I decided that if Oprah can share her favourite things, I should do the same! Of course, the definition of Christmas is not rooted in material things. Christmas is about family and loved ones, first and foremost. I think that it is so much fun to spend time with the ones you care about most and I really do mean it when I say that I love picking out personalized gifts for the special people in my life. It is not about the money and how elaborate the gifts are, but it is the thought put into it and the joy of making someone else happy.
Christmas is my favourite time of the year so I decided that I will share some of my Christmas favourites with all of you. From my favourite gifts to holiday treats, I’m sure you can relate to some of the items on my list!
Here we go, in no particular order:
Bath and Body Works candles and candle accessories
One of my favourite things about Christmas is having candles burning that epitomize the scents of Christmas. From Cranberry Woods, with a woodsy and fruity combination, to Vanilla Bean Noel, combining the delicious scent of vanilla beans and luxurious cream. Something that we do in our house is put up an artificial tree every year. This is for a few reasons, primarily being because we usually do not spend Christmas in Canada. While we don’t have a real tree up, we still want to have the beautiful pine smells filling our home. Thanks to the BBW candles, Fresh Balsam and Evergreen, we still get the same beautiful smell of a real tree! As for the candle accessories, BBW never disappoints. This year they have beautiful candle pedestals that sparkle with the candle light and really help to show off a beautiful candle.
Festive Drinks (Starbucks)
Yes, yes…the red cup marketing got to me too! There’s something about having a festive drink in a red cup that makes it that much more appealing. Once the Pumpkin Spice Latte season peters off, and the holiday lattes arrives, you can expect to see Peppermint Mocha, Egg Nog, Caramel Brulee, and my favourite…Gingerbread back at Starbucks. If you’re like me and you don’t have too much of a sweet tooth, the Gingerbread latte is just for you. With the rich flavours of gingerbread and nutmeg, this drink never leaves me feeling disappointed.
Loose Leaf Tea
Teavana is a new discovery of mine. Well, that’s not true…let me rephrase: I am a new customer of Teavana. My mom purchased one of Teavana’s perfect tea makers recently and it is such an incredible invention; the perfect way to efficiently and cleanly steep loose leaf teas. It’s really quite simple: add the loose leaf tea into the tea maker, add hot water, allow the tea to steep, put the tea maker on your favourite mug and watch in amazement as the tea is strained into your cup, leaving the leaves in the tea maker. The best part is that you can reuse the tea leaves for several cups of tea, depending on how strong you would like your cup of tea to be. This is such a fabulous gift for any tea lover! Some of my favourite loose leaf teas at Teavana are Jasmine Oolong, Honeybush Vanilla, Peach Momotaro, and Blueberry Bliss mixed with Pineapple Kona Pop. I must admit, shopping at Teavana is not always the most pleasant experience because the sales associates can be quite pushy at times. They’re lucky the product sells itself.
Slippers
This might sound so silly to some, but slippers are one of my favourite parts about Christmas and winter in general. I love feeling cozy, especially since winters can be so bitterly cold in Toronto. A festive looking slipper always makes me feel good. This year I finally got my hands on a pair of the infamous Bath and Body Works lamb slippers. Trust me, they’re as comfortable as they are cute!
MAC Cosmetics
Every year MAC Cosmetics find a creative way to put together glamorous palettes, with gorgeous colour combinations, to make every girl feel luxurious for the holidays, while threading together a specific theme. From eyeshadow palettes, sweet and sassy lip colours, to holiday nail polishes, MAC puts together a collection that ignores no details. This year the collection is called Glamour Daze, with packaging details and marketing that makes MAC girls feel a touch of couture. The fact that the collections are limited edition also add a bit of an appeal factor to the right demographic. For me, some of my favourite holiday looks include a bold red lip, maybe even a berry lip, or a smokey eye with some sparkles. Holiday looks can be unique and playful and when it comes to makeup, I love trying new looks!
Christmas Stockings
I think that stockings at Christmas are such a fun way to share presents! There’s something to be said about cute, tiny presents. This is the first Christmas in a few years that we decided to put up our stockings again and they really make such a statement. They’re a cute Christmas tradition and I’m quite a sucker for tradition. The coziness of the fire and the homeliness of the stockings really paints a picture right of Christmas.
Gingerbread Houses
We don’t make a gingerbread house every year but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate a good gingerbread house! Not only do they smell amazing, but they’re so festive and are so much fun to make. They never turn out the same and are always a collaborative effort! In the past, when making gingerbread houses, we put on Christmas music and make sure that we have a lot of extra candy on hand. We all became little designers as we work away on our miniature house and watch it come to life.
Nail Polish
I always associate a good red nail polish with Christmas; add some glitter and sparkle and I’m on board! I think that Christmas is a fun time to experiment with different nail polish trends and styles. Some people are more conservative with the way they dress, but when it comes to nails I don’t think there is a need to hold back!
DJ Earworm’s Annual Mashup
Every December, the infamous DJ Earworm brilliantly puts together his mashup of the year’s top pop songs. I always look forward to what he does because he has such a good ear (ha…ha…) and he puts together an incredible song with the perfect mashup of the top songs of the year. He has a knack of turning songs that drive me insane (simply because of overplay on the radio) into something that I can listen to on repeat.
Christmas Cards
I absolutely love Christmas cards. I think that they’re such a cute way to finish off a beautifully wrapped present. The nice thing about a card is that you can truly put into words your best wishes and love for someone at such a special time of the year. It’s something that takes a little bit more time but I think that it is worth the extra few minutes for the effect that a card can have on someone. I love when Christmas cards start to arrive in the mail, from family and friends from all over the world.
Tiffany & Co. Christmas
That little blue box makes me a happy girl, I can’t deny it. Every year, Tiffany & Co mail out their Christmas catalogue with their unique charms with blue enamel and a hint of colour here and there. The Tiffany & Co charms are my favourite and I am lucky to say that I have a beautiful collection of their charms that I have collected over the last few Christmases as gifts. One of my favourite memories from New York City was visiting the original Tiffany & Co and seeing their elaborate, beautiful window displays at Christmas.
Ghirdaelli Peppermint Squares
Unless you have tried these delectable little chocolates, words really won’t do them justice. Our family became obsessed with Ghirdaelli chocolate when we discovered it in Disney World. The Peppermint squares have just the right balance between mint and chocolate, each flavour enhancing the other. Delicious!
Christmas Movies
I think everyone can agree with me that Christmas movies really help to set the mood! Some of my favourites are The Grinch and Elf because I love a good laugh. No matter what the Christmas movie is, if you’re watching with a loved one, you’re guaranteed to feel warm and fuzzy!
Family and Friends
Lastly, and certainly most importantly, Christmas time would not be the same without my loved ones. Words cannot express how important the people closest to me are, especially at Christmas. On that note, from me to you, I wish you a very Merry Christmas! May your day be spent with loved ones and full of joy and festivity.
‘Twas the night before Christmas,
and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring,
not even a mouse.
Merry Christmas from Merzybean.
Merzybean 