08/01/14 - What I Got For Christmas

Welcome to the obligatory 'here's what I got for Christmas' blog post!  And as everyone says at the start, I am by no means bragging about all the wonderful things I received...this post is partly for me to look back on in the future and partly because I know how nosy we all are!  We read blogs to get a sneak peek into people's lives and, personally at least, I love seeing Christmas and birthday gift posts so this is just a few of my present highlights; I was very lucky this year and got lots of little things so I thought I'd share some of them with you. 

My main present this year was a pair of GHD hair straighteners, but they were hard to get a decent photo of and come on, everyone knows what they look like.  Before I cut my hair, I never really needed to straighten it because the weight of the length would drag it all down, getting rid of any bounce or kinks.  Now that it's shorter, it has a mind of its own and very much needs to be controlled so GHDs were top of my Christmas list.  I've used them a few times and I have to say, been absolutely blown away by the results.  I know people say they're the best but I wouldn't have believed how good they could be until I tried them myself.  I certainly have plenty of good hair days in my future!

Do you remember the post in which I raved about my latest favourite LUSH scent?  Now I can add the perfume to my collection of rose-scented products!  Alongside their usual Gorilla perfumes, LUSH introduced a range of their festive scents as perfumes for Christmas 2013.  They're only available for a limited time, so I suggest you grab one quick!  The scent is strong but not overpowering, and lasts really well.  The few occasions on which I've worn it so far, I've had compliments on it every time!  I love the minimalist design of it as well.

I'm fairly well-known amongst my friends for having an extensive DVD collection...at university, they had to live by the television in the living room because carrying them all through whenever we wanted to choose a film was just too much.  I, of course, added to this collection with my two favourite films of the year (both of which I reviewed here and here), the second series of my favourite TV series of the year, and the two Nativity films - why had I never seen either before?  My brother and I did a marathon of both in one night and they are rapidly becoming my new festive favourites!  (How many times can I say the word 'favourite' in one paragraph?  Oops.)

There's nothing I love more than really personal gifts.  Knowing that someone has gone to the time and effort to really think about what you might appreciate means a lot, especially around Christmas when there are so many other things to consider and people to buy presents for.  But the ultimate best kind of present?  Homemade.  Through his job, my dad knows and works with a lot of artists.  Recently, he helped to run a workshop with a woman who specialises in ceramic art and at that workshop, he made a bowl for my mum and tiles featuring our initials for me and my brother.  He kept stressing before we opened them that it wasn't much and we shouldn't get our hopes up, but really I just love that I can look at this tile propped up on my bookshelves and know that my dad made it specifically with me in mind.  It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

And on a similar theme, I also got this piece of textile art by Mary Bryning (who is incidentally someone I used to work with and a very lovely woman).  My mum and I went to a fair at the gallery my dad works at, at which a lot of local artists were displaying and selling their work.  We both specifically pointed out pieces of Mary's that we liked, and were then surprised to open them on Christmas morning!  He'd been a sneaky one this year, my father.  I love collecting unique things and arty pieces which I can hang onto for when I have my own house.

My brother came up trumps this year as well.  After making a brief suggestion to him a few months ago that I thought one of those poseable wooden hands that artists use (similar to those funky little men with the round heads) would be a really cool way to store and display my ring collection, I totally forgot all about it.  I'd had a little browse online and not been able to find anything, so I put the idea to bed...only to find that, not only had Josh hunted one down and bought it for me, he'd also bought me ring to go along with it.  Yet another purchase from a local artist, Tilly Wilkinson, I love that it's a bit more delicate than most of my massive chunky costume jewellery.  I can't wait to get this hand all loaded up with rings...it might make it look a teeny bit less creepy when you catch it out of the corner of your eye...

And of course there's the usual mound of chocolate.  It feels much bigger this year than usual, which is unfortunate as I could do with shedding the extra Christmas weight without too many temptations.  I have so little self control, I suspect all of this will be gone very soon...and this is just what I haven't eaten already!

Some of you may be wondering, "But Hannah, you're such a bookworm...how is it possible that you didn't get a single book under your Christmas tree?"  Good question, dear reader.  Of course I got some books for Christmas and I've also bought some recently so I'm going to do a whole separate post about those, or we'd be here all day!

I hope you've enjoyed reading this and don't think that I'm trying to show off, I just thought some people might be interested to see what I got this year.  If you've written your own Christmas haul posts, link them in the comments!  I'm so nosy, I love to see what other people get.