If you pop along to All Things Spliced regularly, you are probably more than aware that Mrs Lighty loves Christmas. I love the lights, the songs, the parties…pretty much everything! I have to admit though, that this year, I’ve been feeling so stressed with everything that I need to get done prior to the big day itself that it’s left me feeling a bit Grinchy-fied. So it was lovely, therefore, to find that I’d been tagged by Mrs Mummy Harris in The Christmas Tag, as it’s a blog tag which is a series of questions about your own Christmas loves and traditions.

I’ve really enjoyed thinking about all of my answers, and I hope you’ll get a little bit of Christmas cheer out of reading them, so here goes:

What’s your favourite Christmas film?

Starting off with an easy one, as my immediate answer is: The Muppets Christmas Carol! I’m pretty sure I’m almost word-perfect on the whole script, and one of Mr and Mrs Lighty’s most random Christmas traditions is to enjoy an Indian takeaway and watch The Muppets on Christmas Eve! After all, wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas…

Have you ever had a white Christmas?

Not exactly, but the year I lived in Vienna they had the worst winter they’d had in a decade or so, and the snow was ridiculous. I’ve never seen snow like it! I flew home on Christmas Eve that year, Mr Lighty greeting me at Stansted airport with a mince pie in a gift box as I’d craved one for weeks and hadn’t been able to get my hands on one, so technically it wasn’t quite a white Christmas, but I still think fondly of that snow every year…

Where do you usually spend your holiday?

We tend to alternate Christmas Day between Mummy and Daddy Hatchy and Mummy and Daddy Lighty, and we have also been known to host ourselves!

What is your favourite Christmas song?

I always answer this with Elton John’s Step Into Christmas (and even butchered it on my latest #HappyLittleButtons post!) but to be honest there are so many I love: Shaking Stevens, The Waitresses, pretty much anything Bublé-wise – especially Feliz Navidad – and a new fave of mine is Kelly Clarkson’s Underneath the Tree.

Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?

Noooooo! I’m always good and save all of mine, and I’ll be teaching Baby Lighty to do the same! Makes it so much more special I always think!

Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?

Erm…probably not! I can always remember the German-based ones, Donner and Blitzen, and of course Rudolf, then there’s Dasher, and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen? Comet and Cupid? Is that all of them? I’m not sure!

What holiday traditions are you looking forward to this year?

I love everything Christmas, and wrote a whole Christmas bucket list post! Not sure that it’s exactly a tradition but I’ve mostly been looking forward to our baby group Christmas parties which have now been and gone and were as lovely as expected. Now I’m looking forward to our Christmas Eve box and of course the big day itself!

Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

Fake! As much as I would love a real one, I’m not sure it’s practical at the moment with Baby Lighty running around like a lunatic and trying to eat anything and everything. And yes, that anything and everything would likely include dropped pine needles. Plus most years we have two trees, and to be honest, real ones are so darn expensive!

What’s your all time favourite holiday treat/food/sweet?

Hmm…to be honest there is very little (gluten free) food that I’ll turn down. I’ve already mentioned the fact that when I lived in Austria Mr Lighty had to come meet me with a mince pie as I was craving one so much. I’m also very much partial to a drop of Glühwein, and just to throw a random one out there, I also love the Thornton’s chocolate covered Turkish delight which seem to make an appearance at Christmas!

Be honest, do you like giving or receiving gifts better?

I’m going to be a bit naughty and say receiving, only because I hate it when you’ve put a lot of thought into a present only for someone to open it and not be as enthralled with it as you thought they’d be!

What is the best Christmas present you have ever received?

Last year Mr Lighty made me a little photobook from Baby Lighty, which was written from Baby Lighty’s perspective. It was called “I love my Mummy because…” and had a different reason on every page such as “You carried me for 9 WHOLE MONTHS!”, “You take me to see my friends”, “You make me pose for photos…” and “You make me pose even more…and more!”. I loved it!

Other than that, I distinctly remember another Christmas where Brother Hatchy and I thought we were so incredibly lucky because we were given a Sega Master System AND a Swingball!

What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

I’d love to go away for Christmas. I know a lot of people don’t like the thought of being somewhere hot at Christmas but having worked in travel and having eaten lunch on a beach in the Algarve on a sunny mid-December work trip, surrounded by Christmas lights in the palm trees, I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t bother me!

If I’ve got to pick one place, I think I’d go for Disney. Either Florida or California, I’m not fussy!!

Are you a pro present wrapper or do you fail miserably?

I think I’ve got worse over the years! I used to be all about the presentation, the ribbons and bows and generally making them look lovely. But I think with so many people to buy for now it’s all got a bit slapdash as I race to get everything wrapped before Christmas day, and quite frankly nowadays you’re lucky if you get an upcycled Christmas card from last year acting as a gift tag to tell you who the gift is from!

Most memorable holiday moment?

I don’t think I have any one particular Christmas moment that stands out as such, although the Christmas that I was pregnant felt pretty special. Mr Lighty quite often has to work on Christmas day, and I love the moment when I get the phonecall to say he’s driving home for Christmas. This Christmas is the first Christmas in about nine years that he hasn’t had to work, so although I think it’ll feel weird to all wake up together on Christmas morning, I’m hoping that this will be a particularly special holiday moment in its own right!

What made you realise the truth about Santa?

Wait a minute…are you trying to tell me that Santa’s not real?!!!

What makes the holidays special for you?

I’ve always enjoyed the run up to Christmas day more than the big day itself. I love all of the parties, the lights, seeing the likes of my uni friends, or old work colleagues-turned-friends, or family that I don’t get to see very often. I’ve loved it in previous years when we’ve hosted drinks with friends that now feel more like extended family, and for the past two Christmases I’ve loved taking Baby Lighty to his own little Christmas parties and getting to socialise with my new mummy friends who have all become very dear to me over the past 18 months. Everyone seems to make extra time in their already-packed schedules to fit in the rounds of seeing friends and family, so I guess for me it’s the people that you spend it with that make it special.

And on that soppy note, I think I’m done!

If they have time to fit it into their busy festive schedules, I am going to pass the Christmas tag onto:

Abi from Something About Baby

Dawn from Rhyming with Wine

Annette from 3 Little Buttons

and

Azaria from Being Mrs Lynch

I am doing this a little backwards as I know that some of you (Dawn!!) have already done it since I drafted this and have also nominated me, and some of you are finished now for Christmas, but if so perhaps you can keep it for next year?! I can’t wait to hear all about your Christmas memories and plans, ladies!

Merry Christmas, one and all! xxx

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