If you know me then you will know I am Christmas mad. I've decided to do a new series whereby I interview other bloggers about Christmas.
First up is my lovely friend Cathryn from Cardiff Mummy Says who is a parenting and lifestyle blogger from Cardiff.
1 1) Do you have any family Christmas
traditions?
Yes,
lots. When you ask people what they remember about Christmas as a child, for
most people it isn’t usually the presents, it’s the things they used to do and
how it made them feel. We both really want that for our children, to create
those magical memories.
My
husband and I have each brought some of our own family traditions and we have
created some together for our family. We do a lot of the usual ones – writing
letters to Father Christmas; leaving a mince pie, a drink and a carrot out for
Santa and his reindeers; leaving out stockings; reindeer dust etc. When I was
little, me and my brothers always used to do a little Christmas show for our
parents. I told my children this, and it has become one of our traditions too.
The angel on the top of our Christmas tree every year is one my husband and I
bought together, when we first moved in together. We always take a photo of it
being put onto the tree, usually my husband lifting one of the children up to
do it. We also always make a Christmas cake together as a family, read The
Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve, visit Winter Wonderland here in
Cardiff in the run up to Cardiff, go for a nighttime drive to see all the
lights on people’s houses – there are some amazingly decorated houses here in
Cardiff, we watch out for Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve (the International
Space Station)… so many traditions actually!
2) What’s your ultimate Christmas movie?
I
absolutely love Christmas films and we have regular family Christmas film
nights in the run up to Christmas. My favourites include Elf, The Snowman,
Miracle on 34th Street, and, not for the kids, It’s A Wonderful
Life. They all make me cry in their own way!
3 3) What 3 songs would be top of your festive
playlist?
Ooh,
only three? This is hard! So many Christmas songs I love!
Fairytale
of New York by the Pogues featuring Kirsty MacCall and then I love all the old
classics, such as Bing Crosby singing It’s
Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas and White Christmas; and I love the
carol O! Come All Ye Faithful. We always used to sing that in our school carol
service and I used to love doing the soprano harmonies in the last verse.
Plus
the whole Michael Buble Christmas album. We have that on in the car constantly
from mid-November! It wouldn’t be Christmas without it now.
4) Are you an online shopper or do you go to
the actual stores?
A
bit of both. I tend to buy toys I know they definitely want, books, CDs etc
online. I do a lot of it in advance, as December is a crazy birthday season for
me as well as Christmas so I need to be organised, but I love actually going
shopping during the festive season, soaking up all the atmosphere.
Do you make shopping lists or buy things
when you see something nice?
Again,
a bit of both. I think until you go shopping, you don’t know what’s out there
and I often see things I would have had no idea exist if I hadn’t seen them.
6 5) Do you send Christmas cards?
Yes!
I love Christmas cards. It’s so lovely to receive actual post that isn’t bills
or junk mail. I know it is completely cheesy but we take a photo of all our
children dressed in Christmas fancy dress (Santa, elves, reindeer etc) and that
picture goes on the front of our cards. We’ve done it every year and my kids
absolutely love it!
7 6) Do you have an elf on the shelf? What do
you do with it?
Yes,
we have three – one for each child – and this will be our fourth year of doing
it. We have cuddly toy elves, rather than the official one, and they stay with
us to learn all about Christmas, rather than to report back to Santa. Our elves
are playful rather than naughty, so every morning they are in a different
scenario, maybe stuck inside a box of cereal, or wrapped up in loo roll like an
Egyptian mummy etc.
8 7) Do you have chocolate advent calendars or
something else?
My
children each have a wooden advent calendar, and I absolutely adore them! I’m
not the biggest fan of chocolate advent calendars to be honest! One year, they
had beads to make a Christmas necklace with, another year they had a few Lego
bricks every day to build something. It’s nice for them to have something to
keep at the end of it.
9 8) Do you do a Christmas Eve box? If so what’s
in it?
My
children get a box on 1st December, rather than Christmas Eve, so
they have all month to enjoy it. The elves arrive on 1st December
and hey bring a box of goodies. The box, which is just a cardboard box wrapped
in Christmas wrapping paper, contains Christmas pyjamas (so they have all month
to wear them!), a Christmas DVD, a Christmas book, a Christmas jumper, and a
new Christmas decoration to go on the tree. I hope when they each leave home I
can give them all their special decorations to put on their own tree.
1 9) Do you make any gifts?
Not
really, I wish I could be that creative!
10) Do you do any Christmas crafts?
Yes!
I love doing all of that and we always make something. One year my daughter
made festive snowmen for everyone in the family, out of card and cotton wool. I
think she must have made about 25 in total – at her instigation. We made one
and she just wanted to keep on going! We still have our snowman family and
bring them out every year. Usually though, it’s something like footprint
reindeers or decorating a bauble.
1 11) If you could only eat 3 things from your
Christmas dinner, what would they be?
Roast
potatoes, red cabbage and my mushroom wellington I make every year (I’m
vegetarian).
1 12) What’s your favourite festive tipple?
A
Baileys on ice, always on Christmas Eve.
1 14) Where are you spending Christmas this year?
Christmas
Day will be in our house, with my parents. Last year we hosted 15 – all of my
husband’s family, including six children aged six and under, so this year will
be a lot calmer! Boxing Day will be at my husband’s brother’s house with all of
their family.
1 15) If you could go to any Christmas market in
the world where would you go?
It’s never really been on my radar of something
to do, if I’m honest. However, some of my girlfriends have just been talking
about going to Munich next year for a Christmas market, so perhaps it might be
that! I think I’d rather go to Disneyland Paris in the run up to Christmas
You can follow Cathryn on her social media channels here:
This is such a wonderful idea for a blog series, i love finding out how other people spend and celebrate Christmas! xx
ReplyDeleteFun idea for a blog series. I love its a wonderful life too - fave movie x
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a christmas box on the 1st- much smarter than christmas eve and makes so much more sense!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for featuring me on your blog, Kerry. I look forward to seeing the rest of the series. xxx
ReplyDeleteHaha Cathryn we have the same taste in so many things! I think our Christmases would be very similar. I have never done Elf on the Shelf but will probably start next year and I don't want a naughty Elf! Bear doesn't need any more ideas he's got enough of his own Lol
ReplyDeleteAmazing to hear other peoples take on Christmas. Folm for me is anything trkky. Food is lamb and drink is anything. Nice insight
ReplyDeleteWhat a fab blog series! It's lovely to hear how others are spending Christmas this year! x
ReplyDeleteGreat blog series! Would love to take part if you space left! x
ReplyDeleteGreat blog series! Would love to take part if you space left! x
ReplyDeleteThis is a fab blog series. I also love Fairytale of New York - it's the best!
ReplyDeleteWhat a really lovely interview and I also love the Pogues for Christmas, such an amazing song x
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a December long Christmas box. Might just start doing that myself from next year!
ReplyDeleteGreat questions, and answers! I am with you on the Baileys and ice!
ReplyDelete