The Christmas Tag

It's now November, Christmas is just around the corner and I can bet you're in two camps: the people who grumble about festivity and feel no need to fuel this ridiculous obsession with Christmas before December or the people who light up when the Christmas lights do, get excited when The Pogues first come on the radio and stock up your baskets when the first glimmer of Christmas hits the shops. I'm the latter (hell, I started a Festive October tag on Twitter).

I've seen tags going around about Christmas before and even completed a few but I don't feel they're festive enough so I'm giving it a go. If you do this please comment or tweet he (@ohhelloella) so I can read what you've said. You don't need to be tagged specifically to do this so feel free to share it around. So whether you wear Christmas jumpers ironically or really wish Mrs Weasley had knitted you one, come join in!

What time of the year do you start your Christmas shopping?
I start in January mainly because I'm cheap and I love a good sale. With Christmas cards down below the £1 mark and Christmas sets less than half price it's a great time to grab gifts to spread out throughout the year or just for next Christmas. Christmas centred shopping usually starts in late October to mid-November to spread the cost a little.

Do you have any festive recipes for food or drink you limit solely to the Christmas season to share?
I make chocolate truffles every year on December 1st to sample with a big glass of chilled Baileys after putting up our tree and miscellaneous decorations. I tend to do a mix of milk chocolate and white chocolate with coconut, nut or chocolate shavings as a coating. Delicious and impeccably festive piled on top a reindeer plate against twinkling lights.

Tell me how Christmas goes down in your home
We wake up impossibly early with excited children bouncing around our feet so much so that we have to carry them downstairs. Boyfriend usually shouts something about how he hates Christmas but we dutifully ignore him as for that morning we are all children. We take it in turns to open our stockings and our presents all sat in a wiggly semi-circle around the tree while I take far too many photos than is really necessary and get a bit of a shock as I usually forget what I've bought everyone despite wrapping them only two weeks earlier. I pop off and prepare the meat for lunch, clean up and get the house in order while the girls relax with their new gifts and Elf on DVD in the background. By the afternoon I'm merry on red wine and a spiked few coffees while my vocal chords have been tested to The Pogues, Sinatra and Buble. We eat, I get into pyjamas and for the rest of the day we just enjoy each other, take the dogs out for a walk and just appreciate the time we have to just be.

Do you have any Christmas traditions?
My best friend and I buy each other tree decorations every year, we always take a walk with the dogs after Christmas lunch and I bake too many horrifyingly calorie filled treats to enjoy.

Do you have a favourite festive coffee?
I'm an egg nog latte girl from Starbucks but this year I'm making sure I taste every festive drink on the menu to find another favourite.

What's your favourite Christmas song?
The Pogues - Fairytale Of New York. Overplayed, barely a Christmas song but such a classic and I can't help but feel festive when I hear it. Plus, my ginned up rendition on karaoke is something to behold.

What do you do on Christmas Eve?
I always prepare a little box full of treats, new pyjamas, new cosy socks and a DVD for the girls. At about 5pm we open them, put on the pyjamas and socks, snuggle up and watch the festive DVD next to the tree while scoffing treats. Last year I put in Elf. This year I'm thinking It's A Wonderful Life.

What's your Christmas wrapping strategy? Do you have a strategy?
I'm well organised. I have metres and metres of brown packing paper, red and white butchers twine, red bows and ribbon, scissors, pre cut sellotape (by pre-cut I mean I do it with my teeth and stick it to the edge of the coffee table ready for use) and I dedicate an entire night to it. Boyfriend is much more neat than I am but I deserve the gold star because I try.

What's your dream gift this year?
I'd love a MacBook Pro. I know it's not going to happen, mainly because I've not been very good this year and Santa generally snubs me.

Describe your Christmas tree. How tall? Real or artificial? How is it decorated?
My tree is a 7ft artificial tree and it's decorated in traditional red, gold, green and white - very Scandanavian with a tiny amount of bling. White fairy lights only, a teeny bit of gold tinsel and a big star on top. Last year we had an angel but I was slightly creeped out by her face so I accidentally on purpose smashed her and bought a star.

Do you decorate just the tree or other areas of your house e.g. windows, bannisters?
I decorate the windows really simply with baubles attached to clear fishing wire and the bannisters are usually threaded with a lot of greenery. This year we're adding a wreath to do the door and a mantle feature with candles in clear glass vases, pine cones and LED lights.

What do you wear to Christmas parties and what do you wear on Christmas day?
I wear a red or black dress to Christmas parties and accessorise with gold. Classic and timeless, nothing too garish. On Christmas day at home however I am garish. Snuggly socks, leggings and a Christmas jumper in the morning, a simple 50's style red dress for dinner and photos and back in the same lazy loungewear to walk the dogs and for comfort in the evening.

If you did this tag you can comment or tweet me at @ohhelloella as I'd love to read your answers!