BLOGMAS #24: Christmas Eve Traditions.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE EVERYONE!! I can’t believe how quickly it has come around! It doesn’t feel two minutes since the 1st December. I am feeling super proud of myself that I have actually stuck to doing BLOGMAS. I really didn’t think I would manage it! I did have a few that were a little late because of being busy with work and so many parties but I didn’t skip them, I managed to get them in. I am so so happy that I have, it proves I can do it if I put my mind to it. And I will make this blog work. I have really enjoyed it, it’s given me so much more motivation to blog more too, which makes me so excited for the new year of blogging!

So for the last BLOGMAS of 2016 I am going to share my Christmas Eve traditions with you. I have so many fond memories of Christmas Eve growing up, we had a solid routine that we followed and we loved it each year. We have even kept it going as we have got older too! 

We would always leave wrapping presents until Christmas Eve morning. When we were younger we would sit with each parent wrapping up what we had got for the other one and for all our other family. Now we spend the time separately wrapping all our presents ready to take them off to all our relatives. We then deliver them to family members and spend an hour or so with each one. I love this every year. It makes us feel so Christmassy, we feel like Santa delivering presents ha! 

We then spend the afternoon playing games such as Monopoly and Cludeo before we head out for the evening. Every single year we either go to the Local Panto or we visit the Cinema. This has always been a tradition of ours and we have never missed a year! We also pick a place to eat afterwards which varies from year to year.
Before heading to bed to wait for Santa to arrive we put on our new Christmas Pjs and sit and watch a Christmas film with a hot chocolate. What more do you want on Christmas Eve evening? When we were younger we used to do the norm and put out treats for Santa and sprinkle fairy dust on the step so he could find our home! I miss being a child..

Although we are all grown up now, Christmas Eve always feels special. It really does have a different feeling to it I think. We make such a day of it and we love it. Time with family, eating and drinking, visiting the cinema and giving presents is what we love to do. I always enjoy Christmas Eve, it’s one of my favourite days of Christmas! 

What do you get up to on Christmas Eve? Anything special? I’d love to know your family traditions.

ITS TOMORROW!!!

I hope you all have the most wonderful Christmas, and I really hope you have enjoyed reading my thoughts throughout December! 

Lots of love

Emily Jane xo

BLOGMAS 23: Gingerbread House

Me and my little sister had a really lovely Christmassy day yesterday. We spent the morning shopping for last minute Christmas gifts and then we spent the afternoon making our gingerbread house. We don’t get many days where we are both not working so we wanted to do something special and as its something we have never done before and have always wanted to do, we thought making a gingerbread house would be a perfect way to spend the day!

We did cheat a little bit and bought a ‘Help to Make’ one from a sweet shop in Meadowhall but it was still good fun decorating it. It cut out all the faffing of getting each piece to fit perfectly together and waiting forever for it to be cooked and ready to decorate! I highly recommend getting one of these kits. I have seen them all over the place; in places like NEXT & Debenhams.

In each pack you get: Four ready made sides to the house, a gingerbread tree, two gingerbread men, a packet of smarties, some hard boiled sweets, some soft sweets and a packet of ready made icing. It was FABULOUS!

It took us about 45 minutes to decorate and we had so much fun doing. It is a very intricate and challenging job to try and keep it all together. We did have a good laugh! I highly recommend getting one of these packs. Maybe make it a challenge for one of your 12 days of Christmas!!

I’m afraid I can’t share any pictures just yet as we have been keeping it a surprise from my auntie and grandma and we would hate for them to see it before Christmas Day!

Have you given one of the packs a go? Or have you made one the normal way? I’d love to see pictures! I will add mine to this post on Christmas Day!

2 days to go.. 😁😁😁😁

Emily Jane xo
*The gingerbread house in the picture is not mine! From google images.

BLOGMAS #22: Favourite Christmas Memory.

I have so many amazing memories from Christmas growing up. I have always had fantastic Christmas days and have been spoilt by my family and friends but there is one key Christmas that stands out to me. I think it was when I was 12 years old and I spent my Christmas with most of my family at our family home. I was young but I remember loving everyone being together and spending such a special day so happy with everyone. It’s simple, but my favourite Christmas memory!

We played so many different games, a huge game of monopoly stands out to me. I remember it lasting most of the day and continued into Boxing Day. I remember my grandma and grandad getting over excited at an old game from their past being remade too. Not quite sure what it was called though. I loved every Christmas spent with my grandma and grandad, days that I really do cherish! And Max the dog too! But this particular Christmas stood out to me as being the happiest, most fun and BEST Christmas ever. It’s always nice when your family is together, we really do miss my grandad, even more at Christmas time.

I remember getting my first big bike this Christmas too, I was never really interested until this age. It was bright pink and seemed so massive. I can just picture it now hiding in our downstairs toilet, ha! My grandad took me out on it, in the garden, aw lovely memories! I received so many other presents too, from every single auntie, uncle and grandparent. Our house did look like a toy shop! I was an extremely lucky little girl.

Christmas when you are little is just fantastic. The magic of Christmas Eve and waiting for Santa was such a great feeling. I do miss that! I guess I will have to wait until I have my own children to bring all that back into my life. Christmas is still special now, spent with family but not as special as this particular Christmas when I was 12! I have some fantastic memories of Christmas Day that I will never forget and I hope for even more to come!!

What’s your fondest memory about Christmas? I’d love to know!

3 days to go.. 😁😁😁

Emily Jane xo