November Happenings, December Plans

I know I've been complaining all year that time is running away from me too quickly, but that's never more true than when Christmas is approaching! 

I think I'm nearly at a place (at home at least, work is a very different kettle of fish!) where I can start to kick back and enjoy it all a little but November has seen a lot of packing away and tidying up of miscellaneous stuff, so I can get the house clear enough to get 'Christmas' down from the loft! I know it wouldt be such an arduous task if I didn't let it all spiral out of control throughout the year, so I have no one to blame but myself - but it seems this annual tidy-up is now almost as big a Christmas tradition as Home Alone and Chocolate Oranges.

I have managed to fit in a couple of bits and pieces alongside all the tidying though! I mentioned last month that a couple of us had a big karate tournament coming up, so the first half of the month was spent in extra training sessions whenever possible. Sadly we came home medal-less on this occasion but 'twas a grand day out and I'm sura all the extra practice will do us the world of good! 

 

That didn't leave us with a lot of time for adventuring in early November, but we did manage a sneaky trip over to Bruges towards the end of the month! It's surprisingly easy to take a quick trip from the Yorkshire (overnight ferry!) and it's not only such a pretty place to visit but it always feels very Christmassy!

I also managed an actual evening out too - Simone and I were invited over to the Lush store in Leeds to chek out their new Christmassy bits and learn about the latest addition to their spa treatment offerings! Lush always put on the nicest blogger events, and I always end up leaving with a strong determination to fully move into their spa! 

And while I've not moved in yet, this is related to one of the thigns I'm very much looking forward to in December - I finally got myself booked in for a Lush spa treatment, woooo! I received a voucher for their signature treatment, Synaesthesia, last Christmas and it's taken nearly a year to gey myself organsied enough to book it in, so I'm thrilled to actually be going soon!

Apart from that, everything is going Christmas crazy! We have the house to decorate, santa to visit, pantomime to see, and christmas parties aplenty - and thats before the day itself! (Hopefully I can find time for some shopping!) Our Christmas Day usually consists of a painfully early morning and too much food - pretty much standard! I can't wait for a nice break from work too, as we shut down from Christmas Eve 'til the New Year, and the idea of some nice quiet family time away from the spreadsheets sounds like all I want for Christmas! 

Please tell me I'm not the only one that has loads to do still! What does your December look like? Any fun Christmassy tradtitions or activities you've got planned?