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DISNEY, DUBLIN AND FESTIVAL FUN

As the days get colder and the rain more frequent, I've found myself looking back through photos from the summer. I was lucky to have a very busy few months after finishing my first year of university and had the best time so I thought I'd do a recap of everything I got up to. Festivals I'd never been to a festival before and this year I went to 3! The first was The Isle of Wight Festival which was just amazing and I definitely think it's a festival for everyone to enjoy. We were able to see some amazing artists including Lewis Capaldi, Tom Grennan, The Kooks, Rudimental, Madness, Shaggy and so many more. I did end up burning myself really badly on the first day, despite frequently applying suncream but that was a small price to pay and I've already planned to go again in 2023!  I also went to Boomtown which is a different kind of experience music wise but was so good to spend time with my boyfriend - Ryan and our friends. Also, the sets were incredible, and the eff...

BLOGMAS: THE A-Z CHRISTMAS TAG

 I was recently tagged in The Christmas A-Z Tag by the lovely Gemma, you can check out her post here or head over to her blog: Hidden Little Gem. The purpose of this tag is to essentially share the things you love and associate with Christmas - using each letter of the alphabet of course! Finally, make sure you tag more bloggers to complete it as well.

A -  Absolutely everything. I thought I'd start there because that encompasses it all and instantly covers how much I do love Christmas!
B - Buying the tree is something I always like to do because we usually get it at the start of December which really kicks off the festivities! 
C - Chocolate is definitely one of the best things about this time of the year, it's great always but you just have an excuse to eat so much more! My favourite has to be a Terry's Chocolate Orange!
D - Decorating the tree is another thing I enjoy because it instantly makes me feel so Christmassy, we also like to put up our outdoor lights and decorate around the house too.
E - Eve or Day? I know a lot of people actually prefer the build-up of Christmas Eve over Christmas Day itself and I totally see why as I definitely used to have trouble sleeping when I was younger because I was so excited!
F - Festive films are some of my favourites to watch. My go-to is definitely Elf but I always make a checklist and try to watch as many as possible.
G - Going Christmas shopping is also something I look forward to, it's often very busy but I just love seeing all the decorations and also enjoy shopping for gifts as well!
H - Having Christmas dinner is a central part of the perfect Christmas Day, I think my favourite parts of it would actually have to be the pigs in blankets or Yorkshire puddings covered in gravy.
I - Incredible food is something I've already touched on but Christmas really takes food to the next level doesn't it. I especially love all the snacks because it just means you have a constant supply of things to eat.
J - Jokes, particularly ones from crackers are something I associate with a classic Christmas for sure, they're usually so bad that they are almost funny and I think that's why everyone secretly enjoys them a bit!
K - Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Santa Claus...there are many names of the jolly old fellow that is the face of Christmas itself and I always used to get so excited when we'd go to a grotto during December.
L - Listening to Christmas songs is one of the first things I do to get into the festivities and usually this happens in October, though it can be earlier... My favourites are Merry Christmas Everyone and Last Christmas but I have a whole playlist of the best ones!
M - Memories are always made at Christmas and it's also so nice to look back on ones you've made previously. I like to watch old videos of my first few Christmases, definitely makes me feel nostalgic!
N - New Year's Day isn't technically Christmas but it's part of the whole festive season and it's also another chance to have a big roast dinner. I'd love to visit New York on New Year's Eve one day actually.
O - Opening gifts is always super exciting and I also like to watch other people open theirs too. When I was younger, I don't think anything excited me more than seeing all the presents under the tree on Christmas morning!
P - Playing games is a big part of Christmas at our house, I love to get a new board game each year and we play it after eating our Christmas dinner. My favourites are Cludeo, Trivial Pursuit and a new edition last year was the 221B Baker Street game, all of which get very competitive! 
Q - Quizzes and Quality Street seem like a great combination to me. Quality Street isn't my favourite chocolate but I definitely associate them with Christmas. Also, The Big Fat Quiz of The Year is a show I always look forward to and has certainly become a boxing day tradition for me.
R - Red is one of my favourite colours in general but I really get drawn to it at this time of the year. Our tree is red and white themed and then it's definitely the colour you see pretty much everywhere you go!
S -  Stockings are an important part of Christmas because when my sisters and I were younger we'd keep it at the end of our beds and when I woke up in the morning and saw it filled with presents I would just be ridiculously excited!
T - Treeselets, Twiglets and trifle are three foods that most people who know me well, would probably associate with me. That's probably because I could eat tubs and tubs of the Treeselets or Twiglets and always make my own trifle to have after Christmas dinner.
U - Usual traditions are something everyone has that makes Christmas special. One of ours is to get a new pair of pyjamas on Christmas Eve and to then watch a film with some hot chocolate.
V - Visiting family is also a big part of Christmas, often we'll visit my Grandparents on Boxing Day
W - Wrapping gifts is something some people hate doing but I actually really like it, especially if I've got something to watch as well!
X - Xmas is probably what everyone says here, and it's a term I've never been a fan of. I'm not sure why but I don't like a lot of shortened words so I guess that's it!
Y - Yule Logs are delicious and great fun to make too. Baking is a perfect winter activity and why not go with the classic Yule Log!
Z - Zooming from place to place is a common occurrence in the lead up to Christmas, often it can be pretty chaotic but I think that's all part of it really!

...

I tag:
 Emma from Life of Emma
Hilary from Honestly Forked
Hannah from Frugal Bride To Be
And anyone else who'd like to do it too!

Well, that's my list! It's actually much harder than you might think and especially because you want to mention everything amazing about Christmas! Let me know if you do the tag as well.


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