When Christmas Loses It's Spark

Can I have a show of hands if you've lost that festive spark? Or if you haven't had an inkling at all? We're now into the second full week of December, Christmas is rapidly approaching and I am getting to the point where I just want it to be over already. Am alone in feeling like this? Or am I just letting the stress of trying to juggle everything get to me. As I write this, I haven't finished Christmas shopping, I don't have a clue if there's anything or one I've forgotten, I've had to buy a Secret Santa present for someone who's worked for the company for over a year but is still a mystery to many and half of my ideas for this month's content haven't come to fruition yet. And that's all before the stress of wrapping everyone's presents takes a hold.

Christmas is supposed to be a time spent with loved ones with some good food and a tv schedule that no one can agree on. And as I've gotten older, it's definitely become more about spending time with my family than it has about presents. In fact this year has been the hardest year of thinking of ideas of anything I'd like or need but haven't brought for myself. A lot of that comes from having my own disposable income that gives me the freedom to buy what I want, when I want but it also comes from my mindset changing over the last year. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing my pile of presents come Christmas morning and I love watching others open theirs but this year everything retailers have had to offer as part of their 'Gifting' range has seemed stale, recycled and overpriced. And as someone who works in retail and as a consumer, I can tell you it's definitely a case of 'same shit, different year'. However it does make it harder to think of things to ask for as time with family and good food isn't always the welcomed answer. This year I've just asked for books I don't want to wait for in paperback and a couple of TV boxsets to binge throughout the New Year. 

Which leads me to the problem with all of us when it comes to buying presents. We are all so wrapped up in finding the perfect gift or spoiling our loved ones whether they'll actually like and use the presents or they'll be left to gather dust on the shelf somewhere, that we lose the true meaning of Christmas. I'm not bashing any one for wanting to spoil their loved ones as I am one of the worst when it comes to this. Every year I try and go above and beyond, to almost beat last years presents. I know I'm doing it but I can't stop myself. It always starts at the end of August and carries on through until I've brought the last present, even if it wasn't on the inital list. I'm worst at doing this with my mum, she's the easiest person to buy for and whilst I also write a list of things I know she'd love, I always end up adding to it, the majority of the time without realising. I've done it this year and I'm currently deciding whether to buy her another present or if she's got enough as it is but I always find myself justifying with 'but she's done a lot for me this year' which is true every year but I feel like I should be able to thank her for by giving her my time and attention instead of a pile of materialistic items she may not even like. We all wrapped up in that consumerism way of thinking that we actually forget that our time and love is enough for most of our loved ones. Maybe next year I'll be able to rein it in but I think it's safe to say that it's too late for that this year.

And even when you've got the list of perfect presents for everyone, you've then got to find the time to go out to buy them and then sit and wrap them. Yes I know that you can order pretty much anything online nowadays but there's something that usually feels nice and festive about actually leaving the house and buying them in person. Yet now we don't have that kind of time, we have to work, to find time to keep ourselves balanced and this time of the year is also filled with a ton of social events that you have to work around. So sure I understand that ordering online is easier but it also takes away from the pastimes of going Christmas shopping and making a day of it. I haven't had half the chance this year to go out and shop so a lot of my shopping has been done online but it's just one of the things that's taken the spark out of Christmas. It also doesn't help that my work has been shoving Christmas down everyone's throat since the August Bank Holiday. No you didn't read that wrong, I did in fact say August. Which leads to my next point.

Take away the desire to find the perfect present, the lack of time and the ease of ordering online and one of my biggest bug bears and probably what takes the spark out of Christmas is how early the shops starting ramming it down everyone's throats. I speak as someone who works in retail, who has Christmas plans shoved under their nose as early as August now. Companies don't understand that people don't want Christmas rammed down their throats for the last quarter of the year. Sure it's a busy time of year and there's a lot to do but August, really? And as someone who works in retail, starting it this early means that by the time you hit mid November, you're pretty much done, ready for it to be all over with. It's bordering on ridiculous, especially when those big companies also expect their workers to give up any spare time during December to work, including late finishes on Christmas Eve and long shifts on Boxing Day. It never fails to start a few arguments where I work, especially when we talk about how the company don't care about it's workers, only about bringing in the money. I really miss those simpler times as a kid when you would finish school on a set day and then have a fortnight to eat, wear nothing but an elasticated waistband and watch every Christmas film being shown. Now you're lucky if you can get two days off over the festive period and a lot of the time you have to sacrifice your time elsewhere for it.

Now I know this post has been a bit of a Debbie Downer but I also know that a lot of people are feeling like this and that no matter what they do, how many Christmas films they watch, how many Mince Pies they eat, nothing gives them that festive feeling. I know that feeling very well at the moment but I'm hoping that taking a couple of days off to rest and recharge my batteries, as well as finishing that last bit of shopping will be enough to push me into a more festive mood, instead of being a moody old Scrooge. To anyone who's reading this and feeling exactly as I've described, I hope that you do manage to find that festive feeling and that you have a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones and more food than you could fathom eating.

Top 5 Christmas Films

It's gotten to that time of the year where I want nothing more than to curl up with a hot chocolate and a movie. And what's better this time of the year than a Christmas movie. So today I thought I'd share with you the Top 5 Christmas Movies in my collection that I rotate for the whole of December every year.

My first film is my one of my favourite Christmas films of all time. It's The Muppet Christmas Carol and to me it's not Christmas if I don't watch it at least one (or twenty) times. I've grown up watching this film so it's like a Christmas tradition for me now as I think it is for quite a few people who were little in the 90s. If you haven't seen it then I say that you should definitely check it out this year.

My next film is another film I've grown up watching. The Grinch is brilliant for the whole family with themes within it that resonate with every age group. Plus it stars Jim Carey and a young Taylor Momsen who is beyond adorable as Ciny-Lou. I could watch this over and over again and never get bored of it. This is another film that will be watched about twenty times in the next month.

SANTA!!!! Sorry couldn't hold that in. And of course my next film is Elf. I love Elf, it never gets old and I know all the lines but still find the funny bits hilarious. Will Ferrell is brilliant as Buddy and everytime after I watch this if I see Will Ferrell in anything else all I can think of is him as Buddy. Definitely another film that's going to be getting a lot of screentime this month.

My next film is a newer favourite of mine, one that my whole family gather together to watch whenever it's on. It's Polar Express and when I first saw this I didn't like it. I've always had my favourites and this one didn't fit into it. However the more I've watched it over the years the more I've grown to love it. Starring Tom Hanks as the train conductor this festive family film is like every child's wildest dream at Christmas.

And my final pick is a film I only picked up last year but automatically fell in love with. Arthur Christmas was a film I'd seen advertised a lot when it came out in cinemas but it didn't really grab my attention as much as it did when I saw it in HMV last year. This film is brilliant and I can see I'm going to watch it a lot over the next few years. Lots of laugh out loud moments which will be loved by the whole family. Definitely one I recommend checking out if you haven't already.

That's it for my Top 5 Christmas Films. What are yours? Were any of them the same as mine? Let me know in the comments.

Winter Nail Edit

It's time to say goodbye to Autumn and hello to Winter. At this time of year all I want to do is wrap up in my big scarves with a red cup from Starbucks and sing along to Micheal Buble's Christmas Album. Yes I know it's only the beginning of November but as soon as Halloween's gone I'm all about the festive season. And my nails reflect that as well. Gone are the darker muted shades and in are the dark, shiny deep shades that play with the colour in the light.

My first pick for this edit is a newer shade in my collection. It's the Barry M Midnight Gelly Polish in Black Pistachio. It's a part of a collection of four that all look black in the bottle but when held against the light show their true colour. They do the typical blue, red and purple which are all nice shades but Black Pistachio was the one that really caught my eye. Black in some lights and green in others this polish is a nice alternative to black and navy shades. Two coats gives it a  nice finish and once dried the shine on this polish is unbelievable. I do advise a base coat underneath as they do stain the nails.

The next polish is one of my all time favourites and I always would go back to this colour when September hit. However as my collection grew I kinda forgot about this until recently. Rimmel's Lasting Finish Polish in Black Cherries is another polish that looks darker in some lights but unlike the Barry M Polish it has a slight metallic sheen to it which makes it stand out more than just a plain colour. This is one polish I recommend trying if you like you're nails done quickly, each coat dries in roughly a minute and still gives a nice shiny finish. Another one that requires a base coat, you'll forgive it for requiring that extra coat as the square shaped brush applies the polish quicker than most.

And of course this edit wouldn't be complete with black polish. This is a Kate Spade and Nails Inc Collaboration. It's called New York Noir and unfortunately was an limited edition polish which is disappointing as it's the only black polish that isn't streaky or thin in formula. Yes I still apply two coats to make sure I haven't missed anything but you could actually get away with one coat. As with the others a base coat is necessary to prevent staining. A high glossy finish that makes this polish standout more, I really hope that Nails Inc bring out a colour similar soon.

My next pick is another Nails Inc collaboration but this time it is with Glamour Magazine. This is the shade Grosvernor Crescent and came free with an issue of Glamour a while ago. Out of the shades this was the one that stood out to me. A ddep purple shade it reminds me a lot of Black Cherries from Rimmel but without the sheen. It can look a little light in places with one coat so two is recommended but the finish is gorgeous so I definitely don't mind. If you're looking for something similar Noite Da Gal from Maybelline is another beautiful shade.

And what Winter Edit would it be if I didn't throw in a polish for the festive season. This is Barry M's Glitter Gelly Hi Shine polish in Sparkling Ruby. It's a thick opaque glitter polish that can be worn as an overcoat of another polish or on it's own. A base coat isn't necessary with this polish but if you'd prefer to go in with one that's fine. My favourite thing about this polish though is even though it's a glitter polish, it isn't rough or textured to touch. It's smooth, easy to apply and putting another coat on top of an existing coat won't take anything away. It's definitely a polish I'll be getting a lot of wear out of in December.