Category Archives: Holidays

Christmas Tree

Today was the first day that we started playing Christmas songs at work. Luckily they are laced in with the regular songs, so I think they will be enjoyable through the Holidays without getting over played. When I stepped outside of work tonight, I noticed all the Christmas lights were up down the street in Burgess Hill. It was very beautiful and seeing Christmas lights are one of my favourite elements of the season. Upon coming home I decided I was in need of some holiday cheer. So the boys and I put up our Christmas tree. I found this one the other day at a charity shop, originally from Marks & Spencers, for only 5 quid. The boys and Ryan had gotten decorations from IKEA on their shopping trip today and so we got to decorate the tree together after dinner. We have a red and silver theme this year, and it looks very Christmas-y in the corner. I do miss my Blue and Silver ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ tree from Hawai’i. But I look forward to building up our Christmas decor while we are living here in England.

Burgess Hill is lit up with Christmas lights.

Ronan and Maddox decorating our tree

Our Christmas Tree 2011

Advent Calendars

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I have put off buying advent calendars for the boys since October. That is when I saw them appearing in the stores and every time we saw them the boys would ask to buy one. Christmas just seemed so far off. Then December arrived and I found myself rushing off to the store on my lunch break at work, hoping they still had some in stock. They had a whole variety of advent calendars but I decided to go with Cadbury since I knew the chocolate tastes the best. The boys were quite excited about having their calendars and have enjoyed getting to find their daily chocolate thus far. I might have to buy a box of Roses for Ryan and I to share ever day. But how do you eat just one? Might be time to start making a lot of hot chocolate. What are things you like to eat or drink to stay warm in this time of the year?

The boys with their sausages in a baguette for a walk home treat from school.

Maddox with his Cadbury Advent calendar

Ronan with his Cadbury Advent calendar

Holiday Make up

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I love sparkle. It is that special word that makes diamonds so appealing to my eyes. However diamonds are expensive and I do not own one yet. I do however have glitter, and that is this girl’s next best thing. Today for work I used Urban Decay’s glitter eyeliner wand in silver above my black maybelline liquid liner and finished my Chanel mascara. I got a lot of compliments at work from clients about my holiday make up. I am going to see what other holiday looks I can do for the next month.

Gingerbread Houses & More

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Tonight’s Christmas craft was this Gingerbread house. Ronan and Maddox had fun but wished it was edible so it could be eaten later. Maybe we will have time next month to make a real gingerbread house to fulfill their wish. I am not sure how easy it will be to find a gingerbread house kit here in England. So far I have not seen one and that would mean we would have to make one from scratch. Could be a fun adventure with gingerbread and sweets! If all else fails and it crumbles, we can eat the evidence.

Ronan and Maddox with our finished Gingerbread house.

Gingerbread house has a very glittery roof.

Decorated with lots of candy and sweets!

Today Maddox brought home a Christmas wreath that he made yesterday with his class. The parents of his reception class were invited to stay in the morning to help them with the Christmas craft activities they were doing with the kids in Nursery. Maddox got to hand paint on a Christmas tree, make a decoration for the tree, decorate part of a snowman, fill in the colour on Santa’s sleigh, and make a Christmas wreath. There was lots of paper, paint, glue, and glitter involved and much fun was had by all. I really enjoyed getting to spend the special time with Maddox in his class.

Green handprints to decorate the tree at Maddox’s school

Maddox decorated his ornament for the tree.

Maddox with his decorated ornament…with a quite a lot of glitter!

A sleigh ride decorated with paper and material in different colours.

Decorating a snowman with scrunched up paper.

Last craft was to make and decorate his own Christmas Wreath which he got to bring home today.

Ready to Deck the Halls with Christmas Cheer!

Sainsburys Scavenger Hunt

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Friday is here and upon finishing my last client for the day at the Salon, I ran to the rail station to catch the next train home. I got out a little late and so I made the train it by literally seconds. Getting off the train I walked straight over to my kids’ school to pick them up. I got there just in time to see Ronan returning from the pool for swimming day. He had a fun day at the new pool and was excited to tell me all about his adventure. With a bag full of supplies for the kids’ nativity costumes, their school bags, and the PE kit we started our walk home. Unfortunately as we reached our front door I realized that my keys were hanging safely on my jacket hook in our entry way and not in my bag. With the sun setting earlier and the weather getting colder, going to the park or waiting in the stairwell would both be out of the question. I texted my partner who was still meeting with his class at Uni in Brighton. With two different trains to get back home, it could be an hour before we could inside our home. So what to do? I took my kids to the Sainsburys grocery store down the street and browse. We did okay but the store was quite cold. Solution? A scavenger hunt brought to you by a friend of mine over text messages. The boys found something and they got rewarded with a photo of something Batman related. Moods got uplifted and soon it was time to head back home.

Christmas Tree lit up in our town.

Maddox looking at the Christmas Decorations

Scavenger Hunt at Sainsbury’s to pass the time and cure boredom.

Found a fruit that does not start with a vowel, and Ronan is beaming with excitement.

Reindeer Max

Found a little Charlie Brown tree. Might put it on our Holiday list.

Signs of Christmas

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Signs of the Christmas holidays are now popping up in the store fronts of the shops on the high streets in England. There is a cute botique of bespoke interior design pieces for the home on our walk to school. They have recently redone their window with many Christmas elements, including two vintage wooden rocking horses that the boys like to look at when we pass by. I cannot help but be drawn into the window myself, looking for any ideas we can use at home for our own holiday decor. There is something about the dark overcast skies, that causes the holiday fairylights to grab you like a magnet. Ronan was also really impressed by the Christmas tree at the grocery store with all its holiday decorations. He has already been bitten by the holiday bug and has started writing Christmas poetry too. Maddox has been talking about what cookies he wants to make with Ronan. So far Monster cookies are on our list as well as homemade marshmellows. I will need to trade in our gingerhouse this year and teach the boys the deliciousness that is Christmas pudding. I so look forward to celebrating our first holiday here in England.

Ronan & Maddox gazing into the shop’s Christmas window display.

Holiday Forecast calls for Snow!

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I love the winter holiday season, though I usually wait until after the American holiday of Thanksgiving in November to start ‘Decking the Halls’. It is no wonder when every department store and other businesses start celebrating earlier and earlier each year. Even here in England, before Halloween has arrived, there are Christmas decorations and goodies for sale in the shops on the high streets. This year I feel a little bit different about the whole affair. Part of it is because the usual marker of when to officially start preparing for Christmas, is not a celebration here in England obviously. There is also the reasoning that because Thanksgiving falls on my birthday this year, I am not all together to keen to go out of my way to celebrate it. My partner’s birthday is coming up this week for his big Three 0 and my birthday will follow it an exact week later. Having just moved to the country we are not really going to be going all out with celebration parties. So with Bonfire night behind us, the next holidays are Hanukah, Christmas, and New Years and I am definitely looking forward to bringing some holiday cheer to our house. I have been on Pinterest, Etsy, and a few other websites looking for some creative and fun ideas that the boys and I can do this year. The easiest and most affordable was to start making snowflakes, and I really want to make quite a lot to put up around the house and from the windows. We started tonight with me teaching the boys as they learn how to make

snowflakes from cutting up pieces of paper. I let the boys fold the paper and draw their design, while I cut them out with the scissors. We had quite a bit of fun as we talked about other things we could to decorate our house. I look forward to the further posts I can share with you all about how we are getting ready for the Holiday season ahead.