The Christmas Tag

I recently saw this tag over on Ella's blog and as I am a Christmas obsessive I decided to give it a go, I love tags like these and if you love christmassy posts then you should definitely check her posts out at Hello Ella as she has some seriously lovely Christmas posts (and the rest of the year it's lovely too of course!)

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

I normally start Early in September.October but this year I am ridiculously poor so I'm thinking there will be a lot of Homemade and we'll say Heartfelt gifts (and of course lots of people will be getting chocolate but who doesn't love that?)

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

I make a Christmas version of my Rocky Road (but not Nigella's Christmas version) with a shitload of sprinkles which I stand by that as the technical term for it and I make a mean mince pie but my real specialty is hot chocolate or vanilla latte's with cream and every kind of marshmallow and sprinkle imaginable.

Tell me how Christmas goes down in your home

We normally sleep till about 9 as that is a lie in in the world of me and my mama, then we open presents and have croissants and bucks fizz for breakfast. Subsequently we get bored of the bucks fizz and make a pot of tea to keep us going. The Christmas movie channel goes on and my mum starts coking a bit later, my sister pops round for dinner and to open her presents, more Christmas movies, This year we will probably spend a little while with Jon and his family before going back for my special hot chocolates and family time in front of the fire.

Do you have any Christmas traditions?

We always go to my Grandma's house for her annual Boxing Day Family Buffet which she swears is getting smaller every year but the food still never fits on the table and there's always a few board games that go on throughout the Christmas period that I sometimes win and don't cheat at or my sister wins and she definitely does cheat!

Do you have a favourite festive coffee?

I do love a good Creme Brulee latte and I love Chai latte's all year round but they just feel a bit more special around Christmas time.

What's your favourite Christmas song?

The Pogues - Fairytale Of New York, is my ultimate Christmas song, I adore it and I've also been known to crack out my own versions of Silent night and Walking in a Winter Wonderland when I've been on the Baileys.

What do you do on Christmas Eve?

I normally work in the daytime and pop to see my Grandpa in the afternoon to give him is presents and see some of my Chesterfield family before coming home to watch Christmas movies in front of the fire (that is my fave Christmas thing if you can't tell by now.)

What's your Christmas wrapping strategy? Do you have a strategy?

I'm a present wrapping demon in that I go way ott and the presents end up with ribbons and bows and reindeer confetti inside and they are ridiculously difficult to open because I take after my Nan in the sense that I sellotape presents half to death, there's no way that's accidentally coming open. I also tend to colour coordinate and use a different scheme for each person so it does take a whole evening but I actually love it.

What's your dream gift this year?

I'd love a lot of new dance clothes and normal clothes just because I haven't been able to buy myself anything in a while and it would be amazing. My ultimate present would be Royal Ballet or West End tickets but I've already had one West End trip this year so that would be asking a little much.

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

I have a artificial tree that cost £8 from Argos on Christmas eve last year but it's a 6 footer and it actually looks pretty good, I have a mix of red, gold and green baubles with white lights, I tend to use beads instead of tinsel as It just annoys me a bit but I like tinsel everywhere else. I have cute little personal baubles to that remind me of my childhood and people in my life which are my favourites. My mama's also bought a little tree for the dining room so I have another to decorate!

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

I normally have a lot of christmassy candles dotted about the house and  I love putting our cards up everywhere, I do have a few bits of tinsel up here and there but not too much and we always have fairy lights in our windows to put on at night time.

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

I tend to wear my pjs in the morning and then I put on a nice outfit (or a new outfit if I'm lucky) for dinner and if I see Jon's parents and then back to pj's in the evening. For nights out/parties I tend to wear something sparkly with heels and red lips, can't go wrong with sequins for a Christmas do.

What are you favourite things to do at Christmas time?