• The Christmas Tag // #CountdownToChristmas •

I am so unbelievably excited to write this post - 

I've been waiting for the 1st December for a few weeks now! 

I'm taking part in the #CountdownToChristmas tag which was set up by Megan and Emily and the plan is to write a blog post, Christmas-related, every Monday and Friday. I won't spoil the surprise but there are some pretty amazing blog posts coming up including a few gift guides, a holiday survival kit and Christmas make up ideas. This post is The Christmas Tag, and I shall get right on with it!

Whats your favourite holiday movie?

A Muppets Christmas Carol, every time, each year. I love it. I'm not one for soppy, lovey-dovey films and much prefer hilarious (children's) films, and this one's a winner. There's just something about seeing Kermit in his little black coat, walking through the snow that always gets me so excited for Christmas!

What are your favourite Christmas colours?

I'm a bit boring and would have to go with maroon, navy, white and gold. I pretty much wear a deep berry/maroon lip from September onwards, I'm in navy all year round, white is just classic and reminds me of the snow, and gold is just traditionally Christmassy - the gold glitter tends to come out every year and ends up not only on my eye lids, but all over my face (Christmas fairy, anyone?)

Do you like to stay in your PJs or dress up for Christmas?

We're usually out of the house by about 10am every Christmas as we head over to my grandparents house, so I'd have to say dress up! We like to take lots of photos on Christmas day so we all make an effort; men in shirts, ladies in dresses. I try and rock a bold lip but it goes slightly pear-shaped as we eat a whopper of an Italian Christmas spread, so x amount of courses + a bold lip usually ends badly! This year, I'm heading over to Canada for Christmas so I'll definitely be dressing up for Christmas day, but I'll also be wearing lots of layers!

If you could only buy one person a present this year who would it be?

Without a doubt, my mum. She does so much for me and my family and she really does deserve the loveliest of gifts.

Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?

Definitely Christmas morning! I've never heard of opening them on Christmas Eve - is this even a thing? I'd hate that! I love the excitement of Christmas morning and the rush of opening all of the presents, thanking everyone, then getting ready for a lovely day ahead. There wouldn't be as much to look forward to if all of the presents were opened on Christmas Eve, surely?

Have you ever built a Ginger Bread House?

No, and I've always wanted to. I love baking but only quick things, as I'm very impatient, but I think that the time and effort put into a Ginger Bread House would be worth it. This has just reminded me that I want to bake one this year!

What do you like to do in the Christmas holidays?

I'm very lucky as I get quite a long holiday, being a teacher, so I keep things varied by making sure I do something different every day. This usually consists of shopping one day, relaxing another day, working another day, then having a pamper day, seeing friends another day etc etc (the list goes on). I like to balance things out by seeing my loved ones and having some 'me time' as I don't get much of that during term time!

Any Christmas wishes?

In truth, I wouldn't write my Christmas wish in this blog post, as it's extremely personal and nothing related to beauty/fashion/lifestyle or even Christmas, but yes, I do have one.

Favourite Christmas smell?

Clove!! I made a gorgeous warm spiced cider last year and I used so much clove, it tasted lovely. This smell, along with cinnamon, reminds me of Christmas and I love those spicey, festive scents.

Favourite Christmas meal or treat?

I'm a sucker for brandy sauce, really I am, and I'd eat it out of the bowl - the stronger and sweeter, the better. We traditionally have a pasta dish (among 100 others) for Christmas and I really like large pasta shells stuffed with ricotta and spinach, drizzled with some Italian tomato sauce and sprinkled with sugar. My Nonna (grandmother) makes them and they are seriously to die for. I'd eat them every day if I could.

I hope you enjoyed this tag! Feel free to do the tag yourself; I think they're great questions and are suitable for a wide range of blog types. Thank you to Megan and Emily for setting up #CountdownToChristmas - it's such an exciting series to be part of! Keep your eye out for Friday's post, it's a rather exciting one :)

Daniela xo

Photo source - Pinterest