The Christmas Tag

So for Blogmas Day 10, I thought I would do the Christmas Tag. I was actually planning to do this later in the month, but after deciding to finish Blogmas after 12 days, due to my new job taking up a lot of time, I decided to do it today instead. I was tagged by Hannah Mary (who is an absolute gem and sweetheart by the way, definitely go and check her out) and I really love the questions that I get to answer. 

If you want to check out Mary's answers, her blog post is here!

The rules for the Christmas Tag are as follows:

1. Thank the blogger that tagged you and link their blog to your post
2. List the ruled in the post
3. Answer all the questions asked by the blogger
4. Nominate some other bloggers and provide them with 12 questions!

I'm a big fan of Christmas quizzes, games, tags, photo challenges etc, so I was super excited to be tagged by Han.

Here we go...

What's your favourite thing about Christmas?

It's so hard to just pick one thing, but it would probably just have to be the atmosphere. It's what makes the day feel so special and festive, how people react and treat each other, parties and quiet days - it just makes everything! I also really love getting gifts for people, and have gone to town this year. I love spoiling my friends any family so much, and of course it's always wonderful to receive gifts, but I just love getting something for somebody I know that they'll absolutely love. It's the nicest feeling.

What's the worst present you've ever received?

Ooh this is a toughie, I've really had to think about this. I'm usually pretty grateful for everything I get, but I suppose some things are a lot more exciting than others. I remember I've received clothes that I absolutely hated, but generally I'm very easy to buy for.

What meat do you have with your Christmas dinner?

We always have turkey because it's traditional, and we often have gammon on boxing day. This year we've got a turkey and a joint of pork for Christmas day. I wanted to go all out with the food and presents this Christmas, as the rest of the year has been kind of awful, and I wanted to end it feeling spoilt, fat, and very satisfied! You should see the amount of cheese we have...

If you could only watch one Christmas film for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Even though in my Top 10, I said the Grinch was my favourite, if it could only be one, it would have to be Love Actually. I could watch that film a million times over and still love every bit of it.

When do you open your presents on Christmas day? (i.e. as soon as you wake up, after your lunch/dinner etc)

When we lived with my dad, we would open our presents after everybody was washed, dressed, breakfasted, and the dog had been walked. Usually around 11am. We all moved in with my mum a few years ago but as she worked night shifts at the time, we all got up early to do presents with her when she got home, before she went to have a sleep for a while. Last year we weren't all together until about 11pm, and we actually loved doing presents by the fire, after the sun had gone down. It was so lovely and the tree looked beautiful. We all have Christmas day off this year, and we're going to do presents after sundown again, just because we loved it so much last year.

Chocolate or cheese?

Definitely used to be chocolate, but now that I'm getting older, I am liking cheese more... Can I have both?

What is your most underrated Christmas song?

A Spaceman Came Travelling by Chris De Burgh! I absolutely love that song, it's such a wonderful melody and reminds me of Christmasses when I was young.

What is your go-to Christmas dessert?

Do I have to pick just one? I'm not overly keen on Christmas pudding or Christmas cake, so I tend to dive right in with chocolate trifles, ice cream, random nibbles, and snacks that we have. Everything I could possibly fit into my stomach after Christmas dinner, basically.

What would your ultimate dream Christmas entail?

Probably just a Christmas where none of us had to worry about money, so we could actually get some nice decorations, spoil each other, and get loads of food and alcohol. 

Do you have a Christmas Day routine or do you just go with the flow? 

We definitely had a routine when we were younger and lived with my dad! We'd all get up, get washed and dressed, and walk the dog around the park while Dad made a hell of a fry up for breakfast. We'd all sit down to eat, clear up all the dishes, and then go and sit in the living room for presents. We never dived in, Dad would pick one present and read the label out loud, and then hand it over to the recipient, and then we all watched them open it. That way we actually get to see people's reactions to their presents, and are able to thank the person gifting. Then we'd scatter off and do whatever for a while, play with presents and watch tv for example, while Dad prepped the dinner for about 6pm. Lastly, we'd all sit and watch the Christmas special of Doctor Who, and just enjoy a lazy evening of nibbles and getting a bit merry. This year with mum, we've decided to get loads of fun board games to play during the day so that we can actually spend time together, and I'm so excited.

Have you ever had a white Christmas?

I honestly can't remember. I don't remember it ever actually snowing on Christmas day, but I'm pretty sure there has been snow on the ground. I'm not betting on it this year, but you never know! 

Are you a brussel lover or a brussel hater? 

I always have brussel sprouts with my Christmas dinner, but that's the only time I eat them. And they have to be smothered in gravy or it is basically just a fart ball. 

So that's my answers for the Christmas Tag! As per the rules, I'm tagging Ruby, Emily, Brenna, Mary, and Molly to answer my questions (listed below) via a blog post, twitter thread, or whatever they like!

1. If you could only have 3 things in your Christmas dinner, what would they be?
2. Are you always prepared or do you leave your shopping last minute?
3. What do you want for Christmas this year?
4. Who do you usually spend Christmas day with?
5. Do you eat your Christmas dinner at lunchtime or dinnertime?
6. What's the best gift you ever recieved?
7. What's one of your 'unpopular opinions' regarding Christmas?
8. What's your favourite Christmas chocolate selection box (i.e. celebrations, roses etc), and what's your favourite individual choc from that selection?
9. What's your favourite and least favourite thing about Christmas/the festive period?
10. Do you have a set routine on Christmas day?
11. Tag a photo of your Christmas tree! Do you like it the way it is, or would you prefer a different theme?
12. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe?

Have fun answering the questions, and take part even if you haven't been tagged! I'd love to see your answers.

Ciao for now, 

Katie x

Get To Know Me Tag!

Oh my god guys, I am just having the time of my life!

I'm completely joking, everything is a bit of a mess right now, but who cares! I have to stay positive and do things that make me happy, such as blogging. I know I say I need to blog more a lot but in all honestly, I think I've finally found the motivation to get things moving again. 

So, I thought I'd return to blogging with something a bit simple, a get to know me tag! I absolutely love reading these and I don't think I've ever done one before. They are one of my favourite things to read so I may as well give it a go at writing them too! 

So, here goes...

1. What is your middle name?

My middle name is Emma, not as terrible as some people's names, but i'm not that keen on it.

2. What was your favourite subject at school?

That's a toughie, I liked a lot of different subjects for different reasons. I was always excited for History, mostly because I had the most incredible teacher (shoutout to Miss Johnson!), and I also really liked drama. I always wanted to be an actress when I was younger. At college my favourite subject was definitely media!

3. What is your favourite drink?.

I never keep a favourite for long, sometimes nothing will be acceptable except a good cup of tea in an old chipped mug, sometimes all I need in a creamy hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows, and sometimes I'm scrambling up 60p in order to buy a diet coke from the shop. I recently (I say recently, more like months ago) went to Hubbox with my mum and had the most incredible chocolate maltshake, I think I could have that everyday.

4. What is your favourite song at the moment?

Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out, Lady Leshurr - Queen's Speech 4, Sam Smith - Stay With Me, Sigala - Sweet Lovin', oh lord there's too many! 

5. What is your favourite food?

Love me a good old packet of magic stars.

6. What is the last thing you bought?

Depends on what sort of things you're after, today I signed up to Apple Music, yesterday I bought a cinema ticket, some popcorn, some magic stars and some mozzarella sticks (so not worth it) and the day before that I bought some socks for moisturising your feet overnight and a facemask from Lush. Ooh, and a starbucks.

7. Favourite book of all time?

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. I love this book so much, as soon as I finished it I ordered the sequel and read it in one night. It's the perfect easy read to make you feel summery and ugh, its just my fave.

8. Favourite colour?

I like every colour. 

9. Do you have any pets?

I have two gorgeous furry friends. Jack, my 13 year old springer spaniel lives with my dad. He's very hyper and ridiculous and we love him to absolute pieces. Unfortunately he has cancer and is quite old, so not as energetic as he once was. I also have a 7 month old kitten called Kiisu who is just the most elegant, gorgeous little girl ever. She loves to lick my nose and chew the corner of my phone a lot.

10. Favourite perfume?

Sweetheart by Ghost. My brother got it for me for my birthday years ago, and I've since repurchased it.

11. Favourite holiday?

I always loved visiting Brighton. I think it's a gorgeous, diverse city which basically has everything I'd ever need. I can't wait to go back and visit one day.

12. Are you married?

I don't think my parents would be overly happy with me getting married at 17 years old! 

13. Have you ever been out of the country?

I have indeed! I went on a school trip to Paris when I was 13, and a school trip to Poland when I was 16. I've also been to Scotland and Wales, but they don't count.

14. Do you speak any other languages?

I don't, but I have been using Duolingo to learn French and Dutch! If you haven't heard of Duolingo, it's a fantastic app, completely free, that teaches you different languages. You can set goals of how much you want to learn per day. I'm 2% fluent in French, apparently.

15. How many siblings do you have?

I have two awful smelly big brothers who I love with every fibre of my being. Chris is the oldest, he's 24 this year, and Jamie has not long turned 21! We're all growing up and becoming grumpy adults, fun times. We all live together with my mum and we're a happy little bunch. I also have a step brother and two step sisters.

16. What is your favourite shop?

Boots and Superdrug are awesome, and I quite like Accessorize too.

17. Favourite restaurant?

The Shire, it's a lovely pub/restaurant that does the most incredible carvery ever. We used to go multiple times a year for everyone's birthday.

18. When was the last time you cried?

Yesterday! I wasn't having the brightest of days, unfortunately.

19. Favourite blog?

I love absolutely loads of blogs, but the ones I always come back to are Zoella, Milk Bubble Tea, Ruby Red Roses and Emily Bashforth. All such gorgeous, wonderful girls!

20. Favourite movie?

I've been watching If I Stay a lot over the past few months, it's my comfort movie for when I'm feeling down. Of course, Marley and Me will forever be a staple favourite, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. However, I have a feeling that I'm really going to enjoy How To Be Single when I go to see it.

21. Favourite TV shows?

I've watched every episode of Friends at least 30 times. That's not even an exaggeration. I'm completely up to date with Pretty Little Liars, and I absolutely LOVED Desperate Housewives. It's so scandalous. 

22. PC or Mac?

Maaaaac. I have a laptop at the moment but I really want to save up for a Mac, I just think they're much better and easier to use. Plus, they're pretty.

23. What phone do you have?

I have a space grey iPhone 6.

24.How tall are you?

I am 5'7. Kind of average for a girl I suppose. I'm taller than my mum!

25.Can you cook?

I won't starve, let's just say that. I enjoy baking more than cooking, so I don't tend to cook much.

So that's it! I'd love to know your answers to the questions so make sure you comment or let me know if you write a post like this!

I'll see you all very soon!

Katie xo