My Christmas Tree Decorations

Merry Christmas Everyone!! I hope you are all having an absolutely amazing day, however you celebrate it! As I promised in yesterday's post (it's all about The Nightmare Before Christmas blind boxes, and you can check it out here), here I am with a post all about my Christmas Tree. Every year I always get a mini tree for my bedroom, and each time I decorate it in a rather eclectic way :D I basically just add anything that I like the look of, and don't really stick to a theme. I hadn't been able to get a white tree for a few years and I was really glad that I finally got one for this Christmas. I found a 3ft pre-lit one at ASDA on offer. I was super happy with the finished product once I'd decorated, and I wanted to show you all :) This post is going to more of a photo diary! No one is going to want to read a huge post today when they're enjoying the festivities anyhow! :D 

Even though I didn't particularly have a theme in mind, I did want to have a little bit of a colour scheme as a base. I thought silver would be perfect for a white tree as it makes me think of frost, so I used some silver tinsel that I picked up last year and bought a pack of tiny matt and glitter silver baubles. As I am a fan of Japanese kawaii culture, I wanted to add some Disney Tsum Tsums into my tree, after being inspired by Sanrio trees and such that I've seen in the past, which have been filled with plushies! I decided to put Santa Jack towards the top of my tree in place of the typical star or angel/fairy topper :) Then I dotted some of my other The Nightmare Before Christmas Tsum Tsums around the tree, and Olaf from Disney's Frozen too! 

How adorable is my Pusheen Christmas ornament!? I was recently sent it as a free gift with an order I made on the Gund website. I blogged all about the order earlier this month (here's a link if you're interested). :) I love how well the pastel shades of it goes with the white Christmas tree. My tree also features another Pusheen decoration this year, which I got from inside one of the Gund tree decoration plush blind boxes. It's one of Stormy, Pusheen's little sister and is so super cute! 

As well as these decorations, I also added some more traditional European style decorations, some were from Aldi supermarket and the others are from the stalls at the Manchester Christmas Markets. I love wooden decorations and the traditional Christmas colour scheme. Another reason why I really like these iconic European decorations is because a lot of them depict Nordic animals, and in my opinion, they look beautiful on any tree, whether it's black, silver, green or white like mine. 

Another traditional European decoration that I add to my tree every year is a Yule Goat. I have decorated my tree with one ever since my penpal first sent me a Yule Goat several years ago now :) They are originally a Scandinavian tradition which has pagan roots, and some towns across Sweden, and other Nordic countries put up a giant goat each Christmas in their town centres during the Winter Solstice and Advent period. I think this is such a unique and interesting tradition and I am reminded of it each time I see my Yule Goat. Plus I just think they look really rustic because they're made of straw and string. 

The Toy Box decoration was a childhood favourite of mine. We've had it since before I was born and I was really happy when my mom gave it to me :) It makes me reminisce about all of the wonderful Christmas Times I had as a kid, and also about the magic of Christmas from back when I believed in Santa and his buddies in the North Pole. I love the tiny pieces of straw inside it, and well as an adult, I still love toys so it's perfect for me! I got several toys this year for Christmas presents :D LOOK AT MY FESTIVE PENGUIN!! I love him so much! I found him at my local pound shop and I'm seriously considering keeping him on display in my bedroom throughout 2019! 

It's really awesome that some of the smaller plushies by Japanese company Amuse come with a loop on them so that you can attach them to your bag, etc., but this also means that they can double as a Christmas decoration! When I have my own place some day and a full size tree, I'm going to buy a load to them to cover my tree :3 I like decorations that aren't garishly festive, or are completely not Christmassy at all! Stores like Paperchase sell a lot of these types of tree ornaments and I'm definitely going to invest in some next year :) 

The final decorations that I have to show you before I go to enjoy my Christmas Dinner *nom* I cannot wait for it!! I'm so hungry and I can smell it cooking and its amazing... hahaha but anyway, yeah, so I have a few standing decorations dotted about the base of my tree. I put down a piece of silver tissue paper decorated with snowflakes, and scattered some fake snow all over it. I've been using fake snow this year for my festive toy photography, since we barely ever get a white Christmas T_T I put a few chocolate coins under my tree too. The gorgeous little unicorn above is from a TokiDoki Unicorno Blind Box (Series 4) and her name is Yuki. She reminds me think of Disney 's Frozen. Wouldn't you agree? :D 

I wasn't able to get a gingerbread house making kit this year; I left everything until last minute and thought I'd still be able to get one in my little town centre, but the store I was hoping would have them again this year, didn't. But instead my mom found me this super sweet candy land esque festive house, and I really love it! It looks like it's made of mint things and I love mint! The candle is one that I bought either last year or the previous one, I can't remember now, from The Range, and I think the Winter Wonderland scene inside it is super pretty so I keep it out on my shelves all year round. The other candle is one that I've had for a long while now; it was sent to me by another of my penpals and is too lovely to ever burn! Novelty shaped candles are really fantastic, aren't they? 

Finally, I thought my Christmas display wouldn't be complete without one of my favourite festive characters, Krampus! My regular readers will know that I'm a big fan of horror movies and I had to give my special red chase version Funko Pop! of Krampus a place in my Christmas display, because he's so cute and eye-catching! 

So, there are all of my decorations this year, other than a piece of red Christmas ribbon I put up on my wall behind my tree to hang my Christmas cards up and my advent calendars! If you follow me over on Instagram, you'll have likely seen that I purchased the Funko Pocket Pop! Harry Potter advent calendar this year; it's been so fun to open each day and I'm going to share a separate blog post all about it for my fellow potterheads and those of you who are curious to see what it's like :p I hope you've enjoyed reading my post and that it's brought some extra Christmas cheer to your day! I'm going to end my post now because as I'm typing now I'm hearing that dinner is now ready! Yay!

Thankyou for reading! 

♥

What theme is your Christmas Tree this year? 

Do you have a specifically colour scheme?

I'd love to hear all about your favourite decoration, too!

The Unboxing Before Christmas

Hi lovelies! Happy Christmas Eve! I'd love to hear all about how you've spent your day. I've been doing lots of last minute wrapping and I'm exhausted now! Later tonight I'm planning on snuggling up in bed with cookies and watching Harry Potter, but for now I have still got quite a few things left to do to prepare for tomorrow. If you're a fan of the wonderful movie The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), then this is a post for you! 

I've been after some of the new The Nightmare Before Christmas blind boxes by Funko for what feels like ages, but I was waiting for them to be available here in the UK and at a reasonable price, and I finally managed to find some on the Colthat! website. I thought today was the perfect day to unbox them and tell you guys all about them, since it's just before Christmas! (Although hopefully nobody has any nightmares before Santa arrives!). I hope you enjoy reading :) 

I am really glad that I was able to get my hands on some of these collectable mystery figures at last! I was only able to buy two boxes, since it's Christmas Time and I couldn't afford more as much as I wished I would have been able to T_T They were £4.99 each, plus P&P. This Tim Burton movie is one of my absolute favourites, not just to watch at this time of year but all year round. I have been a fan since my early teens and so the movie and the characters themselves hold a nostalgic place in my heart. Plus they are fabulous! Who agrees? Do you have a favourite character from TNBC? Mine's Oogie Boogie, and also Sally too. 

There's 12 figures to collect and I'm hoping to get one of those two, Mr Jack Skellington himself or Zero, because he's super cute! All the figures available are adorable to be honest, as this series of Funko Mystery Minis has a more chibi-esque, cutesy design than previous releases for this movie franchise. So I'd be happy to get any of them, and will more than likely want to collect them all, because well, we all know I have a problem XD I want ALL THE TOYS! Anyhow, here are the characters you can get... 

Something that I love about Funko Mystery Minis are the boxes, they are so fun and colourful! I can't help but want to buy them, but let's be honest... I'd buy them even if they came wrapped in newspaper or something :D How adorable is this collection though!? The design of the figures is so fantastic! They are all incredibly adorable! Even the characters that are typically supposed to look a little creepy, like Doctor Finklestein, are cute :)  I've seen so many gorgeous photos featuring them by my toy collector friends in the US, and they are really photogenetic figures too! Looking at the line-up on the back of the box, which figure appeals to you the most? After checking out the pictures, I also really love the look of Pumpkin King Jack & Shock, so I'd love to get either of those characters! I won't keep you waiting any longer, it's time to reveal who's inside the first box I opened! 

Yayyyyy! I got one of the figures that I wanted! And he's even more adorable than I expected :) Look how kawaii the Jack-O-Lantern on his nose is! I love his smiley facial expression too, and I'm super impressed by the way they've designed his body because it actually looks like it's flowing in the wind. After his nose, the ears are the second best thing about this Zero figure in my opinion. They are really unique to his character and I love how they've captured just how they look in the movie :) The overall colouration and design of his figure looks rather simplistic and I think that this just makes it look even more awesome. There is definitely beauty in simplicity, as they say! 

Time for the next box... 

The first thing I noticed about this figure is how eye-catching his face is! I love how they've got Lock's cheeky expression spot on! He looks ready to start some mischief :D His eyes are so big and bright, and I think the little pointed teeth in his grin are so cute! My favourite thing about this figure has to be his shoes; they remind me so much of elf shoes and I think that they are a really lovely touch to his overall design. 

The next best thing about the Lock Mystery Mini for me has to be his little devil tail, and his axe looks cool as well! Something that's a bit of a shame though is how there are gaps where the figure hasn't been assembled very neatly on the back on his head, but you won't be able to see that when I photograph him or have him on display, so it's not too much of a problem. 

I'm over the moon to have finally added some of The Nightmare Before Christmas figures to my Funko Mystery Mini's collection, and I can't wait to add more! Yep, I can't resist :) Just look how cute they are! How could I not!? My favourite of the two figures I unboxed is Zero, I let out a huge 'AWWWW!' every time I look at his nose, haha! :D I'd love to hear in the comments which is your favourite of the two and why. Also, do you want me to blog again when I get another haul of these figures? So, that's it for today's post guys! I know it's shorter than most of my posts, but I have got to get through the rest of my to-do-list now :D Christmas Eve is super busy this year! I hope you all have an amazing day tomorrow, however you choose to celebrate :) I might have another blog post up tomorrow all about my decorations this year, but I might get so wrapped up in the festivities that I decide not to blog! Either way, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas! 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥

Do you any of you collect figures? 

Or enjoy buying blind boxes from time to time?

Also, if you're a fellow fan of TNBC, what's your favourite song? 

Enjoy blind boxes? Then check out some of my related posts: 

| Spoopy Unboxing Fridays | More Unicorno Blindboxes | TokiDoki Blindbox Haul | 

The Christmas Tag 2018

Happy Sunday Everyone! Only two more sleeps until Santa's here! I'm feeling very much in the Christmas spirit now that it's so close to the big day, so I thought I'd share my answers to a festive tag post that my best friend tagged me in at the start of the month :) Head over to LittlePinkDuck to read Jess' post! This Christmas Tag was originally created by Morgan at EnthuiastBlog, so be sure to check out her post too! I hope you all enjoy reading! 

What's your favourite Christmas film?

My favourite Christmas movie is The Grinch Who Stole Christmas (2000) starring Jim Carrey. I love the original Dr. Seuss storyline combined with comedy! The soundtrack is fantastic too :) I know they aren't Christmas movies, but I love watching musicals around Christmas Time because that's what I did throughout my childhood. Oliver! (1968), Annie (1982) and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1999) were always on TV in December. Oh, and there's always an ongoing debate as to whether Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) is a Halloween movie or a Christmas one... but it's one of my favourite movies to watch around Christmas Time, and I watch it all year round too, so I'd say the answer to the question is both! What's your opinion: Halloween or Christmas movie? 

Have you ever had a White Christmas? 

We had a proper White Christmas with such ridiculous amounts of snow that we had to be sent home from school, after the classroom doors had to literally have the snow dug away by the school's caretaker to be able to open them, when I was 5 years old and in Reception class. I don't remember much about the snow that year, other than watching one of my brothers try to make an igloo in the back garden by freezing water in plastic tub and making actual bricks of ice (he succeed by the way, but struggled to fill in a gap in the roof, haha!). As far as I can remember, we had a white Christmas when I was in my first year of university, I definitely remember all the snow that covered my campus but I cannot 100% recall if it continued to snow heavy for the rest of the month. Basically, I've only had a few white christmas in my life! 

Where do you usually spend your Holiday? 

I spent it at home with my family, since I still live at home with my mom and sister :) My brothers usually come over for Christmas dinner later in the day. 

What is your favourite Christmas song? 

My Number 1 favourite Christmas song is Fairytale of New York by Kirsty MacColl & The Pogues. To make up my top 5, in no particular order, I also love Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End) by The Darkness, Where are you Christmas? by Faith Hill, Rockin' Robin by The Jackson 5, and Do They Know Its Christmas? by Band Aid 1984. Ooo, and I also really like the Christmas song that plays at the beginning of The Gremlins movie because it's super nostalgic to me, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) by Darlene Love! *immediately puts my Christmas Spotify playlist on* 

Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve? 

We always open our presents on Christmas Day :) 

Can you name all of Santa's Reindeer? 

Yes, we've had this Christmas banner decoration all my life with all of the reindeers on (although it broke and is now missing two of the herd! T_T), and I have always loved it ever since I was a child. It helped me to remember their names because as soon as my mom first taught me them, I used to point to their reindeers and choose which was which :D There's Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Vixen, Cupid, Donner, Dasher and Blitzen. Then, of course, came along Rudolph with his red nose! Not gonna lie, the Destiny's Child version of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer definitely keeps the names fresh in my mind though! 

What holiday traditions are you looking forward to most this year? 

Hmm, other than all of the typical Christmas traditions, I quite enjoy consuming ALL OF THE CHRISTMAS SNACKS! I've already ate a lot of chocolates from those big tubs that are released in December, as well as my advent calendar chocolate. Not as much as I usually eat, but still a heck of a lot, oops I'm not even sorry :D I also love those German Lebkuchen biscuits are in the shops at Christmas! Not all of the holiday traditions that I look forward to are about the food... well that's only half true, because my next point was that I love my little tradition of going to the Manchester Christmas Markets every year, but then again, one of the main appeals of that is the chance to get a fresh Dutch Sugar Waffle XD 

Is your tree real or fake?

I don't know many people here in the UK that actually get a real Christmas tree, but I'd love to get one some day! We always have a plastic tree, mostly a green one but sometimes we get a white one. As far the small tree I get for my bedroom each year, I've had silver, black, green and white! This year, it's white :)

What is your all-time favourite Christmas food/sweet treat? 

Pigs-in-Blankets and German Lebkuchen, especially the kind with icing sugar and sprinkles on top *nom nom* 

Be honest: do you like giving or receiving gifts better? 

Well I'd be a liar if I said I didn't enjoy getting gifts, it's always so heart-warming when someone finds something that's really personal or just perfect for you! It makes me feel like they really know me well and it's a special feeling. However, I do love giving presents the most! Especially for people who don't know what they want, because I like the challenge of getting them something that they love! I mean they could pretend to love it, which my anxiety likes to bug me with around Christmas and Birthdays, but I enjoy getting things for the special people in my life nonetheless ♥

What is the best Christmas gift you've ever received?

Oh gosh, I don't even know! I have received so many thoughtful and sweet gifts from my loved ones over the years. I think to be honest I would have to say it was my PlayStation 1 , and my PlayStation 2 a few years later, that I got when I was a kid, because they filled my life with endless fun for years and years, and helped me develop so many of my nerdy interests which made me into the person I am today :) #deepmuch    

What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

I would love to spend Christmas in Finland, where Lapland is because Finland is beautiful all year round but oh my gosh, I bet it's magical in the snowy seasons! I'd love to go and see the Aurora Borealis (aka Northern Lights) in person whilst I'm there :) Oh, and it would be marvellous to see some of the Nordic animals in the wild! Other than Finland, I think it would be awesome to visit North America during the Holidays or Germany or Austria, especially for Krampusnacht celebrations. One day! 

Are you a pro-present wrapper? Or do you fail miserably? 

I am the worst! Present wrapping meets dyspraxia is a failure waiting to happen! It sucks even more than my mom and sister both wrap presents so perfectly and then I see mine side-by-side and they look like I've opened them and tried to re-seal them XD Oh well, the paper is there to get torn anyway, haha! 

Most memorable Holiday moment?

I think my most memorable Christmas Day moments are those from when I was really young when the fantasy element of the holiday was still alive for me! When I was around six years old, I received a rocking horse and I still remember everything about the moment when I first set eyes on it. I had wanted one for ages so I was over the moon! I had a little bit of an obsession with the story of Black Beauty, so take a guess at what I called my new black & white rocking horse :D I can still clearly picture in my mind finding all of my present as usual in the living room, however my parents... I mean Santa... had put two special presents in the dining room. Me and my sister went in there to discover my rocking horse and one of those little peddle cars, or whatever they are called, for her. Awww, I can't stop reminiscing now!

Other than those childhood memories, one of my favourite memories from around Christmas time would be from back in 2009 when I was 17. On December 22nd, me and two of my wonderful friends hung out for the day and since it had snowed pretty heavy, we decided to explore around our hometown and enjoy the snow basically :) We found this one field that was completely untouched, and it looked gorgeous! Then we let loose and made snow angels and rolled around and threw snowballs and tried to make a snowman. I had not long gotten into photography so I took some cool photos, as well as some hilarious photos of my friends messing about in the snow. It was really fun and the memory pops into my head every Christmas time :) 

When did you release the truth about Santa?

My mom told me when I was about 10 or 11 years old and I sobbed my little heart out :D I was a very trusting child, but also I liked to live in a little fantasy world of my own and I adored all things magical and mythical, and so finding out that Father Christmas wasn't real was not fun. Bless tiny me! (Pfft I say tiny like I'm not 5'2'' as an adult!)

Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Do you stick to them? 

I always make New Years goals, but I rarely manage to complete them all! I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself to complete my resolutions for the last few years, especially considering I share them on my blog and I feel like I should show that I'm doing what I wanted to achieve. However it's not very great for my mental health, so although I might make goals this year, I'm not going to share them... but then again, I might not make any this time, other than to look after myself more in 2019! 

What makes the Holidays special for you? 

I really love the element of magic that exists around Christmas Time, and I don't mean the literal make-believe magic of Santa Claus and his Elf Workshop, but I mean the real-life magic of everywhere filled with twinkling lights and colours and shiny decorations and heart-warming movies and grottos and markets and spending time with loved ones. And even for those who don't celebrate Christmas, there's holidays for many cultures and religions in and around winter time, and everyone just enjoys the festivities of the season! I think it's such a special thing :) I also love seeing the wonder in people's eyes when they look at Christmas displays and seeing people laughing and smiling as they partake in the traditions! I'm going to stop before I get all emotional :') 

Thankyou for reading! Merry Christmas Eve's Eve! 

Oh, and I tag anyone that wants to do this tag! 
Please send me a link though so I can have a read of your answers :) 

♥

What's your favourite Christmas memory? 

Or song? or movie? or food? :) 

Let me know in the comments!

Manchester Christmas Markets 2018 | Photo Diary & Haul

Hello guys! I'm sure I am not the only one who's having a super hectic start to the weekend, with all the last minute preparations for Christmas. I've been so busy and I haven't even wrapped a single present yet!! It's going to be a lonnnnggg weekend! Who else is a member of Team Leave Everything Until the Last Minute, this year? I'm usually a lot more organised than this! It's the curse of 2018, I cannot wait until its over with, haha! Anyhow, today I thought I'd share with you all some photographs from my annual visit to the Manchester Christmas Markets! I've gone every year for the last several years and have blogged about it each time (well expect in 2016, but let's ignore dreadful December!), so why break the little tradition I have going on :) Hopefully no one is sick of reading about it yet! I usually do a separate haul post showing you guys what I picked up at the markets, but this time round I'm going to include my haul in this post too. Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and try not to pressure yourself too much in the run up to Christmas! Make sure you take breaks from the present wrapping mayhem to look after yourselves too :) 

One of my favourite things to do during the festive season is to visit Christmas Markets! I always missed out on these when I was younger because I don't live in a city and my local town doesn't host everything like this around Christmas. Well for the last couple of years, they've made an attempt to dot five or six random cabins around the town centre and called it a market :D The closest big city to me is Manchester, and ever since I've moved back home after university, I have made it a tradition to mine to hop onto the train and go to the markets! 

There's just something so appealing to me about markets, of any kind. I love how you can find all sorts of things there! There's always the most random stalls next to one another, from candle makers to fancy bakeries, et cetera. There is just something new to see around every corner! Christmas markets are especially lovely because of all of the festive goodness thrown in amongst the other stalls. They are almost like a little piece of winter wonderland to me, like walking into Santa's workshop, especially with the stall I photographed above. It's actually part of a collection of stalls grouped together that all sell decorations, and I love to have a nosey around it each year. I'm such a fan of over the top/in your face Christmas décor, and love the traditional red and green theme :) 

The Manchester Christmas Markets, like so many markets set up across the UK, are made to resemble the stunning market stalls of Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands, and lots of other places across Europe of course. I have dreamt of visiting one of the famous European festive markets for a long time, so getting to visit these markets in the meantime is super fun for me! I love all of the wooden cabins and huts as they reminds me so much of log cabins and at night when they are covered in lights, the glow makes me think of an open fire blazing away in a cabin somewhere. It's kinda magical! I have a vivid imagination and my mind likes to romanticise everything, haha, but I don't care, it makes me happy and so do Christmas markets :) 

Something that I love about Christmas Markets are all of the decorations on display! Not only are there the jolly and fun kind like these fabulous albeit garish elves from the North Pole, but there are lots of more traditional, almost rustic, wooden tree ornaments, which I just adore so much! I think they are really beautiful & I keep coming home with more and more each year! I love how intricate so many of the designs look and they usually feature animals that I associate with Nordic countries. I have forever wanted to visit Finland in wintertime and so I'm lovin' these decorations. You can bet that I picked up some more! 

I don't know what it is about things made of wood in general but I just love them, anything from wooden ornaments like the ones above to wooden instrument toys made for children. I just think they are super cute! Are any of you guys the same? I really wanted one of these adorable little owls but they were so pricey! That's the only downside to Christmas markets, they charge a lot for things! Sometimes the items you find there are just so unique that you can't resist the mighty need and spend half your budget on something that you could probably get for much cheaper online. Everything just looks so fancy and shiny and eye-catching nestled into their displays, surrounded by fairy lights and the festive cheer that's in the air!

I didn't take as many photos as I usually do this year because me & my best friend had so much Christmas shopping to do in the Arndale shopping centre that we were exhausted by the time we visited the markets! However I'll link my previous posts at the end of this one so you can see more of the markets if you're interested :) Another of my favourite things that you'll find at Christmas Markets are the food stalls. There's usually lots of European traditional foods on offer, as well as mulled wine and beer. There's whole cabins that are like mini bars dedicated to German beer! Me with my sweet tooth however always hunts for the Dutch Sugar Waffle stall.... they are so delicious! If you haven't tried one then I cannot recommend them enough :) 

Okay, so now it's time for me to show you what I bought on my day out in Manchester earlier this month, both from the markets and also just from shopping around the city. Enjoy! 

I only picked up a few things from the actual Markets themselves this year, and they are the same things that I purchase each time I go because I'm a creature of habit! :D As promised, there are more wooden decorations! I always find the stalls that sell them 3 for £5 because I think that's a great price! I picked up one of them for one of my friends for Christmas so I can't show it in case they are reading this post. I love the colourful one and I've never seen it before, so I just had to get it :) The other one I chose (top right) is actually layered so it's 3D in person, it looks really cool! 

The third decoration in the photo is actually from one of the stalls around the one in my second photo (with decorations galore!), and it's a very traditional Northern European handmade decoration. I keep buying one every year and somehow managing to loose it before next Christmas, but I am determined to keep this one safe! I have loved this type of decoration ever since I was sent one by one of my penpals. If you didn't know already, it's a Yule Goat! It is a Christmas symbol from Scandinavian countries, and has some origins in ancient pagan traditions. They are always made of straw and I would love to make my own some day! Maybe I will have a go in 2019 :) Until then, I'll keep picking one up from the markets because they are only a quid. 

The final thing that I bought at the Manchester Christmas Markets, just before we headed to the train station to go home, was this official mug. They are available at several café stalls dotted about the markets, which are found on multiple streets all over the city centre, and you can either get one with your hot drink of choice, or just buy one on its own. They have a different design each year and even though I have enough mugs to open a small café myself, I just can't stop buying them! Is there anything that you buy every Christmas that you don't need but can't resist? 

Along with visiting the markets, the highlight of my day out was discovering the most fantastic little store called Kenji! It is a Japanese shop that sells all sorts of products, from kitchenware and useful household items, to stationery and accessories. It was like I'd found paradise and I got so over excited in this store, hahaha! I must have literally looked like a child in a candy store, I bet my bestie found it hilarious! I was 'AWWWW!' and 'oh my god, look at this!' at pretty much everything I saw! I was very good though and didn't buy too much because I had a budget to stick to and I hadn't gotten many Christmas presents up until this part of our trip. Most of the things I bought are cat-related because we all know how much I love them :D 

I also couldn't resist these super bright coloured bobble things... they are made out of something that reminds me of telephone cords! Gosh, it's been so long since we had a telephone that wasn't wireless. Most kids today won't even know how much these bobbles resemble those cords. Saying that makes me feel my age for once XD I picked up a few more bits and bobs from Kenji as presents for my loved ones. This store is awesome and I'm hoping that there's another store closer to my hometown! The products were really cheap too, everything I bought was either £1 or £2, and the adorable cat ornament above was £2.50. 

I also included in this photo a little bee pin that I bought for my dad because he doesn't know how to use a computer so there's no risk of him seeing it! It is too cute not to show you guys, and it only cost me £1.30 from a telegraph shop inside the Arndale. He's wanted a Manchester bee pin for a while and they are usually pricey, so I was really happy to come across this one :) 

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know that I am a fan of vinyl figures and that I have a bit of an obsession (who am I trying to kid? A lot of an obsession*) with those that come in blind boxes. I watch a lot of YouTube channels dedicated to toy collecting and I have really wanted to get my hands on some of the TY Mini Boos Collectibles ever since I watched unboxing videos of them! It's been so long and I didn't think they were sold here in the UK, until I found them in the toy store, The Entertainer, on my trip to Manchester! 

It was seriously such a challenge not to buy loads of boxes! I have always been a massive fan of TY, I collected the beanie babies throughout my childhood and I just love all of their plushies! The newer varieties have these big eyes that make them irresistible to me because they are just too cute. Well, these figures also have those eyes and I just needed some in my life. Keep scrolling to find out which ones I found inside my boxes :) Oh and before I forget to mention, they were only £3 each in The Entertainer, and they stocked all three series! 

*Apologies for the lighting quality, I love Autumn/Winter time but it sucks for photography! 

In my Series 2 TY Mini Boos blind box, I got Blueberry!! He's super cute! I have to admit though that he was my least favourite character available in this collection, but I would love to collect them all some day so I need him. Plus he's flocked (flurry textured) so that's awesome! I love the colour of his eyes and his name is so sweet :) My favourite figures in this collection are Tabitha, Tundra, Skylar and Glitter. Which one(s) would you most like to get? Now onto my Series 3 box...

How gorgeous is this little leopard figure!? Before I opened this blind box, I wished to get Speckles, Cracker, Muffin or Bubblegum, and I was so surprised that I got one of the ones I wanted! Speckles isn't flocked like Blueberry, but I love him so much! His eyes remind me of the amber that is found on trees, they're gorgeous :) I think they will look so pretty in the sunshine so I can't wait to take these out and about, and get some photos of them. Something that I really adore about these figures is that they have included the iconic TY heart tags on their ears! Let me know in the comments which of these figures you would like to receive most. I'm super happy that I found out where I could get these blind boxes from, but goodbye money XD

Every year I try to get a decent close-up photo of the fan? windmill? thing (whatever it's called) on this fabulous tower that is on top of one of the traditional German stalls, and without fail it always blurs because I cannot keep my hands still :D Nevermind, I think this one turned out pretty cool! I had an awesome time visiting the Christmas Markets and I can't wait to go again next December! To top off a great day, my best friend and I went to Frankie & Benny's and enjoyed a scrumptious meal. I arrived home exhausted and my fibromyalgia was flared up for days, but it was worth it and next year I am determined to be more organised with present shopping so I don't have to do everything in one day! Someday I will learn! I hope this post wasn't too rambley and that you enjoyed reading all about my little adventure to the Christmas Markets. 

Thankyou for reading! 

♥

Have you ever been to the Manchester Christmas Markets?

How about any others? Do you go each year like me?

What's your favourite thing from my haul? 

Wanna read about my previous visits to the markets? Check out these posts:

| Manchester Markets 2017 | Haul 2017 | Manchester Markets 2015 | Haul 2015 | 

How To Geek Up Your Home At Christmas Time

Hey everyone! Happy Friday! I can't believe it's Christmas next week... as if it's only 4 days away!! I thought it was about time that I shared a festive-themed post with you all, so it's perfect timing that one of my absolute favourite bloggers asked me if I wanted to do a collab with her! :) 

Today, Natalee from over at There Might Be Coffee & I are each going to share some Christmassy geektastic posts! I'm writing about items that are perfect for bringing all that geeky goodness into your home at Christmas Time! Don't forget to head over to Nat's blog to check out her post on how to make your dinner table geeky this Christmas! I'm so happy to be collaborating with Nat again this Christmas as her blog is amazing and one of my most favourites to read! I hope that today's post gives you all some inspiration on how to geek up your home during the festive season :) Enjoy! 

1. Marvel Official Deadpool Baubles How fabulous are these Deadpool decorations!? It was actually pretty tough to find geeky Christmas decorations available here in the UK unless you're a fan of Star Wars, in which case you'll find plenty! Decorating your house/flat/bedroom is one of the most fun traditions of the Holiday season, and of course the Christmas tree is the star of the show! Whether you have a full size tree or a smaller version, I think this is the best place to start when trying to make your home more geeky at Christmas Time. These Deadpool baubles are not only the perfect colour combination for this time of year, but they will also add some festive cheer into your life with their hilarious captions :D 

2. Darth Vader & Stormtrooper 3D String Lights With the abundance of Star Wars Christmassy products, it was impossible not to include some on my decoration guide today! There are so many fantastic baubles and other more unique tree ornaments, such as golden battleships, available online! However, no Christmas tree is complete without fairy lights, and these Stormtrooper and Darth Vader ones look awesome! They are white light LED's so they'll give off a lovely wintery glow too :) 

3. Pusheen Christmas Surprise Plush Blind Box I had to include something for all of my fellow kawaii culture lovin' geeks, and I don't know anyone who doesn't adore Pusheen the cat! These blind box decorations by GUND are a personal favourite of mine; I love stocking up on a couple of boxes to open throughout December. They are the cutest decorations ever and so soft! There's eight different decorations available in this 'Christmas Sweets' collection, and there's a lot more series of the Christmas Surprise Plush boxes so you can always mix-and-match :) They'd also make great gifts for any of your loved ones who are fans of all things cute & cat-related! 

4. Fallout 76 Christmas Tree Ornaments Here are some decorations for all you gamers out there! I think these Vault Boy tree ornaments will stand out so much on your Christmas Tree, they are super bright & cheerful! This pack comes with six different designs too, all of which are super cute in my opinion. Which is your favourite? Whether you play Fallout or not, these adorable geeky decorations will make fabulous additions to your tree, even more so if your theme this year is blue & silver, or something similar!

5. Brace Yourselves, Christmas is Coming' Jumper I know that Christmas jumpers aren't decorations, but I couldn't not include some! Over the last few years, probably because of everyone posting their fabulous Christmas outfits on social media, there has been a growing market for geeky Christmas jumpers and I absolutely love all of the comical and clever designs that I've seen! This one from Grindstore especially has been a favourite of mine every since I spotted it. Even if you're not a fan of the epic TV show that is Game of Thrones, you'll have likely heard the iconic words of the Stark family, 'Winter is Coming' by now :) I think that the play on words in this design is fantastic, and I need this jumper in my life! Who agrees?

6. Official Nintendo Super Mario Happy Holidays Mug One of the best things about this time of year is that it's officially hot chocolate season! It's a tradition to have yummy, festive flavoured drinking chocolate (topped with whipped cream and marshmallows in my case!) throughout December, so what better way to bring a little geekiness into your home this Christmas than by supping your hot drinks from a festive mug! I chose to add this lovely Super Mario Happy Holidays mug to today's guide because I really like how it's more subtly Christmas-themed, using an array of colours and making the main focus of the design Mario and Luigi themselves :) I also love how the design is different on both sides of the mug, and the entire design is adorable! 

7. 'Merry Christmas, Ya Filthy Muggle' Jumper Grindstore have done a fabulous job with their Christmas jumper slogans! This one is inspired by the famous line from the awesome Home Alone movie, in which the lead character Kevin says Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal'. If you're a Harry Potter fan like me, then this jumper would be perfect for wearing to work in December or any Christmas parties you've been invited to! I love how the golden snitch, broomsticks and Harry's lightening bolt scar have been cleverly included into a design that very much resembles the popular cross-stitch Christmas jumper patterns. 

8. Star Wars BB-8 Christmas Stocking There seems to be a huge gap in the market for geeky Christmas stockings :O but I did find this awesome BB-8 one, which has currently been reduced to only £4.99! It's a lot bigger than some of the other Star Wars ones I've found at 19 inches, so it can be filled with lots of stocking fillers :) I think that stockings make brilliant decorations, and love that this one is orange and grey, because it's nice to have something different to all those traditional Christmas colours! 

9. Official Sanrio Gudetama 'Egg's The Season' Mug  I was only going to feature one mug in this post, but I saw this Gudetama one and just had to show you all! I think 'Egg's The Season to be Jolly!' is such a fabulous play on words considering this Sanrio character is a lazy egg :D The design itself is just soooo cute! You know you want to drink hot chocolates from this egg-cellent mug this Christmas! 

10. Funko Pop! Star Wars Holiday Darth Vader I wanted to include a Funko Pop! on my geeky Christmas décor guide as I keep seeing gorgeous photos all over Instagram of people decorating their trees with these figure vinyls, and think that it's such a marvellous idea! Whether you dot them about your tree or just have them on display around your home, festive Funko Pops make awesome geeky decorations! Funko have recently released a collection of Star Wars ones, including Yoda dressed as Santa Claus and Chewbacca covered in Christmas lights, and the more subtle festive one that I've chosen, Darth Vader holding a Candy Cane! These are also another product that would make a cool gift for your geeky friends & family this Christmas :) 

11. DC Comics Official Justice League Baubles Finally, I've ended as I started with a set of geektastic Christmas tree baubles! These Justice League ones are perfect for anyone who's a superhero fan and who also loves all things cute, because the characters are designed in a more chibi style than other geeky decorations I've found. Each of the six baubles has a varied design, all of which are super eye-catching and vibrant! They are made of tin too which is a nice change from plastic baubles (the Deadpool ones are also made of tin). Just adding these decorations throughout your tree amongst all of the regular baubles will be enough to show off your geeky side to anyone you invite over to celebrate with you this Christmas :) 

So, that's my guide on how to geek up your home at Christmas Time, whether you want to go all out or just add a few geeky touches here and there. I hope you all enjoyed reading and that I've inspired some ideas for you! Be sure to head over to Nat's blog to have a read of her post! Let us know in the comments which of the items you like best, either here on my post or over on Nat's :) 

♥ ♥ ♥

I just wanted to conclude my post by saying a huge thankyou to Nat for wanting to do a collab with me this Christmas! Geeky item guide posts are one of my absolute favourites to write and I am really inspired by your fantastic monthly wishlists and gift guides, so I'm super happy that we got to work together on these festive editions! You are a wonderful friend and my blogging bestie; thanks so much for always supporting me and my blog! I hope you have a fantastic Christmas Natalee, and I also wish the same to all of our wonderful readers! Happy Holidays guys! May Santa leave lots of geeky goodies under your tree this year :D