Blogmas Day 17: Our Little Christmas Tree!

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I was very excited at the prospect of getting our first Christmas tree. Ali took a little bit of persuading, we live in quite a small flat and he can be a grumpy Grinch! I told him before he went away for work I was planning on getting a small tree…it was there when he came back, whoops! Our tree is only tiny, 4ft tall to be exact so I’ve managed to find a little home for it! I wanted to share with you some of the lovely ornaments on our tree this year because I’m super proud of them. Also, most of these are from Sainsbury’s because they knocked it out of the park when it came to Christmas this year.

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Little Robin

He is so cute and Robins just remind me of winter and Christmas, he was around £4 too and he’s actually quite heavy!

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Hedgehog 

Ok, I’ll admit, the tree has a slight woodland creature vibe going because I love them. This is probably the cheapest ornament from The Range and cost around £2. He’s absolutely adorable and covered in fake snow.

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Christmas 2017

I wanted to get this bauble because it will remind us of the first Christmas we spent in our own home.

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Rudolph 

This is so adorable and to make it even cute it’s actually a bell! Plus can you really have a good tree without some reindeer magic? I don’t think so.

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Wickett 

This was a gift from my Mum to both of us so that we could pop Wickett on the tree too! This was such a cute and thoughtful gift, it has pride of place on the tree.

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Hogwarts Houses

Another gift! My Dad surprised me with these, I hadn’t even seen them! I absolutely love Harry Potter as my regular readers will know! These look fab on the tree, especially as they’ve been decorating my bookshelves since I was given them!

 

Which one is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below!

Blogmas Day 16: Christmas Q & A with Midnight Madness & AllLadyA

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It’s my third and final group of bloggers who have been lovely enough to answer questions for Blogmas so I can share what Christmas means to them too! While you can check out the first and second instalments today I have Georgia from Midnight Madness and Alix from AllLadyA make sure to check out their blogs too!

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What are you most excited about this Christmas?

Georgia:  I’m the most excited about spending time with the people I love the most! Hyped to see my family, who I don’t see often as I moved out for university & also for travelling to Los Angeles to see my long distance boyfriend of over two years who I haven’t seen in four months! 

Alix:  Being with my family and Christmas dinner! 

What’s at the top of your wish list?

Georgia:  On the top of my wishlist is a camera tripod & a ring light. I have a youtube channel (Midnight Madness) & it’s so hard to film without a proper set up! Also books are always nice 🙂 

Alix:  This year, it’s actually getting a job. I’ve been unemployed for a little while so a little Christmas miracle in that department would be incredible. A more materialistic wish is the Apple Pencil! 

Favourite Christmas movie?

Georgia: Polar Express – I know, not very mainstream, but it reminds me of my childhood when I lived in Greece, and Christmas for me is the best time to spend with family and talk about stories from the past, remember certain feelings, so I always watch this on Christmas!

Alix: It’s a tie between Love Actually and The Holiday. 

Favourite Christmas song?

Georgia: Favourite Christmas song would be probably Mistletoe by Justin Bieber haha, I have some really funny memories with this song from my pre-teen years so it makes me really happy! 

Alix: Fairytale of New York – The Pogues

Favourite Christmas food?

Georgia: My favourite Christmas food would be gingerbread cookies for sure

Alix: My grandad’s roast potatoes. I know they’re not exactly “Christmas food” but for whatever reason that’s when they taste the best and it’s not Christmas without them!


Your perfect Christmas in 3 words.

Georgia: Perfect Christmas in three words: snow, cocoa, movies

Alix: Family, food & fun

 

Blogmas Day 15: How to stay mentally healthy during the holidays!

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Christmas is fun but it can also be really stressful! At Christmas time we want to go, go, go. We feel we need to go shopping for gifts, see friends and family, go to events, look our best and prepare for the big day.  In short, it can be a lot of pressure on anyone, so when you have a mental illness can be very overwhelming and it’s so easy to struggle during the holidays, here are my tips to stay healthy.

Take time for yourself

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the festivities and everything that ‘needs’ to be done that we often forget to take some time to ourselves! It’s important to be able to wind down and switch off no matter what time of year it is.

Get enough rest

It can be absolutely exhausting to live with a mental illness on a day to day basis, add to that seeing friends and family, going out to join in with events, trying to match the excitement of others. It’s important that no matter what you still get enough rest. It’s so important to prioritise you rest and sleeping habits.

Decide what is a priority for you 

Expectations can be really high at Christmas and if,  like me, you’re a bit of a people pleaser it can be hard to say no. I’ve needed to tell myself, firmly, that I can say no and I need to look at my priorities. My priority is seeing my family, close friends and making sure I use the time I have to recharge my batteries. That’s the priority.

Take the pressure off! 

Banish the ‘should’, you do you over the holidays. I’m not going out on New Years Eve to any pubs or parties. I’m going to spend the night in my own home and go and see my family are a good sleep. I’m going to not have something on every single day and try to go with the flow.

See the day how you need to

For some people they want Christmas to be a day filled with family and that’s what’s important. For others, it’s just another day. Do what’s right for you.

Blogmas Day 14: Book Review – Christmas Poems by Wendy Cope

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If you’re looking for something that’s short, funny and light then this collection is perfect for you. I was first drawn to this on a Christmas display in my local Waterstones, I’d never heard of Wendy Cope and this year I’ve been on a big poetry kick, wanting to grow my collection. My Mum was lovely enough to buy this for me as a gift, I didn’t know at the time that I was going to find one of my favourite poets.

It’s hard to write humour and even harder to write it into poetry. Wendy Cope has managed to make me laugh out loud so many times while reading which was a complete delight. This isn’t a typical collection of snow, angels and the like, Cope has a brilliant wit and sense of realism as to what Christmas is like for most of us.

If you want something seasonal but not too long I would 100% recommend picking up Cope’s collection. It’s absolutely wonderful without being cheesy.

What is your favourite seasonal read? Let me know in the comments below!

Blogmas Day 13: The Holly Jolly Christmas Tag 2017

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Of course, I was going to do a tag in Blogmas! What do you take me for?! I found this over on the wonderful Liberty Joy blog! Definitely, check Becky out and give her a follow!

1. Favourite Christmas Movie?

Has to be Love Actually, it’s my all-time favourite.
2. Are you on the Naughty list or the Nice list?

Pretty sure I’m on the nice list, everyone’s allowed a few slip-ups, right?

3. Show us an embarrassing Christmas photo.

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Might as well embarrass my sister too!

4. Have you ever had a White Christmas?

I’ve seen it snow on Christmas but not settle!

5. Do you start your Christmas shopping on Black Friday or wait until the last minute?

If I have the money I start even earlier than that!

6. If you could be in any Christmas movie what would it be?

Elf, I feel I’m an appropriate size.

8. Name all of Santa’s reindeer.

Rudolph, Dancer, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid…Damn it.

9. When does your family put up your Christmas tree and who decorates it?

The first weekend of December at Mum and Dads. It’s mine and Ali’s first Christmas at our own flat and it was also up on the first weekend of December!

10. Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

100% fake. Not here for pine needles all over the floor.

12. Peeking at gifts or be surprised?

I like to feel the gifts and try to guess…whoops.

13. Show us your ugly Christmas sweater if you have one.

I refuse to wear ugly jumpers.

14. If you could be under the mistletoe with anyone who would it be?

I feel like I should say my boyfriend but I wouldn’t say no to Eddie Redmayne…

15. Does your family have a special holiday recipe you like to help make?

Haha, no.

16. Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably?

I am absolutely awful at gift wrapping.

17. Have you ever gone Christmas carolling?

Nope, personally, I find it a little weird just to knock on someone’s door like hey I’m going to sing at you right now.

18. What tops your tree?

Right now just fairy lights! Mum has a light up Tinkerbell though!

19. Do you make New Years Resolutions? Do you stick to them?

I don’t! January is so dark and miserable there’s no fun in starting something new then!

20. You have been granted one Christmas wish…what will it be?

….A puppy?!

 

Don’t forget to tag me in your own Holly Jolly Christmas Tags!

Blogmas Day 12: First Christmas in Our Own Home!

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2017 is a special Christmas for me, it’s the first time Ali and I have had our own place for the holidays! While we’ve lived together since the second year of uni we’ve never been somewhere, just the two of us, for the festivities. So we have a tree (at my insistence), we’ve been finalising what our plans are for the day itself and I’ve been generally annoying him with my Elfish tendencies.

We’re very different when it comes to our attitudes towards Christmas Ali’s not really a big Christmas person whereas I have had Christmas songs on in my car since *cough* October *cough*. I couldn’t wait to get us a tree and lights and wrap presents and get the candles on and EVERYTHING CHRISTMAS. Over time, I’m hoping that I can get him to be a little more Elf and a little less Grinch, slowly.

I’m so excited!

Blogmas Day 11: Q & A with Vikki & Zoe

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For my second Q & A post to show you all the blogging community at Christmas Vikki & Zoe answering questions about what Christmas means to them! Don’t forget to go and check out their blogs too!

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What are you most excited about this Christmas?

Zoe: This Christmas I’m most excited about being with family and giving the presents I have bought, I absolutely love buying things for other people especially if its something they will love!

Vikki: I am excited about spending Christmas with friends and my partners family, in comparison to last year I am also looking forward to not being stuck in Heathrow airport due to a delayed flight for 14 hours!

What’s at the top of your wish list?

Zoe: The top of my Wishlist is probably new makeup/clothes, or even a HP sprocket! To be honest I will be happy with anything that my friends/family get me!

Vikki:  I don’t really have a wish list, my wish would be that ASOS has a massive sale so I can stock up on British brands. If I am being soppy I would also wish that all of my friends and family here in Australia and in Scotland have a safe enjoyable Christmas with hangovers they can cope with.

 

Favourite Christmas movie?

Zoe: I’ve haven’t actually seen many Christmas films but I will be watching loads this year to make up for it haha! So I’m looking forward to seeing what others say for this so I know which ones are worth the watch!

Vikki:  My favourite Christmas movie is probably Home Alone, although I love the Wizard of Oz and they always tend to show that movie at Christmas too!

 

Favourite Christmas song? 

Zoe: There are loads!! I honestly am a HUGE lover of Christmas music and I have a whole playlist dedicated to it! For answering this I will put my top 3 because I honestly can’t pick just one favourite:

Merry Xmas Everyone – Slade

Stop the cavalry – Bona Lewie

Do they know its Christmas? – Band Aid

Vikki:  Fairytale of New York without a shadow of a doubt, I love the music, I love the lyrics and it’s also my mums favorite Christmas song so it has a  sentimental value for me.  

Favourite Christmas food? 

Zoe: Favourite Christmas food is 100% Turkey, my absolute favourite food at Christmas time!

Vikki:  Can I say all of it? I love how there are 65 versions of potatoes but also pigs in blankets are YUM


Your perfect Christmas in 3 words.

Zoe: Family, Friends, Love.

Vikki: Snow Family alcohol

Thanks so much to Vikki and Zoe for sharing their answers! Make sure to go and check out their wonderful blogs. And stay turned for more Blogmas posts to come!

Blogmas Day 10: Books to Give This Christmas

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Giving books is one of the best things about Christmas for me. If I can find a book for someone, I will. So how about some ideas that I can personally recommend to you all? These are all books that I’ve read this year and should be available in all good bookshops.

 

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Poetry

This is Rupi Kaur’s second collection and was even better than the first, which I didn’t think was possible. The collection can also work as a stand-alone collection if the person your buying for hasn’t read the first. You can read my review here.

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Young Adult 

One of the biggest superstars came back after 6 years away with a cracker. Turtles deals with the complexities of living with OCD as well as a missing mystery billionaire. You can read my review here.

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Autobiography 

This isn’t something that I would have just picked up off of the shelf, it was only after hearing an interview I decided to give it a go. This goes far beyond an autobiography it talks about gender, sexuality, loss and depression. It was really eye-opening. Review here.

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Historical Fiction

It has been a long time since I’ve read a good Historical Fiction novel. Set in the 1930s and featuring an LGBTQ protagonist this is a must-read. Review here.

Memoir 

I couldn’t just pick one these were both amazing. My Lovely Wife is about a families struggle with Bipolar Disorder through the eyes of a partner. My Shitty Twenties is the memoir of Emily who unexpectedly fell pregnant in her early 20s and what it was like to have her life change so unexpectedly, review here.

 

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Contemporary Fiction

This is super weird but really enjoyable. Told from the perspective of an unborn foetus this looks at the world in a truly unique way. I absolutely loved it and would read it again and again.

 

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If you have someone in your life who loves Game of Thrones and is having withdrawal symptoms this is perfect. This is set before A Song of Ice and Fire but it’s just as engaging and a lot shorter than the songs in the series.

 

Have I missed any great reads? Let me know in the comments below!

 

 

This post is not sponsored in any way.

Blogmas Day 9: 5 Ways to Stay on Budget at Christmas!

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I don’t know about you but I’m definitely feeling the squeeze this Christmas when it comes to money. Now I absolutely love Christmas it’s my favourite time of year but it is so easy to spend more than you have and completely blow your budget out of the water. I love giving gifts, I love buying things that will make people happy but I don’t have an unlimited resource and making myself skint won’t make Christmas any more special. So, how do we save some money? Here are 5 things I’m doing to save a few pennies.

Take cash out 

It’s very easy to hit up the plastic and not think about it too much because it’s not physically in front of you. Come on, we all do it. So, instead, I will take cash out with me that is all I have to spend and once it’s gone it’s gone. This is hard because you can think ‘what if’ but that leads me on to my next point…

Plan ahead 

I love lists, love them. Trying to have a rough idea or something to aim for when you go Christmas shopping, otherwise, you might get in a panic and just buy whatever is there at whatever the price. Plan ahead, you’ll thank me later.

Prioritise who you’re buying for 

I’m a giver, I would happily buy Christmas presents for everyone, but my budget just won’t stretch to that. Write out who your priority buys are, immediate family for example, and make sure they’re covered first. It’ll mean more to you get a cherished family member something a little bit more special than splashing out on Janet from accounts for Secret Santa.

Think about handmade 

What are you good at? This might be an ideal route for gifts. I’ve handmade a few gifts this year and know that although they aren’t top of the range gifts, they will be loved and cherished.

Don’t fall for ‘sales’ 

In the run up to Christmas, there are plenty of ‘sales’ BUT be wary as retailers can be quite sneaky with boosting prices the week before and then giving a ‘sale’ and it returns to its original price. Sneaky, sneaky.

What are your top tips for sticking to a budget at Christmas time? Let me know in the comments below!

 

 

Blogmas Day 8: Christmas Wishlist

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So, what’s on my list to Santa this year, well here’s a peak! This year I honestly didn’t know what to ask for so these are just things I’ve seen and thought, that looks cool!

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them Illustrated Edition

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I am a huge fan of the illustrated editions because they’re just so beautiful and well thought out. So, of course, I put this at the top of my list. I can’t wait to see what the illustrator came up with.

Harry Potter A History of Magic 

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I’m going to be going to the exhibition in London and after flicking through this in my local Waterstones I’m so excited for the exhibition but, at the same time, I’m not keen on having to carry this hefty hardback around London so hopefully, I’ll find it under the tree!

Guylian Chocolates 

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Do these even need explaining. They’re so, so good. SO GOOD.

Nike Sports Bra & Bottoms

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I want to get really into my fitness because I’ve been slipping (again!) so I’d love some new work out clothes. Also, can we appreciate how beautiful these are that I found on Pinterest it’s a shame they’re from the 2014 collection!

A History of Britain in 21 Women

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I saw this on Leena Norm’s Youtube channel (link here) and it sounds amazing and I want to know more about some of the incredible women from my own country.

Reptar Pop Vinyl 

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The Rugrats were a huge part of my childhood, I saw this and thought it looked so adorable. He’s so tiny and cute!

Harry Potter Primark – Anything! 

The new range at Primark has made me fall in love, I want all of it. I just said to my family if you’re stuck just pop into Primark there’ll be something!

 

What’s on your Christmas list? Let me know in the comments below!