It’s the Most Wonderful Time!

Hey hey everyone 🙂

Okay so it has been ages since I last blogged and I am sorry for the disappearing act (again!). Basically I still have about 7000 words to write in two and a half weeks so you can imagine things are crazy busy. However I just had to post because it is now December and therefore I am allowed to get properly excited about Christmas!

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now then you will know just how much I adore the Christmas period. I’ve waxed lyrical about it many many times, I just can’t get enough of it all. And it’s 23 days till Christmas… The house is starting to feel a lot more festive, as I type this all I can smell is the delicious scent of the first batch of mince pies which have just come out of the oven and are cooling in the kitchen, and I’m listening to my new Christmas playlist!

Making the mince pies is something my mother and I do together. Her recipe is amazing, I have never eaten nicer mince pies. The pastry is perfectly crumbly and buttery, the stars just so festive and the smell of the warm mince meat is wonderful. I love making them with her, we always share out the jobs, she cuts, I mould and fill, she cuts the stars, I place them…

One of my favourite parts of the countdown to Christmas is the advent calendar. We all share one which my mother buys and surprises us with on the 1st of December. I love the house shaped ones and the glittery snow on this one makes me happy.

Another part of the countdown that is special for us is the advent candle. I love burning it at dinner every evening with carols playing in the background, and slowly watching the days melt away until all that is left is the number 24 and you know that Christmas is about to start for real…

And the final Christmassy detail today is a rather special one. If you remember the letter I wrote to my grandmother a few months ago, you’ll know that we all miss the wonderful woman whom I got to call grandma, even if only for a few years. My father’s favourite tradition from when he was a little boy is when he used to make the Christmas cake each year with his mother. So in my house, he makes the cake and we each take turns mixing the batter and making a wish. It’s just another little way of remembering her.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and are enjoying the festive period!

Do you like the start of December as much as I do?
What are your favourite Christmas countdown traditions?
Do you have an advent calendar/candle?