December seemed like quite hard work and I felt as if I put in lots of effort just to get through it, as wonderful as it was in many, many ways.  I was still on crutches for 3/4 of the month and as a result I had to cancel plans with each of my best friends who were both turning forty, which was sad.  I’m very much hoping to catch up with them for a belated reunion in January instead.

Despite not feeling particularly festive, we managed to do some of the fun stuff from our activity advent calendar and I just about got everything ready in time for the various birthday celebrations and Christmas.

Here are all the little things I’ve been loving lately throughout December…

READ

‘Vicious’ and ‘Vengeful’: by V E Schwab.  I finished ‘Vicious’ at the start of the month and immediately moved on to ‘Vengeful’, the second book in this superhero/villain duology. Straight away it felt much more adult and quite a bit darker than the first book – in a good way.  There was a lot of location and time-hopping so I found I had to really pay attention to the chapter headings otherwise I got confused.  It was very clever how all of the stories for each of the characters have been interwoven though and I thoroughly enjoyed them both.  The ending was definitely left open for the possibility of a third book – I hope she writes it because there were some loose ends that didn’t get tied up and I want to know what happens next!

‘Vicious’ and ‘Vengeful’ by V. E. Schwab

WATCHED

Pantomime:  Going to see the pantomime at our local theatre has become an annual tradition that I’m very much hoping we’ll continue for as long as possible.  It’s something we all look forward to every single year.  This year’s performance was ‘Cinderella’ and it was excellent.  It didn’t feel quite as Christmassy as usual, but it was very funny nonetheless – it made me laugh out loud, it entertained the girls enormously and it was a few hours of silliness away from the real world.

The finale of ‘Cinderella’ at our local theatre

Strictly Come Dancing Final:  I am SO pleased that Hamza won the Strictly Final.  I wanted him to win from the very beginning of the show – he came across as so lovely and his story is incredibly humbling and heartwarming.  He seems like such a gentle soul and I think he (and Jowita, his pro partner) 100% deserved to receive the glitterball trophy.   We have to wait nine whole months for the next series now and I’m not sure how I’m going to cope!

HEARD

Midnights:  Of course we listened to Taylor Swift’s new album ‘Midnights’ on Spotify as soon as it was released back in November,  Ella is a super-fan and is gradually building up a collection of her merchandise.  I ordered the album on CD for her as a birthday gift and, happily, a mistake at the packing depot meant that two copies showed up by accident.  I swiped one of them for my car (which is ancient and still has a CD player in it) and I’ve been listening to it pretty much non-stop ever since.  My favourite tracks are: Maroon; Antihero; Snow At The Beach and You’re On Your Own Kid.

Sonder: After seeing Dermot Kennedy play an intimate gig in Manchester with Ella back in September (one of my favourite memories from the year, for sure) I’d been eagerly anticipating his new album ‘Sonder’.  It lived up to all of my expectations – 11 absolutely gorgeous songs.  His lyrics are always so beautiful, heartfelt and thoughtful.  Aside from the songs I already knew and loved that he’s previously released (‘Kiss Me’ and ‘Better Days’), my two favourites from the album are ‘Innocence and Sadness’ and ‘Homeward’.

MADE

Festive Chocolate Bark:  After seeing a reel on Katie Ellison’s instagram we decided to have a go at making some festive chocolate bark (she made one at Easter so we simply swapped mini eggs and chocolate rabbits for marshmallows, gingerbread man sprinkles and dolly mixtures).  It was super easy to make, the girls did the whole thing all by themselves and it ended up being a big hit!  Definitely one to add to our Christmas baking repertoire for the years to come.

A close-up of the girls’ festive chocolate bark

Fancy Hot Chocolates:  Because is it really Christmas until you’ve had a fancy hot chocolate complete with squirty cream, giant marshmallows and Christmas sprinkles….?!

Yummy hot chocolate

WORE

Layers:  Below-freezing temperatures (as low as -9 degrees Celcius for several days!) for the middle part of December meant that I spent much of the time bundled up in ALL the layers.  I truly hate being cold, so warmth was far more important to me than what I looked like (which I don’t really care all that much about anyway).  On one of the days I had five layers on!

AND FINALLY…

Ella’s 16th birthday: Inexplicably, our eldest girl turned sixteen at the beginning of December.  I genuinely can’t believe I’m a Mum to a 16 year old.  I still feel like I’m only 18 in my head so that maths simply doesn’t add up.  She wanted a quiet one, so we kept it modest with presents and cake at home after school before heading out to dinner as a family to our local branch of Zizzi’s.

What is even more mind-boggling to me is that just a week later she had an interview at the college she has applied for and got offered a place there on the spot!

Opening her presents after school

Making a birthday wish

Neil’s birthday:  Neil’s birthday is just a few days before Christmas so this time of year really is quite full-on.  We managed to sneak out to dinner (my first ever cheeky Nando’s!) and he was thrilled with the record player I got him as his main gift.  Now we need to start building up a vinyl collection.

Christmas:  I haven’t felt Christmassy at all this year and have mostly been going through the motions but on Christmas morning, watching the girls open their presents, seeing the joy on their faces and hearing their squeals of excitement – that’s when the magic hits me.  Ella put together an epic Christmas Quiz for us to do together as a family – it was the best one yet (and Lola and I were victorious for the third year in a row!).

Christmas gifts under the tree on Christmas morning

Opening their Santa sacks – look how happy they are!

Mini-Christmas: Every year, in between Christmas and New Year, we have a mini-Christmas with my Mum and StepDad.  I make a big buffet of yummy (non-Christmassy!) food, we exchange gifts, we talk, and if the weather is decent we try and get out for a walk (that didn’t happen this year, sadly).  I love having them here and wish we could see them more often.

My Mum and Stepdad with the girls. I don’t usually like posed photos like this but sometimes I do it just so we have a record of the day in some way. I can’t believe how tall the girls are now!

Unfortunately, just two days before the end of the year, after being really quite poorly for over a week, Neil did a Covid test (more to rule it out because he had a routine doctor appointment to go to) and it was positive!  So December has ended on a bit of a low note – we’re keeping everything crossed that the rest of us stay healthy and that he feels better soon.

The final chapter of 2022 is now closed and we’re about to embark on a whole new story.  2023 is going to be a bit of a milestone year in several ways and I have no idea what it’s going to hold.  All I do know is that I’m going to do my absolute best to make it a year to remember for all the right reasons.

I hope that you found plenty of little things to love throughout December and the festive season, that you have a peaceful end to the year and that 2023 starts off positively for you.  Thank you, as always, for following along with my little rambles on here.  I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them.

With love,

Chloe x