Christmas Tag!

 

I saw the Christmas tag on Leah's blog, and then Nikki & Becky did one and being a Christmas nutter, I totally loved reading them so I knew I'd have to do one myself! I've been off sick for a couple of days with a highly annoying head cold so to alleviate the boredom I've been thinking about CHRISTMAS! The Christmas tag came from Georgina of Makeup-Pixi3 beauty blog, and what a good idea it was.... I want to read loads more of these so I hope some of my readers will comment / tweet / blog this tag too!

1.  Do you prefer a real Christmas tree or synthetic?

Real trees are amazing and they smell like heaven, but I'm not too keen on the real trees that are on offer in the UK for the last few years - they're big and bulbous at the bottom and then really sparse at the top. I really like a tree to be taller than me and nice and full.... in addition to that my flat is too small for a real tree so we have a tall & slim false one from Argos (get it here, I highly recommend it!) that does the job nicely. I've just bought a Christmas tree Yankee candle tart for my burner to see if I can get a bit of the pine smell in my flat this Christmas! My family have real trees so I spend Christmas eve / day / boxing day with the real thing!

2.  You're in a coffee shop, it's December, what do you pick?

100% Costa black forest hot chocolate. Oh.... my... god!

3.  Whats your favourite colour scheme for decorating the tree?

I like trees that remind me of the trees we had when I was a kid, i.e multi coloured with random baubles that my mum had been collecting for years (some of which were her mothers). My family have got all posh and now have themed trees with just one or two colours and matching baubles, but for me it will always be a hotch-potch of coloured madness. I love odd and traditional style baubles, and anything that is (or at least looks) edible too. I'm keeping the candy canes this year, but probably not doing gingerbread because it gets all sticky and soft. I might put tinsel on the tree this year, which I didn't last year and I'm considering multi coloured lights! I think Poundland and the 99p store are the best places for tinsel and general Christmas decorations, but Ikea is amazing for crazy baubles. Can't wait until December 1st when I will be turning my flat into a full-on grotto!

4.  Giving or receiving?

Both I guess, although I think I'm hard to buy for because if I want something I just buy it, and when it comes to clothes and accessories if it's not my style I just won't wear it (my poor family!) so I generally know what I'm getting 'cause I've asked for it! Presents from my boyfriend tend to be a surprise, but lets just say that he has now been banned from buying me a) books that I haven't specifically asked for (harsh but necessary 'cause I don't read that much and we have no space!) or b) board games (because we both get them from his family and we are in danger of having to use them as furniture if we get any more!) so it'll be interesting to see what he comes up with this year! I suppose I enjoy giving more than getting really.... I do love watching people unwrapping gifts!

5.  To mince pie or not to?

Yes to my mums home-made ones, otherwise I'm not fussed. The M&S posh ones are pretty good, but bought ones need a generous dollop of brandy butter in my humble opinion! In my family Christmas is about being together and FOOD FOOD FOOD! Generally minced pies are pretty far down our list of must haves... as you can see above my sisters Christmas Eve fare is very exciting and there's not a mince pie in sight! Can anyone say Champagne Jelly?!

6.  What's your traditional sunday lunch?

Like I said above, Christmas is all about food for me. The traditional Christmas lunch made by my kick-ass cook of a mother is chicken (because we all think it's nicer than Turkey!) with every trimming known to man (yorkshires, pigs in blankets, Christmas tree shaped roast potatoes, mash, carrots, parsnips, at least two types of stuffing.... the list could go on forever!) and it's like heaven! A new tradition now is faux Christmas with my boyfriend before we go to our families (which are at opposite sides of the country) and I like to try new things and go hugely over the top! I've done partridge, duck, and posh chicken with 800 trimmings, but this year I'm going to cook a goose. I'm very excited about this, but goose is so rich that in order to not get gout from one meal I'm really stripping down the trimmings to just vegetables & a good sausagemeat stuffing (okay, and bread sauce / cranberry sauce 'cause that's the law!). I refuse to go through the Christmas period without pigs in blankets & devils on horseback though, so I'm having a gathering with nibbles to alleviate that problem!

7.  Christmas day fashion

If it's really cold I've been known to wear my Christmas jumper, but generally I wear a pretty dress with lots of stretch! I think this year I'll wear my bon marche red velour dress because my Gran will be with us for Christmas Day and I want to look smart, but need room for the enormous belly I will cultivate during lunch!

8.  What's your favourite Christmas song?

If I was forced to pick just one then I'd probably go for 'The Christmas Song' sung by Nat King Cole (has to be Nat!) 'cause it's so damn beautiful, but Ella Fitzgerald's swinging Christmas is by far and away the best Christmas album in the world ever, and her version of The Christmas song is the only other acceptable one! Ella singing 'Sleigh Ride' is pure Christmas. If you love Christmas and have never listened to this album then you must, every song is a winner, the band is flawless and the arrangements are swing-tastic.... is there anything more Christmassy than a swing band? I think not!

9.  What's your favourite Christmas film?

I love any and every film related to Christmas (no matter how shit!) but of the ones I watch every year Elf is my absolute favourite. I adore Will Ferrell which helps, but it is just so unbelievably festive!

10.  Open presents before or after lunch?

We open our presents before lunch and then inevitably end up watching one of the dreadful action films that dad got (!) while mum cooks up a storm, but we have what my mum calls 'tree presents' that are saved until after lunch (one per person) so we get the best of both worlds!

 

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

Everyone is tagged to do this, please remember to tweet @TwinklinPixi3 all of your links :D