Another Year, Another Christmas Tag | Blogmas #7

Happy Thursday! It's definitely a happy day for me because I received some great news about something that's been really affecting my mental health lately :) Also yesterday, my friend & I went over to Liverpool to see Steps and Vengaboys at the Echo Arena. Liverpool is looking so pretty at the moment with all of it's Christmassy displays and lights. We even saw the Coca Cola truck!! Like how lucky that it happened to be there on the day that we went! We'd both never seen it before so it was certainly a lovely surprise. The gig was honestly amazing; the atmosphere in the arena was so cheerful and upbeat! It filled my head with so many glorious nostalgic memories, of school discos, friends birthday parties, jumping around on my parent's bed listening to all my favourite 90's hits whilst pretending that a hairbrush was a microphone! The show itself was just incredible, both bands were just as fantastic as I remember them, most of them not even looking like they'd aged much at all! Steps put on a spectacular performance... so many special effects and lighting & lots of outfit changes! I had a very sore throat (didn't stop us singing very loudly in the car on the drive back though, haha!) and achy body by the end of the gig, and after falling asleep at 3am, I didn't wake up today until past 1pm :D So, because photography didn't happen today and my preparation skills have been so bad lately, today's post is going to be a Christmas tag. I love answering tags though and I hope you all enjoy reading them. 

I took part in the Blogmas challenge when I first started blogging towards the end of 2015 and I shared a Christmas Tag post back then, but I've managed to find a different one for this year and now that I actually have some blogger friends, I can tag people! I'd love if you could go check out my old Blogmas posts though and give them some love :) 

I found the Christmas tag that I'll be answering today over on a blog called Proper Sweetie's Beauty and you can find her post here. She states in her post that she originally found the tag on this YouTube video by Beautybaby44. The tag is called the Holly Jolly Holiday Tag, which I think sounds so cute! Keep scrolling to read my answers... 

1. Do you start your Christmas shopping on Black Friday or wait until last minute?

I start getting little bits here & there for Christmas much earlier than Black Friday. I usually start around mid-late October/early November. I start to get really stressed that I'm not going to have everything sorted in time otherwise! 

2. If you could be in any Christmas movie, what would it be?

Hmm.. this is a rough one! I think I'd most like to be in The Grinch movie. A) because it's one of my favourite Christmas movies, and B) because the Who's of Whoville are so excited about Christmas and they put so much effort into their festive celebrations. Plus I have always wanted to try some of that fudge that they feed to the Grinch at the Holiday Cheermeister event, haha!

3. Which do you like better: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?

Definitely Christmas Day. We've never really had any specific Christmas Eve traditions in my family. I mean, when I was a child we did the whole leaving treats for Santa & his Reindeer thing, but nothing unique that we continue to do now.

4. When does your family (or you) put up your Christmas tree and who decorates it?

We usually put our Christmas tree up during the first week of December. My mom, my sister and I all decorate it together :) This year, the theme is blue and silver. What's the theme of your decorations this year guys? 

5. White lights or coloured lights?

I prefer white lights on a tree (I feel like colourful lights might take all of the attention from the decorations), but I prefer colourful lights anywhere else :) Our Christmas tree lights are white this year. 

6. Are you guilty of peeking at your presents or do you like the surprise?

I am a big fan of surprises and so I'm not even tempted to peek. My sister is the complete opposite and I always remember her trying to find her Christmas presents when we were younger, haha. She still doesn't like surprises now! Well, she doesn't know what I've gotten her for Christmas so mwahaha :D 

7. Would you rather live in a gingerbread house or in Santa's workshop?

Another tough question! I really like the fairytale, Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm. It has made me love the idea of an actual gingerbread house nestled deep in a forest! (Even though the gingerbread house belonged to the mean old witch!). However, I think I'd choose Santa's workshop because it's so magical. And little wildlife nerd me could go animal watching in the North Pole for the rest of the year! 

8. Tell us your Christmas Eve traditions!

As I've mentioned, my family doesn't have a special traditions. I usually just watch a Christmas movie and eat festive snacks in bed :) Let me know in the comments how you all spend Christmas Eve :) I'd love to hear about any special traditions too! 

9. If you could be under the mistletoe with anyone who would it be?

I now have Sia's new song 'Under The Mistletoe' in my head again! *opens Spotify*

I'd love to kiss lots of different people under the mistletoe ;) but I'm gonna say Jason Momoa because he's gorgeous and such a lovely guy! I've never even actually seen mistletoe before, other than in movies. Have any of my lovely readers kissed someone under mistletoe before?

10. What tops your Christmas tree?

We usually have this adorable little angel doll tree-topper, with a sparkly dress and white woollen hair but I think my sister's girlfriend is borrowing it, and this year instead we have a big silver bell decoration until we get another. I want a star for the top of the tree :) 

11. Can you name the 12 days of Christmas?

I think I can... I'm gonna have to sing it to myself for a minute to write down this answer haha! A partridge in a pea tree, two turtle doves, three French hens, four calling birds, five gold rings, six geese-a-laying, seven swans-a-swimming, eight maids-a-milking?, nine lords-a-leaping, ten pipers piping?... Nope, I can't XD I could name them all when I was a child. I can name all of Santa's reindeer though so that's something (dasher, dancer, prancer, comet, cupid, donner, vixen, blitzen, and of course Rudolph). 

12. Have you ever gone Christmas carolling? 

I've never been carolling as in going to random people's doors and singing Christmas songs. But I'm pretty sure when I was very young, I went to our old next-door-neighbour's house with my sister and sang some songs to her. I was also a member of the little choir at my primary school and we went to a nursing home to sing for the elderly people there :) 

13. Do you countdown to Christmas? If so, how many days left? 

Not other than having a chocolate advent calendar (a Lindt one this year and it's scrumptious!) and using that as a countdown. Gonna have to count on that... there's 17 doors left so that's 17 days to go, haha!

14. What are some foods and treats you can count on having every holiday season?

Christmas Day dinner for us always includes turkey, those little bacon-wrapped sausages, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and an array of vegetables. As for snacks, every year I get excited for when stores like Aldi start stocking their European Christmas treats, so I can get some proper German Lebkuchen biscuits. Oh my gosh, I love them! Especially the version with a thin layer of icing on and sprinkles :) My other favourite snack which isn't really a Christmas one but they always seen to bring out special festive packets in December are twiglets. Some people hate them.... are you a fan or a hater? So those, and a terry's chocolate orange. I am so hungry right now!

15. How has Christmas kept its magic for you as you've grown older?

Aww, I'm kind of sad that this is the final question! 

To be honest, I do struggle to keep the Christmas magic alive nowadays because depression likes to spoil all the nice things *insert eyeroll emojis here*. However, I am someone who still has a pretty child-like spirit.. in the way that I love fairytales and plushies and all sorts of other things that are deemed 'childish' to enjoy. I don't care, haha! I will be forever young at heart and those things are all still magical and fun to me... so Christmas is one of them! I am still fascinated by all the twinkling Christmas lights and pretty decorations and feel all the emotions when I'm watching Christmas movies or making new Christmas memories with my loved ones. Seeing the smiles on their faces upon opening their presents or just at this time of year in general is enough to keep it magical for me :) 

So, now it's time for some tagging! I would love anyone to do this tag so if you read it and like it, please do it yourself and let me know so I can have a read of your answers :) I'm gonna tag: Nat, Jess, Stacey, Estelle & Cate. I hope everyone is having a wonderful December so far! 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥

What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

Also, what's your go-to festive snack?