Starting a new job has been exhausting and whilst I’m fully in the swing of employment, everything else in my life has been a whirlwind so when Jet2 got in touch to talk Christmas breaks and hampers, it was a no brainer on my part.
This Christmas, for the last minute buys and the people you want to treat most - why not gift them the gift of a well deserved break.
Read MoreFYI the photo above is me on my first Christmas at a cheeky 10 weeks old.
I'm sure like me you can pull a thousand Christmas memories from the old brain bank and it's hard to choose just 12 but I've talked about Christmas a lot on this old blog and on Steph's so hopefully here's 12 you haven't heard before.
Read MoreThe big day is creeping ever closer and I've talked a lot about tradition over the past fortnight since I've been working on my 12 days series. There are some things we all do on Christmas Day and some things I think are maybe a bit more, niche shall we say, to each family.
Think of it as a bucket list of sorts, a checklist of things to tick off with your loved ones on the 25th.
Read MoreIt might have escaped your knowledge but it's Christmas on Monday.
You can't go wrong with stuff for the home, mugs, cosy clothes or food and you can take any of these ideas and make them work for all the ladies and all the blokes in your life. Make haste and buy my last minute pals!
Read MoreThe Christmas day outfit is like a right of passage for some of us. For some, it's the last thing on our minds but for others we've started planning it in about September.
Me personally I am somewhere in the middle? It's definitely always a day for 'dressing up' in my house but you also have to be warm and comfortable so I tend to sack off the jeans for one day and normally opt for my tartan skirt from years ago, a christmas jumper, wooly tights and a pair of slippers.
Whether you dress up or dress down or don't get dressed at all - here's 9 high street outfit ideas if you're looking to make a last minute treat yo damn self purchase.
Read MoreSo if you've read my post a few days back on why Christmas is the best time of the year then it'll come as no surprise that I like to make it last as long as possible. Sure it might be one date on the calendar but it starts December 1st we all know that.
If you're also resembling Buddy the elf at this point in the week like I am then here's 8 ways to make it last as long as you possibly can - or at least longer than solely the 25th December.
Read MoreChristmas is a time for spreading festive joy and this year I think we're embracing it more than ever. I've seen more anti advents and good deeds for every day of December than I have gift guides and wishlists and this year I am extending the festive spirit to my online pals.
The squad have a secret santa on the go (omfg I am so close to spoiling it) and I have cards on the way to bloggers all over the UK and now I have a tiny list of 7 lovely things you can do online to make someones Christmas.
Read MoreI mean I don't wish it was Christmas every day like the song says but it certainly is the best time of the year isn't it? For me it's more about the build up, the festive period, maybe the whole month of December than the actual day itself. It's the excitement, the preparation, the hint of Christmas spirit. It's the carols everywhere, the really cold sunny days, doing your shopping, wearing your gloves to de ice the car..... it really is the whole season of it.
So here's 6 reasons why for me, Christmas is the best time of the year.
Read MoreAside from eating turkey sandwiches and putting up the decorations, wrapping is probably my favourite Christmas activity. I love wrapping presents at the best of times and this time of year means I have about 20 million individual parcels to festoon with ribbon and bows and tags and I am in my element.
Here's my top 5 Pinterest inspired ways to wrap presents that even the least crafty of us can master....
Read MoreSo you're hosting Christmas this year? Maybe for the first time, maybe just for a few, maybe for enough to feed an army. You've got the turkey ordered, the tree is up and the RSVPs are flooding in.
But what about those final touches? Those little things you've maybe forgotten about. The kind of thing that turns a good Christmas host to the Nigella of the table.
Read MoreOk so traditionally the 12 days of Christmas are the 12 following the big day but what's the point in me waxing lyrical about festivities that have passed? My 12 days will run from tomorrow right through to Christmas Eve itself and looks something a little like this......
Read MoreIt's Christmas 2017 and the first one Joss and I have a whole house to decorate so naturally I got 4 trees and made it a grotto.
This year to celebrate the extra room Joss wanted a real tree but seemed to think that meant relegating the two fake ones I had from uni to the back of the cupboard. He very quickly realised the error of his ways when suddenly we had a 5ft real tree in the hall, a 6ft fake one in the living room, a 4 ft fake one on the stairs and then B&Q had 3ft ones on a clearance sale for TWO QUID and whadda ya know - now there's one on the landing too.
Read MoreI promised you two DIYs this Christmas and I didn't disappoint did I?
Following the success of my Christmas wreath I thought I'd try my hand at fillable baubles for our Christmas tree. I have a really sentimental tree theme, less about specific colours and more about things that mean something to us or a collection of things we've accumulated over the years. Every year we buy a few new baubles to add to the tree and this year I thought it'd be sweet if I had a go at making my own.
Read MoreFor 2017 I decided to try a DIY Christmas wreath for our front door. We have a tiny one in the shape of a star I bought 2 years ago which is going on the back door this year so I thought I'd create something of my own to welcome our guests to our little grotto.
It's super easy, you don't have to be a artist and you can make it as cheap or expensive as you want (my total spend was £13.50 but I have loads of bells, bows and buttons leftover for future projects!)
Read MoreI think you know you're getting old when you add pasta bowls and cake tents to your Christmas list.
A lot of people, my brother in particular who always scorns at my presents, would look at this list and feel gutted if they received some if not all of it. But I am one of those people who'd rather a Primark gift card than anything fancy or a christmas mug over a bottle of perfume. I'd be gutted if I got high end makeup, a designer bag or posh chocolates but give me little and cheap and plenty and I'm as happy as a pig in shit.
So along with my more grown up choices of gift including recipe books and a neck wheatie I have gone with the age old classic formula of some cheap clothing, some nail varnish and some novelty Christmas homeware because you just can't beat it.
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