christmas Archives - The Only Girl in the House

Jess December, 2018

What Makes Our Christmas Magical {Sponsored}

We’ve tried no presents, presents and parred-back presents; we’ve gone away, stayed at home and invaded relatives houses en-masse. One thing I’ve learnt from our festive trials as a blended family – trying to ensure everyone feels like they belong and feels ‘at home’ – is that what we give, where we are or which parents’ house the kids are at on the actual day, has minimal impact on how festive we feel.

The magic, the sparkle and inner-belly warmth don’t come from the latest Xbox game or ‘must-have’ gizmo, they come from the Christmas traditions we’ve inherited and the ones we create as a family.

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Jess December, 2017

Life’s Little Luxuries With Fatface

I might be flouted as “fussy” by those nearest and dearest come present buying season, even to the point I’ve renounced presents to avoid disappointment and for the simple reason I don’t need anything else in my life. This might sound annoyingly self-righteous and oh-so on-trend for banging the anti-materialistic drum, but those aren’t the foundations of my protestations. I do believe in the whole “less is more” ethos, I don’t always live it, but believe in it I do – it comes down to the fact I just really know what I like (and, more accurately what I don’t!) and get twitchy at the thought of undesired crap being thrust my way.

I feel the same when it comes to my wardrobe – not much makes the cut, there’s a few rules about what infiltrates my Trojan-like fashion fortress…

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Jess December, 2017

Ditch the G&T, It’s All About Robinsons Fruit Creations #Ad

I have a confession. It may appear from my online antics that I’m partial to a G&T almost every night of the week, after all, isn’t that what us “mum bloggers” (must stop cringing at that title!) do – blabber on the internet, moan about our kids, then guzzle G&Ts while munching on a left-over fish finger amuse-bouche?! In reality, I drink 1, maybe 2, G&Ts a week; I can’t stand wine and gag at the thought of any other hard spirits; in truth, I have the taste-bud maturity of an 8 year old. Which is tres noble and at least one thing I do that might be good for my insides, but somewhat embarrassing when you ask for a squash at a friend’s house in the evening. Mr OG has long asked “what kids drink did you want with your meal this evening?!”

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Jess December, 2017

Casper’s Christmas Covered

We’ve got the basket, the metal “bin”, the Swedish superstore, storage mega-plex and the floor – all covered/over-spilling/spewing Casper’s toys. The kid rivals Santa on the amount of toys he has, courtesy of carboot sales/hand me downs and doting grandparents, and yet he still only plays with the same ones again and again. With every new toy purchase, there’s the element of risk – sure, it looks rather alluring to the small, eager eyes of a toddler when it’s sheathed in shiny plastic, under the fluorescent shop lights – money is duly handed over in the hope that the latest amusement fodder will keep Cas busy long enough to sort the lights from the darks; but generally, the poor lump of plastic gets discarded with the dust bunnies and odd socks under the sofa after a mere 5 minutes of attention

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Jess November, 2017

Why We ARE Doing Presents This Christmas

Last year when I boldly declared “we’re not doing presents” I felt relieved, wholesome and that my soul had been relinquished from the consumerist-Demogorgans that feast on the festering flesh of Christmas morning aka our children. A touch dramatic? Perhaps! But hopefully this conveys the modicum of hope this brought to my festive season of 2016. I’d, of course, hoped this would become our Christmas tradition and our children would shed their greed nourished, Philistinian skins to reveal Swallow & Amazon-esque delights – charmingly feral, lacking in materialistic desires; but then I realised I’m not 21 and my pelvic floor is shattered, so promptly readjusted my expectations.

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