Oh, it feels so good to be back at my laptop after so many days away! As much as the past couple of weeks have been gloriously relaxed and indulgent and all that, I really am happy to be finding some sort of normality again, and to be getting myself back into a routine. A routine that doesn’t involve going to bed at gone 1am, waking late, eating cheese until I feel sick, and then starting all over again…;)

I hope you all had the greatest of Christmas breaks! Ours was just wonderful- almost two weeks straight of time spent with our families, amazing food, indulgent drinks, and a dedication to relaxation that bordered on obsessive ;) That’s not to say it was a particularly lazy one though! That little spaniel of ours, forever demanding long walks through field and forest and yet *another* evening game of fetch-the-toy up and down our hallway put paid to that! I’m kind of learning though that for both Jason and I, relaxation doesn’t come in the form of doing less, it comes from concentrating more on being in the moment. Less time being distracted by phones and emails and inner monologues, and more time focusing on each other.

All this was made 100 times easier by the realisation that kept washing over us both, time and time again during this Christmas, that this will be our last Christmas before we become husband and wife. We spent most of the past couple of weeks playing the ‘this time next year…’ game, and feel sort of giddily impatient for the summer to roll around so I can just change my name already! But, in the spirit of not rushing through these exciting months (savouring the moment, fighting our impatience, and all that…) we’re doing our best to not wish away these final few months of being engaged. Though really, can you even believe it’s coming up a year since we got engaged in Edinburgh back in April?! Where on earth have the past few months disappeared to!

But hey! I’ve been sidetracked from Christmas! Below are a few photos from the various Christmas days went spent with family during the past couple of weeks. Between my family and both sides of Jason’s family, we had a fair bit of celebrating to do! Which is fine by me, since family time is the best time, always and forever!

What I wore {on Boxing Day!} :: Cardigan || Shirt (c/o) || Trousers

^^ Boxing Day this year was spent at my Mum’s house, eating bubble and squeak and ham braised in cider and, you guessed it, more cheese! My Godparents were there with their dog Freddie, and he and Teddy both behaved themselves impeccably. Surprisingly so, to be honest- we’d expected there to be a whole lot more chaos! We were proud of Ted for not minding a jot when Freddie took up residence in his bed, and both dogs were rewarded with plenty of chicken scraps. Well, it is *was!* Christmas! ^^
   

^^ Wreaths make me so very happy. Can’t we just leave them up all year round? ^^

^^ Oeufs en cocotte, as cooked by Jason’s Stepmum. She’s the most amazing cook and host- we always leave their house feeling full to the point of bursting! ^^

Christmas morning this year, as with every year, started with a long walk that served both as a way of tiring Teddy out, and as a sort of warm-up for the day of feasting and merry-making that lay ahead of us. And this year, as with every year, we were running half an hour behind schedule so had to walk the route at an uncomfortably fast pace. I say this every year, but maybe this will be the one in which we learn time management? Who am I kidding! If we manage to turn up to our own wedding even vaguely on time, I think most of our guests will faint with surprise! ;)

The route-march of a morning walk made the breakfast of eggs, bacon, and cups of tea my Mum had waiting for us at her house all that much more satisfying. And really, you can’t beat a bit of hazy winter sunshine on Christmas Day morning, can you?

What I wore :: Dress c/o Boden || Boots

One of Jason’s gifts from my Mum this year was a pretty special one. After my Grandma died a couple of years ago, whilst we were sorting through the beautiful little cottage of treasures and memories she left behind, my Mum came across an old silver hip flask that’d belonged to my Granddad. It hadn’t been touched for as long as I’ve been alive (some 24 years) and my Mum can’t even remember when her Dad bought it, so it’s a vintage treasure through and through.

My Mum and I colluded a few weeks ago about giving the hip flask to Jason for Christmas (Mum was worried that he’d not like how many dents and scratches there are in it, and I assured her that he’d love it all the more because of them!), so we were pretty excited for him to open it. It was a pretty special moment, made even more special given that this is a kind of landmark Christmas for us. I have it on good authority that next time Jason takes Teddy out on a particularly frosty weekend, he’ll be bringing along a drop or two of sloe gin in his hip flask for good measure ;)
 

And that was our very drawn out and totally blissful Christmas, rounded up into one concise little post! Did you have a wonderful break? Aside from the traditional festivities, how did you spend your time off?