Christmas Countdown Day Six - Christmas Eve Eve!

It’s Christmas Eve Eve! There is only one more door on the advent calendar to open, and two sleeps until Christmas so it’s all getting very exciting…

Today we haven’t stopped baking and cooking all day! We have prepared all of the Ukrainian food ready to cook for Christmas dinner, and the last of the Christmas baking is done and ready for tomorrow.

I thought that for the last post in the countdown to Christmas I would put together a playlist of 50 Christmas songs for any parties you may need to provide a soundtrack to, or if you just need a compilation of Christmas music for Christmas day!

Here is a link to the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/katieemorgan14/playlist/3mqbtOvi6NsgzU76fD7psc?si=ORns9TQGTuOZD9jccaiBnw

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Christmas Countdown Day Five! - Tree Decorations

Our Christmas tree is a mishmash of all of the Christmas ornaments we have collected over the years, most of them have stories behind them or are handmade by one of my sisters or my Mum which makes decorating the tree a really fun job as we go through all of our baubles.

This year we decorated the tree with my niece who provided much entertainment by taking the decorations out of the box and declaring to all of us “it sounds breakable!” about every single one. She also used me as a step ladder to get to the tree while I was fixing the Christmas tree skirt…

Every year me and my sisters get a new ornament from Mum and Dad, when both of my sisters moved out it meant that they had almost enough decorations each to decorate their own trees. I have seen a few really lovely decorations this year, with a country twist that I thought I would share.

The first one is this gorgeous glass bauble filled with pheasant feathers from Feathers & Fluff this is a really elegant and whimsical looking bauble that would look lovely on a Christmas tree. I love the look of glass baubles with the soft fairy lights, this bauble is currently out of stock so you may have to wait until next year to order one but it is a very reasonable £5.99 otherwise.  

Next up is this pack of decorations from Jack Wills, they are more of an investment at £19.95 for a pack of 4, although it does work out cheaper per ornament than the last one, but they are adorable and I am particularly a fan of the defender one! These might be a good option if you have a pet or child that wrecks havoc with the Christmas tree as there will be no breakage!

Lastly, this personalised Stag head bauble. This one is more expensive at £7.99 but it would be a lovely gift or commemorative decoration as you can get it personalised with a name or message. Perhaps this would be a nice gift for a family with a new addition, or as a little wedding gift or something similar!

If you’re feeling super organised you could order a couple new baubles this year and put them away with the Christmas decorations and it will be like Christmas (because it is??) next year when you come to get the decorations out next year and you’ve forgotten all about them!

Links to products mentioned:

1) Feathers & Fluff Bauble - https://www.feathersandfluff.co.uk/product-page/pheasant-feather-christmas-bauble

2) Jack Wills Decorations - http://www.asos.com/jack-wills/jack-wills-christmas-decoration-set-union-jack-theme/prd/8906597?affid=14173&channelref=product+search&mk=abc&currencyid=1&ppcadref=761030380%7C47156021942%7Caud-307424994624%3Apla-391969337411&_cclid=v3_ba1ef339-33f6-549d-a1dc-87cde82449c4&gclid=Cj0KCQiA9_LRBRDZARIsAAcLXjdOPGkq7wfPYiGqVS5xJwDQ3jK8fFDxt-LzgKaFLnBuSIxvwVWrV4gaAnBrEALw_wcB

3) Stag Bauble - https://www.alittlebitspecial.co.uk/personalised-highland-stag-bauble-40063-p.asp?gclid=Cj0KCQiA9_LRBRDZARIsAAcLXjdkpRnncdaiQLrqPLnPsDSszsjrfVcj1pjvqqGG_UIGYsPCMUEF-V4aApmuEALw_wcB

Christmas Countdown Day Four! - Christmas Traditions

Every family has different traditions at Christmas time, I love hearing about other people’s family traditions as everyone seems to do Christmas so differently.

In my family, Christmas usually starts with us going to the local Christmas tree farm to get a tree. Ever since I was really little we have been taking our video camera to fetch the Christmas tree and then filming the day, we have videos from every year and they are really lovely memories to have!

As we have some Ukrainian heritage, part of our traditional Christmas dinner incorporates some classic Ukrainian dishes. In the couple of days before Christmas, we usually have a big cooking day when we make Nalysnyky (savoury crepes filled with cottage cheese and dill baked in cream) and Holubtsi (cabbage rolls filled with rice baked in a tomato sauce). We have these alongside all of the usual turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

As well as the Ukrainian food, we tend to do a lot of Christmas baking! So far this year we have made icebox cookies which is my great grandma's recipe, they are a bit similar to gingerbread; iced shortbread biscuits and I have also made some fairy cakes for my Chemistry class. The only bit of baking we still have to get done is the butter tarts which are little pastry dishes filled with raisins, brown sugar and butter.

I have been at my school from year 7 to year 13 and every year, the penultimate day of term before Christmas is a festive day where we can wear tinsel and Christmas jumpers. The teachers put on a pantomime and we all wind down to the end of term, today was our last ever tinsel day as it’s our last year! We went out with a bang, I went all out with my Christmas jumper, light up necklace and reindeer antler scrunchie. There was lots of tinsel, Christmas lights and glitter all over school.

I hope you enjoyed today’s post, only 2 more days until Christmas Eve! Come back tomorrow for another post!

Christmas Countdown Day Three! - Christmas Movies

Christmas movies are undoubtedly one of the best things about the holidays. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good (or not so good) made for TV Christmas movie but I’ve also got a few favourites that I could watch year after year…

One of my ultimate favourite Christmas movies, and has been since I was really little, is the Raymond Briggs Father Christmas movie, the illustrations are fabulous. I have watched it once already this year with my niece, she’s 3 and she seemed to really like it too! This is a great movie to watch with kids, younger siblings or nieces and nephews. We have the book too which is great to read at Christmas time.

Another movie I really love to watch at Christmas is The Holiday. It’s such a feel-good film, and even though I must have seen it at least 10 times it’s always one of my top picks. I would definitely recommend this one for a cosy Sunday at home (perhaps Christmas eve?!) with a hot chocolate and a blanket!

Lastly, a controversial Christmas classic - Die Hard. I’m a big Die Hard fan, I’d go as far as to say I’m as big a fan as Jake from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Bruce Willis is one of my favourite actors of all time, so even though it’s not strictly a Christmas movie (it is set at Christmas!!) I count it as a Christmas movie! This is also a good choice for when you’re feeling slightly overwhelmed by all of the Christmas spirit and you need a break - but not so much that you don’t want to watch something a little bit Christmassy.

That’s all for today, but the Christmas baking has commenced in my house this afternoon so keep your eyes peeled for tomorrow’s post!

Christmas Countdown Day Two! - Christmas Jumpers

One of my favourite things about Christmas is breaking out my Christmas jumpers. I have got a few, one of my favourites is this one from Sainsbury’s with a sheep on it saying Baa Humbug!

I am also a fan of some of the more subtle Christmas jumpers, and I have put this one (also from Sainsbury’s!) into my jumper rotation, and I’ve been wearing it to sixth form since the start of December!

I thought I would pick out a few of my favourite Christmas jumpers that I’ve seen available this year to showcase them!

Firstly, this one from Rydale (big surprise, when do my posts not feature Rydale!). This is a really cute Christmas jumper in a fair isle style, but it has a farming twist as one of the lines in the pattern is a row of tractors! This would be a great gift for the farmer in your life, and a perfect outfit for a young farmers christmas meal… It’s a steal at only £15, and although it is in the mens section, ladies could definitely pull it off too!

Another lovely one is this Joules festive Game Bird jumper, I love the colour of this one and the design. It has a few touches of glitter and it would look really nice with a tweed skirt I think as it isn’t as patterned as some. It is a little bit more expensive at £49.96, but will last you ages as you only wear it a couple of times a year, and doesn’t seem to be available on the Joules website any more but you can find it here.

The last one I have picked out is this fair isle one from Fat Face, I have a few bits and bobs from Fat Face and it always seems like really good quality. This Christmas jumper is another one you could probably get away with wearing all December, it comes in a few different colours but I think that the navy one might be my favourite! This one is available on the fat face website for £45.

I hope you have enjoyed day two of the countdown to Christmas, be sure to check back for another post tomorrow!

Christmas Countdown Day One! - Stocking Fillers

Hello and Merry Christmas (well almost anyway)! This is the first of six posts I will be doing this week to get in the Christmas spirit, today’s topic is Stocking Fillers!

Christmas is exactly one week today so hopefully, you are finished all of your Christmas shopping and decorating, but if you’ve still got a few more stocking fillers to pick up then here are a few ideas…

1. Chocolate

Chocolate is a Christmas essential, and a gift I’m sure anyone would be delighted to receive. Cadbury’s is always a winner, but I have recently been introduced to these Lily O’Briens chocolates by my lovely secret santa and they are delicious too!

2. A Pom Pom Hat

We have had a lot of snow here in England in the last few weeks and it has been very cold so some winter essentials would be a very practical gift. There are some lovely bits in the shops at the moment, like this hat (that also came from my secret santa!) from Rydale. It is lovely and warm, and kept my head cosy last night when we went to do the horses, and has a fabulous pink pom pom on top!

3. A Key Ring

Everyone seems to have one of those fluffy pom poms on their keys at the moment, a lovely gift would be one of these Alpaca ones from Bayard Alpacas. I picked mine up from the Royal Three Counties show this summer and it’s so soft and fluffy. It would make a lovely gift, and the alpaca fur adds a touch of luxury to your keys.

4. A Good Book

If you’re lucky enough to have some time off over Christmas, it’s a great time to curl up with a book and a cup of tea. I have really enjoyed reading Amanda Owen’s book The Yorkshire Shepherdess, it would make a great gift as it’s a great read.

5. A Nail Polish

To go with that time off, it’s nice to have a bit of a pamper. It’s lovely to receive some bits that you might not think to get for yourself, nail polish is a nice gift and Christmas is a time to go all out with your colours. I picked out this metallic gold one by Essie in the shade Copper Penny, it would be a great colour for New Year's Eve!

6. A Polo Belt

A polo belt is a slightly more pricey but extra special gift, I wear my polo belt almost every day and it is such a useful accessory to have. Pampeano is one of the big brands for polo belts but mine is from Rydale and it's brilliant, Tottie also do some really nice and affordable ones.

Make sure to check back here tomorrow for another Christmassy post!

My Top 3 Country Coats: Winter 2017 Edition

It’s pretty much Christmas now (none of that - “it’s too early for the C-word” here!), so I’m declaring it definitely winter.

Winter is great because you can get out all of the jumpers, thermal leggings and thick boot socks you want, but it is also wet and rainy in England. So a good coat is essential.

I have rounded up my top 3 coats for winter (and Autumn & Spring I suppose) into a handy list for you in case you were looking to do some winter wardrobe shopping, so here it goes…

Number One - Tweed of course!

What sort of coat round-up would it be without a bit of tweed? My go-to coat for hunting or days out when I don’t know what the weather is going to do - it’s warm, pretty waterproof and hardy. If you don’t have one already you’ve probably been living under a rock - or in a really hot country!

I got my tweed for Christmas a few years ago and I wouldn’t go a winter without one now.

Mine is a Bronte one that I got from a country retailer local to me. I actually got the men's fit because I wanted something longer that would keep me really warm - function over fashion!

There are loads of good ones out there- Rydale are really reasonable and good quality, Schoffel are very sleek and functional. I would recommend going and looking at them in person so you can get a look at the tweed in person and pick one you like!

Number Two - One to keep out the rain (and wind)!

When I started working at my local riding stables I knew there were 2 things I needed to invest in- good boots and a genuinely waterproof waterproof. I picked up one from Merrell online for around £60. I can’t seem to find it online (I did buy it back in 2013 mind) but the tag says opti-shell if that means anything to you! It’s the most waterproof coat I’ve ever worn. The zips are all sealed and the coat, although thin, is like a rubber glove on the inside and its ripstop on the outside. It’s one layer thick so there’s nowhere for the water to hide - and it doesn’t. I’ve been wearing this coat in rain so heavy that my jodhpurs are soaked through but I stayed dry on top. I think that they may have discontinued it but I know that Under Armour and Helly Hansen both have similarly impenetrable jackets if you take a look.

Number Three - A good allrounder!

A year or so ago I needed a coat that I could wear to sixth form that I could also wear to the yard, the pub, the woods, you name it - so I went to Rydale. I picked up their ‘Diamond Quilted Waxed Jacket’ in Olive. I love this coat - it is pretty waterproof, warm and good to layer under as well. It was a steal at £40 and you can order it online from their website. I would recommend this coat for the countryside or the city - I’ve even had compliments on it from people at sixth form asking where it’s from!

So whatever you’re up to this winter, I hope this has helped you pick a good winter coat! And if you're in any doubt - a Barbour never looks out of place.

Products mentioned:

1. Bronte Men's Tweed https://www.warwickshireclothing.com/bronte-mens-shooting-hunting-tweed-jacket.html

2. Merrell Opti-Shell (no longer available) 

3. Rydale Diamond Quilted Waxed Jacket https://www.rydale.com/products/ladies-diamond-quilted-wax-jacket?variant=1732260676