Probably the thing that I love and look forward to most at Christmas is spending time with family. For some people that thought fills them with dread but I'm lucky in that us five - my parents, brother, Ben and I are a really close family and have lots of fun together. I love the week between Christmas and New Year so much, when everybody has a couple of weeks off work and can just enjoy watching Christmas TV, films, eating, drinking, seeing friends, going to neighbour's and going on long dog walks. The build up to Christmas is always pretty hectic with lots going on but the best time really begins on Christmas Eve when we all gather at my parents and spend most of the next week there, the days just merge into one with no clock watching. I'd love to share a few photos of my parent's beautiful barn conversion where we spend our magical Christmases every year. 

After today's post about last Sunday at Somerset House, I thought I'd share some other photos taken around London at Christmas time this year and from a few previous years with some must see's if you're in the city this December. Christmas light porn basically. Starting with Selfridges and their famous window displays. 

Somerset House is always gorgeous at Christmas with a big tree and ice rink but this year Fortnum and Mason have sponsored it and it's the best yet I think. Last Sunday Ben and I went to Columbia Road for our annual Christmas trip and then headed over to Somerset House and it was gorgeous. So so Christmassy!!

I love decorating the house for Christmas, things seem to sneak out of the loft earlier and earlier every year. Last year was our first Christmas in our house so I didn't really know where to put everything but this year I had a plan and ordered a few new bits to fill the spaces that looked bare last year. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I'm sure you've seen a few of these photos on Instagram already but here's a look at how our house is looking right now. My very own winter wonderland, there's nowhere else I'd rather be for the next couple of weeks! <3 

Wrapping. Do you love or hate it? I love it until I'm about half way through with an achey back from sitting on the floor for hours and there's chaos surrounding me. You end up losing your pen or your tape, or your scissors or you cut a bit of ribbon just ever so slightly too short. Or you can't find the end of the sellotape for the fiftieth time. Every year I vow to buy those wrist tape dispensers but every year forget. BUT it's a good job done when you've finished it all and have a pile of pretty looking gifts all ready to go. Everyone thinks I'm mad wrapping in the first week of December but I just can't stand the shops near Christmas so try and get everything done early. I do get a few funny looks from Ben when I start discussing Christmas presents at the end of October but it's worth it in the end. So this is a post all about wrapping and a few gift ideas for those hard to buy for people...

For the past four years, apart from that one I missed when I was in Africa, my girlfriends and I get together and cook a huge Christmas dinner and all wear our festive jumpers. Last year it was held at my house, and will be again this year. We all club together buying lots of food and then get cooking! It's always so much fun and we've set the date for this year's annual jumper dinner already.

Am I allowed to say that I really don't like mince pies? They symbolise Christmas in this county but I hate them. In fact I dislike pastry in general, and marzipan, citrus things, candied peel or the taste of strong alcohol; which pretty much rules out a load of things filling the shops that most people love at this time of year. No Christmas pudding for me, I'll pass on the Stollen, Pannatone is nothing special, you won't have to guard your brandy sauce etc. BUT I'm absolutely addicted to gingerbread at Christmas, and in love with Lebukchen. You will have to guard these with your life around me right now, I've already gone through a pack of chocolate covered lebukchen and made a start on a pack of 30 mini gingerbread shapes that snuck themselves onto the Sainsburys order today. And Christmas is all about chocolate too so when I pass on a mince pie, I'll make up for it in chocolate {Mum I hope you've got the annual tin of celebrations ready??}. So for the past three, or maybe four Christmases, around the second weekend of December Ben and I have baked and constructed a gingerbread house. I love baking, he loves making things so it's the perfect combination. We both also happen to love eating it afterwards. Scroll down for some Christmas baking photos from last year, recipes and the best thing of all - edible glitter!!

At the end of 2011, a couple of days after Christmas Ben and I planned a few nights away to Bath and the Cotswolds. It's a lovely time of year to go away, we'd had a few big family filled Christmassy days and to counter that flatness you sometimes get just before New Year when you can't eat anymore turkey sandwiches or watch another film it was good to have something to look forward to. We went to Bath first, at the time it was my first visit there and I loved it. Such a beautiful city with great shopping. We stayed at The Queensberry, a beautiful boutique hotel located just a five minute walk from the centre of Bath and then came the best part, staying at Barnsley House in Cirencester which was so so heavenly. 

Last year, about a week before Christmas Ben and I had an afternoon out at Bicester Village before stopping at Waddesdon Manor to see their Christmas display at dusk. I was blown away by it, how beautiful does it look lined with trees all lit up?