I wonāt insult anyoneās intelligence by recapping what 2020 has thrown at us, but I do want to emphasise the fact that I think it threw it at us. You can interpret that however youād like to I guess; be it the general us as a society, or the us that is you and …
This blog post contains affiliate links. Ā Ā I say it pretty much every year, but for me the wrapping is just as important as the present. Seeing a bundle of packages wrapped under the tree makes me infinitely happy and truth be told, so does the wrapping of them. I take it in stages throughout …
This post contains affiliate links. Wool Jumper, Ā£69 I spend a lot of time throughout the year thinking about Christmas. Iām that guy. I start buying presents as early as January, making mental notes of things people didnāt get for Christmas I knew they wanted, or what they liked from other peopleās festive …
This blog post contains affiliate links. Every year I tell myself I don’t ‘need’ any more Christmas decorations. But early November it arrives and that small niggling voice saying ‘go on, just have a quick look at John Lewis’ selection…’ arrives soon after. It’s closely followed by an internal argument about the fact I …
I firmly believe the roast potato is the King of the Christmas Dinner. Perhaps it’s because I’m a vegetarian and everyone else’s King (the devil on horseback) doesn’t land on my plate, or perhaps it’s just because years of practise, trial and error have lead me to a recipe that creates the perfect roast potatoes, …
Most of you know will know by now that to me the wrapping of a present is just as important as what’s inside. Aside from decorating the tree, Christmas gift wrapping has to be one of my favourite tasks of the entire year. After last year’s semi-rustic brown paper wrapping schemeĀ I wanted something really …
Full disclosure here: I start my Christmas shopping in January. In fact if truth be told, I never really stop it. Throughout the year I pick up pieces as and when I see them, as ideas pop into my head or as Iām visiting somewhere. For some the very idea of that is enough to …
My family isn’t overtly religious, but there’s enough of an undercurrent of belief there with my mum to mean as a child we had the kind of Advent Calendars that didn’t contain a foil wrapped chocolate treat behind each square but rather a picture of an object vaguely related to the Nativity. “Oh look …
Last year I made a pact with myself to start making more of the presents I was giving in an attempt to reduce the amount of things I bought at Christmas. It’s not that I don’t love the huge array of things out there to buy, but that it just feels so much more satisfying …
When I made the move back from London two years ago I was adamant I had to have a place with a guest bedroom. There was going to be long weekends, filled with friends who’ve made the journey up to Newcastle to visit. I’d make them epic breakfasts, they’d revel in the glory of …
