the christmas tag!

favourite christmas film?

It's a bit of a silly one actually, but I really adore The Snowman. I used to watch it every year when I was little and get really upset if I accidentally missed it. It used to be on on Christmas Eve, but when I started working a lot I would always miss it, so my mum bought me it on DVD a few years ago and I really love watching it. Don't even talk to me about the Snowdog though, that gets me all angry!

favourite festive colour?

As a general rule in life, anything green and shiny.. green glittery baubles and such. Also anything silver and shiny. Actually, scratch that - shiny is colour right? Shiny.

do you open gifts on christmas eve or christmas morning?

Christmas morning, definitely. When we were little we were allowed to open one from a particular friend of the family on Christmas eve because that was when she dropped round. Now we're older we pretty much just have to wait! 

favourite winter fragrance?

I don't have a particular scent that I wear in the Christmas - (though I have my eye on Spicebomb by Viktor and Rolf something shocking! I know it's a mens fragrance, but that doesn't bother me..) but I do have a perfume that I was given at Christmas a few years ago, and as such it always remind me of Christmas - that's Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche.

real or fake christmas tree?

Real real real! Nothing beats a real christmas tree. We were never allowed them when we were little - too much mess, my mum thought. Up until about six years ago I would say, when we were all finally deemed old enough not to knock it over or fight near it (I have two brothers.. haha) and we started getting real ones. Yes, they can start to look a bit sad by January 6th, but the smell of them is so much better, and I like the wonky charm they have when we can never get them to stand up straight, haha.

favourite festive drink?

I do love a big mug of hot chocolate at Christmas - but I'm also particular partial to a glass of mulled wine. I love the spices and cinnamon and orange and the cloves - such a perfect smell.

favourite food?

I'm not a massive fan of Christmas dinner, I'll be honest. I don't like turkey or Christmas pudding and I don't like sausages wrapped in bacon so it always leaves me a little lacking. There's become a sort of tradition that after midnight mass on Christmas Eve, me and my family always come home and have a little supper of sorts. I think it started as us having a bite to eat before we headed to bed as it can sometimes go on quite late, mass. Then gradually it evolved into my mum doing a little platter of cheese, cold meats, olives, nuts, smoked salmon and such, usually accompanied by wine or beer. That is my favourite festive meal!

favourite scent?

I think I mentioned it before but basically anything spicy or mulled wine-y. My two current favourite candles are Yankee Candle's Kitchen Spice and Mulling Spices by Kringle.

favourite christmas music?

I am a big lover of old carols - one of my favourite albums is Carols at King's because they just sound so beautiful. Also, absolutely anything Christmassy sung by Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald (her Christmas album is so good!). I also really like Carol of the Bells.

what is most important about christmas to you?

It sounds bad, but I never really appreciated how much I enjoy having all the family around at Christmas. Last year there was a scare with my grandmothers health (which I spoke a little about here) and my parents were not really around for the Christmas period for obvious reasons. So with all fingers and toes crossed, everyone will be okay this year and everyone will be around!

I saw this tag over on Sailor Jennie's blog (which I absolutely adore, her posts, and bunny, are really cute), and I liked the idea of it, adding a few questions I saw on a different Christmas tag post.. I'm currently curled up on the sofa after my final night shift, waiting for some friends to come over for a Christmas get-together/dinner. Anyway, I hope you do this tag too - I'd love to see your responses. Let me know in the comments if you do this too!

step forward, bloglovin'

Hello all - just a little post to everyone today, to remind you readers that Google Friend Connect (which I used to use to follow blogs!) has now gone to the computer in the sky, or something like that, so you'll need to find another method to follow me! I recommend Bloglovin, and you can find mine here.

do-it-yourself gifts - part four

images from http://linaloo.typepad.com/linaloo/2009/12/cookiesinajar.html, bbc food and decoratorsnotebook

This year, I want to try and make as many presents as possible, because I want to give nice things to my friends and family even if I am a bit poor this year, because they still deserve nice things. Over the next two weekends I am going to show you some of my favourite items you can do for friends - that will cute and thoughtful, and won't break the bank. This is my last edition of these gift ideas - because I hope you're all sorted now, and I am working like mad up until Christmas now!

These are last-minute-gifts - things you can throw together at home and have ready just in-case anyone unexpected pops round.

• Jar mixes; cookies or biscuits or sweets, anything will go down well with my friends! You could make them yourself, but I know a lot of my friends enjoy baking, there are. Allrecipes has a lot of things that you can try, I think the best involve chocolate, really. Add a little label that says what else they need to add (usually butter or eggs or maybe a little milk) and the instructions (mix everything together, pretty much!) and tie a ribbon or some twine around the top and they look really cute, I think! Very easy to throw together at the last minute, all you need is a jar that you probably have knocking about the house.
• Chocolate, sweets, etc; I've made chocolate truffles and peppermint creams in the past, this year I think I'm going to try my fudge recipe because it went down so well with my family earlier in the year, but they make really lovely gifts, much better than a store bought box of chocolates, I think. Put in cute bags or jars and it will look really sweet, I think. 
• Flavoured alcohol; these are even quicker to make than anything else. Buy a cheapish bottle of vodka or gin and add a fruit of choice - I've made raspberry vodka, tangerine vodka and sloe gin this year. All you do is add the fruit directly into the vodka with some sugar and then leave to sit for as long as you can. Strain out the fruit when you're giving it to someone, and it tastes fantastic. Nigel Slaterhas a good sloe gin recipe if you want to stick to one!

light up light up

I had a very dull day of 'errands' yesterday - I had to go and do boring things like get my teeth cleaned and buy stamps and I was given the arduous task of buying the turkey and getting some things for the fish and going to B&Q and and and I could go on.. Anyway, I finally got home after spending a fortune on nothing, really. Nothing fun, at least. Anyway, as a treat I popped into one of those shops that sells really cheap stuff, and found a set of 40 LED battery lights for £3.99, which I thought was a good bargain and now my room looks even more cosy. I put on my mulled wine candle and wrapped all my Christmas presents, and now I feel very satisfied and happy. Then I had a little nap. 

continental jaunt - bruges

(all photos are mine, not to be used without my permission)

Last Friday me and some friends went to Bruges for the which was perfectly Christmassy and just lovely. Cold, and a long travel and a very early start, but worth it for the beautiful architecture - I've never been further north than Paris, so I haven't any German, Dutch or Flemish cities before, and I think I'm completely hooked, I have to say. Whilst Italian and French towns have a certain distinct beauty, there is something about the Gothic buildings there that I really loved, and the gabled buildings they have that look just like those in Amsterdam. Anyway, we had a great time, visiting the chip frites and chocolate museum and walking along the canals and looking in an amazing Christmas store that had the most fantastic baubles and eating frites and drinking gluhwein.
Anyway, I highly recommend it if you ever go - I don't think you could spend very long there but it would be a beautiful weekend away or something, so definitely worth a look!