The opening line of Fairytale of New York; my favourite Christmas song for as long as I can remember. Christmas Eve this year was wonderful- lunch with my family and then drinks at my brother’s home. But I think we all felt a little incomplete. Harry was really quite unwell, so was unable to join us. He’s a bright, lively boy so was very notable by his absence. And our other brother is in New Zealand with his wife and daughter. We’re a close family and we miss them beyond words and have done since they moved there in spring. It was still lovely though and because it was the first Christmas Eve Ian and I had spent together, it was very special.

Red Self-Portrait Lace Midi Dress

My dress is by Self Portrait. My love for this label is in danger of becoming an obsession. I adore Han Chong’s feminine, romantic designs and his attention to detail. (The full-length navy dress I wore earlier this month when I went to the awards ceremony with Catherine, Not Dressed As Lamb, was also by Self Portrait).  This vibrant red lace midi dress was as perfect for Christmas Eve as it will be in my summer holiday wardrobe. I bought it in the sale and at the time of writing, it’s still available in all sizes.

I do wonder at times if I didn’t play enough “dress-up” when I was a little girl. Or maybe I’ve just never grown out of wanting to be a princess? Either way, I enjoyed wearing this snowflake tiara. And yet it’s interesting, because I wouldn’t have had the confidence to wear it when I was in my twenties or thirties. Age and the love of the right man have done wonders for my self-esteem.

Christmas Day

Ian, Poppy, Harry and I spent Christmas Day here at home along with my parents. It was perfect. Harry was much better, the food went well and we just relaxed, chatted and played board games. Precious family time. And hardly any photos!

And Finally…

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too. I was back to work yesterday, (Thursday 27th), and am working tomorrow and also Monday, New Years Eve. Therefore the usual Christmas and New Year break feels a little fragmented. It’s been years since I’ve worked during this period, but in a lot of ways it’s good to get up and out at a decent hour and to keep the old brain ticking over. Poppy and Harry both have mock exams when they go back to school, so they’re revising. Well Poppy is at least! And I have 100% Optical to look forward to in two weeks.

I’m planning a few new things for my blog for 2019, including an ongoing series of eyewear fashion posts and I feel I have a lot to look forward to. It’s been an incredible year and I’ll write more about that on Monday.