Alternative advent calendar #19

Check out the Christmas jumper on Julian!  Not only that, check out the Topshop pose he's pulling off so well!  As part of our work Secret Santa lunch everyone wore a fantastic array of Christmas jumpers, tinsel and Santa hats.

Everyone got a present, whoever was my Secret Santa knew how much I love good wrapping paper :)

There was certainly a touch of Christmas magic in the air, by this point in the term everyone at my work is shattered but everyone kicked back and enjoyed an extended lunch with an enormous buffet and presents :)

Alternative advent calendar #18

So snowflakes yeah?  They're pretty awesome when you take a closer look.  Anyone who follows me on Pinterest will notice I go through phases where I will pin all the Christmas things, or all the pictures of mushrooms or in this instance snowflakes.  Here are some of my favourite snowflake pictures...

For image sources click here

 

Alternative advent calendar #17

This post should more accurately be titled 'The amazing things my friend Katrina can do with gingerbread'.  We had a Secret Santa lunch last week at work where everyone brought in food and snacks and we kicked back for a long lunch (more of this in a later post).  As part of the event Katrina made a gingerbread village (!) where the gingerbread houses were lit from the inside with battery powered tealights (!!).  It looked awesome but we're all too in awe of it to start tucking in!

Alternative advent calendar #16

Last year I didn't dare have my nice baubles on the tree because Mewster was still so young and bouncy.  She is still a lively character but I trust her enough not to jump up the tree or destroy my precious decorations!

I've kept things very minimal this year, lights and maybe ten or fifteen baubles, the tree we bought was really dense and looks great it doesn't need excessive decoration for it to be beautiful.  Plus it smells amazing!  There have been so many white artificial trees on the blogs I read and they look amazing, at the last car boot sale I went to I was tempted many, many times to buy one, but... I just love the smell of a real tree I don't know if I can do it??

Alternative advent calendar #15

Shameless Christmas present wantsies...

// 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 //

Alternative advent calendar #14

I haven't done a life lately for a long time so if you follow me on instagram some of these photos will be familiar... apologies.

// 1 // 2 // Mewster taking some time out to sit on towers of boxs and files

// 3 // 4 // Mewster taking some time out to schlomp about the house

// 5 // Being a bit right on and protesting the EDL presence in my home town

// 6 // Getting some fresh air and having a stomp in the woods with my wellies on, literally the best thing

// 7 // Embracing winter and filling up on homemade stodgy pies packed with homegrown veg

// 8 // Buying and making MozzyMr wear daft hats.  Best IKEA purchase ever.

// 9 // Making metres of paper chains for decorating the office

Alternative advent calendar #13

Over Christmas I get a little over a week off work and I am so grateful for that time especially as I have known the horrors of Christmas time in retail.

During that time off I have a few aims, some festive, some not:

• Bake mince pies
• Take a walk on the beach
• Dig up fresh parsnips from the allotment for Christmas dinner
• Fix the side light on the car (ohh Christmasy!)
• Hang out with family and friends
• Wear a Christmas jumper
• Have at least one glass of mulled wine
• Dig more of the allotment over
• Do some work at the studio
• Quality time with MozzyMr
• Read, read, read!
• Watch Dr Who and Sherlock!
• Have a bonfire on the plot
• Beat MozzyMr at Trivial Pursuit (pfft as if)

What is on your list?