Its The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year...

This post was actually planned for yesterday, but a combination of using a different laptop to usual, no internet, no plug to charge my laptop, travelling and frustration led to it being a day late! So, instead of being Christmassy exactly a month to the big day, its now a month to Boxing Day when it'll all be over (apart from leftover turkey which seems to be never-ending).

This does however make me feel even more entitled to say that; considering the Coca Cola advert has been out for weeks,the Oxford Street Christmas lights have been turned on and mince pies have hit the shelves with full force, I think its perfectly acceptable to be in FULL Christmas mode! YAY!

I love Christmas, its my favourite time of year! Everyone's cheery, its acceptable to stay at home in a onesie and eating lots of food is almost compulsory. What could be better? :) So, after reading Sprinkle Of Glitter's lovely festive traditions blogpost I thought I'd share my traditions aswell!

Baking; As I'm sure you've gathered now, I seriously love baking! And Christmas baking is even funner (totes a word!)! Myself and my sister always seem to experiment in the kitchen around this time of year, with  fancy mince pies, stars made from melted down sweets, chocolate snow covered cakes and jam, just to name a few! But, last year myself, the boyfriend and the best friend reached new heights in Christmas Baking Experiments with the invention of 'the Christmas Pizza'. And yes, it really is as good as it sounds :)

Arts & Crafts; Another of my favourite hobbies, is arts and crafts, or as it was called when we were kids 'cutting and sticking'. I've always enjoyed making things: birthday cards, scrapbooks, bunting - you name it, I've probably attempted it :) But at Christmas time it hits all new kinds of levels; with home-made crackers, place-cards, stockings and Christmas decorations. Home-made things always give a lovely  homely/vintage feel to Christmas which I really enjoy I've got a couple of crafty plans this year, but I'll keeping that under wraps in case the intended people see it ;)

Theatre; Since about 2006 me and my sister have had a Boxing Day Theatre tradition. We buy tickets for each other alternately as a surprise, extending the Christmas excitement even more! :) We're both always bee n obsessed with musicals and plays, and we do go to see them quite regularly! But our Boxing Day trip is always most special :)  We've seen Legally Blonde, The Lion King, Hairspray, Jersey Boys..and so many more! And this year is my turn, so I've been struggling to keep quiet and not give it all away! Only a month to go till the secret will be out! :D

Christmas Days with Friends; I'm sure most of you will share this tradition with me! Having a pretend 'Christmas Day' with friends before the official big day! If you've been to University you'll definitely know what I mean, as most people have a 'Uni-Family Christmas Day'! When I lived in my uni house, we all loved Christmas! We would cook a massive dinner, (with all the timmings!) exchange presents and get very merry whist belting out classic festive songs! Then there was the more refined wine evening with my girlfriends, eating Christmas Puddini Bon Bons (a Delia Smith recipe that you MUST try!) and exchanging Secret Santa pressies! And then my favourite of them all, Christmas Day with the best friend! A tradition in it self, where we sit in front of the Christmas Tree, obsess over the lovely presents we've exchanged and eat yummy food! We also started a tradition last year where we give each other a Christmas Decoration to put on our family tree :)

Christmas Specials; Watching t.v infront of the telly surrounded by family, scrunched up wrapping paper and chocolates is always a festive memory for me! Favourite programs, like Miranda and Doctor Who are always so much more exciting with a Christmassy theme! And its always a family event, with everyone crowding round to watch!

Family; Cliché yes, but still true that there is something so lovely about everyone being together at Christmas.

I hope this made you feel festive and merry! What are your festive traditions? :)

Aimée
Xxxx

P.S Although being a massive fan of Christmas, meeting Father Christmas as a child was clearly still an ordeal for me! ;)