Those of you who celebrate it, I hope you are having a wonderful Xmas day! xx

Happy 1st December! Advent begins today, the season of bad music, mulled wine and excessive food consumption is almost upon us! Here’s some suggestions from me as to what to do before it arrives!

1. If you haven’t already done so, buy / make an advent calendar, preferably with chocolate in [...]]]> Photo Credit

Happy 1st December! Advent begins today, the season of bad music, mulled wine and excessive food consumption is almost upon us! Here’s some suggestions from me as to what to do before it arrives!

1. If you haven’t already done so, buy / make an advent calendar, preferably with chocolate in it!

2. Decorate your house / room – even if you just put a few shiny baubles, or a bit of tinsel, every little helps!

3. Buy or otherwise choose your Xmas party outfit! Even if you’re having a quiet one this year and not attending any, pick something beautiful yet comfortable to wear on the day itself to help it feel that little bit more festive!

4. If you’re a student or self-employed, finish all your assignments / tasks in good time so that you can take a real break and enjoy the Xmas break without thinking about all you have to do when you start working again!

Photo Credit

5. A very practical one now, prepare a list of all the things you still need to buy / prepare - this includes household essentials, you really don’t want to run out of toilet roll halfway through Xmas day when there are no shops open!

6. Visit your local German Christmas Market at least once, they’re great fun and a brilliant way to get into the “festive spirit” (alcoholic or otherwise!). I’m going to the Nottingham one tomorrow!

7. Unless you reallylove them, don’t listen to any Xmas songs unless you have to, otherwise you’ll be totally sick of them by around the 10th!

8. If you’re a blogger, write those scheduled posts as early as possible so you don’t have loads to do when you’re panicking about your last-minute shopping!

9. Go out specifically to look at the lights, and take photos.

10. Try and find out when your local supermarkets are having Xmas food tastings, and arrange your grocery shopping trips to coincide with them.

11. Get together with friends you may not see over Xmas itself for a pre-seasonal drink and catch-up.

12. Buy at least one ridiculous Xmas-themed accessory – snowflake earrings, a flashing Santa badge, even simply a piece of tinsel to wear as a belt, then wear it to work!

How are you preparing for the approaching holiday?

With Christmas Day falling on a Thursday this year, what better day to celebrate the things we love in life! Merry Christmas to all of you, here’s what has made the holiday wonderful for me!

*  Champagne – I adore it, if I could afford to, I’d drink [...]]]>

With Christmas Day falling on a Thursday this year, what better day to celebrate the things we love in life! Merry Christmas to all of you, here’s what has made the holiday wonderful for me!

*  Champagne – I adore it, if I could afford to, I’d drink it every day! My parents bought a particularly pleasant bottle this year that was thoroughly enjoyed by all over dinner.

* My Nephew – He really is a rather entertaining child, though somewhat energetic!

* The Doctor Who Christmas Special – I was going to make this post a while ago, then I remembered it was on, and everything has to stop for The Doctor! I’m a big geek, but this year’s was brilliant!

* All the Merry Christmas posts – Sadly I haven’t had time to reply to them all, but I’ve loved looking at all the photos and enjoying all your messages to your readers.

* The bacon from the top of the turkey – For me, the best bit of the Christmas dinner (aside from all the booze!)

* Glitter – Covering myself, my mother, and anyone else who would let me in M.A.C. reflects gold!

* Presents! – I received some really lovely, thoughtful things this year, including a granite pestle and mortar from my brother and sister-in-law, which is something I’ve considered buying so many times before and decided against it because it’s too heavy to carry home. Yay, many real curries will be made!

* Looking back on 2008 and realising it’s been a really great year!

So, thank you to all of you for making it so fabulous, I hope you are all having / have had a fantastic Christmas Day (or a relaxing holiday if you don’t celebrate Christmas).  Enjoy the rest of your celebrations and I hope your hangovers aren’t too bad tomorrow!

xx

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Not a very original title I know, and I’m sure there are probably a million posts out there headed with exactly the same words, but I can’t really think of anything more fitting to the post. It’s that time of year again [...]]]>

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Not a very original title I know, and I’m sure there are probably a million posts out there headed with exactly the same words, but I can’t really think of anything more fitting to the post. It’s that time of year again where everyone is making their “Merry Christmas, I’m off to X for 2 weeks” posts, and whilst I am going away for a few days, I hope to be able to update at least sporadically while I’m celebrating with the family.

Although the run-up to Christmas drives me insane at times – the repetitive music, the crowds in the shops, the stress of trying to get everything wrapped and sent to people on time – overall, I rather enjoy this time of year. It’s a time when everything glitters, when most people are determined to put on a happy face and a positive outlook, and it’s the best excuse in the world to consume enormous amounts of delicious food and drink!

It did take us a while to buy a tree this year however. After weeks of trying to work out  where to put a full-size one, the other half went out this afternoon and bought this cute little minature tree with blue fibre-optics… and that’s the extent of our decoration aside from my fairy lights, which I use all year round.

Please excuse the low-res webcam photo, un-brushed hair, lack of makeup and mildly evil facial expression!

I just want to say Merry Christmas to everyone, and hopefully you’ll read this before you leave for wherever you’re spending the holidays. Enjoy your seasonal traditions, eat lots of great food and I hope your Christmas both sparkles and glitters.

xx

Image by ninahale

Between calls and comments about customers, the sound of hummed Christmas music is currently drifting through the office as people are getting into the seasonal spirit. Most of the larger shops have had the same five or six songs on a loop since the 1st and the lights make the [...]]]>

Image by ninahale

Between calls and comments about customers, the sound of hummed Christmas music is currently drifting through the office as people are getting into the seasonal spirit. Most of the larger shops have had the same five or six songs on a loop since the 1st and the lights make the town sparkle as soon as it gets dark.

Is this all a bit… premature though? I for one find listening to Christmas music from as early as the end of November, as seems to be the convention these days, to be a little counter-productive. By the time the party season really kicks off, later on in the month, I’m so sick of most of the songs I don’t want to hear them anymore, which is something of a spirit-killer. One Christmas song that always makes me smile however, is The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl’s classic Fairytale of New York.

This song brings back memories of wandering through town with friends, fortified with mulled wine, singing at the top of our lungs and not caring how stupid we probably sounded. The only Christmas song I never tire of, even if I’ve heard it every week since mid-November!

How about you? Are you fed up of the Christmas music already, or do you enjoy every minute of it? What’s your favourite song to get you in the festive spirit?

The blogosphere appears too have gone Xmas shopping crazy this week, as all the Internet shopping deadlines get closer and closer! Hence, many of the posts featured here are Xmas or Xmas shopping-related, however for those of you who are sick of it all already (though I could never get tired [...]]]> Image by Spiegel

The blogosphere appears too have gone Xmas shopping crazy this week, as all the Internet shopping deadlines get closer and closer! Hence, many of the posts featured here are Xmas or Xmas shopping-related, however for those of you who are sick of it all already (though I could never get tired of any holiday that allows for the tacky over-use of fairy lights) there are lots of non-Xmas posts featured too!

Seasonal Guides!

* Erin‘s guide to spreading Xmas joy, “Deck The Halls” is brimming with ideas to make the season even more fun than it promises to be!

* Sarah Von‘s gift ideas post “Giving the Gift of Non-Stuff” is brilliant if you need ideas for that family member who seems to have everything already!

* The Glamourous Grad Student’s gift guides are great First she posted a “Guide to the Lush Christmas Presents” followed by “Christmas gifts for the grad student in your life“, which is great if you have a friend or relative studying any of the subjects she features who’s difficult to buy for!

* Lady Smaggle presents “How to Give Christmas Gifts on a Budget” a great guide filled with brilliant ideas to get you through the festive part of the credit crunch!

* Girl Meets Business writes “The Complete Guide to Holidays at the Office” excellent if you’re stuck in a 9-5 job and aren’t really sure how to cope with the season of parties, cheap decorations on desks and extreme chocolate consumption!

My Pick of the Non-Seasonal Posts!

* Along with her fabulous daily outfit photo, Andrea’s post contains some great information for aspiring writers out there in the form of a brilliant guide to getting published!

* Mavis has written a thought-provoking post entitled “Satan’s Children” about the witch children of Africa, certainly a sobering read.

* As is Sarah Von‘s post about her students, “Ready the Kleenex“, you’ll certainly need it.

* On a lighter note, Amber has posted a guide with “Ten Easy Ways for Women to Look Sharp” great if you have a job interview or a smart engagement coming up!

* Coop‘s post on “How to get along with someone you don’t like” might be exceedingly useful on the work Christmas party circuit but is equally great at any time of year. She offers some great advice I’ll be trying to follow!

Have a great Friday and an even greater weekend! I’m looking forward to another week of fabulous posts to come! xx