1. Boozy hot chocolate
I am not one for hot drinks, I’m one of those weird people who doesn’t like tea or coffee. My hot drinks all year round consist of hot squash when I’m ill or a hot chocolate once the season approaches. There’s something very wintry and thus Christmassy about sipping on a hot chocolate, especially with some marshmallows. A couple of years ago I was perusing Buzzfeed and came across one of the greatest ever articles; a list of 15 boozy Christmas hot chocolates. I have only tried a few, but plan to try a lot more this year. Hot chocolate, booze and Christmas is the holy grail trifecta for me and elevates the bog standard hot chocolate to something more snazzy and fancy, which is basically what Christmas does for December.
2. Christmas smells in the house
This one I found on pinterest a few years ago, but for some reason I haven’t actually tried it yet. I think it’s an awesome idea though and will definitely be trying it this year, especially since one of our wedding gifts was a slow cooker. So, the idea is you bring together a bunch of festive ingredients and leave them cooking all day. How glorious to come home, particularly after a rubbish day at work, to a wonderful Christmas smell. There are tons of recipes out there but general convention seems to be:
- Oranges
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Cinnamon sticks
- Star anise
- Cranberries
3. Writing cards
For as long as I can remember I have loved writing out Christmas cards. Back in primary school, one of my favourite things to do in December was to write and send cards. When my parents told me it was too early to buy them (which was often) I would instead make lists of who I wanted to send cards to. I even used to write cards for my siblings as well, such was my love for it. Luckily, as an adult, there are no such restrictions on how early I can get going and even more luckily, cards shops are so obliging these days that they are usually available come September. There is something so nice about sitting down, glass of wine in hand, mulled optional, with some carols playing softly in the background as you wish your nearest and dearest, colleagues, neighbours, your hairdresser and that lovely person who served you in the Coop a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
4. Christmas jumpers
For years mocked, the Christmas jumper has made a very trendy come back over the past five years or so. Save the Children’s annual Christmas Jumper campaign has probably helped somewhat here. Pah, is what I say to these Christmas jumper converter Johnny Come Latelys. I have been proudly rocking Christmas themed jumpers for years and years and there is nothing quite like a reindeer, santa hat or bauballs emblazoned across your chest to announce your commitment to the festive season. My new favourite is a green elf inspired jumper with a bell on the hood. Pure magic.
5. Christmas crafting
I am not in the least bit creative. This is disappointing at the best of times but none more so than at Christmas. There are always so many amazing things I see in Christmas magazines that I would love to create. Last Christmas was the first one I hosted in my own home and gave me the opportunity to dip my toe, as it were, into the Christmas crafting pool. I started small, by making paper chains and name cards basically. But this year, I have much grander plans! The awesome thing about doing this is you get to do it with other, likeminded souls, which is ideal in my case since making paper chains is about my creative limit.
