WHAT I GOT FOR CHRISTMAS 2020

This was arguably the weirdest Christmas I’ve ever had. It was the first [and hopefully only] Christmas Day I spent alone. I moved to Bristol in late November, and had intended on going home for Christmas, but that disheveled animated gammon steak behind his podium had different ideas. It was a bit last-minute, but we decided it was best to stay separate on Christmas Day and then organise the presents a little later. It worked out pretty okay for me though; I started on the Malbec at 10am with no side-eye from my Dad, and drained my phone battery talking to various friends and family members. I cooked myself a fillet steak for my Christmas dinner and watched the Gavin and Stacey Christmas special. So, I’m not saying it was great, but it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. My parents came to drop off my presents and go for a socially distanced walk a couple days later, which was really lovely. 

I can’t even believe that the totally never-ending shitshow that was 2020 is over. We’ve had Christmas [how??], it’s been New Years [double how??]. I had a really successful load of presents all in all, and as much as I want to sit here and pretend I don’t think Christmas should be all about presents, it’s all I had to bloody look forward to this year, so allow me. And so as we find ourselves in Crimbo limbo, stuffing ourselves with junk food and undertaking approximately 0.0000037 seconds of exercise per day, how’s about a round-up of all the cool and exciting things I got for Christmas this year? 

My Amazon Firestick was a specific request. I inherited an old TV [I’m not sure how old, but pretty blooming old] from my step-grandad to put in the living room of my new flat. It doesn’t have any built-in smart features so after doing a bit of research, I really really wanted a Firestick. I’d never heard of them before, but they plug into the back of your TV and turn it into a smart TV via the witchcraft of WiFi; you get YouTube, iPlayer, Netflix, Amazon Prime, All4, iTV Hub and looooads of other channels. I set it up last night and enjoyed several episodes of Peep Show and Tiger King in the comfort of my lounge, finally! Over a month since moving in and now I’m so happy to have a functional TV with all my mindless nonsense available to watch. Yay! 

I also got a Yankee Candle in Fresh Cut Roses from my parents, and this is my first ever one. My bedroom is all pink and white so *shock*, I wanted a pink one. Rose is one of my favourite scents [I love all my florals] and this one is gorgeous. It’s also huge! My boyfriend Kyle chose these amazingly innovative Wellness Wonders Wake Up Shower Bombs, which you throw into the bottom of your shower and they fizz up and smell beautiful, just like a bath bomb. Our new flat doesn’t have a bath, and I have been really missing my bubble bath and bath bombs, but these are so cool and are filling the gap nicely! I’ve already used two of the eight in the pack, erkkk.

My little sister, who has spent 50% of the year teasing me about my hair-breakage-induced mullet, and the other 50% giving me loads of hair advice, got me this luxurious AF Morgan + Finch Silk Pillowcase. I’ve been doing so so so much research on hair-growth and proper hair care since half of my hair got melted off last winter, and silk pillowcases seem to be recommended everywhere. They are much gentler on the hair when sleeping, and minimises breakage and tangling overnight. I am so excited to give this a try; it’s washed and on my bed as of tonight. My brother bought me a TheBodyShop Glowing British Rose Gift Box which he gets me a different scent of every year. Last year I got Mango, but this year I got Rose. I’ve had a sniff and it’s the loveliest scent, I cannot wait to use it all!

Another wicked one from my sister was my Too Faced Born This Way Concealer which I have wanted for soooo long. Getting nice makeup seems a bit redundant during lockdown, and it’s certainly not something I’m going to be using just to sit working from home in my flat! But I’m so excited it’s in my collection and I guess I’ll just sit tight for an occasion to bust it open.

My dad and stepmum got me Daisy Eau De Parfum by Marc Jacobs which is my absolute favourite. I didn’t have a bottle for over a year, and it sounds a bit silly but I feel like this stuff is literally my ‘signature’ smell. I feel so much better and more like ‘me’ when I’ve got this on. It’s the prettiest, most floral and feminine scent and will always be my top choice. Again, it isn’t something to douse myself in at the moment, but when lockdown lifts I’ll be smelling bloody gorgeous.

I was also lucky enough to receive a couple of really thoughtful handmade gifts this year. My mum and sister have both been getting creative this last year and decided to hand-make me a gift each, which is so special. For practicalities sake, my sister sent me a handmade sun-print face mask which she made. She’s taught herself to sew and has made a lot of these. The fabric is extra special though as we have matching sun tattoos, so this is my new go-to mask! Then I opened my Handmade opal earrings from my mum. Mum’s been hand-polishing and refining Australian opals this year and having them turned into jewellery. These are so pretty, very elegant. I am normally a slave to my hoe-hoops and these are very different to those, but I love them. They are so delicate and classy AF. I can’t wait to have an excuse to wear them out!

I also received a couple of foodie/drinky treats. I’ve never been massively into chocolate but I make an exception for Lindt. My dad got me this large Lindt Lindor Chocolate Gift Set which contains loads of different sorts of their chocolate. Granted, it’ll probably last me the whole year, but it is currently stashed in my bedroom for when the mood takes me. My boyfriend Kyle absolutely smashed it with my Pukka Tea Selection Box which contains 45 different teas. I’ve dipped massively into it already! It has 9 different sorts that I’m working my way through, and has a fair few flavours I haven’t tried yet like Three Ginger and Love, and I’m really excited! It makes me feel like an old lady getting excited over herbal tea, but Pukka is the best [in my opinion] and I’m scared my stash won’t last very long.

I also got a couple of other bits which I haven’t photographed; my big sister treated me to a takeaway on Christmas Eve since I was by myself. I went for an obscenely large Chinese and no regrets were had. My amazing Kyle also got me a gigantic box of Pickled Onion Monster Munch because I have an elite taste for crisps and I am constantly eating them. And *actual gasp* tickets to see Bring Me The Horizon in September. If Covid fucks that up I will be throwing hands. I’m so crazily excited. Mothertongue is ‘our’ song and I want us to see it live so so so much. So that’s something I’m really looking forward to later in the year.

I hope everyone had an amazing day and got spoiled; we all deserved it after 2020. I feel so grateful and like I definitely don’t need a trip to Boots anytime soon, which is always how I aim to feel after Christmas Day. Now to have a bag of Monster Munch in the shower with all my bath stuff whilst listening to Bring Me The Horizon, then follow it with a Lindt ball and Pukka Tea as I recline on my silk pillowcase. Success!

Lots of love,

Jasmine x

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