I do love this time of year, Christmas decorations, get-togethers with friends and family, school events, festive outfits and that excuse to be a bit more indulgent with food! I had a trip down memory lane answering these Christmas-sy questions for the Christmas tag. Julie from Pondering Parenthood tagged me, and you can read her answers here.

What’s your favourite Christmas movie?

Honest truth, I don’t watch Christmas movies, haven’t done until this year since Tyler has starting to watch films. I guess, when I think to when I was little, I loved watching the Home Alone movies and The Wizard of Oz. This year though, I’ve been watching Trolls Holiday on repeat thanks to Lily!

Have you ever had a white Christmas?

Never! There has been snow in December, but never on Christmas Day.

Where do you usually spend your holiday?

Since we got married, we’ve spent Christmas day at my mother-in-law’s and Boxing Day at my parents, or vice versa. Last year was the first year we hosted Christmas at ours, as Lily was a baby and I couldn’t deal with driving around to different places. This year we are back to having it at my mother-in-law’s, and we’ll have a second Christmas on Boxing Day at my parents. It’s all good, it means the present opening is spread out 🙂

What’s your favourite Christmas song? 

When you say Christmas song, all I can hear is ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ by Mariah Carey. And ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham. I like that ‘One More Sleep’ song by Leona Lewis too.

Do you open any presents on Christmas eve?

NEVER!!

Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?

Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen. Er. No.

What holiday traditions are you looking forward to this year?

Holiday traditions. Um. Day after Boxing Day shopping.

I just can’t remember what we used to do at Christmas when I was little. So I had a look through the photo albums at my parents’ house, and there it was. Every year, my dad would bundle us in the car and drive us through London to look at the Christmas lights – Harrods, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street.

Christmas used to be hosted at one of our extended families’ houses, each family took a turn on different years and did the whole roast with a bit of curry chucked in. We’d do the whole presents thing with cousins – cue body sprays and Body Shop stuff. It was real fun, those family get-togethers.

So, now that I have my own little family, our holiday traditions are putting up the Christmas tree and lights on December 1st. Last year we put out a carrot, mince pie and milk for Santa, so we’ll do that again, as Tyler really believes in Santa. This year we started doing a book advent, so that will become a tradition as Tyler has loved it. We also drove through London to visit friends at the weekend and the kids saw Christmas lights through the window – that counts, right?!

And Christmas Concerts at school, we had them every year. Now I look forward to Tyler’s ones.

Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

Although real tree are beautiful, we’ve always had a fake tree. It goes back to my first job after uni when I was working in Events at Woolworths (ie the Christmas and Greeting Cards department). I got a tree and decs free and never looked back. This year I splashed out on a fancy tree and decs from Dunelm and I love it!

What’s your favourite holiday food/treat/sweet?

Mince pies, chocolates. Just anything in Christmas packaging! My husband says a handmade yule log.

Be honest. Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts?

Giving all the way! I love choosing presents and wrapping them, putting ribbons and fancy bows on, imagining the person’s reaction when they open the gift. It gives me such a warm feeling. Of course, it’s nice to get gifts too, but especially since having kids, it’s all about the giving for me.

What’s the best Christmas present you ever received?

This is hard, as my birthday is so close to Christmas that I can’t remember what was a Christmas present or a birthday present! I would say a memorable Christmas present has been when I said to Ganesh I want trainers that are pink underneath, and he got me a pair of really cool Nike trainers that had hot pink soles. Or that time my mother-in-law gave me £100 of giftcards so I went on a spending spree at Westway shopping centre on Boxing Day. Good times. All the presents over the years have been good though!

What’s your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

We always used to say, let’s go away for Christmas, so we don’t have to decide where to spend Christmas. (Jokes family, we love you really!) But if we were to go somewhere at Christmas time, I asked my husband as he likes all this travel malarkey. He goes, Lapland where it’s all Christmas-sy and you can go to sleep in an igloo looking at the sky. Or for a sunny Christmas, Australia. Or he’s quite intrigued to see an OTT American Christmas in real life. Me? I’d be happy to go to Ireland with friends – I spent the week before Christmas in Galway one year, and the atmosphere was A-MAZ-ING! And obvs, all this child-free.

Are you a pro present wrapper or do you fail miserably?

PRO all the way! I am the champion present wrapper, everyone in my family knows this. It all started from my first job in a pharmacy when I was 16. We had a gift-wrapping service, and the 70-year-old assistant showed me the right way to wrap presents. I never looked back!

What’s your most memorable Christmas memory?

Of course it’s the night I chatted up my husband at the Woolworths Christmas party in 2002. “What’s your name ‘Toys’ persons?” “I’m not ‘Toys’, I’m ‘Stationery'”

Christmas, without fail, EVERY year, I remember the office Christmas parties, always will – GOOD TIMES!!

What makes the holidays special for you?

Spending time with family of course! It’s simple – so special. I know I see my family a lot through the year anyway, but it’s the fact that we are off work, school is closed, we can actually relax, stay up late, eat loads of food. Yeah, just good old fashions family time 🙂

Now I’m tagging… YOU! What would your answers be?

Sabrina x