Things To Do This Festive Season When You're Lacking The Christmas Spirit

To say that I'm not a festive person is a huge understatement. Some people at this time of year practically ooze Christmas from their pores but I'm not one of them. And I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking when you get to a certain age that the season does lose it's sparkle as it's so busy and it's also so expensive and not many of us have an unlimited budget for gifts. So if you feel the same way I do and struggle to feel the Christmas spirit here are some of my favourite things to do at this time of year that doesn't involve busy crowds or cost a tonne of money either.

BAKING

Every single year up until I was 19 myself, my mum and my older sister would always set a day aside and spend the entire day baking festive treats and it's by far one of my most loved memories. The best thing about festive baking is not only is it a really fun thing to do but you can either save them for yourself for Christmas day or just eat them the day of baking [warm jam tarts are truly one of the most beautiful things ever]. Or if you can give them as a gift to someone, personally I think food is an underrated present especially when it's homemade.

GARDEN CENTRES

Going to a garden centre is one of my favourite things-to-do all year round, there is no denying that. I'm not sure why I harbour such a love for them but I do. And garden centres at Christmas are pretty fun, for me they offer all the best parts of a Christmas market without the hustle and bustle as I'm not a lover of big crowds as they can be pretty stressful. Usually, as well they have huge displays as well as some of the most beautiful decorations and if you're someone who buys a real tree then you can usually find one at a garden centre and I find them to be a little more affordable than a Christmas tree farm.

WALLACE & GROMIT

Part of me can't believe I'm about to talk about plasticine in a blog post. If you're someone who grew up in the 90's you will probably have watched Wallace & Gromit and without fail, they're on TV every year at Christmas so it's become a little bit of a tradition. It's not something that is festive at all and most of them don't even feature the season but it's fail safe to get me in the mood for Christmas. As well as Christmas episodes of The Simpsons, they're also my favourite to watch over Christmas films. And there we have it I've just declared my love for plasticine for a lot of people to see and I'm not even slightly embarrassed about it.

A STATELY HOME

Whenever I can slot in a segment about how much I love the National Trust and visiting a stately home into a blog post I do. For years they shut the houses up Christmas which is a shame but now they've started to open up a little more. There is just something so lovely about walking around and soaking up the history and admiring the beautiful decorations. And they always have such lovely cafes that you can visit. And of course, the National Trust gift shops are always amazing, I always wait till their throws are reduced as they're such beautiful quality and they would make the perfect gift for someone.