Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! (Or a merry Monday, if you don't celebrate it)!

The big day is finally here, and after a busy month preparing, I can't wait to relax, unwind, and enjoy the festivities with my family. 

I'm looking forward to giving my family and my dog their presents, indulging in lots of good food, falling into a food coma while watching a few Christmas movies, and basically, taking it as easy as possible.

How ever you're spending the day, I hope you have the best Christmas with your favourite people. Eat, drink, be merry (or grumpy, if that's your jam), and ignore any haters that try to spoil it for you.

I'm going to log off now and enjoy myself, but I'm sure you'll find me updating my Insta stories throughout the day.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Currently at Christmas

Happy Christmas Eve!

I can't believe it's already here. This month has gone so fast.

I have one last festive post I want to squeeze in before I log off for Christmas, so let's do this.

It's been over six months since I last did one of these Currently posts, so it seems like the perfect time for a catch up. And since it's December, let's make it festive.

This is what I've been up to lately:

Reading

I wanted to read lots of festive books this month, but so far I've only found the time for a reread of A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas, and three quarters of Upon a Frosted Star by M.A. Kuzniar. It's Swan Lake meets The Great Gatsby, and the writing is so beautiful, and giving off Caraval and The Night Circus vibes. I'm loving it so far- it's so gorgeous, sad, and romantic. (And I'm not one for romance books at all). I'm still hoping to fit in The Nutcracker this Christmas, but also wanted to read The Penguin Book of Christmas Stories, and reread Little Women, Midnight in Everwood, and A Christmas Carol before the month was through. I never find quite as much time to read in December, and often end up dozing off when I do as Christmas wears me out, so I guess most of them will have to keep for another year.

Besides seasonal books, I have read lots of great evergreen books over the last couple of months, too. I flew through the entire Blood and Ash series, adored A Curse for True Love, got completely lost in Iron Flame, and fell in love with Legends and Lattes when I read it earlier in the month. Would recommend them all. I've read a few others as well, but these were my favourites from recent months.

Watching

Over the last couple of weeks, I've broken out the Christmas movies and TV shows, and am trying to work my way through my favourites. So far I've watched Santa Claus the Movie, The Muppets Christmas Carol, The Santa Clause, While You Were Sleeping, Home Alone 1 & 2, Little Women (1994), Meet Me in St. Louis, Miracle on 34th Street, The Snowman, Love Actually, The Holiday, the Little Women BBC mini series, The Gavin and Stacey Christmas specials, and The Vicar of Dibley's 'Merry Christmas' episode (the one where Geraldine dives head first into the chocolate fountain and then gets drunk before Christmas mass). I've also had Christmas cooking shows on in the background, and have been watching some non-festive stuff, too, including Neighbours, Faraway Downs, and a Lost rewatch. (I'm currently on season five). No doubt I'll be watching lots of festive TV with the family over the next few days, too.

Listening

I've been listening to all the usual Christmas songs while getting ready for Christmas, and of course, Ronan Keating's Winter Songs album has also been played a lot lately. (Old habits die hard). It wouldn't be Christmas without it.

Stitching

I've just gone back to cross stitching the little Satsuma Street retro baubles I began a year or two ago. I'm only on the third one, and still have another four to go. 

Playing

It'll come as no surprise that I've been enjoying the seasonal content in Animal Crossing when I've found a spare second to play. I love the festive additions to the game so much. I've been busy building pink Christmas rooms in my main character's house, have added Christmas wreaths to all the doors of my villagers' houses, started putting out festive furniture on my island, and have been dressing my characters in the cutest Christmas outfits. It's such a cute game to play at Christmas time if you like cosy sim games. I've been playing it for almost four years, and I still love it!

Painting

It's been a few weeks since I last picked up a paint brush, but I recently started colourising the awesome Throne of Glass colouring book. I wanted to try some festive painting this year, but all the present wrapping has aggravated the spinal pain in my neck, so I've not been able to bend over a colouring book to try. *Sad face.*

Writing

I finally wrote my Christmas cards a couple of weeks ago while watching The Santa Clause. I went with these colourful cards by Tache from TK Maxx. The designs are so fun.

Wrapping

I also managed to get all of my Christmas presents wrapped by mid-month (including the dog's). I actually started wrapping them in November, and did them in small batches to try to make it easier on my back. If you have chronic pain, staggering your wrapping definitely helps! I spent a couple of hours last Sunday adding red and white twine and candy canes to them, and now they're done I feel much more organised. This year's wrapping paper is covered in gingerbread men using cups of cocoa like hot tubs, and I got it from Zazzle when it was half off. It's not cheap, but I couldn't resist.

Decorating

I decorated my bedroom for Christmas about ten days into the month, and it feels so festive and cosy with all the fairy lights and retro decorations up. I have a small real tree on what is normally my dressing table, loads of retro deer ornaments, and lots of other decorations dotted about. We also finally managed to put the decorations up in the living room on Wednesday, so the house is looking so festive now.

Loving

Seeing all the houses and town centres decorated for Christmas. We went for a drive to spot Christmas lights the other night, and there are so many good ones this year. I love how Christmas lights brighten up the long winter nights.

Liking

How my bedroom currently smells strongly of pine from the Christmas tree. It smells so good!

Enjoying

Getting ready for Christmas. I always enjoy all the fun little activities we do in the lead up to Christmas to prepare for it- wrapping presents, hanging decorations, shopping for treats etc- even if my body protests a lot these days.

Needing

To dress the mantle with fir branches and pine cones. (I've been waiting for the greenery from the garden to dry, so I'll have to do a last minute job today).

And some rest and a decent night's sleep because I've not been sleeping, and I'm shattered.

Wanting

To find the Loungefly Lady and the Tramp mini backpack, the Hunger Games deluxe box set, and the Illumicrate Olivie Blake book set under the tree this Christmas. Please Santa; I've been very good this year. *Cough cough.*

Wishing

I could get out and about more, and had someone to do all the fun festive things with. Christmas isn't so fun when there's no one to enjoy it all with.

Eating 

Far too many Reese's peanut butter Christmas trees and Cadbury praline chocolate Puds. And a couple of Christmas Doughnut Time doughnuts. Why are Christmas treats so much tastier than regular treats?

Drinking

I've had a couple of Costa hot chocolates delivered lately, which has been lovely as I hadn't had one in years. Their signature hot chocolate is my favourite, but last time, I tried the Terry's Chocolate Orange one and it was sooo good. Would recommend.

Looking

forward to a lovely Christmas with my family. We're having a family Christmas buffet this afternoon, and a quiet Christmas Day at home, but I can't wait to enjoy lots of good food, Christmas movies, and maybe even a board game or two together over the next couple of days. And most of all, I'm just looking forward to having a spare second to relax!

And that's my life lately in a nut shell.

I hope you have a fantastic Christmas how ever you're celebrating, or a lovely week / other religious holiday if you're not. Eat, drink, and be merry, and have an extra slice of cake for me. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, guys!

What are your plans for Christmas?

The Christmas Songs Book Tag 2023

I've seen The Christmas Songs Book Tag doing the rounds on a couple of blogs this Christmas, so I'm here to give it a go, too.

There are ten bookish questions based on Christmas songs, and if you want to know who my favourite bookish couples are, what books I love to read over the holidays, and which books I'm looking forward to, keep reading!

1. All I Want For Christmas Is You: Favourite Bookish Couple.

I have so many favourite bookish couples and don't think I can pick just one. I love Cassian and Nesta from ACOTAR; Lorcan and Elide, and Rowan and Aelin from Throne of Glass (and all the other TOG couples- there are so many good ones); Jacks and Evangeline from Once Upon a Broken Heart; Violet and Xaden from Fourth Wing; Casteel and Poppy (and Kieran) from the Blood and Ash books; Jude and Cardan from The Folk of the Air; Nikolai and Zoya from King of Scars; the Crows couples; and... okay, I'll stop now; I could easily keep listing all day!

2. I'll Be Home For Christmas: Name a Book Where a Character is Away From Home (School, Vacation etc).

Midnight in Everwood by M.A. Kuzniar. It's a retelling of The Nutcracker, about a young woman who escapes through a portal in a grandfather clock on Christmas Eve, and finds herself in a magical snow-draped world filled with gingerbread houses, moose-drawn sleighs, and miniature reindeer. Things quickly turn less magical when she's taken prisoner by the cruel king, and is forced to dance day after day until he tires of her. She has to find a way to escape his abuse, but things get complicated when she grows closer to the captain of the guard who is risking his life to keep her safe. It's a magical festive read, so I'd highly recommend it for over the holidays. You can find my review of it here.

3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: Name Your Favourite Little Book (Children's story, short story, novella etc).

I really love How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black from The Folk of the Air Series. It's an illustrated book full of short stories telling several poignant scenes from The Cruel Prince from Cardan's POV, as well as some from his childhood, and a couple after The Queen of Nothing, too. It's such a fun collection of stories, and I love getting the insight into why Cardan did some of the things he did during the series, like forcing Jude and Taryn into the pond, cornering Jude after the warrior trials, and drunkenly riding a horse through the school. It's cute seeing him exploring the mortal world with Jude, too. 

I also love The Assassin's Blade novellas from the Throne of Glass series- especially The Assassin and the Healer, which tells the story of how Celaena and Yrene first met, and The Assassin and the Empire, which painfully counts down to Sam's tragic death, and Celaena being betrayed and sentenced to slavery in the salt mines. I wrote a review of it here.

4. Santa Claus is Coming to Town: What Book(s) Do You Hope Santa Brings You This Year?

I have so many books on my wish list, but I would be especially thrilled to find the Illumicrate Olivie Blake duo of Masters of Death and One For My Enemy under my tree, because they look stunning. I'm also dying to get my hands on the gorgeous new Hunger Games deluxe box set which seems to be sold out everywhere, the Owlcrate edition of Fall of Ruin and Wrath, and the Barnes and Nobles exclusives of Jennifer L Armentrout's Fire in the Flesh series.

5. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: Which Book Turned Your Nose Red (Made You Cry)?

I sobbed my heart out during the aftermath of Sam's death in The Assassin's Blade (one of the saddest deaths ever), and through most of Kingdom of Ash- especially the torture and death scenes. I also bawled my eyes out at the end of The Ballad of Never After, and when a beloved character died in Fourth Wing (I'm never getting over it).

6. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year: Your Favourite Book / Kind of Book to Read During the Holidays.

I love to read festive-themed books during the holidays to get me in the mood for Christmas. I often return to Christmas classics like A Christmas Carol and Little Women, but I've discovered some great fantasy books in the last year that I think will be reread during future Christmases from now on, like Midnight in Everwood and Upon a Frosted Star by M. A. Kuzniar, and A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas.

7. We Three Kings: Your Favourite trilogy.

I'm finding it hard to choose between The Folk of the Air, Shadow and Bone, Once Upon a Broken Heart, and The Hunger Games.

8. Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow: A Character You'd Love to be Snowed in With.

I wouldn't say 'no' to being snowed in with Cassian from ACOTAR. Although, it would also be a lot of fun to be snowed in with Nesta, Emerie, and Gwyn from A Court of Silver Flames- especially in The House of Wind, so we could have a fun grown up sleepover in a library with miniature pegasuses and play dress up in bathtubs full of bubbles but no water. Their sleepover scene was so whimsical, and I loved it!

9. Last Christmas: A Book That Seriously Let You Down.

The only book I can really think of from recent years is Femlandia by Christina Dalcher. I usually love her books and was looking forward to it for ages, but it was no where near as good as the others. It was about a sinister women-only feminist commune and the extreme ways they went about ensuring they only had female babies, and it was pretty disturbing. And dull. And the man-hating was too much to be enjoyable, even as a piece of fiction. Would not recommend it.

10. White Christmas: An Upcoming Release You're Dreaming About.

I'm really looking forward to the sequel to The Stolen Heir, The Prisoner's Throne by Holly Black, which comes out in March. And also Crescent City three, House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas, which is set to be released next month. I haven't even read the first two books yet (I'm planning to after Christmas), but I can't wait for the ACOTAR cross over! 

And that's The Christmas Songs Book Tag!

If you're reading this and want to take part in the tag on your own blog, consider yourself tagged. Be sure to leave me a link to your post in the comments so I can read your answers!

What's your favourite book to read over the holidays?

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Erstwilder Christmas Brooches I've Worn This Christmas

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been enjoying adding a little festive cheer to my outfits- and sometimes just my PJs- by accessorising with a different Christmas brooch almost every day. 

When I've been able to document them, I've been sharing my brooch of the days over on my Insta Stories, and I thought it would be fun to document some of them here, too. There have been a couple of days when I haven't worn one and some days when I've reworn a favourite, and sometimes I forgot to take a photo, so there isn't one for every day of December- just the ones I've remembered to do. Also, please excuse the photo quality- they were taken on my phone.

So, here are nine of the Erstwilder Christmas brooches I've worn so far this month.

First up, we have a pretty pastel cuckoo clock brooch called Past Midnight. It was from the All Wrapped Up Collection 2019, and a recolouring from another Christmas collection a couple of years earlier. It's one of my favourite brooches ever, and gives off strong fairytale vibes.

The Season's Greetings snowglobe brooch is another old favourite from the All Wrapped Up collection, and another pretty pastel recolouring I love to rewear at this time of year. 

Next up we have Mary's Bells, a pair of opalescent bells with a glittery aquamarine bow, from the Kitschy Christmas collection of 2017. This was actually one of the very first Erstwilder brooches I ever bought, and it's still going strong.

Mama Bear is technically not a Christmas brooch, but I think this pair of polar bears is perfect for this time of year, so I always wear it over the holidays. It's made from a mother-of-pearl like ripple resin that shimmers in shades of rose, pistachio, and forget-me-not blue, and it's so beautiful. It was from a Fan Favourites collection a couple of years ago, and a recolouring of a pair of grizzlies from the 2020 Woodlands range.

It wouldn't be Christmas without Santa, and he's already been showing his face- and his snazzy trousers- early this year. This one is Santa Clause from the Erstwilder x Pete Cromer Christmas collection from 2020, and I love the gorgeous red ripple resin he's made from.

I wore To Be Jolly, a Kitschy green and white Christmas tree, while I was decorating my own Christmas tree. I love how fun and sparkly it is. It was part of the Kitschy Christmas collection of 2017, and another of the very first Erstwilder brooches I bought. My Mum liked this one so much, I had to go back and buy one for her, too, to stop her from stealing mine.

I have a soft spot for the Pete Cromer collections (his designs are always amazing!), so Snuggy Snowman has already had a couple of outings this Christmas. He is the glitteriest, shimmeriest snowman ever, and looks amazing when the light hits all that glitter. I got him from the Pete Cromer Christmas collection of 2020 because extra joy was necessary that Christmas.

I wore Kiss Me Kindly this past weekend, just pinned to my pyjamas while wrapping presents and watching Christmas movies. It's a classic sprig of holly tied with a big sparkly bow, and was yet another piece from the Kitschy Christmas collection of yester year.

And finally, we have Stay Frosty, Snowman from last year's Modern Holiday range. I love how this dainty little snowman gives off retro vibes while the unusual Christmas colours of navy, fuchsia, aquamarine, and salmon give it a modern twist. They're not Christmas colours I usually go for, but t's such a cute brooch.

This is only half of my Erstwilder Christmas brooch collection, and I still have more to wear before the holidays are through.

If you want to see which brooches I'm wearing daily, you can follow along on my Insta Stories here. I'll do my best to round up the next batch on the blog later in the month, too.

Do you enjoy accessorising with Christmas-themed jewellery during the festive season?

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Sunday Favourites Christmas Special #408

 If you're looking for a little last minute Christmas inspiration, you've come to the right place.

I've got another festive Sunday Favourites post for you today, and it's crammed full of colourful festive recipes, crafts, wrapping ideas, decor, and more.

I love this Christmas Stamps Gift Wrap by Ickaprint on Not on the High Street.

This Christmas Woodland Animal gift wrap from Lorna Syson is so lovely.

I'm loving the retro design of Laliblue's Christmas House Brooch.

And their penguin Christmas brooch is pretty damn cute, too.

Don't worry if you can't name all of Santa's reindeer; you'll certainly know them by heart once you've wrapped everything in this amazing Christmas reindeer patchwork gift wrap from Ickaprint.

The House That Lars Built shows you how to make traditional Danish Christmas Hearts out of paper.

And they also have a sweet DIY for Scandinavian Christmas angels you can turn into decorations or present toppers.

I love Keiko Lynn's pink Christmas decor.

This Snowperson embroidery kit from The Make Arcade looks adorable, and easy enough for beginners, too.

I'd love to make this Retro Christmas Snow Globe embroidery from BeCo Productions.

How cute are these Melted Snowman Cookies from A Beautiful Mess?

The Pink Hutch's pastel pink Christmas decor is to die for. 

I'm in love with With Wonder and Whimsy's sugary sweet pastel Christmas decorations.

I love Studio DIY's idea for a hot chocolate board.

A Beautiful Mess' hot chocolate bar also looks wonderful.

This Snowman Snowcone Christmas wrapping paper by Sam Ann Designs Kids & Parties from Zazzle isn't cheap, but it does have the cutest design.

Have you seen the new Muppets Christmas Carol Funko Pops? They're amazing!

I'll be back next Sunday with another round of Christmas Sunday Favourites, but if you want more inspiration in the meantime, you can find all of my previous Christmas Sunday Favourites posts here.

Thanks for reading!

Are you all ready for Christmas yet?

Christmas Haul

I've bought a few little festive bits and pieces lately, so I thought it would be fun to show you what I've picked up. Amazingly, I haven't bought a single new Christmas decoration yet this year, but there are lots of random little things to show you like Christmas cards, wrapping paper, books, and yummy sweet treats.

I got this year's Christmas cards from T. K. Maxx. I wanted something fun and colourful, and I couldn't resist these bold designs by a brand called Tache. I especially love the fox and the ice skate. They're, sadly, no longer available from T. K. Maxx online, but there are still some other designs from the same brand here, and you can get them full price via Tache's website here (fox / ice skate / Nutcracker).

I love the matte gingerbread hot tub wrapping paper I chose this Christmas. I found it on Zazzle and thought the print was really cute. It wasn't cheap, but I got it when it had 50% off, so at least it was 50% less crazy. It's really good quality paper, and I'm looking forward to giving my family their presents, as they look so pretty in this paper.

I couldn't find any tags to match the paper, so I just bought some random present labels from Amazon I thought were kinda cute. I always stick them on the bottom of gifts, anyway, so it doesn't really matter that they don't match. 

I also stocked up on fun Christmas earrings from Erstwilder, which I recently blogged about here. I think the red bows are my favourites.

Sometime after last Christmas and before Cath Kidston closed their website, I snagged this 12 Days of Christmas present sack in their sale. I have one in a different design, and they come in handy for lugging all the presents downstairs on Christmas morning. (I keep the presents I buy for my family under my bedroom tree until the 25th, since we can't put presents under a tree on the floor with Rosie around. She'd open every last one).

Keeping with tradition, I'm counting down the days 'til Christmas with a cheap and cheerful Cadbury Advent calendar. I often had one for childhood Christmases, so they make me feel nostalgic.

I'm also counting the days with the Essie Bejeweled Wonderland nail polish calendar, and it's such a treat. It has so many pretty shades this year, and I can't wait to try them all out. I reviewed the calendar in full here, if you want to find out more.

I've always wanted to read The Nutcracker- more so since I read the Midnight in Everwood retelling last year- so I treated myself to this lovely little illustrated red hardback by Arcturus Books last week. It has silver edges, and silver foiling on the cover, and it's gorgeous. I can't wait to read it this Christmas. I'll try to squeeze in a proper review before Christmas, if my pain will allow it.

I also recently got a Waterstones exclusive signed copy of Upon a Frosted Star by M.A. Kuzniar, which I preordered earlier in the year. I really loved her last book, so when I heard this one described as Swan Lake meets The Great Gatsby, and saw how pretty this edition was, I couldn't check out fast enough. And look how beautiful it is! It has teal blocked sprayed edges on the top and bottom, and stunning patterned edges on the side in green, gold, and white, with gold foiling, which match the end papers inside. There isn't a hidden cover, but I think the dust jacket art more than makes up for it. Plus it's signed by the author. I've just started reading it and I'm loving it already. The writing is beautiful, and the whimsical parties are giving off The Night Circus, and Caraval vibes. I'll be sure to review it once I'm done.

I visited the food hall of a local garden centre back in November, and picked up a couple of hot chocolate stirrers for my little sister and I to enjoy on Christmas Eve. The milk chocolate one has the cutest little snowman marshmallows. I'm looking forward to trying one. 

I also recently went to M&S to buy some Christmas presents for my Nana, and got some treats for the holidays, too. Amongst other things, I couldn't resist getting some white chocolate Snowy Pretzels to try, and some Mini Shortbread Trees, as we've all enjoyed them in the past. I'm looking forward to having one or two this Christmas.

And those are some of the random little things I've amassed this Christmas.

What festive things have you been buying?

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