Christmas Nostalgia

I find that December is all about looking back at the year more so once we are over Christmas and heading towards New Year. People never really seem to reflect on Christmas I found this tag last Christmas however I did not have time to publish it so I thought I would share it this festive season. 

What's you favourite Christmas Movie?

I think I would have to say that it is the Muppet's Christmas Carol as I have a feeling that this is one of the only ones I have seen, What can I say I am not a massive Christmas movie fan I just watch normal movies throughout the year. 

Have you ever had a white Christmas?

I can not remember one however, they may have been one when I was small which I do not remember. I think I would like one as it would feel very magical but this may just be me and wanting pictures of Jess playing in the snow and posing for Instagram. 

Where do you spend the big day?

I have always spent it at home with my parents for as long as I can remember. Since Jess came into the world it means that I have had to go down south between Christmas and New Year so that we can have another Christmas with Daddy and his family. I can only imagine how much easier it is going to be when we get our own house. 

What's your favouite Christmas Song?

I feel like I would have to say Mariah Carey all I want for Christmas is you, however I do feel like we could do with some new Christmas songs as they are all getting a bit dated now but this may just be me the old ones are the best though. 

Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

No we have to wait till Christmas or after Christmas to be able to open presents. Even if we see people before the big day and get presents we have never been allowed to open them I feel like this may ruin part of Christmas for me if we could.

Can you name all of Santa's Reindeers?

No I know I only know a few - Rudolph, Vixen, Cupid Dasher, Dancer, Prancer

What holiday tradition are you looking forward to this year?

Just been together as a family is the biggest tradition I am looking forward to because there is nothing better than been with family because I feel like we do not spend a lot of time together anymore not really good quality time. 

Is your tree real or fake? 

We have a fake one never have had a real one I doubt we will for a while because of the needles we don't her to hurt herself on them. Maybe when she is more grown up and she knows she has to be careful.

What is your favoutite all time Christmas food?

I would have to say the twiglets which only seem  to come out at Christmas I refuse to entertain small bags or pigs in blankets which I really seem to enjoy as well. 

Be honest do you prefer receiving or giving gifts the best?

I am going to have to say giving because I enjoy seeing the look on other people's faces when they get the gifts which I have purchased. I always find it pretty awkward when I am receiving gifts however we all know this could just be me

What is the best gift you have ever received?

I think back in the day it must have been when I got a new phone however, one Christmas that does standout it was around 6 years ago when I go a laptop without that none of this would have been possible. I only upgraded it around 18 months ago after a pretty good life it did start to die on me. Or last year when Joe paid for me to go to a log cabin in Yorkshire which was super beautiful. 

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

I would love to visit a log cabin in the snow so maybe in one of the Scandinavian countries lots of good food and lovely log fire which would help to keep us all warm

Are you a pro present wrapper or fail miserably? 

I am not the greatest but not the worst I would say that I am somewhere in the middle. You would not find my wrapping on Instagram at all for either reason

Most memorable Christmas moment?

I would like to say Jess's first Christmas however, this may be because I have been looking back at the photographs recently and this is why it seems to be really vivid for me. It was such a special time I will have to admit been able to get excited about Christmas again because you have someone small for the magic to be real again. 

What made you realise the truth about Santa? 

I honestly don't have a clue

What makes the holidays special for you?

Family and spending time with them some who I do not see for a while but it is always nice to have a good catch up with them 

Have you done this tag if so leave the link below in the comments

Charlotte x 

Gift Guide- Women's Stocking Edition

I am all for stockings I think sometimes the small useful presents mean a lot of more than huge items which for some people might think is very strange but that is just me. Today I am going to share with you a few ideas which I have on what you could stuff in girls stocking this festive season. Some of these are actually gifts which people got this festive season so I hope the person who these are gifts are for is not reading this post.

Something which I have seen a lot of people received in the is lovely plaques which you can hang up, however, a couple of months ago I saw a local company had been doing wooden tree ornaments which could be kept up all year on a wall. I had one of my friend in mind when I saw this because Jess calls her auntie I think this could be a northern where your children end up calling their mums best friend Auntie. I think this could make a great present because it could say special anything for example, special friend. It is so beautiful I would have something like this hanging all year long in my house.

These are actually children gloves because of the fact that I did not have any adult ones to hand, however, because of the fact that the weather does change a hell of a lot after the festive period and usually, in the UK we have very cold January and February. Primark does some nice gloves which do not have to break the bank it does depend on how much you want to spend and how much the person does actually spend outside. For example, if they spend a lot of their time outdoors you might want to invest in some more fleecy gloves because they do keep you warmer and places such as Amazon

sell them pretty cheaply as well. I think I paid £5 for a pair which I am going to be giving this festive period. 

Lip kits are something which has massively exploded this year and they are something which every single brand seem to have brought out. Primark is one which has made their own and they have done it in one of the most autumnal/winter colours which I think is going to rock this festive season. Primark is not a company which is going to break the bank they are only £3 which means that it would be great for secret Santa they come in a range of colours so this means that it does not matter if they are not going to like this shade I am sure there is a shade for everyone. I would love to receive another one of these because they are of such good quality.

January is a month when everyone is wanting to save money and because of the fact that Christmas is so expensive and taking lunch into work is something which everyone seems to love to do. One of my best friends is obsessed this year with unicorns so when I saw this lunch bag which is covered in this print I knew it was super amazing and this is something which I had to pick. This is actually from Sass and Belle and this is something which you do not have to use this as a lunch bag you could use this as anything. Lunch bags are something which I have got in to massively this year and this is something which I am sure that people who are saving really need. My best friend has just moved into her first house so needs to be able to save money for important things such as bills. 

The final item which I have in this gift guide is this unicorn slippers which are adorable these are something which I have had for a few months so I am unsure if they will still actually have these in stores but I am sure that they will have something very similar these are very fluffy which means that they are going to be great for the colder months when you just want to be super cosy. I think that these are only £3.50 from Primark which means that they are not doing damage your bank balance too much and they again could be a great secret santa present because we all know people do manage to do them in the offices and workplaces.  They have soft soles which means that you will not be able to wear them outside without trashing them.

A couple of other ideas which you could use to put in girls stockings:

• Bath bombs you do not have to use Lush there are some other cheaper brands
• Sweets/chocolate who does not love these
• Face masks we all need treats
• Jewellery you do not have to spend so much money Primark and Jewellery box do some amazing bits. 

What do you plan on putting in a girls stocking this festive season?

Charlotte xxxx

10 Ways To Save The Pennies This Christmas

Christmas can be an expensive time of year but it does not have to break the bank. This year we are trying to save money because we are actually looking to purchase a house our first family home next year so of course at them moment every pound matters because we know getting the deposit and then all of the other hidden costs is going to cost a fortune.

This year we have set budgets for people so that we do not go crazy when we are shopping and spend way to much money. We are lucky and do not have a lot of people to buy for I think in total it is around 10. However, anyone who has a toddler knows that you can blow your budget just thinking about it because you want to make them have a great time and toys other things such as clothing you want them to dress in are not cheap. So today I am going to share with you ways that we are trying to save the pennies this Christmas.

- The first tip I would say is set a budget we have done this for example we have different budgets for different people with people like our parents having a higher budget than my brother. Having a budget means that you are less likely to end up spending more than you planned.

- Don't be afraid to shop early if like us you see something which you know is going to be perfect for someone and it is discounted maybe in August pick it up make a note of what you have purchased though so you do not end up having too much for one person. This is what I did with Jess's book advent calendar I made it when the works had their 10 books for £10 offer.

-  Shop around the amount of times I think I have found a really good deal to only find that it is actually cheaper on amazon than it is in the store advertising the discount. I always check if the item is not one on the cheap side the price on Amazon and even have been know to do it in store because I have the app on my phone.

- Shopping online google discount codes valid for that shop sometimes you can get as much as 20% off and sometime free delivery which is always handy because all them £3.95 delivery fees add up and could nearly be a budget for a person. While on this topic if there is an option of free click and collect to store rather than paying the deliver fees why not do this. I have done it in a number of stores including Sainsbury & Next.

- Cashback sites such as Quidco and Topcashback can be your best friend recently when renewing the car insurance I used this site and managed to get £29 back by going through this site and on a recent  Christmas present I managed to get a couple of pound back on a purchase. Every little bit helps I am trying to remember to do this throughout the year.

- If you are purchasing experience days do not go straight to Virgin Experiences shop around for example last year I purchased a fast car experience day I actually managed to save over £100 by shopping around so it is worth checking sites such as Buyagift, Wowcher, Groupon & Travelzoo all of which I have used and would recommend.

- Need things such as small socking fillers head to places such as B&M, Home Bargains, Pound stretcher & TkMaxx they have a fantastic selection of things which are not too expensive for example I know  you can get things such as sweets for a fraction of the price in their I have been known to purchase them before. Sometime you can get gift sets for a fraction of the price of Boots and Superdrug so it is always worth checking out.

- Something which I have been known to do in the past is trawl eBay sometimes you can get unwanted gifts for a fraction of the price I have done this for people's birthday's in the past. I have also purchased clothing which can be only worn at occasions such as Christmas which has been hardly worn I have found this is a good way to be able to get items such as Christmas Jumper's for Jess. Don't forget you can also sell your unwanted items and make some cash I know this is what I will be doing with some of Jess's old festive outfits.

- Use Loyalty cards last year I has purchased Jess a car seat from Boots which meant that I got a shed load of points.I actually saved them and used them at Christmas when I needed to purchase some gifts from there I think in the end I got around £70 worth of gifts for around £7 which is amazing and I did not do anything. Boots was the cheapest place to purchase the car seat and I got the gifts as a result. This year I haven't shopped in Boots as much so will not be able to replicate that crazy amount but even if you just have £5 worth of points its always worth cashing them in during the festive season.

- Looking to purchase a gift card try purchasing them off Zeek which a website that is the main marketplace for giftcards either buying or selling. People sell them as they are from stores which people do not end up using so it means that you can get them sometimes for as much as 20% off. You could use them to purchase gifts or give them too people as gifts as long as you know they may not have that long left on them.

What are your top tips to saving money this festive season?


Charlotte x
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Pick 'N' Melt Standard Christmas Set

Hi Guys

As you may know, scented candles are something I am obsessed with not just in the winter months I can be found burning them all year long. A few short weeks ago I was contacted by a lovely company called Pick 'N' Melt. They specialise in wax tarts which have a lot more scent throw than regular candles as well as been cheaper as well.

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5 Christmas Traditions

Hey Guys

I thought today as part of blogmas I would share with you some of the traditions which we have a family some which I can see my little family adapting in the future when we get our own house. However, these are the traditions which I remember doing and some we still do.


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Favourite Winter Candles

Hi Guys

I have decided to share today my favourite candles for the Winter they are not all just Christmassy ones due to the go the fact that I know that I will be burning these way into January and I feel like this is not something you can do if they are all Christmas scents.


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Festive Bucket List

Hi Guys

Today instead of sharing with you a December Goals post I have chosen to do a festive bucket list of things which I would love to do this month instead. We have two Christmas's due to distance and a few reasons Christmas for us goes all the way up to New Years Day. I have listed 10 things which I would love to do with either with Jess, Joe or my family. I have has some inspirations from three amazing ladies Emily, Claire & Amy. 


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Asda Little Angel Christmas Nappies Review

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Today I am sharing a product with you which Jess could not live without the Asda Little Angel Nappies, They have had a slight revamp for Christmas so your little one could have a festive nappy and pretend to be Santa meaning you can already get in the festive spirit.

Every year Asda do a festive themed nappy and this year it is Santa's little helper they are decorated front and back they have some simple but beautiful strips on the back. Jess seems to love that her nappies have changed maybe she is going to really be into Christmas.


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Book Advent Calendar

Hi Guys

This is the first post of blogmas which is super exciting for me as it the first time I have attempted to do this so lets hope I can complete it. For me instead of trying to only post up to the big day I am trying to post every single day this month as we are having two Christmas's the second on New Years Day so lets see how I get on with this.


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