We've got a long running joke in my family about traditions. It's a word I almost used to title this post, then realised I would be ridiculed by my family when we're all home. Apparently I have a thing for calling things traditions when they're not. And maybe I do get caught up on repeating things that we enjoyed doing the year before. But if we've enjoyed it for a few years, then why not call it a tradition?



We've gotten into quite a routine in my house when it comes to the Christmas holidays... from the films we watch, to the games we play and the music we listen to. To me, it makes me all that more excited for the holidays to come around. So today I thought I'd share a few of the things that make me happy over the Christmas period.

There are so many Christmas albums and compilations out there, but this is the favourite in my house. It starts off with John Lenon's Happy Xmas (War Is Over), and memories of putting up the Christmas tree, and walking into the living room on Christmas Day are all accompanied by the voices of John and Yoko wishing each other a Merry Christmas.

For the last few years we've dusted off the wii so that we can play some family games. Our favourite is Mario Kart, and we've been known to spend many a day playing the game (while drinking wine and eating lots of chocolate).

Hands up, I admit that I will watch this any time of the year. But watching it close to Christmas time is by far the best. This can go for any Christmas film really. There's nothing I love more than watching a Christmas film, while its dark outside and the Christmas tree lights are on. It feels cosy and its my favourite time.

Is there anything better than visiting a Christmas market to get you in the Christmas spirit? Last year I shared posts on Edinburgh's market and Aberdeen's Christmas village. This year I'll be visiting both again, as well as checking out Newcastle's Christmas market. Tasting all the food, warming up with a festive drink and being surrounded by beautiful crafts, twinkling lights and amazing smells.

Of course, Christmas is a time for family. There's nothing I love more than having the whole family together. Whether we're playing the wii or watching a movie together, I love having them all around. I also love giving them their gifts, especially when I've put in a lot of effort with the presents, I get so excited to see their reactions.

Now this I can say is a tradition, without fear of my family shouting at me. Every year we leave out Christmas sacks for Santa to fill. And Christmas morning we're up early to delve into the sack and see what goodies have been left. Christmas Eve always ends with the four of us kids getting a photo with our sacks before leaving them in our spots for St. Nick.


These are just some of my favourite things about this time of the year... Of course, I love so many of the other things, and I'd love to hear your favourite things to do this time of the year!

Yesterday I made a list of some of my favourite things to do in December (if you haven't seen it then you can read that here). One of the things on that list was baking, it's one of the best things to do this time of the year. Filling the cupboards with boxes of tasty home bakes, and the house with a delicious smell.

While my mind isn't coordinating Christmas presents, scheduling blogmas posts, or building up motivation to write a dissertation, I love to indulge in some Christmassy past times. There's nothing better than giving into your guilty pleasures, and pandering to your Christmas needs.

So I've created a wee list, sharing some of the things I love to do throughout December (with lots of links for you to follow) so that you can feel relaxed and festive this season. Especially now that schools and work is ending for the holidays.

Man's best friend, dogs have really become part of the family. I find myself calling my dog Alfie my little brother, or cooing at him calling him my baby. Dogs are just as cute as little babies, and as much trouble as toddlers, but they're a treasured part of the fam.



Can you tell I'm a dog owner? My instagram is covered with pictures of my dog, who I'm totally in love with.Their dopey expressions, their personality and wagging tails make it hard not to fall in love with them. In which case, they shouldn't be forgotten at Christmastime. Dogs deserve a little treat for being a good boy or girl all year long too, so here's a light hearted gift guide for those loved fur babies.

An Edible Stocking
It's no understatement that dogs will eat everything and anything, so why not give them something that they're actually allowed to eat? Lots of shops have fun edible stocking that are filled with lots of treats, to keep your pup occupied while you tuck into your Christmas dinner.



Personalised Treat Tin
Speaking of all those tasty treats your dog has, why not store them in a cute tin that has their name on it? This way you don't have packets lying around (for these to sniff their way to) so really its a gift to you too!



Personalised Dog Bandana
I love seeing dogs in bandanas - they look so cute. These bandanas are adorable for Christmas day and will have your dog looking swish. You look your best on Christmas day, so why not let your dog too?



A New Bed
Half the time they're a ball full of energy that you can't contain; the other half, they're curled up sleeping. A new bed is perfect for this time of the year, after all it's endured a year full of muddy paws so could probably do with a spruce up.

Christmas Pet Parcel 
This pet parcel is adorable (and they have a version for cats, for any feline lovers). It's from pets at home and will make Christmas shopping for your dog a lot easier. For £15, you get a box filled with treats and toys, which is a huge deal cheaper than if you bought them individually. Your dog will love finding all the surprises in this box!

Fun Dog Bowl
Food is always a good route to take with dogs - and this dog food bowl is a great gift for all year. Since dogs can't speak, this bowl is perfect to convey what's on their minds - more food. This bowl is from Dogs Trust, meaning you're helping out a charity too!



Squeaky Toy
This is a gift purely for the dog's joy - I haven't met anyone who loves giving squeaky toys to their pet, but if you can't make an exception at Christmas then when you? A squeaky toy will give your dog hours of fun (and you a headache), and since its Christmas you can get a Christmas Pudding shaped one from Wilko so that it fits in with the decorations.



A Raincoat
Its cold and wet this time of the year, so while we get wrapped up for going out on dog walks, it seems right to give your dog a coat of its own. We have one for Alfie and it keeps him warm, and keeps mud from covering his body so the coat needs a quick wipe, rather than cleaning messy dog prints and splatter marks (from the inevitable shake when they get in the door) around the house.

I can't wait to spoil Alfie rotten on Christmas day with lots of new toys and treats. After all, he deserves lots too. Do you get your pet gifts?

Love,
Emily
xxx

Other Gift Guides:
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~ Latest Post - Wishlist | Christmas Pyjammas ~

We all have our festive favourites, don't we? A favourite Christmas scent, a favourite Christmas film, and a favourite Christmas jumper. It's little things that will bring a little smile when you smell, taste, hear it. Whenever I taste a mince pie, or smell cinnamon, I automatically think Christmas. 

I've already lusted after dresses on boohoo, missguided and asos (and created huuuge shopping baskets). I've already shared my Christmas day dress. But I've still, somehow, got some Christmassy looks to show off on my 'What I Wore Wednesdays'.

November and December bring with them birthdays, get togethers and parties. Meaning I need to find that one dress that I can fit to each date, and not fill my wardrobe with dress after dress I'll never wear. This year, I surprisingly found that dress in Primark. I didn't expect to go in and find a dress I liked enough to buy for my parties, in fact I didn't even intend on spending any money there, but I did it. And I don't regret it one bit.



I picked up this gold dress knowing that I'd be able to style it in many different ways, and today I decided to share my way of making the statement dress, a little toned down and a wee bit more casual. Because even though Christmas is about the glitz and the glam, there calls for some occasions when you need to make it a little bit less fancy.



I've styled it with a topshop black t shirt (but really you can pick a black tee up anywhere) and have worn it with black tights. It makes it a little bit cosier for the cold December nights, when you don't want your pale legs on show. I've also worn it with my black heeled boots - also from Primark, but from years and years ago ( I also wore them for this OOTD ).



This outfit is comfortable, which is key since you'll be planning on dancing the night away. It's loose and not too clingy, meaning you don't have to worry about the inevitable food baby when you eat too many mince pies. Wearing a top underneath and a pair of tights gives it a little bit of warmth, which is much needed this time of the year. The top also saves your shoulders from being on show - I don't know about you, but I feel like covering the shoulders in a t-shirt or cardigan makes it a little bit more casual.



The dress has the added fun of having a slit up one leg. Don't worry - it's not too long or high, meaning you still feel modest, while showing off a little bit of your riskier side. (And it's got a petticoat underneath, so you're fully covered).

I can't wait to try out more styles with this dress - how would you style it?

Love,
Emily
xxx

~ Latest Post - Christmas Baking | Chocolate Orange Cake Recipe ~

You've only got one more day to enter my GIVEAWAY so make sure you've completed all your entries!

If you haven't noticed already, I love a good home bake, which is why my Christmas period is largely spent with flour everywhere, the mixing bowl turned on and my head in the oven asking 'are they done yet?'. 

December, you're fab. The start of December brings with it lots of festive cheer, and surely even the ol' humbugs can't stop a wee smile on their face when they see the Christmas lights go up and decorations slowly creep over every inch of town. That's not to say there isn't a stocking full of stress that also come with December, but the festive fun can always outweigh the bad - can't it?



A couple of weeks ago I posted all about my favourite things to do in Edinburgh at Christmastime (if you're visiting our capital then have a look at that here). This week its time to see what Aberdeen has to offer. Uni is starting to wind down for most people - although the ever present weight of dissertation is hanging over my head - and schools are beginning to ease up on the homework load and slow down for the holidays. So its time that us Aberdonians, and those lucky enough to visit Aber-dream explore the festive goodies that the city has to offer over this month.

I love reading people's blog posts about their Christmas traditions. There's something about sharing in other people's day that can bring you some joy, and even give some cute ideas for the Christmas period.

I thought I'd share just 5 of my favourite Christmas traditions that the Johnston household have. These are a few things we have done each year, for the last few years and although my dad would say that this doesn't classify as a tradition, it is in my books. These are all things I really enjoy about the Christmas period, and I couldn't imagine a Christmas without.

1. Christmas Eve Prep
Christmas Eve is always our major prep day. And for so many years, I always associate the afternoon with filling baking trays with all of the goodies we are going to eat the following day. My favourite of these things is the pigs in blankets. These are a huge part of our day - we're a family of 6 and yet each year we make around 70 pigs in blankets. It's our all time favourite thing to eat, and on Christmas Eve, the three of us will wrap our sausages in bacon and lay them on the tray. Along with this, we'll also prepare the stuffing, cut up the brussel sprouts and my mum will cook the Turkey. The house smells amazing and at night when my mum cuts up the Turkey, we all get to eat little bits of it too!



2. Laying out our stockings
We made be all adults, but that doesn't mean we're not kids at heart. And certainly, when we're all at home, our inner kids come out and we all revert back to being childish together. So that means that our stockings still get laid out in wait of the big man. And every year we have a compulsory photo with our stockings. So when we wake up on Christmas day, our stockings are filled with our gifts from Santa and we have the same excitement of when we were kids finding out what has been left.

3. Christmas Baking
I love Christmas baking. Baking is such a fun, and somewhat therapeutic, activity for me. At Christmastime we fill all of our Tupperware with all sorts of baking - mince pies, peppermint creams, Christmas cakes and more. The house is filled with smells of Christmas spices, and our tummies are filled with homebaked goodness. It's the perfect snack for this season, or as pudding. No matter what, we can never make enough home bakes.



4. Christmas Quiz
As a rule, we're not allowed the TV on throughout Christmas day. It's the one day a year TV is not needed and we focus on spending time together. A few years ago, we started playing games through the Christmas dinner. It's the perfect way to split up the meal, and give us a break between each course while we let our stomachs have a rest. One of our favourite parts of the 'entertainment' is the music quiz that my dad makes up. Each year our knowledge of his extensive music collection is put to the test, and we have great fun trying to work out the names and artists of the songs we've had played in the car for many years.

5. Pajamma Day
Boxing day has for years been classed as another family day. It started off when we'd be playing with all our games that we were given when we were younger, but now a days, it involves lounging about, watching dvds together, playing the wii and eating lots and lots of left overs. We usually stay in our pajammas, or at most will get changed into lounge clothes, but this is a day when comfort is key, and no effort is made. And it's great.

Those are just a few of the things I love about Christmas in the Johnston household, although there are many more that signify Christmas and the festive period to me.

What's your favourite Christmas tradition in your house?

Love,
Emily
xxx

Enter my GIVEAWAY here - 8 Days Left - WIN a December survival kit! 

The big day is coming - there's no way to deny. Decorations are up, the turkey is in the freezer and presents are starting to pile up. And one of the key aspects that needs a lot of consideration is, of course, the Christmas day outfit.



How fancy do I go? Should I have sleeves or no sleeves? And most importantly.. Is it tight around the waist?

The key to surviving the Christmas dinner, is the expandable waist line. There's nothing worse than when you have to pop a button when your stomach becomes too full, and the obvious way to combat that... have no waist line! You don't want anything restricting your food intake on Christmas day, least of all a tight belt.

This is why my sister and I have tackled this problem head on, and found dresses that you don't have to worry about this problem at all. Swing dresses are quite possibly the greatest invention ever.



Want another pig in blanket? Go on. Mince pie? Sure thing! And no one will know whether you've reached added another slice of turkey onto your plate or not. This dress hides a multitude of sins, and I can't wait to try it out.

Not only is the baggy / floaty dress a plus for food, I also feel ready for a party in it. It is called a swing dress after all - it just makes you want to dance, twirl and show off the great big skirt it has.



These dresses come in heaps of different patterns, and you'd better be fast if you want one as they are selling out fast. I picked this cute one with foil robins over it. I love the big bold print, and the red foil of the breasts of the robins add a little something to this dress and looks awesome when it hits the light.

Sleeves are a massive plus for me at this time of year. I don't need to worry about wearing cardigans over my outfit and potentially ruining it, or keeping warm when ( and if ) I leave the house. Sleeves are great for December, so finding this dress was perfect.

It's comfortable, not just its easy going shape, but the material is cosy and comfy, which means I never want to take it off. It's such an easy transition from pajammas into this dress.

I plan to do my make up nice and fancy to add a little more glamour into this novelty outfit, and keep wearing my festive red lipstick.

Although its supposed to be a funny dress, it still looks good and somewhat fancy... It doesn't quite have the same 'tacky' feel to it as some of the other Christmas jumpers have, and bring a little bit of sophistication to novelty Christmas outfits.

What do you think? You can get your own Christmas swing dress here!

What will you be wearing Christmas day? Have you taken the inevitable food baby into consideration?

Love,
Emily
xxx

Although December is arguably the best month of the year, it can also be more than a little stressful and tiring. Yes it is possible, these words are really coming out of my mouth, December can be hard. The festivities and merriness obviously outweighs any of these stresses, but nonetheless, busy shopping centres, the panic over presents and the food shopping can tire even the jolliest of people out.



This is why I've braced the busy shops at the weekend no less, to make a wee giveaway for you. I'm calling it the 'December Survival Kit' because I think that these are just some of the essentials to help make the run up to Christmas that little bit smoother for ever.

What's The Prize?

Here's a break down of everything that I'm including in this giveaway:




a Rafflecopter giveaway

I wish everyone the best of luck & I hope you enjoy this kit, as I think its the perfect treat to help calm some of the Christmas stresses.

Let me know once you've entered and what part you'd most like out of this!

Love,
Emily
xxx

Everybody loves a good Christmas jumper right? The best way to spread Christmas cheer is wearing tacky jumpers - to misquote Elf. But now a-days its not just tacky Christmas jumpers that are filling the shops. Now these jumpers have become quite the trend, and some are (dare I say it) fairly low-key. I love wearing my Christmas jumpers over the Christmas period, putting up the decorations, wrapping up presents or chilling on Christmas eve, there's an opportunity to add some festive fun at any occasion. I've even been spotted wearing them out and about - maybe on a night out or two...



I'm ever so jealous of all the jumpers that line the shops, and want them all... Could I be Anna SacconeJoly when she wore a different jumper every day of December? That's the goal for me, someday... but for now I'm just lusting over all the jumpers that are on sale, and thought I'd share my top 5.

November has been a busy month - full of ups and downs. Ever sat there feeling stressed out beyond belief? Well that was me for a lot of this month. Suddenly the weight of my future came crashing down on me - being faced a graduation date means that my undergraduate is coming to an end, and there is a big question mark that hangs over every date after the 5th of July. Time to put my big girl pants on and start making some decisions!

I thought as a good way back into the blogging scene I'd start to write a few 'focus' posts on some of the products / items that I love. Many of which are Christmas presents, that I've been wearing or using non stop since December 25th.

The first of this brand / product focus posts I wanted to do was Oliver Bonas. I've fallen in love with Oliver Bonas after my sister introduced me to the shop in Putney. Now, I've been scrolling through their online shop and have scouted out their Edinburgh store to satisfy my window shopping needs.

Oliver Bonas has a wide range of products, for all you who are searching for that 'perfectly pinterest' gift or item that adds a quirk to your room. From books to furniture and clothing to jewellery, this store has it all. I was over the moon to be given a bracelet as a gift from my sister and brother this Christmas.



As you'll be aware if you've read my blog over the past couple of years, I am a huge lover of ancient stuff - archaeology is my passion, and with that comes a little geek heart flutter every time I see something modelled from something from the past. After spending my summer surrounded in all things Roman, I fell in love with replica torcs, and desperately wanted one that didn't scream tourist or knock off.