Christmas Tag

Hello all, 

Christmas is dawning closer day by day and I for one and extremely over-excited!! I literally turn into a child at Christmas and no one can dampen my crimbo cheer. I must be one of the few people who work in retail who still love it. I remember the first time I worked Christmas my boss ominously told me it was the last Christmas I'd ever enjoy because working in a shop full of Christmas shoppers ruins it for you! All lies I love it now more than ever!

Anyway, I spotted this lil tag over on Charlotte's blog, Hobbits and HairDye, which everyone should check out and thought I'd give it a go myself to spread a bit more of the xmas cheer! Here we go (this is my first tag, be gentle)

What time of the year do you start your Christmas shopping?

December. Early December if I'm lucky! Usually I don't get mine finished until a week or so before Christmas. I'm too indecisive and picky about what I want to buy everyone. 

Do you have any festive recipes for food or drink you limit solely to the Christmas season to share?

I really hate most Christmassy desserts. Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, mince pies - they're all gross! I always have to make a replacement pudding so I can avoid Christmas pudding at all costs!

Tell me how Christmas goes down in your home.

I spend Christmas morning at my dad's house, we open our presents there as soon as we wake up. I usually have some kind of big chocolatey breakfast my dad has baked whilst my step-mum attempts to weigh a turkey! Always funny. Then I go round my mum's for Christmas dinner which is always served later than planned even though my mum insists "this year it will be on time". My grandma is always 2 hours later arriving than she said she would be. We open presents, eat dinner, veg for a bit then usually eat pudding and play cards. 

Do you have any Christmas traditions?

Like most families we have a lot of stupid Christmas traditions that would take years to explain and wouldn't be funny unless you're a born and bred Anteney. 

Do you have a favourite festive coffee?

I don't drink coffee because I am like a child and can't stand the sophisticated taste. This year Costa are doing a spiced Apple Juice which is my new winter obsession!

Spiced Warm Apple Juice. Get in ma belly!

What's your favourite Christmas song?

Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses! Best Christmas song ever written (and I listen to it all year round). Let's all just take a moment to appreciate its genius! 

What do you do on Christmas Eve?

On Christmas Eve I go round my dad's house. We either have a huge Chinese take away or my dad and step-mum will make a ridiculous buffet for us to pig out on all night. We also usually have a kind of 'family present' like a game or a film that we can all do together on Christmas Eve to pass the time until the big day! 

What's your dream gift this year?

James Franco. With a bow on top. Or like...World Peace or whatever...

Describe your Christmas tree. How tall? Real or artificial? How is it decorated?

We've got a real one this year, it smells like one of those things that hangs in a taxi window! Me and my mum decorated it together with all the decorations we've had since I was little. It's not chic or sophisticated but it's definitely ours. 

Our tree this year - understated as ever

Do you decorate just the tree or other areas of your house e.g. windows, bannisters?

Umm we're not massive on the window decorations in my house but we do have a few bits and bobs. Usually we have tinsel round the banister and a christmassy mobile hangs up in the hallway. We've also got a really tacky nativity set that gets put up every year - can't be forgetting the baby Jesus!

What do you wear to Christmas parties and what do you wear on Christmas day?

For Christmas parties I like to dress as ridiculously as possible. I feel like December is the only month you can really get away with head-to-toe sequins so I always exploit that. Last year it was gold sequinned shorts for every occasion! On Christmas Day itself I like to be cosy, cosy, cosy. Usually just a big jumper and jeans so I can eat as much food as possible without restrictions!

So if you're reading this - I TAG YOU! I wanna know all about your Christmas! If you do this tag, leave me a link so I can read all about your festivities! 

Making Freshers A Home

Heyaaa,

Yeeeah I know most universities started a couple of weeks ago but the first few weeks are a crazy, vodka-ridden mess so I thought no one would mind this post being a little late. It was definitely true in my case that I didn't really feel settled into my halls until the third or forth week when I really began to make the room my own. I think moving away from home can be really hard so it's important to have a nice place where you can just relax. I picked a couple little things I thought would cute up any fresher room (or shared house room in my case *booooo second year*) and make it a little more homely.

I'll pop the links for everything below...

Hope you like it! xx

Skull Cushion // Alphabet "Eivor Ord" Bedsheets // Vintage Map Photo Frame // Green Clementina Photo Frame // Kasbah Fairy Lights // LED Candles // Floral "Emmie Söt" Bedsheet


Just a note: A lot of halls won't let you burn candles that's why I've put LED Candles here which I would realllllly recommend getting. They just make rooms so much nicer! Also, you aren't usually allowed to put holes in your walls so if you buy photo frames make sure they're ones you can stand up on shelves. 

23 days to go| Decorations

I think I might have a problem - I'm obsessed with Christmas decorations. Last week I was put in charge of buying the Christmas decorations for our flat, safe to say our kitchen is now covered in tinsel, lights and snowflakes. 

For me, it's not a Christmas decoration unless it's really tacky, glittery and screams kitsch but I know this is not an opinion that everyone shares (some of my flatmates were not so happy about the excess of glittery tinsel being strewn across the windows!). So in this post I tried to tone down the tackiness of the decorations I picked. I really love the Paper Lanterns from DotComGiftShop (which is a great place to check out if your struggling to find gifts) I can imagine them looking really cute in the porch outside my house. Also, I thought the Marks and Sparks paper balls looked really vintagey-chic, my mum's actually been making these recently so I was amazed to see them online as well! The little box is a little unclear but they're totally cute little reindeer party lights. Really kitsch and hideous! I saw these for the first time on SprinkleOfGlitters Christmas haul video which is worth checking out if you're looking for more decoration ideas...

L-R Paper Lantern, DotComGiftShop. Snowflake Rotary Candle, Sass & Belle. Santa Washing Line, Debenhams.  Be Merry Sign, Debenhams. Glass Robots, Paperchase. Conran Range Paper Balls, Marks and Spencers. Sparkly Robins, Paperchase. Reindeer Party Lights, Baker and Maker