Belated Blogmas Day 14: Decorating the Tree

Some people say Christmas doesn't start for them until they've seen the Christmas Coca-Cola advert, or eaten their first mince pie of the year. For me, it's decorating the Christmas tree. I can watch that cheesy piece of marketing a million times and stuff myself silly with mince pies, but if the place in which I do those things isn't lit with the warming light of a Christmas tree, then I just can't get in the mood. 

If I had my way, Christmas decorations would stay up all year. The house just seems warmer and cosier than ever before. 

I love traditions and sentiment, and the ritual of decorating the Christmas tree in our house is full of it, and that's all down to the decorations. 

A lot of our decorations are linked to precious memories and hold sentimental value, so every time we decorate our tree, it's so lovely to get immersed in the nostalgia and remember the stories behind each decoration. 

Seeing as it's #blogmas  I thought I'd get all soppy and share some of the stories behind the Sofokleous family decorations. 

This is one of three decorations that Mum collected out of the Tetley Tea boxes almost 15 years ago. 

This was when times were pretty tough financially, so freebies like this helped us to keep the Christmas spirit alive. They've lasted pretty well (we lost a teddy leg along the way somewhere), and Mum likes to keep them as a reminder of getting through tough times. 

These are from when I was obsessed with purple as a little girl. I can't remember how I was, but my bedroom tree HAD to be all purple. I think Mum got them from the first ever House & Garden show. The little bag has lavender in it and to this day still has its scent. Instead of a star, I had this bear in his snazzy waistcoat at the top of my tree. 

Back when Mum was a hairdresser when we lived in London she had a client who had 8 children, and whenever she did her hair she'd always take me with her.  I was in my element surrounded by so many people to play with, (all of whom had bunk-beds, I was so jealous). Well that lady made these plump little angels, and they always put a smile on our faces remembering what a lovely family they were. Handmade gifts are always worth keeping. 

This is a decoration from the time the mini Christmas tree in my room was Teddy Bear theme.  My mum is a very creative and imaginative person, and I have such wonderful memories of the things she'd come up with to make Christmas special. As a little girl, what's better than a Christmas tree with all your favourite teddies on? 

These are also packed with London memories. These were made by the mum of one of my closest friends at my lower school in London who sadly died of a brain tumor a few years ago. They are a memory of her and the amazing friendships me and my family made whilst we lived there. 

How cute are these? These are mine and my brother's first ever Christmas decorations Mine's the Santa, and my brother's is the stocking. I think it's obvious why my Mum has kept these. They're just so tiny. 

As ridiculous as these look, there's  no way we could ever throw them away, and they just have to go on the tree. My brother made these when he was at nursery. Of all the things he made and brought home, these were definitely worth keeping. 


Do any of your decorations have any stories behind them? I'd love to hear about them. 
Comment below. 

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Belated Blogmas Day 12: Prague: The Best Bits

This'll be the last Prague post I promise (unless I go back : p ) 

Prague has to be the most photogenic city I've ever been to, so you can't really blame me for getting a bit camera happy. 

From the views and buildings to the quirky shops and Christmas markets, everywhere I turned I was confronted with a scenic, picture perfect moment. 

From top to bottom: 

The Dancing House ( or Fred and Ginger after Astaire and Rogers) 

Charles Bridge entrance and statues 

Old Town Square

Astronomical Clock

View of Old Town Square from top of Old Town Hall Tower

View of Prague from Prague Castle

St Vitus Cathedral

Franz Kafka's house on Golden Lane 

Golden Lane Armoury

The Gingerbread Museum

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Belated Blogmas Day 9: Eurostars David Hotel, Prague

When travelling, I feel the hotel is all part of the experience and is just as important as the location itself, especially if you're going on a romantic trip. It doesn't have to cost you the world either. 

Last weekend, me and the boyfriend went on a short trip to Prague to see the Christmas markets, and we managed to get a really cheap deal that included flights, a 4* hotel and buffet breakfast every morning thanks to Lastminute.com. 

If you're prepared to book a trip 2 weeks in advance, then you're going to save so much money, and actually get to experience hotels that would usually be out of your price range. 

You can choose from a variety of flight and hotel combos, and we chose the Eurostars David Hotel, in Prague's New Town. 

As you can see, the hotel was incredible well decorated and was impressive to say the least. 

The amazing thing with Prague is that even though every building is steeped in luxury, it doesn't feel pretentious. Eurostars David Hotel channels its own identity through it's decor that is warm and friendly, just like the staff. The modern yet cosy interior made it such a welcoming place to be. We really didn't want to leave. 

One thing that stood out to me was the small book on the bedside table called Short Nights. It's a selection of best pieces from the Eurostars Hotels Short Story Competition. I thought this was such a nice touch, and just added to the bohemian vibe of Prague. 

The breakfast was incredible too. I can always go to town on a buffet, but when you're on a touristy holiday it's actually so practical to get a hotel with buffet breakfast included. You can eat till you're about to bust, and it'll set you up for the long day of sightseeing that you'll have ahead. We were so full from breakfast that we didn't need to eat a proper meal again until evening. The hotel had everything you could imagine: cereal, fruit, yogurt, sausages, eggs, toast, croissants, strudel, jam, cold meats and cheeses. We were spoiled for choice. 

All of this, combined with free wifi meant that we had such a relaxing stay. I'm missing it so much already. 

Stay tuned for more Prague posts

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Blogmas Day 5: The Christmas Tag

So I was tagged by the lovely Ana Celia Wanderley from Oh My Louboutin  to do the Christmas tag, in which I answer a variety of questions about Christmas. I would love to hear your answers to these questions too. Just leave them in the comments below ( can you tell I went a bit crazy on PicMonkey?) 

What is your favourite Christmas movie?

It would have to be the Nightmare Before Christmas for me. Christmas and Halloween are my two favourite holidays, and this film encapsulates them both. I love anything by Tim Burton, and Oogie Boogie's song weirdly gets me in the holiday mood. 

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

Definitely Christmas morning. I've never met anyone who opens them on Christmas Eve. Maybe one if you can't bear the wait. Every other year my gradparents come round in the morning to give us their presents, and have breakfast with us, and on those years we can't open our presents until they've arrived and we've all eaten breakfast, so me and my brother are well trained in patience and restraint. When we were younger we couldn't bare it, but we've had practice now. 

Do you have a favourite Christmas memory?

We always play games after Christmas dinner, and lat year we played the game where we all have the name of someone stuck to our foreheads and we have to guess who it is. Grandad had Tom Hanks. We're all shouting 'I got shot in the buttocks' (with accent obviously) at him, as well as multiple other Forest Gump quotes. He never got it, and we must have looked like absolute loons. 

Favourite festive food?

Leftover turkey and stuffing sandwiches with Branston pickle. Don't get me wrong I love the main Christmas meal, but there's something about leftover food that makes it taste amazing. My Aunty Annie has also introduced me to brussel sprout sandwiches which have to me made with real butter, on warm granary bread and sprinkled with black pepper. Sounds grim, but I tried it last year and it's lush.  

Favourite Christmas gift?

The one I remember most was when I got my first laptop. Mum had individually wrapped the laptop case, and the internet security software and made me open that first. I had no idea what was going on and was trying to look grateful for these gifts that I couldn't do anything with. Then Mum pulled out a big present from the very back of the tree, and low and behold it was a laptop. 

Favourite Christmas scent?

Nutmeg and cinnamon. Whenever I smell those two I'm always reminded of Christmas. I've been looking for ages for the perfect candle the smells just like it, but so far I've had no luck. 

Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?

Obviously when I was little we used to put the mince pie and carrot in the living room before bed. I find it quite sad that we don't do that anymore even if we've stopped believing *sniffs* just for the sake of tradition. 

What tops your tree?

It used to be a fairy, but a few years ago one of my Mum's friends made handmade jewellery, and she also made Christmas decorations out of copper and bronze wire and beads, so we have a cute, star that sits on top now. Our tree is very colour coordinated, so all the decorations are copper, bronze and gold too. 

As a kid, what was the one (crazy, wild, extravagant) gift you asked for but never received?

I don't remember asking for anything crazy in particular, but I guess that craziness came in the form of me circling practically every toy in the Argos book. 

What's the best part about Christmas for you?

I think the relaxation. The lead up to Christmas is so hectic and quite stressful, and I'm sure everyone is working their butts off for it too, so it's nice when Christmas comes for everything to just stop. For you and your loved ones to be in the same room, slobbing out over tubs of chocolates and leftover turkey, watching movie after movie after movie. 

If you would like to be tagged, just say in the comments below with a link to your blog, and I'll add you below. 

I tag Yaya Duran from My Dreamality

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MERRY BLOGMASS!

The countdown to Christmas officially begins! 

So against my better judgement, I've decided to take part in #Blogmas, an online blogger event where us bloggers write a Christmas themed post every day of the month. Lord knows how I'm going to come up with so much content so last minute, but I'll give it a go! . 

Now that December is here, I feel like I can truly let out my excitement for this holiday. I'm so behind on present buying, and am feeling the stress more than I am the magic, however Mum brought me home a new Christmas stocking today handmade by one of her friends which really got me in the mood (the one on the left in the picture above). 

In among all the commercialism of Christmas, it's the sentimental, homemade efforts that mean a lot to me. Our Christmas tree is always made up of mismatched decorations full of memories and nostalgia, and each year I look forward to creating more of those memories with the people I love, and sharing them with you guys. 

From Christmas beauty buys to an insight into mine and the boyfriend's trip to Prague's Christmas markets, I sincerely hope you'll join me this blogmas. 

I would love to hear from you if there's any particular posts you'd like to see. I really am short for ideas. Eeek. 

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Getting Our Goth on at the British Library and Camden

If you were to ask me what my favourite place was, it would be a draw between Camden and the British Library, both for sentimental reasons. 

Go back 7 years and you'd find a 15 year-old Stephanie adorning a heavily studded belt and checkered Vans, rocking out to My Chemical Romance in a bedroom smothered in Kerrang! posters. So I'm sure you can understand why to me, Camden was an absolute goldmine. 

The Camden Market Fire of 2008 brought heartfelt tears to my eyes. This place was a home away from home where I could spend my hard-earned Saturday job money on badges, stickers and t-shirts of my favourite bands. 

It was during this time that me and the BFF George formed our awesome partners-in-crime friendship, so whenever we meet up in London, Camden is always our first port of call. 

It was also during this time that I discovered my love for literature and all things Gothic. Studying A-Level English Literature introduced me to the world of Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein and my absolute fave, Angela Carter. This love of the Gothic lead me to discover Alexander McQueen, and hey presto - my love of fashion. 

Going on to do English Literature at university has made books an integral part of my life, so when I saw that the British Library was holding an exhibition called 'Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination' I gave a nerdy squeel, and me and George decided we HAD to go .

This is one of the best exhibitions I've been to. Not only did it allow me to reminisce over my literary education, but discover sides of not only Gothic literature, but film and culture in general that I wasn't aware of. 

Featuring handwritten drafts of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, this is an absolute geek-fest for any literature lover. I actually collect antique books, and it was so hard for me to just stand and look at the gorgeous first editions on display. They've even got a real fricking vampire slaying kit! 

We spent a good two hours in there, and I would say if you're a fan of literature, the Gothic, or anything dark and macabre. Get your tickets and go. They're only £10 and it's definitely worth it. 

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