december in photos;

tracksuit, so comfy // testing a board game prototype // camwhorin' // happy birthday to me!

exam snacks // birthday cake // heh // birthday face

demon baby // pretty christmas tree // max sleeping at the tree // ipad!!

amber sleeping on my laptop // babel // non-existent queue @ mumford & sons // barrier

encore // gentleman of the road // pretty girl // beddy byes

amber wanted me to switch channels // corrie mug // amber :3 // treats for santa...

90s DANCE ANTHEMS! // tyson // christmas face // photobooth trickery

'tis the season: the christmas tag;

It's been over a week since I last posted, I'm sorry!  I am up to my eyeballs in assignments and study, which leaves very little time for blogging, but I couldn't leave December pass without making a Christmas post!  Christmas is my absolute favourite time of year, for so many reasons.  I love Christmas trees (yes, we have two), Christmas lights, Christmas food, Christmas markets, Christmas weather... and of course, Christmas presents.  So today's post will be a quick 'un, but a good 'un!  Taken from lovely miss Niina @ It Seems Pretty Obvious.


(1) What's your favourite holiday movie?
They're not 'Christmas' movies, but every year I watch Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Bedknobs and Broomsticks on repeat during the holidays.  When I was little, they were played a lot on tv around Christmas time, so they always remind me of that ~magical Christmas feeling~.

(2) What's your favourite Christmas colour?
I know it's not exactly traditional, but purple is my favourite Christmas colour.  One of our trees is decorated in gold and purple, and our Christmas dinner table is decked out in purple too.  Still festive, but it's less gaudy than dousing the house in red and green.

(3) Do you like to stay in your PJ's or dress up for Christmas?
A bit of both!  I always wear new pyjamas Christmas eve to wake up in on Christmas morning.  Then it's into my Christmas finest for visiting family and eating my dinner, and back into pyjamas for lounging around eating crisps and watching tv.

(4) If you could buy one person a present this year who would it be?
I couldn't buy a present for just one person!  I love buying presents for other people, especially when I find something they'd really love.  How could I possibly narrow it down to just one?!

(5) Do you open your gifts on Christmas eve or Christmas morning?
Roughly 5am on Christmas morning.  It's become a sort-of tradition with my sister Chloe and myself.  Up at 5am, wake the rest of the family, open presents, eat fruit pastilles, go back to bed.

(6) Have you ever built a gingerbread house?
No :( I don't think I even know anyone who has.  Does anyone build gingerbread houses in Ireland?  I'm not even sure I like gingerbread!

(7) What do you like to do on your Christmas break?
I just like to relaaaaaxxx.  The weeks leading up to Christmas are always really stressful, with exams and that, and work is always hectic, so I relish the chance to do nothing.  I like to sit and eat and watch tv and not have to worry about a thing.  Well, for a few days at least!

(8) Any Christmas wishes?
To have a few extra days off work!

(9) Favorite Christmas smell?
The smell of a real Christmas tree mmm.  My grandparents always have a real tree (we never do. boo) and it smells delish.

(10) Favorite Christmas meal or treat?
It's not a strictly 'Christmas' food, but every Christmas morning without fail, the whole family meets at my grandparents house to exchange gifts, drink tea, and eat cocktail sausages.  It's my favourite part of Christmas, so in a roundabout way, cocktail sausages and tea is my favourite meal.

(extra question) What's your favorite holiday song?
A little bit typical, but Do They Know It's Christmas? // Band Aid 1984 (note: not Band Aid 20 no no no) is my favourite Christmas song.  Too good.

I tag all of you to answer these questions!  Thanks for reading, and Merry Christmas!

gift ideas: €20 or less;

(1) Snow Fairy Gift Set // (2) Yankee Candle Cherry Blossom medium jar // (3) Soap & Glory Small Wonders gift set

(4) Melting Clock hanging shelf clock // (5) Melee Mug // (6) Don't Scare Me wooden sign

December is almost here, which means the coming weeks will be full of secret santa, gift buying, and empty pockets aplenty.  Here are six items that I found that would make a perfect gift this christmas, and all for €20 or less!
 
(1) Snow Fairy Gift Set:  It just wouldn't be christmas without Snow Fairy, would it?  This gift set includes a soap, a shimerring body bar, and a bottle of Snow Fairy shower gel.  For those uneducated few who don't know what Snow Fairy is, it's a bottle of delicious, sugary, christmas-time only, cotton-candy goodness available from LUSH.  Perfect for BFFs.

(2) Yankee Candle Cherry Blossom medium jar:  If your friends/family love burning candles as much as I do, and I'm sure they do, a medium jar candle from Yankee Candle would make a wonderful gift.  Not too big, not too small, a medium jar burns for up to 90 hours!  As for the scent, Cherry Blossom is one of my favourites (*hint*) and the jar is so, so pretty, but Yankee have a gazillion scents to choose from, and they always have special offers coming up to christmas, too!

(3) Soap & Glory Small Wonders gift set:  If you haven't already heard, I am a huge Soap & Glory fan and I have yet to try a product of theirs that I didn't like.  So, I would highly recommend this gift set, which includes miniatures of some of my favourite Soap & Glory products; The Righteous Butter (!!!), Clean on Me, Hand Food, Scrub of your Life.   Another thing I love about Soap & Glory gift sets is that the boxes look super cute and decorative, and I always save them and use them for storage.  This gift set is guaranteed to look, smell, and feel more expensive than it actually is.

(4)  Melting Clock:  This quirky clock, available from Littlewoods, hangs from the edge of a shelf/bookcase/cupboard, and you can't deny that it looks pretty darn cool.  Again, it looks far more expensive than it actually is, and it would make a great gift for that art-buff friend of yours.

(5) Melee Mug:  I don't know about you, but I drink an awful lot of tea.  And what's better than a delicious cup of tea?  A delicious cup of tea in a bad-ass mug.  I think we all know someone who is a serial tea-drinker, or failing that, someone who collects weird mugs.  Available from ThinkGeek for just a few euro, you'd be wrong not to.

(6) Don't Scare Me wooden sign:  Don't judge me, I have a perfectly reasonable explanation for this one.  First of all, it's laugh-out-loud hilarious.  Secondly, it's handmade, each one is a little different from the last, making it totally unique (to say the least).  Thirdly, can you think of anything more perfect to give to that one friend with the strange sense of humour?!  And finally, the seller (found this on Etsy, btw) makes several different signs with less vulgar but equally hilarious slogans.

Happy shopping, and thanks for reading!