A glitter hater's guide to Christmas

I love a sequin. Absolute LOVE! There are a few too many sequinned items in my wardrobe and even my wedding dress was bedecked in them. (If you'd like to see it I've popped a pic at the end of this post.)

So it's sequins for the win in my book. But glitter? Oh hell no. Sure, it shines and catches the light just like a sequin. But get too close and those tiny, shiny little buggers will stick like glue. The other day I picked up a glittery tree decoration and that night I found glitter in my bra. That stuff's got a mind of it's own.

I don't know why I've got a broken glitter gene but it makes the festive season, one of my favourite times of the year, a right old minefield. For those of you with a similar affliction, I've come up with some ways to navigate Christmas with minimal glitter in your underwear.

Festive Reading List

What do you mean it's way too soon to be dropping the C bomb? No, wait, I totally agree. It is way too soon to be dropping the C bomb. The general consensus in our house is that Christmas doesn't get a look in until after my birthday later this month. But feeling festive is still allowed, right? Guys? Stay with me!

The problem is, I cannot walk past a fairy light without feeling all warm and cosy right now. So this year I'm throwing caution to the wind and feeling incredibly festive before it's socially acceptable to feel incredibly festive. Which means that I've been reading lots of Christmassy treats and it would have been rudolf me not to blog about them. (Soz).

Here are the books I've been getting up to snow good with. (Someone call the pun police).

Another Place in The Lakes

Baby monitoring service. Those three golden words that had me sold before I'd even looked at the rooms / any other facilities at the hotel. 'BABY MONITORING SERVICE!' I shouted at my husband, unnecessarily because he was standing right next to me.

We were planning our wedding anniversary. Last year I was way too preggers to get excited about anything other than a bath and a scented candle. The year before that we tagged some days on to a friend's wedding in Northumberland. And the year before that we went to the very beautiful York for a weekend.

Three great books for new parents

Things I've Learned About Parenting So Far...

It mostly consists of negotiating bat shit bonkers situations with as much calm as you can muster. And when I say calm, I mean coffee. Though not all the time... I found one of my babies swimming in a pool of cold coffee after merrily tipping a cup over himself the other day. He looked incredibly pleased with himself while I panic-googled what-happens-if-my-baby-accidentally-drinks-caffeine. The good news is that there are some brilliant books out there to show that you aren't the only one wading through choppy seas. (Also, baby was fine after his cup of joe.)