Merry Christmas 2016

Hi Christmas wishes,

I just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas. I hope you got everything you asked for and more. I will have a 'What I Got For Christmas' coming up later this week (it may not be tomorrow, sorry) so look forward to that and more coming from my blog in 2017!

Merry Christmas and thank you for reading throughout 2016✨

xmollymaex 

The Best Christmas Songs

Hi mistletoe sprigs,


This is my last blog post before Christmas and it's definitely going to get you all in the Christmas spirit and ready for the big day! I hope you enjoy reading and listen to some of my recommendations because in my opinion, they're truly wonderful.


Every song is linked to a YouTube video for you to listen to it.


WHAM - LAST CHRISTMAS

Okay, so this ones talking about 'last Christmas' but if you don't hear this one before the 25th - are you really celebrating Christmas? I love this song and everybody and their dog knows it so you better turn up the volume and scream every lyric with all your loved ones.


MARIAH CAREY - ALL I WANT FORCHRISTMAS IS YOU

Again, this song is a classic and if you don't here it over the festive period, you're doing it wrong. A bit cheesy but who can resist the urge to sing along to a Mariah favourite


BOBBY HELMS - JINGLE BELL ROCK

The Mean girls classic which is bound to get you up and dancing along. When all your friends are round, Mean Girls is one of the films which is always on in the background and who can blame you? Everyone loves it and rightly so!

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

I sing this song all the time even if I get it wrong every single time. I love this song (well I love every song in this post) but this song is going to annoy everyone when you sing it everyday up until Christmas but you're going to LOVE it.


AWAY IN A MANGER

I went to a Church of England school so I sung this song all the time in the Christmas period - especially in the nativity. It such a nostalgic song for me so I had to mention and recommend it.


SILENT NIGHT

This song, again, is a song that brings back so many childhood memories. I remember so many times in the nativity where I sung this so it was impossible for me not to include it in this list.


DEAN MARTIN - LET IT SNOW

So this song may not be relevant to the southern hemisphere on any non-cold country but it's definitely one to get you in the Christmas spirit. It's catchy and everything you need in a Christmas song.


MICHAEL BUBLÉ - WHITE CHRISTMAS

I know, its not an original song from Michael Bublé but I wanted to include one of his songs since he is the King of Christmas (don't argue with me on this one). Everyone should listen to this song, despite whose singing it but trust me, once you listen to Bublé, you never go back...


THE POGUES - FAIRYTALE IN NEW YORK

A true classic. You've got to listen to this at least once every year. It's a wonderful song and definitely one to check out from this list.


FROSTY THE SNOWMAN

I LOVE SNOW! This song is all about a snowman (obviously) but it makes me so happy as I associate Christmas with snow. It's a nostalgic song for me and one of the best in my humble opinion.




RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER

How could I do a blog post without this song? It's a classic which is sung every year in honour of Rudolph - the main reindeer himself.




I hope you all have a FABULOUS Christmas which is spent with friends and family.


xmollymaex

Last Minute Gift Ideas 2016

Hi nutcrackers,

This post for the ones who may or may not have forgotten to buy a gift for someone. We've all been there and I'm here to (hopefully) save the day! This post is in 3 sections for women, men and teens. I did three gift guides in November so check them out here:

GIFT GUIDE: For Women

GIFT GUIDE: For Men

GIFT GUIDE: For Teens

FOR WOMEN:

NOTEBOOK

I was looking through the the Paperchase website at all the notebooks and I found this to be one of the nicest (in my opinion). Everyone needs a notebook (not just women) but I thought I'd put it in this section. Since the new year is coming up, being organised will be helpful and make the new year a lot better.

ELEPHANT MUG

So this may be the cutest mug I've ever seen... Elephants are my favourite animal and tea is my favourite drink! Perfect. It may be pricey for a mug but receiving this would make any girl happy. I've also seen a 12 days of Christmas mug on the Paperchase website which is cheaper but just as good for a gift.

FOR MEN:

FITBIT

There's a few choices on the Fitbit website. I chose the Charge HR to show but you can pick and choose depending on the man you're buying for. A Fitbit is a nice gift for fitness fanatic. It connects to your phone and monitors your steps, heart rate and other factors. It also doubles up as a watch and would be good if you know someone who wants to start a healthy lifestyle as a New Years resolution.

MULTI-TOOL

A multi-tool is a small device which has loads of handy things all in one. For example, it could have some tweezers and a bottle opener - little things which always come in handy. The Leatherman website has loads of multi-tools but they can be quite expensive. I've linked one of the cheaper ones which is around £35 but they can easily go up to £100. Look around, maybe buy one off amazon or another website if you are looking for something slightly cheaper.

FOR TEENS:

ONE LINE A DAY

The most memories are made as a teen and no one ever has time. Time is also precious so wasting it writing in a diary is not ideal but with this one, all you need to write is one day. It's great to store memories and to look back in what you've done for the past five years (it's a five year diary).

PORTABLE CHARGER 

Every teen needs one of these! For anyone who uses there phone 24/7 (which is pretty much every teen), these are perfect. There small and perfect to fit in a pocket or handbag. They are so useful if your out and about and you'll never know how handy they are until you have one!

I hope this has helped your last minute search - make sure to not leave it this late next year....

xmollymaex 

Gingerbread Man Recipe

Hi gingerbread people,

Today, I'm sharing a family loved gingerbread recipe! I've been making these for years and I've already made them so many times this year too. Everybody loves them so I'm going to let you in on the secret.

INGREDIENTS:

350g plain flour 

175g light brown sugar

125g unsalted block butter 

1 tsp baking powder/bicarbonate of soda

1 medium free-range egg

4 tbsp golden syrup 

2 tsp ground ginger 

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 

METHOD:

  1. Sift the flour, baking powder and spices and pulse or stir until combined.

  2. Add the butter and use the rubbing-in method until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. 

  3. Sift (light brown sugar is lumpy and this will prominent in the dough so make sure to sift) and stir in this sugar. 

  4. Beat the egg and golden syrup in a separate bowl or measuring jug with a fork. Add the the other  mixture and stir to form a dough.

  5. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it becomes smooth. Wrap in cling film (I like to flatten it so it's easier to roll) and put in the fridge for at least 15 minutes (I usually leave it for 1/2 an hour).

  6. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.

  7. Flour the surface and rolling pin and roll out until half a cm thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out the gingerbread and place on the lined baking tray. Leave a gap between each one as they will spread.

  8. Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until they are golden brown. Place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.

TO DECORATE: 

I didn't photograph the decorated gingerbread men but if you check my Instagram, I will definitely post a picture when I make them again!

To decorate, I usually:

  • Draw a face on them with white, writing icing. (I buy this from the supermarket because it hardens).

  • Place a dot of the icing just under the head in the centre and place an m&m there. 

I don't over decorate them because I personally don't think they need it. 

If you do make these, please tag me on Instagram (@thingsinourhearts) to show me. I urge you to make these because they are delicious and you definitely won't eat just one!

xmollymaex