Our Christmas tree went up this weekend. And by "went up", I mean poor John carried the 6-footer himself from the local garden centre while I croak-instructed him over the phone in my sickbed to, "Get something taller than me." All romantic notions of us carrying it together in netting while snow fell gently through the night, pausing under a street-lamp for a kiss while sleigh bells chimed softly in the background were dashed by this awful hacking cough I developed last week, which meant I was too exhausted to manage even the 5-minute walk to pick it out!
Last week, I splurged on this gorgeous Christmas tree skirt from John Lewis (I'd link to it but I think it's sold out!), which is trimmed with bells and red velvet. I kind of love it - and I'm excited that it'll be a part of our Christmas box for years to come.
We had a party on Saturday for our family and friends: a celebration of my birthday (which was last week), our new(ish) house and, of course, Christmas. John was on mulled wine duty while I made canapes and heated up the mince pies. It felt so festive and fun!
Usually at this time of year, I'm travelling back to the US to spend Christmas with my family in Washington State. I have a familiar routine of getting to Heathrow Terminal 5 early, picking up last-minute gifts in the Fortnum & Mason, Harrods and Jo Malone concessions before carefully tucking my purchases in the overhead compartment on the plane, falling asleep, and waking up to the announcement that we've landed at SeaTac International Airport.
This year? It's my family's turn to get on the plane and come to London. They'll be landing at Heathrow Terminal 5 and I'll be greeting them in Arrivals. I can't quite believe it's happening! We're going to Paris and Bruges before arriving back in London to celebrate Christmas at our house. I've just asked my mom to bring our stockings so I can have a bit of "home" in our new home.
What about you? How do you celebrate (or not celebrate) Christmas? I'd love to hear!
This month's travel link-up is all about celebrating the festive season and is hosted by Rebecca, Emma, Kelly, and Ayla. Head over to their blogs to read more posts about our current favorite subject: Christmas.
