Better Late than never, here is a run down of what I got for Christmas, due to my husband actually having some time off, lots of work  and other circumstances I have not been able to log as often as I had promised, expect to be overloaded!

I haven't had time to do a full post on all my presents this year, but suffice to say that I had a lot, I was very spoiled by everyone and got a hell of a lot more than I expected.

My Main Presents off my husband were a beautiful white gold necklace and a Kindle Fire HD, which I'm in love with and he has become a Kindle Widow, ha, and he now wants one for his birthday.

I've been a very busy lady, meeting and greeting and shopping and working, I have barely had anytime to myself in the last week. I do apologise to you if you are a regular reader to the lack of interesting or amount of posts over the last two week, and I promise that in the new year this will go back to normal!

I have been out today getting a charger and a case for my kindle and looking around the sales, which as far as I could tell look quite crap. I remember when almost everything in a shop would be reduced for the boxing day sale, now its a few little racks or shelves. I did manage to pick up a top and a pair of slipper, got my husband another game and a pair of jeans, but all in all i was pretty disappointed.

With the New Year approaching, there is still lots to do and only really time to start relaxing on Jan the 2nd.

What did you get for Christmas? would love to hear about your presents or plans for the new year!

2 more sleeps, one more day, last minute rush and the final calm before the storm. Christmas is almost here, as my friend has said this is Christmas Eve eve!

I love 6pm tomorrow night, when all shops (bar a few corner ones) close and if you haven't remembered or have missed something then its tough cookies, It's just time to relax and calm down and try and enjoy the few hours peace before Christmas day is upon you.

I will be (after a day of drinking and gossip with Laura) having a nice glass of baileys and trying to get ready for the next day where I have to drive over half the city, meeting family and doing different Christmas day activities such as going to church, trying goose for the first time, and stuffing my face with all the junk food I can (Plus lots of presents)

Right now bed is calling me and I can't wait til about 7pm where I get to open 1 present early, I am such a Child!

This is a pic of what my 'Secret Santa' has got me.

This is the first time that I have ever taken part in a Secret Santa and I have to say it is kind of fun.
It's part of my work trying to make it more festive and give staff more Christmas spirit. So far I have enjoyed it, I found it hard to buy for the person that I pulled the name out of the hat for, but thanks to a few suggestions from Laura, I found something that I think she will love (and if not I will happily take it back and keep it for myself).

When we put the gifts in a pile and picked ours, it ended up as not much of a 'secret' everyone was asking the other and I figured out who mine was just by the handwriting, I can say that it did spoil the fun a little bit, but it was a really nice way to bond and have some time as a team instead of just running around like looney's and chasing after customers.

I really hope that we do this again, or that I do a Secret Santa with another group. It is a really nice way to be more inclusive and to try and enjoy the holiday, its like a little teaser. I can see the fun in not knowing who picked out what and trying to guess.

Have you ever taken part in a 'Secret Santa'? would love to hear what you got?

There are so many different traditions that people do, I have read many different ones and my favorite that I've heard is my friend who moves an elf statue around the house and tells the children that the elf will report to Santa and tell him if they are being naughty. This is fabulous and I may have to adopt this when I have any children.

My first Christmas tradition is putting the decoration up on 30th November ready for December. I don't know why this has come about, but it is what I do every year. My parents were not so strict with the date, but I am.
As soon as all the presents are wrapped they go under the tree, even if their for other people (this makes me look more popular than I am LOL). I always arrange to meet people to exchange presents within two week before Christmas, I can't abide doing it any earlier. this is just my nature, I feel that any sooner and it ruins the run up to Christmas. Though there is one particular friend (Laura) who would open them as soon as she got them so I do my best to get hers to her as close to the big day as possible, this year we are meeting up on Christmas eve.

My best friend and I (Laura - as mentioned above) also have a tradition of buying each other a Christmas Tree decoration each year, This way our decorations grow and we have our own personal story to tell, I would love to start doing this with more of my friends, but then it wouldn't be so special.

I always open one present on Christmas Eve, I never choose a big one, but just something to open to tease for the next day, My husband has embraced this tradition with some rather zealous enthusiasm as he is a giant kid. This has been a tradition for as long as I can remember, My parents used to pick the present for me, to make sure it wasn't my main present, but as an adult I now choose.

I still have advent calenders always given by my mother in law and I have to have a stocking. Once again the big kid was happy to adopt this. I love waking up about 7/8 and opening my stocking, and we always put on our Christmas hats and wear them until we have opened the gifts. Then while I adjust (as I'm not a morning person) Nick makes me a cup of tea/hot chocolate and turns all the lights on as I come into the living room. Then we start to open our presents, we always take turns one at a time and try and have fun and make it last as long as we can.

When I had a dog, we'd always give him the paper to play with, that was the dogs Christmas, paper to eat! After all the present fun, I start to prepare for dinner, peel & cut veg, get stuffing mix ready and normally start cooking about 11. With dinner/cooking comes some alcohol, normally Baileys or Disaronno and Coke an of course some Crackers, and then wear the stupid cracker hats for an hour or two.

These are my tradition and I'm sure there are many others that do this and more,
What are your traditions, I would love to hear what makes your Christmas special!