Getting Ready For Christmas

It's mid-November and therefore the Christmas season has officially begun. In Vienna, Christmas stalls are being put up, some of them already emanating the scent of Glühwein, punch and roasted almonds, making your mouths water and your mind involuntarily wander to Christmas. 

People who have been following me for a while know that I am obsessed with Christmas and wish it could be all year long. Therefore, the festive season is meticulously planned, executed and enjoyed. For the past two weeks already, I have exclusively listened to Christmas music to compile this year's Christmas music list which will also be published on this blog - a little snippet I can give away already, check out Daniela Andrade on YouTube. Her interpretation of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas or Santa Baby are fantastic for a cuddly and snug evening in front of the fire, reading Nina Stibbe's Christmas stories or enjoying a cup of mulled wine. 

Speaking of books, I will seize the opportunity and shamelessly self-promote my Christmas story collection "It's Christmas, After All", which you can purchase as an e-book from Amazon by clicking on this link. To learn more, also go to my My Work tab. If you like genuine sad and happy Christmas stories filled with real and surreal characters likewise, this will be a real treat, and I am not only saying it because I wrote it, promise. 

Christmas also starts with decking the house. I have already started to make my apartment festive and winter ready by putting fairy lights over my curtains to give the living room a snug, Christmassy feeling and my winter lantern are already out, too, and I got the grey ribbon and tartan-patterned pillows for a wintery vibe. ​

The pillows are from IKEA and I really fell in love with them. The lantern is a unique piece from an interior store in Mölln, Germany and the Dutch caramel waffles are simply divine and can be bought in most superstores or HEMA. 

Also fashion-wise, it is time to slowly get ready for Christmas and I love my dress from Vero Moda. With the red lumberjack design, it has the right colours for a festive dress and the black ribbons around the neck make it more festive. Recently, I also obtained a dress from Zara which was a good price with €20 and presents itself as the perfect winter dress with the woven silver fabric which adds a touch of glamour. The red velvet ribbons make it look Christmassy and it can even be worn on Christmas Eve at a party. To make sure you stay warm, I also love my coat from Zara which I got last year. It has a fake lambswool lining and lambskin outside, really perfect for a snug glass punch at the Christmas markets. So, you see, there's lots to get ready before Christmas and I am going to keep you updated until the Big Day finally arrives.