oxford, so it would've been rude not to visit it when I was out Christmas shopping. That same day, I also got to experience Popeye's for the first time, who have also just opened a restaurant in Oxford. I didn't know what to expect, but it was surprisingly tasty.

And... that's basically December so far in a (very long) nut shell.

What fun Christmas activities have you been up to lately? Are you all ready for Christmas yet?

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Thursday 15 December 2022

My Erstwilder Christmas Brooch Collection

My resin brooch collection has grown steadily over the last five years, but it wasn't until last week, when I was putting away my new Christmas brooches, that I realised just how many Christmas Erstwilder brooches I have.

Seventeen. I have seventeen Christmas Erstwilder brooches!

And that's not counting the wintry ones from other collections that also look a bit festive when worn with the right outfit.

I only started collecting in 2017.

I might be a little obsessed.

Am I worried? No; I love my little collection, and look forward to accessorising my outfits with different Christmas brooches and earrings each December. It adds some fun and joy to the Christmas count down, and a little personality to what I'm wearing. Plus, I get too hot to wear Christmas jumpers, so this is my way of getting in to the festive spirit with my outfits.

Anyway, now that I've found my missing Red Robbin brooch- it turns out he's been rockin' under my bedside cabinet for the last two years- and have my whole collection together again, I thought it would be fun to give you a peek at my Christmas Erstwilder brooch collection in all it's festive glory.

And here we are.

I have seventeen beautiful holiday brooches, with at least one brooch purchased from every Erstwilder Christmas range dating back to 2017. There are some in classic Christmas colours like red and green, some in pretty pastels, and some in bold, glittery shades of magenta and royal blue. And they're all so different. I have snowmen and Santas, Christmas trees and presents, and even more unusual designs, like partridges in pears and a kookaburra in a snow globe.

I love my entire collection of brooches, but I'd say my favourites would have to be the two snow globes and the robin. The snow globe brooches are just amazing designs, and I love how sparkly the robin is; it's like a pair of ruby red slippers. I also really love the cuckoo clock, and I'm loving my new True Love's Gift partridge in a pear brooch a lot right now, too.

I've worn quite a few of these brooches already this month- often just pinned to my PJs, as I've barely gotten dressed all month- and I'm trying to work my way through wearing all of them before Christmas is over.

Today, I'm wearing the pastel pink cuckoo clock, but tomorrow? Who knows?

Perhaps I'll remember to share it on Instagram, so you might find out.

Do you have a Christmas jewellery collection to rival mine? Which of these brooches is your favourite?

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Tuesday 13 December 2022

A Merry Christmas & Other Christmas Stories by Louisa May Alcott Christmas Book Review

Little Women is one of the world's most beloved stories set at Christmas time, but did you know that its author, Louisa May Alcott, also wrote many other Christmas tales? I didn't until I stumbled upon a book dedicated to them last year called A Merry Christmas & Other Christmas Stories, but it's now got a happy home in my book collection, and it's calling out to be reread again this Christmas.

A Merry Christmas & Other Christmas Stories is filled with seven wholesome short stories that are based around kindness, generosity and charity at Christmas time, providing lessons of morality the way only children's stories of the 1800s can, as well as an authentic taste of Christmas in 19th century America. 

Perfect for adults and children alike, the works included in this 147-page book are:

A Merry Christmas

The Christmas morning scene from Little Women when the March sisters donate their Christmas breakfast to a poor family, and are rewarded with an extravagant feast by their rich neighbour, Mr. Lawrence.

Kate's Choice

An orphaned English teenager comes to live with her American cousins. When she discovers they have a Grandma that they never see, she takes it upon herself to visit her, and makes a plan to bring all the family together for Christmas.

The Quiet Little Woman

A lonely orphan is finally adopted in to a family, but is broken-hearted when it's clear her new family consider her nothing more than a dutiful servant. When the family don't bring her along to a Christmas party, the Aunt she has befriended makes it her mission to teach the family how precious the girl is, and show her she's loved in time for Christmas.

Tilly's Christmas

A sweet Christmas story about a poor girl who rescues a robin, despite her spoilt friends advising her not to do anything without reward, and takes it home to her mother. The girl shares what little she has with her Mum, who she realises has gone without food to feed her, and when they wake the next morning, they discover how a few kind words can lead to generosity from neighbours.

What Love Can Do

Two little girls are upset to realise how poor they are at Christmas, and overhearing this, a neighbour sets about leaving presents for them, inspiring every neighbour who passes to give generously, too. It's such a sweet story of what an act of kindness can do.

Rosa's Tale

The curious tale of a horse who was granted the ability to speak one Christmas Eve, and used it to tell the story of her past to a girl bringing her a Christmas feast.

Mrs Podgers' Teapot

A grieving mother and widow is attached to a teapot, but then, one Christmas, when she welcomes an orphaned boy in to her home, she learns it was not earned how she thought.

Besides the chapter from Little Women, I think my favourites from the book have to be Kate's Choice and The Quiet Little Woman, though What Love Can Do was gorgeous, too.

The writing style is similar to that of Little Women, and if you're anything like me, the stories will likely evoke the same warm, comforting, festive feels it gives, too. Each one is so heart-warming it's as comforting to read as curling up in your favourite PJs and blanket with a mug of tea.

It's a lovely collection of tales, and the perfect book for unwinding with after a stressful day to help you relax and feel festive. I read it for the first time last December, a story or two at a time, and it had such a calming influence, even on those days when preparing for Christmas was stressing me out. I was very grateful for it, too.

This edition is a Penguin Christmas Classics- a charming little collection which is made up of several festive-themed works, including The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann, and The Night Before Christmas by Nikolai Gogol. I have to admit, I am tempted to collect them all, if only for the beautiful book covers.

I can't speculate on the other books in the collection, but A Merry Christmas & Other Christmas Stories is a plain, festive, cherry-red hardback, with beautiful gold foil lettering on the spine.

It might be plain on the outside, but inside you'll find the prettiest cream-coloured end-papers featuring a simple Christmas illustration of a red cardinal and branches laden with red berries, as well as a back drop of red polka dot snow. 

Another lovely feature of the book is that the first page of each short story is crowned with a simple greyscale illustration of branches and berries. A simple touch, but aesthetically, it ticks all the right boxes

The dust-jacket matches the illustrations inside but in more detail, with brightly-coloured cardinals perched on branches blooming with golden-brown leaves and scarlet berries, that stand out on a white background peppered with multi-coloured snow of brown and mint green. The fonts used for the title and author's name are tasteful, and they're surrounded by a border of metallic red foil on the front, and printed white on the red spine.

It's such a pretty little book, and if you enjoy classic Christmas children's stories, and love collecting beautiful books as much as I do, trust me- you need it in your collection.

A Merry Christmas & Other Christmas Stories should be available from all good book shops now. Find it on Amazon here.

Have you read any A Merry Christmas & Other Christmas Stories yet?

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Sunday 11 December 2022

Sunday Favourites Christmas Special #406

Hey guys,

I hope you're all having a restful Sunday, and aren't too busy getting ready for Christmas.

I'm here with another Sunday Favourites Christmas special, and this week's post is packed full of festive crafts, recipes, decor ideas, and more. I've gone with mostly traditional Christmas colours this week, and I hope they inspire you. Enjoy.

Who remembers making paper snowflakes when they were little? I used to love it, but they were never as cool or intricate as these ones from The House That Lars Built. Thankfully, they have a DIY to show you how to make them.

The House That Lars Built also have a great tutorial for a DIY Christmas bulb Advent calendar, that would be fun to count down the 12 days of Christmas.

This easy Swiss chocolate fondue recipe from Sprinkle Bakes looks incredible. *Licks screen.* I'd love to make this for Christmas Eve.

These DIY gingerbread gift tags from Mein Feenstaub would add a little something extra to your gift-wrapping this Christmas.

How pretty are these DIY Christmas poppers / crackers from The House That Lars Built?

A Beautiful Mess chocolate sticky buns look delicious. These would be amazing for an indulgent breakfast on Christmas morning.

These chocolate mocha yule log cakes from Spinkle Bakes sound so good. I'm in love with the little axe decorations!

Holy crap; don't Sprinkle Bakes' pinecone cookies look amazing?!

With Wonder and Whimsy have created the cutest Whoville holiday tablescape.

I'm loving these mid-century style atomic starburst ornaments from PMQ for Two.


PMQ for Two also have a great recipe for mini peppermint bark cheesecakes that I'm tempted to try out.

This hot chocolate charcuterie board from A Pumpkin and a Princess looks so damn good. I'd love to recreate it.

A lovely Christmas tablescape from The House That Lars Built.


This charming ghostly Christmas Carol art print from Malefica Crafts on Etsy.


And last but not least, these Christmas ornament Oreo balls from A Pumpkin and a Princess look almost too good to eat.

You can find all my previous Sunday Favourites Christmas Specials posts here for more festive inspiration.

Thanks for reading!

What are your plans for the day?

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Friday 9 December 2022

My Christmas List 2022

It's that time of the year when I like to share a Christmas List of the things I'd love to find under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.

It's a wish list I've put together just for fun, and isn't something I plan to flash in people's faces, demanding they buy me things from it. I might steer people in its direction if they ask for ideas, but mostly, it's just a fun wish list showing what I'd love Santa to bring me, that might also provide present ideas for yourself and your loved ones.

This year, it took me a while to compile a wish list, as aside from books and a few brooches, I couldn't think of many things that I was lusting after. I mostly just want a big stack of beautiful books, Loungefly backpacks, and Erstwilder brooches this year, but personally, I think that makes for a quality wish list.

I'll let you be the judge of that, though. Check it out for yourselves.


1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // 18 // 19 // 20 // 21 // 22 // 23 // 24

1. This faux leather celestial reading planner from Owlcrate is the prettiest reading planner I've ever seen.
2. I love this Maverick Macaw brooch from the Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Wildlife collection.
3. This Twisted Wunder star print maxi dress from Simply Be looks stunning.
4. I really want to read the A Court of Thorns and Roses series, and the collector's edition of the first book is so beautiful. Just look at it!
5. The collector's edition of Throne of Glass is another beauty I need in my collection, and another book series I want to try.
6. How cute are these Erstwilder toadstool earrings?!
7. It's been years since I last owned some Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat, or my favourite YSL blur primer, so I definitely wouldn't object to finding this lovely YSL make up set under the tree this year.
8. I love the detail to the Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Tranquil Tiger brooch.
9. I haven't read the first book in the series yet, but the Owlcrate edition of When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles needs to come live with me. 
10. I'm kicking myself for only just discovering Fairyloot, as this edition of The Ballad of Never After is seriously beautiful, with sprayed stencilled edges, a reversible dust jacket, and the loveliest end paper art of Jacks and Evangeline... and it's now sold out. I'm still including it here, as it's a wish list, and I'd be thrilled if a Christmas miracle happened, and I found this under the tree on Christmas morning. If you have a copy and don't want it, send it my way! 
11. Alice in Wonderland has always been one of my favourite Disney films, and this Painting the Roses Red backpack from Loungefly is incredible.
12. I desperately need a new camera as I dropped and broke mine this autumn, and am stuck using a grainy old point and shoot that's 10+ years old. I won't get one for Christmas, as they're too expensive, but this Canon DSLR seems like a pretty good deal for a starter DLSR.
13. This red panda brooch from Erstwilder has been on my wish list half the year, so I'd be a happy little panda if I got one for Christmas.
14. Loungefly always make the best bags, and their Robin Hood book convertible backpack is one of the best bags in the history of bags. I love that the inside is like a storybook with scenes from the film, and includes Maid Marian and Lady Kluck playing badminton!
15. I definitely do not need any more eyeshadow palettes, but oh, this Too Faced Yummy Bear palette is dreamy. Maybe I could find room for just one more?
16. I already own a Loungefly Robin Hood backpack, but holy crap, the new Prince John Carriage mini backpack looks amazing, and I need it in my life.
17. I love the look of the Owlcrate edition of Book of Night by Holly Black. I'm currently addicted to The Folk of the Air series (I've almost finished The Wicked King), so I'd love to try some of her other books once I'm done with all the others.
18. There's something so charming about this Erstwilder X Pete Cromer Orderly Orangutan Brooch. Her little face is too cute.
19. The Hell Bunny Love Cats mini dress is so fun, and colourful. It covers a good range of sizes, too, from an XS up to a 6XL!
20. I don't need another copy of Caraval, but I'll admit, the gold foil 5th anniversary edition sure is tempting me.
21. I'd love to journal through Leigh Bardugo's gorgeous Grishaverse companion journal, The Severed Moon, in 2023. It looks wonderful.
22. I adored My Little Pony when I was little and owned several of them, so I can't help coveting the piece of pastel perfection that is the Loungefly My Little Pony mini backpack. It's an eighties'/ nineties' child's dream.
23. Two books in, and I'm totally obsessed with The Folk of the Air, so I can't wait to read How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories. Though, I have a feeling I'll want to buy this one for myself before Christmas, just as soon as I've read The Queen of Nothing.
24. Everyone seems to be playing Disney Dreamlight Valley at the moment, and I'd love to jump on the bandwagon. It only seems to be available to download, and not as a cartridge, though, so I'll probably have to buy this one myself, too.

And those are some of the things on my Christmas list this year.

If you'd like to see what else made it on to my Christmas list, perhaps to get some present ideas or to find some new books to read, you can find my wish list board on Pinterest here.

What's on your Christmas list this year?

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Thursday 8 December 2022

The Ultimate Christmas Tag

I love a good tag post, and today I have a fun, festive one for you called The Ultimate Christmas Tag. 

If you want to know what my favourite Christmas films are, which Christmas songs I'd sing at karaoke, or what my favourite Christmas memory is, keep reading to find out.

Introducing, The Ultimate Christmas Tag:

What is your favourite thing about Christmas?

I'm torn between seeing all the pretty lights and decorations everywhere, giving presents to my family and friends, and enjoying Christmas dinner with my family, as we only sit around a table together a couple of times a year, 

Do you have any Christmas traditions you CANNOT forget about each year?

We don't really have any big Christmas traditions in my family, just little ones like we always have to have a tin of Cadbury Roses in the house, we never put up the family Christmas tree without listening to an old Christmas album called 100% Christmas (which we've been decorating trees with since 1994), and certain desserts have to be made. I always make an apple and blackberry trifle, my sister has to make her chocolate squidgy log (old Delia recipe), and my Mum must make an apple pie- or Christmas is ruined. We need some new traditions!

Is there a song that just gets you in to the Christmas spirit?

Last Christmas by Wham never fails to make me feel festive. I think it's because it was always one of the first songs we'd listen to when decorating the tree for Christmas, so it brings up those nostalgic Christmas feelings.

What is your favourite Christmas movie?

I can't choose between Santa Claus the Movie and The Muppets Christmas Carol. They're both amazing, and have been my favourites since childhood.

What food is your must have at Christmas time?

Forget Christmas cake and mince pies; it wouldn't be Christmas in our house without a tub of Cadbury Roses, some turkey sandwiches, all the desserts I mentioned earlier, and my brother-in-law's goose-fat roast potatoes.

If you had to choose between Michael Buble's Christmas album and Justin Bieber's Christmas album, which one would you choose and why?

Personally, I'd rather stick pins in my eyes than listen to either, but if I had to choose, I guess Michael Buble's would be the lesser of two forms of torture. For the record, I didn't mind his when it first came out, but it's become so inescapable that I've come to hate it.

What is your favourite memory about Christmas?

When I was little, I was so excited for Christmas, I woke around 3am on Christmas morning, and couldn't get back to sleep. My older sister was awake in the next room, so I crawled in to bed with her, and we came up with a plan to get Christmas morning to start earlier. Our 'brilliant' plan was to turn the clock forward a few hours, and I was sent to wake up our parents with the evidence that it was clearly morning, and time to open presents. Of course, their alarm clocks betrayed us, and they weren't fooled, but they gave in and let us get up at 6am, an hour earlier than they'd usually let us on Christmas Day. It's probably sounds really boring to you, but I just remember us both laughing a lot, and the memory still makes me smile.

When do you start decorating your place for Christmas?

We start decorating our home for Christmas from the 1st of December, although, in recent years, everyone's been so tired, and busy, sometimes we haven't get around to decorating downstairs until a few days before Christmas. I think this year might be one of those years as we haven't even started yet! I'm hoping to put decorations up in my bedroom over the next couple of days, though, as I finally picked up a little tree this morning.

If you were at Christmas karaoke, which 5 songs would you play?

Let's be clear; you won't ever catch me doing karaoke, so if you ever do, I must be very, very drunk or an imposter. Send for help. I can't sing to save my life, and I hate having all eyes on me. But, if someone held a gun to my head and forced me to sing, I would probably go with:

Last Christmas by Wham.

Undcrneath the Tree by Kelly Clarkson.

Step in to Christmas by Elton John.

All Alone on Christmas by Darlene Love.

Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney.

What are your top 4 Christmas movies?

Probably:

Santa Claus the Movie

The Muppets Christmas Carol

Little Women (1994)

and...

either The Family Stone / The Holiday / The Santa Clause / Home Alone. Can't choose!

What does Christmas really mean to you?

Spending some quality time with my family, and having a good excuse to spoil everyone with presents.

How old were you when you started asking questions about Father Christmas?

Questions? Why would I ask questions about Santa? Oh, you mean, what kind of cookies he likes? I was six or seven.

What do you think makes Christmas so magical?

I think it's a bit of everything; the twinkling decorations, the childhood Christmas Eve / Christmas morning excitement, families and friends coming together, the way it brings out kindness and generosity in most people... It always seems to transform the world in to a happier, kinder place for a month or two, and never fails to brighten up the dark winter days, and if that's not magical, I don't know what is.

Share your favourite photos from a previous Christmas.

I love this one of my dog, Rosie, taken on her first Christmas in 2016, when we dressed her up for the first time. (The hair bows were only added briefly as a joke). The poor pupper was so confused by it all, but she looked adorable.

And that's The Ultimate Christmas Tag.

I tag... anyone who wants to take part.

If you decide to give the tag a go on your own blog, do send me the link to your post so I can have a read!

What's your favourite thing about Christmas time?

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Tuesday 6 December 2022

Christmas Haul

I've picked up a few Christmas goodies lately, from brooches to books, and wrapping paper to dog toys, so I thought I'd do a little haul, and show you what I've been buying.


I bought my Christmas cards from the Cornish brand Whistlefish a couple of months ago, after browsing their website to look for an art print I saw in their Padstow store on holiday. I wanted pink or pastel-coloured cards this year, and couldn't resist the two pink designs I found. I then added some other more colourful designs to my basket, too. I think they're lovely. Their cards are currently £1 each or 20 for £10, and they're 100% recyclable, with no plastic used to package them.


I always try to make the gifts I give look as pretty as possible with lovely wrapping paper and embellishments, and this year, I went with these amazing snail mail Christmas wrapping paper sheets from Gabi & Gaby. The paper is cream with a print of Christmas stamps in blue, pink, orange, and brown, and feature cute festive images like snowmen, Christmas puddings, crackers, presents, and more. They're made of 90gsm uncoated paper stock, so they're great-quality, and recyclable, too, and each sheet comes with a matching gift tag made of thick card. My gifts look so pretty wrapped in them with complimenting pink ribbons, and they're going to look so good under the Christmas tree.


I couldn't help treating myself to a few new Christmas brooches and earrings from Erstwilder's new Modern Holiday collection in November, nor could I stop myself from buying a festive dog tag to accessorise Rosie's collar for Christmas. They're all amazing, and if you want to know more, I recently reviewed them here.


Now on to Advent calendars. This year I'm counting down the days to Christmas with the Essie nail polish Advent calendar, which is filled with twenty-five mini and full sized Essie nail polishes and treatments. It has some gorgeous classic colours inside, but they've played it very safe with shades, and it could definitely do with a little more colour. It didn't arrive in time for me to photograph and review before Advent began, but I might do round-up post of what I find in it this Advent instead.


I also got a cheap and cheerful Dairy Milk chocolate Advent calendar, just because I always had one of these calendars growing up, and having one now makes me all nostalgic.



I love reading Christmas-themed stories to help get me in to the Christmas spirit that little bit more, and recently added A German Christmas: Festive Tales From Berlin to Bavaria to my collection. It's a lovely little book filled with short stories, poems, plays, and carols that were all written by writers from Germany, Austria, or Switzerland, and if you'd like to hear more, I recently reviewed it for you guys here.


Another festive book I picked up this year is Midnight in Everwood by M.Z. Kuzniar. I've not read it yet, but it's apparently loosely based on The Nutcracker. Also, its cover is stunning. I'm hoping to be able to read it and review it before Christmas is through.

Pigs in Blankets // Plush Tennis Balls // Pink Reindeer // Robbie Reindeer // Christmas Tree Treats // Christmas Cubes Gift Set // Meaty Selection Box // Snowdog // Little Petface Reindeer

And, finally, I've been having so much fun shopping for Christmas presents for my dog. She loves opening presents just like a furry toddler, so I always buy and wrap up presents for her. I've mostly bought her Cupid and Comet toys and treats, that I found reasonably priced via Hyper Drug online. I especially love the plush covered tennis balls, but the reindeer toys are pretty cute, too. The Snowdog toy was just £4 from Sainsbury's and I found the Little Petface reindeer toy on Amazon, but it's currently much cheaper elsewhere. I guarantee she'll murder all the soft toys for their squeakers within half an hour, but I'm looking forward to seeing her enjoy them on Christmas morning.

And those are the Christmas-themed things I've picked up this year.

I've definitely been tamer with my spending than other years, but I'm still surprised that I haven't bought any new Christmas decorations at all (yet) this Christmas. I usually add at least a couple to the collection each year- though, I guess, there's still time. Watch this space!

What festive things have you been buying lately?

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