Doing nothing! Our Boxing Day routine!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day! Ours was lovely. We were up early to open presents with Becky when she got in from work and the day was spend doing nothing much apart from watching TV, eating and exploring our presents.

Boxing Day in the UK really comes in two very different flavours. There’s the out in the wild version where people voluntarily go on chilly morning runs, take part in Boxing Day Dips in the freezing sea, head to pubs packed with football fans yelling at screens and then there’s my version of Boxing Day. The quiet, cosy, no one speak to me unless it’s about snacks or a TV remote version.

The day always begins with a lie in because we have no plans for today. There's no need for any sort of alarm clocks and we sleep until we wake and roll out of bed, whenever our bodies decide it's time! Then the most important part of the day begins: changing into the Boxing Day outfit and by outfit I obviously mean brand new pyjamas that I received yesterday, fluffy socks and oversized hoodies are all encouraged too. Usually Stu has the cheek to suggest getting dressed properly in case we go out later and the rest of us will just stare at him like he's suggested something truly crazy!

Breakfast slowly merges into brunch or even lunch. It will be nothing fancy, I'll grab a croissant, they are a boxing day treat and cover in in leftover cranberry sauce. I will also find myself nibbling on cold roast potatoes every time I walk through the kitchen and pigs in blankets and mini sausage rolls. Today will be all about the leftover food. Sandwiches stacked with turkey,  stuffing, cranberry sauce, the Christmas trifle and the snacks never truly stop with bowls of crisps, mince pies and there is of course all the tubs of chocolate which I always overbuy because I panic that we’ll run out (we never do).

The afternoon tends to be one long, cosy stretch of nothingness. We will watch a lot of TV. Boxing Day becomes catch up day watching the Christmas specials we missed yesterday, then we move on to films we’ve seen 37 times but still love and Stu will be watching the football, shouting at the TV like the players can actually hear him.

By this point I’ve lost all sense of time. Is it 2pm or 7pm? Who knows and who cares. I’m still in my pyjamas and staying this way until bedtime and while I could be sensible and make something light for dinner, not a chance. Boxing Day is all about round two of Christmas dinner. I always enjoy the Christmas dinner on Boxing day as I haven't had to stand in the kitchen for long and the microwave does all the work. Turkey, stuffing, mash, veg will all be reheated to perfection. The plate looks very similar to yesterday’s just slightly messier and without the pressure of everything needing to be served nicely.

Today is all about not rushing, no pressure, just comfort, leftovers and the kind of laziness you don’t even feel guilty about. It's the one day a year where doing nothing feels right!

What do you have planned for today??

Merry Christmas! Here’s a little note from me!

Here we are, Christmas Day! Can you believe how quickly it’s come around again? One minute I was wondering if it was too early to buy mince pies and now here I am, last night with the turkey cooking in the oven, a glass of bucks fizz and my Christmas pj's on.

I won’t keep you long, today’s all about soaking up the magic, eating far too much chocolate before noon and spending time with your favourite people. Whether you’re surrounded by family chaos, enjoying a quiet festive day or somewhere in between, I hope you find a moment to take it all in and feel that cosy glow that only Christmas brings.

If you’re reading this today here’s to you! May your day be filled with laughter, good food and maybe a nap that lasts just long enough to wake up in time for pudding. I hope your Christmas is everything you need it to be: joyful, peaceful and a little bit sparkly. Now go on get back to your celebrations! I’ll be doing the same, probably wearing a paper crown at a very questionable angle and wondering if there’s room for just one more roast potato.

Wishing you and your loved ones the merriest Christmas and a new year full of lovely things.

With love,

Kim xxx

My Christmas Eve to do list!

Christmas Eve has a mix of excitement, chaos and always a little panic about losing a present that I hid so well. For me it's the day where everything comes together, the food, the gifts and a day when I feel like I never sit down. Every year I make a Christmas Eve to do list. Not because I’m that organised but because it keeps me from getting swept up in the flurry of glitter and mince pies. My family do help but this year it's just Ellie and I home today. Eek!

On my to-do list today is:

Cook the meat!

As soon as I get up I get on with cooking the meat. This year I am cooking a turkey, gammon and beef joint. The hours it spends cooking are worth it just for the smell wafting through the house. It might seem like a lot of meat but we all don't like the same things and the joints are not huge!

Visit the farm shop!

Every year I visit the local farm shop for the vegetables! Somehow, the carrots, parsnips and sprouts taste better from here than anywhere else, the farm shop is way better than the supermarket as they never run out and everything seems bigger and fresher! I always say that I am just going for veggies but always end up buying chutney's, pork pies and sweet treats!

Prep the veg!

Back home and it’s time to get the vegetables prepped. Carrots, parsnips, sprouts, potatoes and so on. I will peel and chop everything ready to cook on Christmas day. This is where I feel organised but at the same time slightly overwhelmed.

Make party food for tonight!

While the turkey is doing its thing in the oven I think about tonight. It’s Christmas Eve which means picky bits and snacks for tea. Mini quiches, pizza, cheese straws, chicken on sticks, corndogs, all the usual suspects. I will cook it all in the air fryer. I like to keep it simple and maybe sneak a little taste of everything along the way because I never make time to sit down and eat lunch.

Make a trifle!

I don't know how this tradition started but as a child there would always be a home made trifle in the fridge over Christmas and a big one! A layer of jelly with sponge fingers, custard and cream are essential for a proper trifle. Making it is as much fun as eating it. I always think of the trifle from the TV show Friends, mine won't have the beef or peas. hehehe

Wrap the last of the presents!

This isn't my job, it's Stu's. There are a couple of bigger presents which need wrapping and some extras that I recently bought that never made it to my pile when I was wrapping.

Tidy a little!

Before the festivities truly begin, I like to do a quick tidy. Not a full on spring clean, that can wait until January but a little decluttering to make the house feel festive and welcoming. It’s amazing what a few minutes of putting things in drawers, fluffing cushions and wiping surfaces can do.

Drink fizzy wine!

This deserves its own step because it’s basically my Christmas Eve fuel. Whether I sip it while prepping vegetables or just standing there like I waiting to do something, it makes everything more festive and by this point I’ve earned it.

Set the dining room table!

Christmas dinner might be tomorrow but setting the table early gives me one less thing to worry about. I like to go all out with festive napkins, the best cutlery and of course Christmas Crackers. This will be a job for Ellie but I know I will go and rearrange everything to how I want it. Oops.

Have a soak in the bath!

After all the running around I take some time to relax. A long soak in the bath is my Christmas Eve treat for myself. I throw in a bath bomb and will put a face mask on. 

Put on Christmas PJ's!

After all the prep I finally get to slip into my Christmas pj's and make my family wear theirs too. I will spend the next 10 minutes trying to get a photo of us all.

Bring the presents downstairs!

I try to bring all the wrapped presents downstairs tonight and put them all in piles for everyone to open in the morning! Seeing the piles makes me so happy!

An early bedtime!

Finally, as the clock creeps closer to bedtime I do something I never do and go to bed early!

What do you have planned for today?

Winter comforts I can’t live without!

Winter is not my favourite season, I am always complaining about the cold and I hate it. So I thought I’d round up the winter comforts I absolutely refuse to live without. The little things that make the season cosy instead of cruel.

Blankets!

Let’s start with the obvious: the blankets! There isn't just one because I need options and I need layers. There’s the fluffy one, the knitted one, the weighted one that threatens to pin me to my armchair forever. Each has a purpose and I love each one for different reasons and at least with having more than one I don't have to go without a blanket while one is in the washing machine!

Hot drinks!

Tea is lovely all year round but a cup of tea in the winter just hit's different and then there’s hot chocolate! Whipped cream, marshmallows and if it doesn’t look like a dessert I don’t want it. Winter drinks are like a warm hug for your soul.

Candles!

You’d think I’m hosting a séance some evenings with the amount of candles I light. They are needed though. The scented candles are mood lifters and winter is when they are needed. Vanilla, cinnamon, mulled wine, pine and cookie scents. My living room smells like Santa’s workshop at times and there’s something magical about that warm glow on a dark evening.

All the comfort food!

Winter meals are an excuse to eat things that involve potatoes in three different forms. There's stews, casseroles, soups so thick your spoon stands up on its own and the bread! Winter bread is different. Crusty, warm and slathered in salty butter. Then there are the slow cooker meals, they make the whole house smell amazing and take little effort to put together. There is also the baking! Cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls and gingerbread, the smell alone is comfort enough.

Pyjamas!

Nobody thrives in winter wearing tight jeans and proper clothes. hehehe It’s the season for soft, slouchy, oversized pyjamas that make you wonder if you should ever wear proper clothes again. I’m talking fleecy sets, fluffy socks, sometimes slippers so squishy that it's like a hug for your feet. Some days I stick a hoodie on over my pyjamas and pass it off as loungewear and if delivery drivers judge me I don't care, they’re out here in shorts in December anyway so they can't be trusted.

Hand creams and lip balms!

Winter does awful things to my skin so hand cream becomes a survival item. I keep one in every room and I’m forever applying it like I’m in a skincare advert.

Evenings in with zero guilt!

In summer if you stay inside people look at you like you’ve committed a crime but in winter everyone just nods in understanding. One of my favourite winter comforts is the do nothing evenings. When it gets dark early and the house gets warm doing nothing feels productive. It's self care! 

Seasonal TV specials and films!

Winter TV is the best with the Christmas specials, snowy dramas and heart warming comedies! These shows are just different when the evenings are dark and the blankets are ready. I have a list every year of must watch specials and there’s nothing more comforting than knowing your winter evenings are already planned.

Long hot baths!

Winter is the season when baths become a must. I throw in bubbles, bath bombs, oils, salts whatever I can find like I’m a wizard mixing potions. I love that moment when the bathroom is warm and I sink into the water thinking this is luxury!

Winter walks!

This one surprised even me but winter walks have become one of those comforts I didn’t know I needed. Not the freezing ones where your face hurts but the crisp, still mornings when the air feels fresh and your coat actually does its job and when I get home where it's cosy and warm a cup of tea is extra special.

What are your favourite winter comforts?