Goodbye 2015 and hello 2016! Most importantly Happy Happy New Year to all of you lovely readers, some of you who have been here since the very first post. Some end of year ramblings and a round up of my favourite photos/posts below if you want to see!

I think this weekend is one of the most popular for Christmas gatherings before the big day, with friends/family/neighbours drinks and nibbles. So I thought I'd get this post up today in case you are hosting anything this weekend. Ever since I was little we've been a family for hosting things and I've learnt from my Mumma. So here are a few of my tips {and photos from previous festive gatherings} if you've got people coming over:

Are you in the love or hate wrapping camp?? I quite like it until I'm about an hour in, surrounded by ribbon having lost the scissors and tape under a mountain of brown paper. This year I didn't have much to wrap though, we did a big secret Santa draw with Ben's family that reduced the amount of presents down. I think as everyone gets older the gifts get a lot smaller too. But I still had a few to wrap so out came the paper {three different types this year} and the trusty old Costco ribbon.

Last weekend was our annual gingerbread baking day. We've used various different kits over the years, some needing us to make the whole thing from scratch and bake in the oven, others just needing some icing construction. This year's was from Lakeland and I think it's the best one yet.

Two weeks left of this year!! Madness. But what a two weeks they will be, all full of Christmas cheer. I think I have something on every single day now until Christmas Day, lunches/dinners with friends, family festive day outs. I love this time of year. The last week has flown by, we had a trip to Kempton Antiques {see this post} to start shopping for the new house and there were some beautiful afternoons for walks around the village with the dog and a trip to St Albans for the outdoor Christmas Market. Yesterday Ben and I went into Hampstead and admired all the festive doortraits. Also two highlights of the week = Homeland and the new series of the Serial podcast. Amazing. I think I'm going to change these weekly musings from the New Year and make it more about different things I've seen/thought about/bought/planned that week as well as the weekly instagram photo roundup. Before the year is out I'm planning a couple more christmassy posts with gingerbread house making and some entertaining tips. Any requests, as always, let me know. 

R <3 xx 

If you avoid the crowds, London really is magical at Christmas. I don't know where you're based but if you're used to usually rushing around London for work like me then when you take time to just stroll around with no agenda, it feels like a completely different city. Last Thursday Ben and I were up in town for a festive afternoon tea at The Shard for SYGM {post here}, afterwards we walked and walked across the city taking in all the lights, ice rinks and shop windows. When we couldn't walk anymore, we took a black cab {in full London style but for free, info at end of the post} and it felt like Christmas had truly begun.

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la. Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la la la la. 

I thought I'd share some photos of our house all decorated for the Christmas season with you today. It's pretty similar to last year with a few new additions. I think our tree is slightly bigger this year, it's taken over the lounge! But I love it. If all goes to plan with our move then next year will be a rather different Christmas for us, I'll have to buy some new decs to fill the new house I think! Ben's promised me two trees next year ;) {Oh and I've decorated the tree twice so far this year, we were sitting eating dinner last week on the sofa when all of a sudden it started falling towards us!! Hilarious, I wish somebody had filmed our reactions!} R <3 xx 

Merry Weekend! Only 4 weeks left of this year until 2016. I plan to spend mine in a Christmas movie/lights/gingerbread eating haze. I really love this time of year and this week has felt like the perfect start to the festive season. Our tree went up last weekend, I've lit the first of the Winter candles, written my Christmas cards and yesterday had a lovely afternoon around London. Next week I'll be posting photos of all the decs around the house and some of my favourite Christmas lights around the city. What are you up to this weekend? We have our first Christmas dinner on Sunday, Ben's Mum is hosting it early this year before she goes to Australia for the holidays! Andd it may be time to commence the gingerbread house making! I'm sure I'll be posting all on Instagram {@rvk_loves} Oh and thanks for everyone's messages about our house, we accepted an offer this week and the Sold sign has officially gone up. Catch up next week! R <3 xx 

You may remember this post from last year about making my own Christmas wreath with The Flower Fairies, my wedding florist. My Mum and I enjoyed it so much that we decided that our doors just wouldn't be the same without another wreath this Christmas so decided to book onto a workshop again. Whilst we know how to make our own now, we still wanted to go back to Charlie's course for the huge selection of the best materials she has on offer and her expertise in bow tying! It's also a lovely excuse for a morning out together and now marks the start of the festive season for us both.

I hope you're not rolling your eyes at me for talking about Christmas at the end of November, but guys you do know that December begins tomorrow and so the month of festivities begin! It wouldn't be Christmas for us without going to choose the tree {see this post from last year too}. It's become a tradition in our family, ever year at the

end of November driving up to Sarratt, a local village to visit Martin who has a whole farm full of trees ready and waiting to be taken home and adorned in lights. For every tree he cuts, he plants another in it's place. One magical year it was even snowy!

I always feel a little guilty when I get to a Friday to write this post and realise that I haven't posted anything since last weekend. Sorry y'all but I promise there will be a big overhaul of this blog next year with the new house. Here's what I've been doing instead of blogging this week - I went to my Nephew's 2nd Birthday party, I saw Spectre at The Rex cinema {v v good by the way}, 3 pilates classes, the usual running/dog walks, attended an event for So You're Getting Married, went to view the new house again to measure up for a few bits so we can start the new plans, tidied and cleaned our house top to bottom ready for viewings on an open day tomorrow, had a family dinner party last night and today got the Christmas Tree! Chuck in some admin, emails and work into the mix too. And looking after my poorly husband, he'll only get a cold once a year but when he does you sure know about it. So that's me! How about you?? And yes it's not even December yet for the Christmas tree but when you get them cut down fresh they last for weeks and weeks. This weekend marks the start of all things Merry and Bright, tomorrow my Mumma and I are off to make a Christmas wreath which is handy to avoid all these people coming to view our house {which I feel super weird about} and then it's operation decorate! My friend Sophie is hosting a dinner party tomorrow night and I can't wait for a girly evening. Sunday I think will be chilled out just decorating the tree and I really want some time to sit on my ipad and see what good Black Friday deals there are to be had! Hope you have a lovely weekend, I'll start some Christmassy blog posts soon.

R <3 xx

'A house is made of bricks and beams, a house is made of love and dreams!'

Oh, our beloved house... it's been a tough tough couple of weeks trying to decide what to do for the best. Let me tell you from the start!