Tag: gratitude

BLOGMAS DAY 22: MY TOP 10 FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT CHRISTMAS

Published on by oliviagaskill1 Comment

Hello everybody and welcome to Blogmas day 22! Spending the festive season in a hot country has really made me appreciate the little things that I enjoy so much about Christmas, so I thought why not round up my top ten things I love about this time of year!

1. Chocolate for breakfast
Christmas is the only acceptable time of year where the first thing I eat when I wake up is chocolate and I won’t feel guilty about it. I’m such a chocolate lover so I’m surprised at how patient I am when it comes to waiting for each day to open a new door on my advent calenders. Once the 25th passes I should probably cut down on the sugary snacks, but for now I’m happily enjoying all the foods and sweets that only come out over Christmas.

2. Christmas films
Even when you have a movie on DVD it still feels better to watch it when it’s on TV. Festive films never fail to cheer me up when I’m down or even just make me feel all warm and cosy inside. There are a few films I’m still yet to watch for the first time ever, like Love Actually and It’s A Wonderful Life, so I think that’ll be on my to-do list over the next two days.

3. Snuggling into bed with a hot drink and a good book
Okay so I know you can do this any time of the year but there’s something about doing it around Christmas that makes it all the more special, especially when it’s a Christmas book like Let It Snow or a hot chocolate in a big mug topped with mini marshmallows.

4. Decorating anything and everything
From fairy lights to tinsel, from Christmas trees to wreaths, I love decorating my room for the holidays! Putting up the tree back home is something I love doing with my Mum and last year she surprised me and bought loads of new decorations which was super cute. After Christmas passes I usually leave the fairy lights up because they’re so pretty and it technically doesn’t need to be Christmas to have them up.

5. Buying gifts
I’m so bad at knowing what to buy for people but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it. Apart from my parents the only person I’ve bought presents for this year is Maya. We had a $50 limit but I’ve got the feeling she’s spent way over that, and if I had the money I would gladly buy her all the things I’ve seen that I think she would like.

6. Christmas music
Because who doesn’t love a good sing-along to festive anthems in the shower or in the car?

7. Knitwear
I miss wearing fluffy socks, snug mittens, and ugly Christmas jumpers. If I wore them in Sydney I’d probably pass out (although it was quite cold at 19 degrees the other day), but I just love how comfy they are!

8. Christmas Adverts
In a previous post I listed my favourite Christmas adverts of 2016. Whenever I watched TV back home and a festive ad would come on it would make me so excited for the season, or if it was a heartfelt ad I would quite literally feel my heart melting.

9. Vlogmas/Blogmas
Watching/reading people’s vlogmas/blogmas posts is something I’ve only just gotten into this year but already it’s one of the things I look forward to every day in December! I’m really pleased I decided to partake in Blogmas this year and I’m proud I’ve kept up with it everyday. I would have done vlogmas too but I won’t be getting my camera until next week (yes I’m finally getting it!).

10. The festive feeling
You know the feeling? The little bubble of happiness and excitement whenever you see Christmas decorations or your favourite festive advert comes on TV? Or when you hear the first few notes to Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ and you have to drop everything you’re doing just to sing along like you’re performing it at Wembley (albeit a very out of tune performance)? Yeah that feeling. It’s my favourite.

Ta-da! 10 of my favourite things about Christmas all in one lovely little list! There’s so much more I love about the season it was hard to narrow it down. What’s a few of your favourite aspects of Christmas? Let me know in the comments!

Until tomorrow,
Liv
xo

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BLOGMAS DAY 4: 10 THINGS I’M GRATEFUL FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Published on by oliviagaskill1 Comment


Blogmas day 4 is upon us, and if you’re getting to these posts through my Facebook or Instagram you’re probably getting sick of me spamming your feed every night/morning, depending on whether you’re here in sunny Australia or back home in England. I thought I would care about annoying people with it but I don’t, I needed a way to get back into writing and blogging and this so far has been the perfect way, especially because it’s getting me into the Christmas spirit too. This year I’m spending Christmas thousands of miles away from home, which has made me appreciate everything so much more. So today’s post is dedicated to bringing to light 10 things I’m grateful for this holiday season and hopefully it will make others think about what they have too.

1. Friends
When I first came to Australia I was so worried I wasn’t going to find a good group of people who I’d be really close with, but as soon as I moved into Wake Up and met everyone in room 406 I knew I had been worried over nothing. Even after the original group had gone their separate ways I continued to make friends with the people coming and going, then became part of the family when I became staff. For Christmas we’re going to Coogee beach for a BBQ and a few of us are going to Helen’s for a traditional English roast, so right now I’m grateful that I’ve met such a wonderful group of friends and can create these memories with them.

2. The opportunity to travel
I had been planning on coming to Australia for two years prior to arriving, so to actually be here now still feels surreal. This year I’m grateful to have the chance to travel and spend New Year’s Eve watching the fireworks at the Sydney harbour bridge and opera house, which has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember.

3. Living in Sydney
This follows on nicely from my last point. Sydney is such an expensive city but I’ve been able to live here for the past three months. The city centre feels like home for me now and I love that I live in the heart of the city but can hop on a bus and be at a number of beautiful beaches within 20 minutes.

4. My job
I wouldn’t be able to live in Sydney if it weren’t for my job. I work 16 hours a week at Wake Up for accommodation and thank god I do because otherwise I’d be flat-out broke by now. Accommodation in Sydney over Christmas is expensive if you’re not living in an apartment, so to already have my living arrangements sorted is something I’m so grateful for. Plus this job has led me to meet so many amazing people.

5. Family
Moving away to university made me appreciate my Mum and everything she’s done for me, but moving to the other side of the world has amplified that and I now appreciate my family even more. I’m no longer just an hour’s drive away from my Mum and Dad in Blackpool or a 3 hour drive away from my Gran and Granda in Glasgow, so when I phone or Skype them it makes it all the more special.

6. Social Media/Technology
Nowadays it’s really easy to stay in contact with friends and family because of Facebook, Skype, etc. so I can Skype home on Christmas Day and show my Mum what I’m doing and see the house back home all decorated.

7. The weather
Something I really don’t miss about home is the weather, so as it’s dropping to -4 in Manchester I’m loving the 30 degree heat in Sydney then complain about it being cold when it drops to anything near 22.

8. Moments of peace
Last week Sonia and I took a trip to the Blue Mountains and there were moments where we’d just stand at the lookouts and enjoy the silence and fresh air. These are the moments I really love and I usually have them at the beach too just listening to the waves break on the shore. They make me feel relaxed and this gives me a second to appreciate what I’m doing right at that moment and take it all in.

9. No exams
This is my first Christmas in a decade where I’ve not had to worry about school, college or university assignments and exams. I miss being in education, I love learning and I miss everyone back at UoM, but right now I’m grateful that I have my degree and can enjoy this Christmas without getting stressed about passing exams or writing essays.

10. Having something to look forward to
Before writing this post I had a read through what other bloggers had been grateful for in their posts and this one really stuck with me. I have so much to look forward to right now and a bunch of opportunities that could take my life in a completely different direction. I’ll keep you guys updated on that front after Christmas, but at the moment I’m currently looking forward to Christmas Day on the beach and spending NYE watching the fireworks in good company.

Leave a comment below with what you’re grateful for around the holiday season.

Liv
xo