Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Dear Readers, hello and welcome to you all. It's been a while since I posted anything on my blog and for that I'm truly sorry. I have been in Sri Lanka for the past few days and will continue to be here until the 3rd of January. Firstly, I wanted to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. It doesn't really feel the same because I'm mostly used to the cold weather and the snow during this holiday period, but I'm happy with the tropical weather as well. How are you enjoying the Christmas holidays? Are there any special traditions that you have relating to the festivities? I would be so intrigued to know, because as some of you may well have guessed, the Christmas culture is still a little alien to me. So, it can be really fascinating to learn how other's spend Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

I thought it might be entertaining to do the Christmas Tag, which I also realize is a little late. I thought it might add an aspect of nostalgia, for another Christmas has passed us by and we look forward to next year's festivities.
Enjoy!

1. What is your favourite holiday movie?
I would have to say either a Christmas Carol or the first Home Alone Movie, where the little boy gets stranded in New York (I think that's the right city, please correct me if I am wrong). They just have that festive spirit and they are classics. To be honest, there are a lot of movies that are shown on Christmas Day, just to entertain the few that have survived the Christmas lunch, so our family tend to get together and see one of the classics or one of the movies that are shown on the television.


2. What are your favourite Christmas colours?
I must admit that I love the metallics, gold and silver. They are, in my opinion, the epitome of Christmas decorations and wrapping paper colours. I find that it's difficult to pull off such brash colours during other times within the year, so I reserve them especially for the Christmas period. Additionally, I find that anything sparkling and glittering will suffice for this particular holiday period.

3. Do you like to stay in your pyjamas or dress up for Christmas?
Personally, I like to stay in my pyjamas for pretty much the entire day. But, if we are invited to any Christmas parties or any outings of the sort, I will tend to dress up in something festive. To me, the best part of Christmas is being with the family and not having to make such a huge effort to look your best (especially as my mantra is: 'wear something that you are comfortable in').

4. If you could only buy one person a present this year who would it be?
This is a ridiculously unfair question. There are so many people that I would like to give presents to. As a result of how difficult this question is, I'm going to reverse it a little and say that I would like to give a present to an orphaned child in Sri Lanka. I appreciate that it's an unusual answer, but considering the fact that my family members are sure to get several presents from others, it seems fair for me to pick an unlikely receiver, who may not be so lucky.

5. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning?
Morning, of course. Now that was a much simpler question. Usually presents from school friends are received much earlier, because they have to be handed out before the end of term, so we have a lot longer to wait to uncover the contents of those particular presents. But, I manage to withstand the urge to open them beforehand. How about you?

6. Have you every built a Ginger Bread House?
Sadly, no. The reasons for this are twofold. Firstly, I've never really had the urge or the opportunity to build a ginger bread house of my own. Secondly, I doubt that even if I tried, it would be a success. Consequently, I have decided to steer away from the creative side of Christmas, which I'm sure is a disappointment for all of you.

7. What do you like to do on your Christmas break?
Mostly just spend time with the family, whether it be in England or Sri Lanka, or elsewhere in the world for that matter. I enjoy having time to relax, after the busy and rather lengthy Christmas term. Another pastime of mine, which I'm sure is the same for most ladies out there, is shopping. The Christmas and Boxing Day bargains are a little too good to resist, plus the pretty Christmas lights are always very attractive. Decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping presents and writing cards are also one of my hobbies (I'm not sure whether that qualifies as a hobby) during the Christmas break. And for those that are still studying, like me, then a little extra revision during the cold month can never do any harm.

8. Any Christmas wishes?
Yes, in fact I have a whole list of wishes, which I shall not bore you with. My main wish for this Christmas period would be, for every person in the world to enjoy one day of peace, harmony and happiness. I wish for one day, that every single sole on this Earth be granted the assurance of safety, contentment and overall happiness. This includes every child, adult, grandmother, grandfather, uncle, aunt, cousin, nephew, niece, friend and foe. I would like everybody to feel as if they are free and that they are safe to live the way they wish. Is that too much to ask? Yes, it probably is, but at least I hope that somehow that can be made possibly in the future.

9. Favourite Christmas smell?
This is a rather odd question, but I understand what it's getting at. Yes, indeed, I do have a favourite Christmas smell... And that smell is... is the suspense too much to bare?...
Well, it's really not that surprising, because it's common in most Christmas deserts. It is the infamous, cinnamon! I apologize if the mention of that word conjures up horrific images of people failing desperately at the treacherous Cinnamon Challenge, but I must be honest, cinnamon is truly my favourite Christmas smell.

10. What is your favourite Christmas song?
I have altered this tag a little to incorporate, what I think to to be, one of the most important aspects of Christmas... the songs and the music. I have three favourite songs that I must share with you; 12 Days of Christmas (oh, what a classic), Winter Wonderland and All I Want for Christmas Is You (by Mariah Carey). I'm fairly interested to see what kind of music you like to listen to when 'cosying' (yes, that is now officially a word) up to the fire, wrapping presents or eating a hearty Christmas meal, leave your answers in the comments below.

So, that's it for this year's Christmas tag, I hope you enjoyed reading it (apologies again for it being so long).
I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year full of happiness and fond memories.

Love, Kya xoxo