Thank you to @TheGoodTheHuma1 for tagging me in this fun festive challenge!
I really enjoyed doing this, and hope the people I tagged will do too! An for anyone reading this, I hope you get to learn a little about me : )
- Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts
Giving – Don’t get me wrong, of course I enjoy and appreciate receiving gifts, but I LOVE to spoil my family! - Do you make and stick to New Year’s resolutions?
No – I generally find it puts too much pressure on yourself. In honesty, I always strive to better myself. I ask people for feedback in my professional life, and I know the things in life I need to do generally so try and do these all year round. I am not a massive New Year fan, though I do get sentimental and look back on the year that I have had. - Have you ever made a snowman?
Oh yes!! I have pictures from my childhood of my brother and I building a snowman, something guaranteed to be done whenever it snowed! (As well as snow ball fights!) I did try building one as an adult, but I think you become more aware of the cold and damp of the snow as an adult, and everything becomes more about practicality! - Is your Christmas tree real or fake, and what theme do you prefer?
Every year since my childhood, we have always had a real tree – it is part of annual tradition, going and picking the tree. It also became a tradition me and my husband had each year, though this year he has convinced me to buy an artificial tree. My theme is traditional red, gold and green, and I don’t really do tinsel! I love lots of lights and have to have them on the twinkly setting! - Most memorable holiday moment?
As a child, my most memorable moment was probably a moment, which is still mentioned now… the lounge door was opened and in my disbelief at so many gifts I just said “…alllll themmm presssents”. I was only really small at the time but we still laugh and say it now whenever we have all the presents under the tree! To me, it reflects how lucky we are to have been fortunate enough to be spoilt materially, but also in the fact that we have shared Christmas memories as a family year in year out! - What holiday traditions are you looking forward to this year?
We have a couple of traditions… one being exchanging family cards on Christmas Eve (no presents are exchanged until Christmas Day). I also love settling down and watching The Muppet Christmas Carol with my husband on Christmas Eve which has become a bit of a tradition, but only once everything is sorted ready for Christmas Day! - What is the best Christmas present you have ever received?
There are so many gifts I have received, it is so difficult! One of the nicest gifts of recent years was an electric piano from my husband. He knows I have always wanted to learn piano, and had bought me piano lessons for a previous Christmas. His hope was that I would get back into it because I had dropped my lessons due to other things going on in my life. I really do need to get back into it! A lovely story of a beautiful Christmas gift can also be found here. - What are your favourite holiday foods?
Wow… Christmas involves so much food doesn’t it?! I would say pigs in blankets is one of my favourites! Also, my mum does Brussel sprouts with chestnuts, which is really nice and the only time of year we have them together like that. - What is your favourite Christmas film?
The Muppet Christmas Carol! You can read about why I think that, and some of my other favourite Christmas movies here. - What is your favourite Christmas song?
Over the years it does tend to change, but the last couple of years I am really into ‘Jingle Bell Rock’. I think this is because it isn’t one I used to hear as much. I have to say I do love ‘All I want for Christmas is You’, and I do love some carols. - What is your favourite thing about Christmas?
I don’t want to spoil anything here because I have a Christmas blog post coming up, so I will link it once it is published!
- What would be your dream place to visit at Christmas time?
For me, I think Christmas is best spent at home with family. It is how it has always been and I enjoy a traditional Christmas at home with the people I love. That said, I would love to go to New York in the run up to Christmas to do shopping, though my anxiety would certainly set me back from doing that as how it is at the moment. - Who do you spend Christmas with?
On Christmas morning it is just me, my husband and our 2 cats (our furbabies). We open our presents (furbabies included), and then we get dressed and ready for the day ahead.
We go visit my Mother In Law, her husband, & my Brothers in Law. We all have a mass opening of presents, and it is also my Mother In Law’s husband’s birthday so we do his birthday present. We don’t have Christmas dinner with his them, we have New Year’s Dinner on New Year’s Day with them instead.
After that it is normally afternoon, and we head over to my mum’s for Christmas dinner. There we have dinner and more present opening with my mum, dad, brother and Grandma, where we pretty much stay for the remainder of the day. My parents live ridiculously close to us so it is really easy for getting home in the evening, where we spend what is left of the night lazing in the lounge with the cats and each other!
- When do you start getting excited about Christmas?
On and off for months I guess. I started buying Christmas presents in May and felt pretty organised, but I feel excited on and off because I love Christmas, but in honesty I guess I do put a lot of pressure on myself when it comes to shopping and wrapping etc. I always want the gifts to reflect the thought I have put in and the wrapping to show I have taken care and time to wrap it. - You have one Christmas wish – what will it be?
This is so hard, because as an adult, we just want basic things don’t we – for us and our loved ones to be happy and healthy. Something I always wish at New Year for everyone is Health, Wealth & Happiness, so I guess that would be my Christmas wish.
I would love to know what anyone thinks of the answers and for anyone I didn’t tag, please feel free to comment answering any of the questions yourself!
My tags are:
My Simple Mind 