December Goodies - What I Got for my Birthday and Christmas!

Within the month of December, I have both my birthday (I turned 19… only one year of being a teen left, I can’t explain how scary that is to me) and then there is Christmas, this means that during this month I get goodies from those I love in my life. If you are anything like me then you are very noisy, therefore you might find it interesting to find out what bits and bobs I got throughout December.

Disclaimer: I am in no way trying to brag, I am very grateful for everything I received this birthday and just thought it would be interesting to share.

Let’s start with what I got for my Birthday, first of all, I got some money from my friends and family which was really sweet of them, so thank you to my nan, my aunt and uncle, my family friends and my friend.

I feel like starting with my family first is best, my younger sister got me a huge Yankee Candle in the scent Perfect Margarita and oh my goodness it smells amazing, the best way I have to describe the smell is the lemon and lime sherbet hard candies. My younger brother got me two little heart shaped candle holders and a purple pom-pom keychain. My older brother and sister got me a very big bottle of PIMM’S which I am currently enjoying in some orange juice at this exact moment of writing this.

My parents got me quite a few bits, the first thing I opened was a Mickey Mouse shaped back pack which I adore. I don’t own to many bags and the bag I currently use is verging on falling to pieces, so the bag definitely came at the right time. It’s plain bag which is perfect for me because my whole wardrobe consists of black, white and grey items so it matches my ‘aesthetic’ perfectly.

Next, I got a little wall plaque that says “Dreams, Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” I love little home décor pieces, so I can’t wait to find a nice little spot in my room to put this in.

I also got a huge Lush bath set that is full of lots of goodies. In the box there was an Experimenter bath bomb, a Over and Over bath bomb, the Comforter bubble bar, a fun in Sea Monster and a Dragon’s Egg bath bomb. It also came with a little duck banner that spelt out ‘Happy Bathday.’ I love Lush, so this set will definitely be well used, the Comforter scent is actually my favourite scent from Lush, so I was really happy to receive that.

I also got a necklace, it’s silver and has a little ball with tassels coming off of it. I do like more unusual necklaces, so this is really my style, as well as a little feather ring. I also got a mini eyeshadow palette full of lots of glitters, which my eyelids will thoroughly appreciate!

I got two main gifts also from my parents, the first I knew I was getting because it was the only thing I asked for this year and it is a clothing rack. I often see in Pinterest style home décor these clothing racks and I decided that I NEEDED it! So, when my parents found out I was originally going to buy it for myself despite my birthday being in a couple of weeks and neither of them having any idea what to get me, they said that I could have it for my birthday. They also brought my coat hangers to go with which is something that I dumbly didn’t consider that I would need. I love it, and after literal hours of me trying to assemble it, it is finally up and full of my clothes.

For my other main present, I got a £50 tattoo voucher! I am very happy to now be able to add to my small collection of tattoos.

My Grandad got me a little heart necklace as well which is also very cute.

Now onto other people in my life, my best friend Millie had previously paid for the matching footprint tattoos that I have talked about in a previous post (click here to read more: https://holleedee.blogspot.co.uk/2017/11/my-small-collection-of-tattoos.html) but she also got me a lovely cup with Belle from the original Beauty and the Beast on it and I adore it!

I also received some other goodies from my friend, including two skirts that I love, a set of Christmassy earrings and a Christmas bauble for my tree (yes, I am obsessed with Christmas and yes, the bauble ended up on my tree).

My work also got me a little present which was really sweet, the got me a little Dove wash set and a chocolate orange which admittedly I have already eaten, aha.

Now for Christmas, at work we always do a little Secret Santa amongst the staff, I was got lots of lovely treats from my Secret Santa including a bobble hat (which I have be wearing to excess), a candle, some bath treats, a necklace with lots of Snow White themed pendants and a Ted Baker makeup bag filled with goodies. Also from work I got a box of Ferrero Rocher.

From my family, I firstly got a little box of Christmas Eve full of treats like pyjamas, a Christmas mug, chocolate, bath bombs and so funky earrings!

I received lots of beauty sets, including brands like Baylis and Harding, Dove and Tresemme. I’m love mini versions of products so now that I have all these little shower gels, and hair products etc in mini form really excites me aha!

I also got a new bag and purse, which honestly was a life saver as the current purse I was using didn’t even have a zip any more (I know it’s tragic, I don’t know why I didn’t just buy myself a new one honestly).

Probably the geekiest item I got this year was a puzzle, I have this puzzle app on my phone that I am obsessed with so now I have one in real form to waste all my time on, it’s definitely going to be my new form of procrastination this year.

I always get some lovely clothing items at Christmas, and this year was no different, I got some jumpers and shoes which I have been wearing non-stop this Christmas period.

From my best friend I got a little prosecco set (hands up if you ae also an avid drinker of prosecco because me too).

Alongside all these goodies, I was also given a lot of different gift cards from lots of different people.

I am so thankful for all the goodies I got this December. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas or holidays in general and are looking forward to the new year! Goodbye 2017!

Much Love, Holly x

Small Christmas Eve Routine

Everyone has the own special little traditions on Christmas Eve, I thought as it is so close to the 24^th now that I would share my Christmas Eve routine.

The first thing I will do on Christmas Eve is check that I have all my presents sorted for the next day, I finish of any last wrapping and place all the presents into bags ready to be carried down in the morning. I love to gift give, it’s one of my favourite aspects of Christmas and I always get incredibly excited to give out the gifts I have got for my loved ones.

Then it’s time to wind down, I will either have a bath or a really long shower. If having a bath, I will fill it with various bath bombs and bubble bath (often from Lush), and get all my special body lotions, creams and face mask for the most perfect pamper evening.

Once out of the bath or shower, we will often get a little present for Christmas Eve. The present is often a new set of pyjamas or a dressing gown for us to wear for the evening and wake up in on Christmas day. This year I have also made my brother and sister a Christmas Eve box full of little goodies, so I can’t wait to give that to them to use on the evening.

When our pyjamas are on it’s Christmas movie time, more often than not it is Elf! Elf is by far the best Christmas movie and I refuse to have Christmas without watching it. I also like to watch the Wizard of Oz, despite not being a Christmas movie, for some reason we have seemed to watch it every year at Christmas.

Now despite everyone in my house being told old for Father Christmas, we still put out a plate of milk, carrots and chocolates (Father Christmas doesn’t like mince pies in our house, aha) for his and the reindeer’s arrival. My brother and sister will then go off to bed and more often than not I will sit up and help mum, to wrap up any presents left that she needs to wrap. Again, despite being told old for Father Christmas, on Christmas Eve I will still go to bed earlier than usual and wait for the morning ahead.

It’s only a small little routine, but it’s probably the evening routine of the whole year that is the most important.

Hope you are all having a wonderfully festive time,

Much Love, Holly x

Christmas Throughout the Years!

A couple of blog posts ago I talked about how I love to look back on old photos and as it is the Christmas season I have recently be looking back at old Christmas photos.

December as whole has always been one of my favourite times of the year, for me personally it is a very busy time of the year because as well as Christmas, I also have my birthday, my younger sister’s birthday and now my nephew’s birthday also.

As soon as January 1^st roles around I am immediately on a count down for December 1^st again! I love everything about this time of years, the lights, the colours, the scents, the pyjamas, but particularly I love how it’s the time of year where you get together with everyone you care about and all the business of everyone’s day to day life just disappears for a little bit.

My favourite part of this time of year, is present giving! I absolutely love buying people gifts, wrapping them and watching them open them and hoping that they like what I have got. This year I have gone quite simple with all my loved one’s gifts (maybe I will do a blog post on the presents I have brought this year) but I think it’s the best I have done in terms of gift ever. I can’t wait to give out my gifts… can Christmas day just come quicker already!

To go alongside this small little blog post about Christmas time, I decided to get out some old photos of myself at Christmas time throughout the years!

I hope you are having fun this festive season no matter how you are spending it,

Much Love, Holly x

Christmas 2010!

Christmas 2011!

Christmas 2013!

Christmas 2016!

Christmas 2017 (So Far!)

A Few Christmas Questions

It’s officially December! That means it is time for all things Christmas! I thought I would kick of the festive season with a little set of questions that I have seen some people answer in their blogs. 

What is your favourite Christmas movie?

Definitely Elf, it never quite feels like Christmas until I have watched Elf. As a child, I used to sit with my dad and roll over in fits of laughter when Buddy runs into the toilet stall door, or when he calls Myles Finch a “angry elf.”

Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?

Both! We are allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve, this present is normally either pyjamas or a dressing gown (the reason being, so that we would have nice fresh sleep wear for when my mum took pictures in the morning).

Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

We would always have Christmas parties at our house when I was younger, and although I can’t remember anything too specific, it was a party tradition to bust out sing-star and guitar hero and watch in hysterics as family members with tone deaf voices sang like their lives depended on it.

Favourite festive food?

Am I going to be judged if I say brussel sprouts? Yes, I really love the brussel sprouts and they always taste best a Christmas! 

Favourite Christmas gift?

I was around 13 years old and I got a remote control Darlek, I was a big Doctor Who nerd and it was probably one of the times I have been most excited about opening a present – I also got a sonic screwdriver that year, so it was a pretty good one on the nerd front.

Favourite Christmas scent?

Cinnamon! Everything around Christmas time smells like Cinnamon! Ahhh it’s just the best!

Do you have any Christmas traditions?

Nothing in particular, other than the present on Christmas Eve. Despite all of me and my siblings probably being too old to believe in Father Christmas, we still continue to put out chocolate (Father Christmas doesn’t like mince pies in my house), milk and carrots, me and my mum will normally sit up a wrap presents and then she will cover the whole house and garden in glitter.

What tops your tree?

Sometimes an angel, sometimes a star, it depends what will match the colour scheme of the baubles best aha!

As a kid what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you asked for but never got?

I don’t think I ever asked for something and didn’t get it, I would like to think that even when younger I didn’t ask for anything too extravagant.

What’s the best part about Christmas for you?

The run up to Christmas in the best part. Buying and wrapping presents, blaring out Christmas music, decorating the tree, even the food shopping! With working in a nursery, the lead up to Christmas is made double as fun, with the Christmas party and dinner and play, secret Santa at work and the variety of different Christmas activities. Christmas day itself goes far too quickly!

No matter how you choose to spend your Holidays this year, I hope they are filled with excitement and happiness and everybody gets a well-deserved break.

Much

Love, Holly x

Christmas Tree Haul

It’s officially Christmas time!

Now for anyone that knows me knows I LOVE CHRISTMAS, so I thought it would be fitting to show all of the Christmas tree decorations I got this year.

I like really simple decorations and they MUST follow a theme, this year I chose to go traditional and picked red, silver and white.

I brought my 5ft tree from Argos and alongside that I brought a set of 100 baubles in red. The set included 60 small circular baubles, 16 snowflakes, 22 tear drop baubles, a red glitter star tree topper and a bead garland. Each of the circular baubles has a different texture which I think makes my tree look like it has baubles from lots of different sets as oppose to one.

I also brought a lot of cute little ornaments from Sainsbury's, including little elves and Christmas themed animals, some Father Christmas outfits and some Christmas puddings. I also brought some sparkly silver baubles and transparent ones with silver stars inside that are sooooooo cute.

My Christmas lights a just plain coloured ones from the Pound Shop… bargain aha!

I also brought a little light box to write ‘Merry Xmas’ on and it’s sat nicely next to my tree. It’s safe to say I am happy with my tree and its one more added step to feeling more festive!

I hope you are all enjoying the festive season and that your trees look amazing!

Much Love, Holly x