I know, I know, Christmas is all I can talk about lately but, as a huge fan of the festive season, I wanted to share the five things I love about December. I have mentioned in the past that I suffer with my mental health, and I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which means that I find autumn and winter hard as the days get shorter and the weather can be grey and miserable most of the time.
Fortunately for me, December offers a bit of a reprieve as I can focus on Christmas and all the fun activities and events and it distracts me enough to take myself out of my own head for a little while. These are five of the things that I look forward to as the calendar flips to the last month of the year.
Advent Calendars
I am a big kid when it comes to Christmas and I always, without fail have an advent calendar. For the past few years I have treated myself to a beauty calendar as well as a chocolate one (I know, I am totally greedy) and I was so excited to start opening mine last weekend. I have the You Magazine advent calendar, which has lots of fantastic beauty brands included plus the Galaxy chocolate advent calendar to satisfy my sweet tooth. The children and Ed have lego advent calendars and Benjamin has a Peppa Pig one this year to avoid him feeling left out. There is something so lovely about starting each day of December opening our calendars.
Wrapping Presents
I like to be organised and this year I finished my Christmas shopping back in November but I try and wait until December to start wrapping up the presents. It is the perfect excuse to whack on a Christmas film or some festive tunes and make a night of it with a nice glass of prosecco. I have so many presents to wrap this year that I think I may need to do it in shifts.
Spending Time with Family & Friends
I absolutely love all the social events that December brings as it means spending time with those close to me. I have a packed diary over the next month and I can’t wait to get my Christmas spirit on and celebrate with friends and family. I have a Christmas party coming up with blogger friends, a meal with my ‘mum friends’ and a meet-up with old work friends and I cannot wait. Plus I am seeing lots of family over Christmas and going for our annual Christmas family reunion just before we head off to Disneyland so December is going to be jam packed with festive cheer for me!
Giving Gifts
I love receiving presents but I love giving gifts more. There is something amazing about finding the perfect present for loved ones at this time of year and seeing their happiness when they open your gift. I usually cave and ask people what they want but this year I haven’t and have gone out and chosen things I think they would love myself so I am crossing my fingers they love them as much as I hope!
Christmas at Disneyland
Ok, I am not actually in Disneyland for Christmas Day itself but we are going to be there a few days afterwards and it will still be decorated and very festive! We are going to be at the park on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day so I am really excited to spend such a special time with close family in my happy place.
What do you love about December? Do you have any special plans this year?