Sorry this is so late – I spent most of January wishing it was still Christmas and subsequently forgot to post this…

To say that I had waited for Christmas all year was an understatement. This year in particular, I couldn’t wait for the Christmas shutdown because Lord knows I needed the break! But before the Christmas shutdown, I was determined to get in all of the festive fun I could manage. My Christmas calendar was full to bursting with friends, families, activities, unexpected news, the lot.

London is jam packed with things to do during the festive period, from Carol concerts (I never managed one this year) to Christmas markets, from festive plays to special displays. Here’s my Christmas highlights of the year – both free and paid.

25th November – ‘Ideal Home Show at Christmas’. Coming here with my Mum has been a tradition for the past 8 years. It’s a great day out with some amazing deals, present ideas and loads of free food and drink tasters. We always try to come on the last day (Sunday) because almost everything has extra discounts put on top of the prices, and we always go home with more bags than we can carry.

30th November – ‘South Bank Christmas markets with my Dad’. November and December were whirlwinds in terms of work for both me and my dad. We both secured exciting new roles, and the end of November was the start of the journey for both of us. We had been talking about going to a Christmas market for a while, and on this day my dad had just handed his notice in so we decided it was the perfect day! We walked from St Paul’s to the South Bank, through the markets with hot cups of mulled cider. It was a lovely, lovely evening.

1st December – ‘Family Christmas party’. This was put in our diary in August because everyone knows how quickly calendars get filled up. It was a fabulous evening filled with family, love, and festive fun. We took a few bottles, drank a few cocktails, and laughed the night away.

5th December – ‘Big Fat Quiz of the Year’. Earlier in the year I signed up to a website which allows you to apply for tickets to filmings of shows like The Jonathan Ross Show, The Graham Norton Show, and Alan Carr Chatty Man (I like comedy in case you can’t tell). Late in November, I received a notification for the recording of The Big Fat Quiz of the Year in Elstree, so applied. We got tickets so on Wednesday 5th December I went with my mum to watch the live recording.

7th December – ‘Massages with my Sister-in-law’. For my Sister-in-law’s birthday we got her a voucher for an hour massage for 2 people, and we decided to book it for the start of December. The massage was a much needed calming start to what ended up being a very hectic day! After our massages, I handed my notice in. Then to celebrate, we went home to decorate my Mother-in-law’s Christmas tree… I might actually do a separate post just about that with loads of pictures because I’m sitting here laughing just thinking about it and I think it should be shared with you all!

8th December – ‘Buying our Christmas Tree’. We always get our tree from a tree farm. When you drive up to the farm, you can see all the young trees they’ve planted to replace the trees they’ve cut. This year, we had somewhat slim pickings. The trees just weren’t full enough! We did pick a lovely tree, but it wasn’t nearly as big as the tree we’ve had for the past few years!

9th December – ‘Winter Wonderland (1)’. The first time we visited Winter Wonderland this year was with my Husbands siblings. I hadn’t been for a few years, and it’s changed a lot, but we had a great time!

10th December –  ‘Annual Christmas Shopping Day with my Uncle’. This is another tradition, going strong for 10 years and counting. It’s one of my favourite days in the whole year actually. We meet up at about 10am at Bond Street and start up at Selfridges, then work our way down Oxford Street and Regent Street. I don’t think I’ve ever made it home before 10pm – so nearly a full 12 hours of shopping!

12th December – ‘Harry Potter ‘Hogwarts in the Snow”. After the wedding, we set about mending our broken relationship with my brother-in-law and his girlfriend. If you read my blog before the clear-out, you will have read the difficult time we’ve had for the past few years. I’m glad to say that we all seem to be getting on well now, and we decided that a day out at Harry Potter world was just what the doctor had ordered. I was in my element.

14th December – ‘Winter Wonderland (2)’. Our second trip to Winter Wonderland was with my Husbands best friend and his girlfriend. While our trip with his family had been solely to stroll around, look at the stalls, and stuff our faces, this time we went to the circus… I’d like to forget it. I feared for my life, and the life of the performers.

15th December – ‘Covent Garden for my best friend’s birthday’. This isn’t actually anything to do with Christmas, but if you go to Covent Garden at Christmas you really do have to mention it. Plus, going out on this day for his birthday has become another tradition – one of my favourite ones.

19th December – ‘The Nutcracker’. 14 years after I initially saw this ballet, I finally managed to see it again. I promised my dad, and we booked our tickets in August. It was every bit as magical as I remembered, and I’m considering making the ballet a Christmas tradition! Our tickets were £30 and were perfect.

22nd December – ‘Christmas Brunch with my family, and Christmas Dinner with my Husband’s’. This was a day filled with more food than we could stomach. For the 3rd year, my family went for brunch at The Wolesley in Piccadilly, followed by a festive dash around Fortnum and Masons. In the evening, my husband’s family came around for dinner!

23rd December – ‘Impromptu visits from aunt’s, uncles and a very special cousin’. I live for days like this. A relaxed day in the middle of the Christmas madness, when you can sit around in the living room and have a giggle. Even though the visits weren’t long, they really made this Christmas that bit more special.

24th December –  ‘Last minute present dash, The Snowman, and Shrek the Halls’. The most hectic day by far. We had to run out and buy a present, but luckily that didn’t take too long. Then, the perfect Christmas present wrapping entertainment was on TV. It all started with Shrek the Halls, and was followed (not closely) by The Snowman. The Snowman brings out this really fuzzy feeling inside and reminds me of all the amazing Christmases I’ve has growing up, and I try to watch it before Christmas Eve but this year it was on TV late 🙁

This Christmas has been really special. My first married Christmas, the first where I actually put events in my calendar so I didn’t double book, and a year of making new traditions as well as continuing old ones. I am going into the New Year with a full heart, for the first time not feeling sad that the festive period is coming to a close, but rather looking forward to seeing what each month and season brings.