Something wonderful is about to happen

In our home we love all the build up to Christmas, the anticipation and the growing magic in the air. It's started now, the little traditions we have, places we have to go, ticking the festive boxes and enjoying the season fully.

Joining in with Virgin Experience Days “Something Wonderful is About to Happen” which is highlighting what we love about Christmas so much, here are some of my Yuletide rituals and stories, followed by an exciting competition.

Best present you’ve been gifted and gifted to someone else?  
My best present is still the Disney book I received when I was around 10 years old, a huge encyclopedia of all the characters and full of beautiful illustrations. I still have it now and it's has a special place on my bookshelf and brings back the nostalgia of my childhood Christmases.

The best present I ever gifted would be to my son and it was a Cosy Coupe. He loved it so much that he wouldn't get out and fell asleep in it slumped over the steering wheel. 

Family Christmas traditions
Every years we go to the Winter Watch parade in Chester and then walk around the Cathedral and the market. It's a wonderfully festive evening and seems to start the whole Christmas feeling off. 

The tree is always from Delamere forest where I have to walk up and down picking up countless firs and twirling them from side to side to see which looks the best. The final choice tree gets given a name every year much like storms do, I hope other people do this too and I'm not mad. Then we go to the cafe at Delamere train station for a hot chocolate.

Every year I go to my parents house and they have the same red tablecloth on and the food is just like I had growing up, out come the Snowball drinks and bags of walnuts - 80's Christmas all over again!

Earliest Christmas Memory
One that gets spun out every year is when I was age 4 and went downstairs on Christmas morning, took one look at all the presents in the front room but decided to go back to bed instead much to my parent's bemusement. I think I can actually remember this but my main memory is of receiving the Fisher Price Tree House, remember it? Ah the weebly characters that lived in there and I can remember being so excited as I unwrapped it. 

Favourite Christmas Movie
Either Santa Claus the Movie as I can remember watching this at the cinema when it first came out and I love Elf, always cheers me up. I do love the Nightmare Before Christmas too as it combines my other favourite day of Halloween. 

When does Christmas officially start for you?
As soon as the Advent calender window is opened on the 1st December, Christmas is ready to go and then I listen out for Christmas carols and music on Classic FM. Troika playing using means that I can start decorating the Christmas tree and officially can be as festive as I like.


 

Virgin Experience Days are offering a £150 voucher towards a short break. To enter tell me in the comments what your Christmas family traditions are and then complete the Gleam widgit.


  Virgin Experience Days £150 voucher for a short break

*Collaboration