Rainy Day Reads

I always feel like there are some traditions that make up Christmas. If you miss them, it just doesn't feel like Christmas at all. Here are some of the ones that have made it to my Christmas list:  1 - Eating the snowball chocolates that only come out for Christmas 2 - Having a real live Christmas tree with tons of decoration 3 - Seeing all the lights strung up all over the city 4 - Catching a glimpse of Santa 5 - Wrapping presents 6 - Watching "Home Alone" 7 - Watching the Disney special on TV on Christmas Eve 8 - Lighting festive candles around the house 9 - Baking Christmas cookies 10 - Having an advent calendar I feel like I have managed most of them this year, although the tree will have to wait until I get somewhere more spacious to live. What's on your bucket list?

When December rolls around any town with self-respect whips up a Christmas Market. There is something cozy about the stalls selling snacks, hot drinks and Christmassy decorations, and it is even cozier if you go away from home to enjoy it.   This year I went to Berlin to experience the Christmas Market there and do a little Christmas shopping. Berlin is a big city and it has a lot of Christmas Markets. I was only there for one night, so I stayed pretty close to my hotel. Luckily I had chosen to stay near Alexanderplatz, which is a lovely area, with many shops and its own Christmas market.  The market has numerous stalls that sell everything from glazed apples, hot dogs, mulled wine and fried mushrooms to Christmas stars, woolen socks and glass baubles. Prizes are a bit expensive, but may of the items are worth it. I was there from Saturday to Sunday and during Saturday afternoon and evening it got VERY busy. Being so busy I would not consider it child-frie...

I usually get all my present wrapped in the shops, because when they ask, I’m too lazy to say no. But this year, in the spirit of getting Christmassy, I decided to do my own wrapping. I think it looks really lovely when all your presents match, and the paper they use in the shops can sometimes be a bit boring.   I went for three different types of paper and a lot of colorful ribbons with cute decorations on them. Then I got some stickers for gift tags, as they are super easy to use, and some extra decorative stickers.  Brown paper really lends itself well to any sort of decorated ribbon, and with a base of brown paper you can’t really go wrong. Colored paper is a bit harder to match ribbon-wise, but when you do it looks great. I didn’t really go too crazy with my wrapping. As I have said before I don’t really have a good eye for matching stuff, so I played it sort of safe. Still, I think it came out looking rather good.  There are a lot o...

It can be hard to stay just a little bit healthy during the festive season with all the chocolates, drinks and good food going around. So here are a few ideas to help you out. Just switch these snacks out for some of the cookies and chocolates when you have an evening in or if you need a little something to keep you going in the afternoon. Now, I am not a heart nut, and I know practically nothing about nutrition and such but common sense tells me these things must be better than chocolate.  Hummus: Make a lovely hummus and have an assortment of vegetable sticks to dip in it. I usually just use a can of chickpeas (rinsed), some garlic, some ground cumin, salt and a little creme fraiche to make it smoother. Just blend it all up and you are ready to snack.  Fruit: You can just set out fruit for everyone to choose from, but if you want to jazz it up a little, cut different fruits into chunks and skewer them on a wooden stick. It's always more...

When you were little nothing was easier than providing your parents and siblings with a wishlist for Christmas. These days I find it a little more challenging. Mainly because I usually end up buying the things I really want myself.   Growing up also gives you an idea of all the money that goes into Christmas presents. So you don’t want to make a wishlist brimming with expensive things. Of course you can put it on there, just don’t expect to get it ;) You can also put it on there and say you just wish for money to put towards it, if it is way over everyone’s budget. But I always find wishing for money is a little bit of a cop out.  It is really down to the gift-giving traditions in your circle of family and friends. Maybe you buy expensive gifts for each other, maybe you are doing strictly homemade things or maybe you are doing the Secret Santa thing. Whatever floats your Christmas tree.  This year I have new pajamas, an expensive eye cream, and a ton of books...