What's In My Christmas Eve Box? 2020

Merry Christmas Eve!

I'm sorry this post is coming to you last minute. I had hoped to have it published a few days ago, but I'm stupidly unprepared this year, and I was only able to take the photos this morning. It might be a little bit late for you to gain inspiration to put your own Christmas Eve Box together (although, not impossible), but I hope you enjoy seeing what I've put in mine just the same.

This year, thanks to Covid, and Boris Johnson's last minute cancelling of Christmas in the UK, more of us will be staying home on Christmas Eve than ever before. 

My family would usually spend Christmas Eve mixing with family and friends at my Auntie's Christmas Eve party, but this year, we'll be spending it quietly at home. (Although, I have done since I developed chronic pain, anyway, so this year won't be any different for me). We won't be letting Covid spoil our Christmas, though; we'll just be making the most of the little things that make Christmas Eve special. We'll be baking tasty treats, watching Christmas movies together, and enjoying a Christmas Eve buffet for tea in the evening. I've also put together a Christmas Eve box full of festive things to enjoy as we count down the last hours 'til Christmas Day, because we need little treats to enjoy more than ever right now.

If you've never put together a Christmas Eve box before, this year could be the perfect time to start the tradition to make your Christmas Eve a little brighter. If you're facing a quiet night in, it will give you something to look forward to, and help make the night more special.

The idea is to put together a gift box full of little things for the perfect festive night in- think cosy new Christmas pyjamas, Christmas movies, chocolates, popcorn, hot chocolate, festive books, scented candles, etc.- whatever you consider necessary for a great festive night in. (If you're making it last minute or are just on a tight budget, you don't have to use all new things; just gather together items from what you already own, and add in a few edible treats)! 

I can't think of a better time to make one than during a pandemic when we're all stuck at home, and can't be out celebrating with our families and friends.

You can make one to share with your family, partner, or housemates, to gift to your kids or friends, or even just to enjoy alone. All you need to do is add in age-appropriate items, and the recipient's favourite treats.

Being a childless old maid hasn't stopped me from making my own Christmas Eve box to enjoy again this year- sometimes you've just gotta treat yo'self! I've added in a few things to share with my family, including chocolates and Christmas movies, but most of the contents will be enjoyed when I'm back upstairs winding down before bed.

So, what's in my Christmas Eve box this year?

♥ A cosy pair of Pusheen slipper socks from Truffle Shuffle.

♥ A pair of Christmas pyjamas to relax in, and hopefully look presentable in for photos on Christmas morning. (I couldn't afford a new pair this year, so I just added in an old pair from my collection).

♥ A couple of Christmas movies on DVD, including Last Christmas and The Muppets Christmas Carol for some fun festive viewing. (Even though we'll probably just end up streaming something).

♥ A beautiful clothbound copy of A Christmas Carol to read before I go to sleep.

♥ A bottle of The Body Shop's Festive Berry Shower gel so I can smell festive over Christmas.

♥ A tub of The Body Shop's Festive Berry body yogurt to give my skin a little TLC.

♥ A Body Shop Warm Vanilla soap to put by the bathroom sink so our hands smell festive over Christmas.

♥ A L'Oreal face mask to give my skin a treat.

♥ A red OPI nail polish in 'I Love You Just Be Cusco' so my nails look festive for Christmas.

♥ A new Erstwilder Christmas brooch to wear on Christmas Eve.

♥ A Cath Kidston mug for all those hot chocolates. (I forgot to add in the hot chocolate for the photos).

♥ Some mint chocolate Lindt Lindor truffles and Cadbury Jingly Bells to share with the family.

♥ A Make Arcade gingerbread man cross stitch kit to sew in front of the TV when I'm relaxing with my family this Christmas. (I never did manage to make it last year).

♥ A couple of Christmas Yankee Candles (Snowflake Cookie and Frosty Gingerbread), and a Nest Grapefruit candle to make the house feel extra cosy and smell delicious.

♥ My Too Faced 'Let It Snow, Girl!' snowman make up palettes to use over the holidays.

Here are some more ideas for things you could include in your own Christmas Eve boxes:

♥ Christmas face coverings.

♥ Festive-scented hand sanitiser.

♥ Cosy Christmas slippers.

♥ Novelty Christmas socks.

♥ A new Christmas dress / top / shirt.

♥ Christmas earrings or other jewellery.

♥ A Christmas colouring book and coloured pencils / crayons.

♥ Little Christmas craft kits- such as a mini cross stitch or ornament kit.

♥ Festive stationery.

♥ A hot water bottle. (Heat patches might also be appreciated for someone with chronic pain, since Christmas can be very demanding on our bodies).

♥ Christmas false nails or nail wraps.

♥ Festive bath bombs.

♥ Seasonal-scented bubble bath.

♥ Hand cream or body lotion.

♥ A cute soft toy.

♥ A gift card or subscription to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney +, or another streaming service for Christmas movie watching.

♥ A Christmas scratch card.

♥ Something alcoholic.

♥ Marshmallows.

♥ Favourite edible treats.

♥ Festive treats like mince pies, stollen, panettone, cakes, biscuits, chocolates, cheese boards etc.

♥ A new ornament to hang on the tree.

♥ A Christmas cracker.

♥ A selection of Christmas books for young readers, and a new festive-themed novel for older kids and adults.

♥ Small toys.

♥ A new Christmas stocking to leave out for Santa.

♥ A bag of reindeer food.

♥ A special plate to leave Santa's mince pie on.

I wasn't able to source a special Christmas Eve Box to present everything in (yet again) because I'm on a tight budget again this year, but it doesn't really matter since I'm only gifting it to myself. I just repurposed one of my slightly-festive-looking star-print storage boxes, and it does the job just fine.

You could use a pre-bought Christmas Eve Box, a gift box, gift bag, wicker basket, crate, Christmas stocking, tote bag, or any container you like to present your gifts in. You could even go all out, and decorate it with ribbons, pom poms, garlands, or all kinds of different decorations. It's totally up to you.

If you're planning to make a Christmas Eve Box as a gift, I'd recommend wrapping everything up in wrapping or tissue paper to add to the Christmas Eve fun and excitement, but you can leave everything unwrapped if the thought of wrapping any more presents fills you with dread. I get it. I never want to wrap another present, either.

I'm really looking forward to enjoying the contents of my Christmas Eve Box tonight, after a busy day of celebrating and getting ready for Christmas Day. It will be lovely to finally relax, indulge, and find time for some self-care after such a hectic month. Ah, I can't wait!

Merry Christmas, guys! I hope you have a wonderful few days despite this awful pandemic. 

Have you made a Christmas Eve Box this year? What would you put in one for the perfect Christmas night in?

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Christmas 2017

It feels like Christmas was a lifetime ago now, but I still have a couple of festive posts to share that I haven't yet had the chance to blog. Today, I'm going to share some snippets from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

I've actually been trying to put this post together all month, but my laptop screen is broken (and some idiot didn't buy laptop insurance) and it's making it difficult to edit photos because the screen is dark and I can't see what I'm doing. I suck at photo editing at the best of times, so I'll apologise now for how atrocious today's photos will look. Just pretend it's 2012, and everybody still posts whatever dark, grainy photos their camera phones can take! That's probably what they're going to look like... haha!

I had a lovely Christmas at home with my immediate family and the dogs. My sister and brother-in-law came home from Germany for the week with their dog, Mia, and it was lovely to have the six of us, plus our pets, together for the holidays again.

On Christmas Eve, my family would usually go to my Auntie's Christmas Eve party, but she decided  not to throw it this Christmas as nobody really felt like celebrating after losing my cousin to cancer in late November, and with my Uncle's parents both ill in hospital. Instead, we spent Christmas Eve at home for a change, just the six of us, and it was lovely.

Marie and I popped in to town around lunch time so she could finish off her Christmas shopping and pick up some last minute supplies from the supermarket, and then came home to enjoy the rest of the day. We basically all ended up vegging in front of the TV watching The Snowman, The Snowman and the Snow Dog, and The Muppets Christmas Carol together, and spent the early evening grazing on a buffet my Mum had put together. Later in the evening, I wrapped up the last few presents I'd picked up that day, got in my new festive PJs, and watched The Vicar of Dibley's Christmas Lunch Incident with my sister, Sarah from my bed. There's always a festive Vicar of Dibley episode on BBC1 on Christmas Eve night, and it's become a tradition for us to watch it every year. It never gets old.

On Christmas morning, my Mum decided to drag my sister and I out of bed at quarter past seven (excited much, Susan?), apparently more eager to start Christmas than we were. It's amusing when you get to an age when your parents are more excited about Christmas morning than you are; she's been like it for years! I still love waking up on Christmas, but I kinda miss that childhood desperation for Christmas to begin at three in the morning, and the Christmas Eve agony when every second 'til Christmas morning felt like a millennium. Childhood Christmases were so magical.

I sleepily gathered together all the presents I'd kept under my tree for my family, carefully wrapped in Cath Kidston paper, ribbons, pom poms, and jingle bells this Christmas, and made my way downstairs to find my other sister and brother-in-law had already arrived for the day from their hotel. Apparently my family are allergic to sleep.

My wonky Christmas tree swamped with presents awaiting Christmas morning.

My Mum had laid out presents for us on the sofas, like she's done every year since we were kids. I got some gorgeous Tarte make up and make up brushes, and lots of other lovely things which I'll give you a peek at in a 'what I got for Christmas' post soon. My parents always give us a chocolate orange and a can of Pringles at Christmas; it's been a tradition since we were little.

With six of us and two dogs in our tiny living room, there was no room to swing a cat (not that I would ever swing a cat, you understand), so I couldn't organise pretty photos; what you see is my real, uncurated Christmas.

After I'd opened presents from my parents, my sister, Sarah, eagerly waited for me to open presents from her. She thoughtfully gave me a couple of awesome novelty bags from Forever 21, pouches from Cath Kidston, and a large Disney Store Elliot the dragon teddy, from Pete's Dragon, which was one of my favourite Disneys growing up.

My older sister, Marie, and brother-in-law, Steve, gave me an assortment of lovely goodies. I got a set of Christmas Yankee Candle votives, DKNY perfume, a couple of necklaces, and German chocolates and toiletries. I was spoiled rotten.

Once everyone had opened all their presents, we were able to let Rosie back out of her crate, and it was her turn to open presents. She was so excited, she climbed head first in to the giant gift bag to get to them! It was hilarious. She had so much fun ripping open the paper, and liberating her new toys and treats. She loves opening presents, so she was one happy puplet.

Marie bought her a bandana and a Christmas tree hair band from Accessorize for Christmas, so I wasted no time in dressing Rosie up in them. Her happy little face melted my heart. We tried the hair band on Mia, Marie's German Shepherd, too, but she so wasn't amused. Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo without a family member in the shot, so I can't show you her hilarious expression of disdain and humiliation.

We spent the morning lazily watching Deck The Halls and The Santa Clause while eating croissants and pain au chocolats for breakfast. By eleven, I began setting the table for dinner while my Mum cooked, Dad went to church, and the sister and brother-in-law took the dogs for a walk. 

It's been my job to set the table for Christmas dinner since I was little, and in a weird way, I sort of enjoy it... even if none of our stuff matches. If it was my own home, it probably would, but it's my parents dinner table, and nobody gives a shit what the table looks like as long as the food tastes good, because we're just a normal family. We've had the table cloth and table mats for as long as I can remember; they're so retro, and I love it. I added my handmade Christmas crackers to the plates, and popped the table favours I made in to the wine glasses. Once I'd finished, I went and got ready while watching Santa Claus The Movie; the best Christmas movie ever.

We all sat down for our Christmas dinner at 3pm, crammed in to our tiny dining room, and ate roast turkey with all the trimmings, with my Mum's apple pie and my blackberry and apple trifle for dessert. It was the best meal I've had in ages. Marie bought us all silly Christmas hair bands from Accessorize to wear during our meal instead of paper crowns. We looked awesome. There was a mixture of sequined elf and Santa hats, and glittery holly leaves. I went with the latter, as it looked pretty damn cute with my outfit. 

After dinner, we all fell in to a food coma in front of the TV (but of course, soon found room for some chocolates), and cuddled up with the dogs. And that's where we stayed for the rest of the day; watching festive TV, grazing, and relaxing. It was lovely. After being subjected to Doctor Who and Strictly, I was in so much pain I had to get myself back to bed, but I was pleased I'd managed to spend a good thirteen hours of Christmas celebrating downstairs with my family. I usually only manage an hour or two out of bed at most. I crawled back in to bed, broke out a heat patch, and spent the rest of Christmas Day watching festive TV in bed, crafting felt gingerbread men (for my garland), and eating turkey sandwiches.

We couldn't put the big tree up this year as Rosie would have destroyed it, so we bought a cheap 5ft artificial tree, and raised it up on to the kitchen island so we could still have one. The family tree always looks like the eighties threw up on it. Don't ask me what was going on with that tinsel as I have no idea! (Seriously, Susan; WTF is that?)

Why do Christmas trees always look so pathetic once all the presents have been opened on Christmas Day??

It might sound like a pretty boring Christmas to you as it was hardly rock 'n' roll, but I had a really lovely Christmas with my family. I was spoiled rotten with presents, ate delicious food, and got to spend some quality time with my family and my dog; what more could anyone ask for? We only ever spend Christmas Day with our immediate family, and a low-key day together suits us perfectly. It's always a relief to finally take it easy after such a busy month preparing for the big day. I'm only sad it was over so quickly. 

Christmas Day is always over too quickly.

How did you spend your Christmas?

What's In My Christmas Eve Box? 2016

Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!

I hope you're having a magical Christmas Eve, however you're spending it.

I've just been having a quiet day at home with the dog this year, since Marie and Steve are visiting his family in Scotland, my parents have been out at the family gathering in Worcester (and I was in too much pain to go), and my younger sister, Sarah, didn't surface until half five. I'd normally be baking in the kitchen with Marie and tying up loose ends, so I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself this morning! I've watched some Christmas movies, eaten some tasty food, blown up some confetti balloons for my Mum, who turns sixty tomorrow, and have started to enjoy some of the contents of my Christmas Eve box. I can think of far worse ways to spend a Christmas Eve!

A few Christmases ago, I started the tradition of making myself a Christmas Eve Box full of goodies to enjoy on Christmas Eve night as I count down the last few hours until Christmas morning. I always enjoy them, so of course I just had to put one together to pamper myself with this Christmas, too. I had intended to blog about it sooner, but I ran out of time, 'cause  I'm just that useless.

For those of you who don't already know, a Christmas Eve box is basically a hamper of lovely things for the perfect festive night in. Think new pyjamas, Christmas movies, hot chocolate, popcorn, candles, face masks and so on. You can make them for anybody of any age by personalising the contents to suit the person who will receive them and by selecting age appropriate items, so you can make one for yourself, your kids, to enjoy with your partner, or for the whole family. I'm single and don't have kids, so I put one together for myself, and included some stuff to share with my family. 

So, what have I put in my Christmas box this year?

♥ A cosy new pair of pyjamas. This PJ set from Dorothy Perkins with burgundy heart print bottoms, and a peach tee with a cute bunny motif.

♥ Elegant Touch false nails, some Paperchase nail wraps, and a red glitter Ciaté nail polish. I obviously won't be using them all at once, but I like to have options.

♥ Christmas With The Coopers on DVD- a new to me Christmas film. I've watched a few others from my DVD collection, too.

♥ My beautiful copy of A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Stories, to read before bed.

♥ The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry bath and shower gel, in case I was up for a bath or shower, which sadly I wasn't.

♥ Three Yankee Candle votive candles in Christmas Eve, Candy Cane Lane, and Macaron.Treats. Again, I haven't used all three at once, but it's nice to have options.

♥ L'Oreal Pure Clay face mask to give my skin a treat.

♥ A Christmas mug from Cath Kidston. I totally forgot to add in the hot chocolate I had in the cupboard for the photos.

♥ Ferrero Rochers, a box of Cadbury Roses, and some Butterkist Chocolate and Salted Caramel popcorn.

You know, the essentials. 

I've had a lovely lazy Christmas Eve night in thanks to this lovely lot, and I'm just about ready to drift off to dream land ready to find out what Christmas brings.

Merry Christmas! 

Have you put together a Christmas Eve box this year? What did you put in it?

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My Christmas 2015

Happy New Year, you lovely lot!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and are having a very happy New Year so far. How did you all spend it?

I didn't do anything much to see in the New Year. I left my bed long enough to watch a movie and have a takeaway with my sister, and crawled back home to bed soon after the new year began. I'm so rock 'n' roll! I haven't straying far from my bed today, but I'm fine with that. I've been so exhausted this last week that I've felt like a living zombie. I've been drifting in and out of naps, and in between I've just felt so dazed. I'm actually relieved the Christmas madness is almost over for another year so I can relax and recharge, and life can get back to normal.

I wrapped a shed-load of presents this Christmas!

I'm so behind with my blog posts and comments, but I'm going to do my best to catch up over the next few days. I've got a couple of Christmas posts to blog before I start on the new year reflection and resolution posts, but I hope you guys won't mind too much. I'm starting with how I spent my Christmas today. Warning: it's very word and photo heavy!

So, I had a lovely, albeit very quiet Christmas at home with just my immediate family- my parents, and two sisters. My brother-in-law was back in Dubai for Christmas after his R&R earlier in the month, and my Dad was full of cold, so a quiet, chilled day at home suited most of us. Everybody else had been to the larger, louder family gatherings before Christmas, anyway.

I spent Christmas Eve afternoon with my sister, Marie, running a few last minute errands, and baking up a storm in her kitchen. Well, she baked; I mostly sat at the kitchen table getting cuddles from Mia (the dog), while taking charge of the Christmas tunes. Blasting out songs and putting cake cases in to tins totally counts as baking, right? Right. Bake Off, eat your heart out! We baked three batches of fairy cakes- chocolate, vanilla, and coffee and walnut, and headed home once the last cake was iced, around 6pm.

My Mum put a little Christmas Eve buffet tea together, but I was in so much pain from being out of bed all day I ended up taking a plate up to bed, got in my PJs, put on some festive TV, turned myself in to a human burrito, and barely moved for the rest of the night. Aside from the pain, it was almost blissful!

On Christmas Day, I woke feeling sick, so I ended up hitting snooze for an hour and a half before dragging myself out of bed at half nine. My parents were already up exchanging gifts, and Marie had come over at the crack of dawn so she wouldn't have to spend Christmas morning alone. We had to drag my younger sister, Sarah, out of bed, and then the present-giving and opening commenced.

This is the pile of presents my parents gave me. I was given a new Kindle, and lots of other little things I'll be revealing in a 'what I got for Christmas' post, hopefully tomorrow.

I love the cross-stitch style wrapping paper Marie wrapped my presents with. She gave me the Urban Decay Vice 4 palette, which I bloody love!

I wore my cosy new Elf Christmas PJs until midday, fat thighs an' all.

After the presents were all opened, I sat down and made my Christmas crackers while watching Elf, felt nauseated again and had to lie down on the sofa for a while. I ran out of time to make table favours, and didn't have time or strength to work my magic on the dinner table before Christmas dinner, like I always do. It didn't really matter at the end of the day, but there were so many things I couldn't do this Christmas that the old me did with ease that it really bothered me and I got really frustrated. Even after four and a half years, I still forget I have limitations now, and I hate them with a passion. And yes, I'm so boring, and need to get a life!

I changed in to my new green Lola swing dress from Dolly and Dotty before lunch (this one), and dressed it up with red accessories. I didn't manage to get a clear photo of myself in it because it was pissing down with rain all day, and so dark and dreary, but I looked like a Christmas elf! I'm going to recreate it really soon for an OOTD.

I tried out some false Christmas nails on Christmas Eve night, but they were a bit of a disaster. I lost one within half an hour, and three or four came off before eleven the next morning. I was gutted because they looked great before they all came off.

We sat down for dinner early afternoon, and had turkey with all the trimmings, played Christmas tunes, laughed using silly Christmas photo booth props, and sent chocolates flying across the room as we pulled crackers over the table. We had my blackberry and apple trifle for dessert, except this year my Mum had to make it, and then crashed in front of the TV for a few hours. I had a chat with my bestie on the phone, and afterwards I got ready to head over to Marie's for a few hours, as she had to get home to the dog. 

We left around 5 or 6pm, but went for a long drive to spot Christmas lights before heading back to hers. Everywhere was so quiet and calm. We were going to have a few drinks and break out the board games, but we ended up just vegging in front of the TV with some snacks, and the Mia dog. I think I stayed until about nine or ten, when I couldn't deal with the pain anymore, and needed my bed. I headed home to bed and turkey sandwiches, and chilled for the rest of the night.

To most people's standards, including ours, it wasn't the most exciting way to spend Christmas, but we still had a lovely couple of days together. Apart from my brother-in-law being away for Christmas, we got to spend some quality time as a family, ate delicious food, gave great gifts, laughed, and found some time to just chill. What more could anybody ask for?

I had a lovely Christmas, and now I'm ready to start the new year and see where it will take me.

Happy New Year, everyone!

How did you spend your Christmas?