My favourite things to do this time of year

The lead up to Christmas is definitely my favourite time of the year. Dark and rainy evenings make everything so cosy, and you can look forward to eating well and spending time with your family at Christmas.

I almost feel like the lead-up to Christmas is better than the event itself, because Christmas alone goes by so quickly. There's a saying that illustrates my point perfectly but I don't remember how it goes, please let me know in the comments if you do! Having something exciting to look forward to is the best feeling in the world, in my opinion.

Anyway, without further ado, I’ll share some things I love to do around this time of year to make myself feel festive and excited for Christmas.

• Watching films - especially Christmas films, but any film is nice to snuggle up to - even binge-watching series is great this time of the year. If anyone is wondering, I'm already halfway through my Christmas watch list, so more than likely I'll need to add to it throughout December!
• Lighting festive candles (I like spicy scents – my current candle is apple and cinnamon scented, pictured above -, as well as fir tree scents – they smell exactly like a Christmas tree). What I love about candles is that they give such a nice ambiance to the room - as well as smelling amazing!
• Visiting Christmas markets (mulled wine, wrapping up in hats, gloves and cosy jackets, buying or at least getting ideas for Christmas presents, amazing food – what's not to love?)
• Listening to Christmas music (especially fun when combined with present wrapping!)
• The fashion – at the end of every summer I start really looking forward to getting out my big cosy coats, scarves, hats and gloves. I recently gave in and bought a baker boy hat (à la Keira Knightley in Love Actually, if you're not sure what I mean), which I have been wanting to wear non-stop since! Actually, you can see it in the photo below, where I'm exploring Passage du Nord, a shopping arcade in Brussels

All in all, I adore the cosiness of November and December, and I’m already really looking forward to spending Christmas at home with my family.

Here’s hoping for a White Christmas!

Love,

Maddy-Lou