All I Want For Christmas + Giveaway (CLOSED)

Can you believe Christmas is just under a month away?! Time is flying by, and like most years, around mid-November, I start to panic about what presents to get for everyone! So you can imagine my delight when Boots got in touch with me to be a part of their Christmas campaign!

Since I was little, and since I can remember we have ALWAYS left Christmas shopping until the last minute. I think this started out of necessity as I grew up in the South of France but spent Christmas with the English side of my family here in the UK (my mum is French and my Dad is British!). We would normally arrive in the UK just a few days before Christmas and because we often flew over it meant that we always had limited luggage space… So we made it a tradition to all go Christmas shopping together on the 23rd and may I shamefully say sometimes also on the 24th (which aside from being Christmas Eve it also happens to be my dad’s birthday… we always joke that he LOVES shopping so much that we like to take him shopping on his Birthday as a present…poor dad living in a house with 3 women, he had no choice).

We normally drive to the nearest town (Chichester!) grab a hot chocolate to go, and team up to go find presents for the whole family. It’s like running a marathon. Dad sets a time limit (mainly due to parking..) and we rush in and out of shops, hoping to not forget anything, and then swap teams when we need to buy for that person. We often actually all end up in the very big Boots in town all at the same time, and have to play hide and seek so no one guesses their presents..! (dad often dragged around by mum to pick stocking fillers for us!)

There’s a lot of secret texting happening, and quite often we’re NOT done when the clock rings and dad’s timeframe is over, so we all meet again at our meeting point in the middle of town, and quite often force dad to extend the parking ticket… and off we go to rush in and out. (dad is later treated like a king for the remainder of his Birthday)

Sounds like madness right?! because IT IS..!!!! I have moved out of home and have lived in the UK for the past 10 years, and I’m only just starting to change those crazy shopping habits. Last year was the first time IN MY LIFE, that I was done with shopping and wrapping all my presents a week before meeting my family at my grandparent’s house. A WEEK BEFORE. I was so proud of myself…

This year I am setting myself a challenge to be done no later than a week before once again (I’m not risking making the deadline any closer because we are travelling over the next two weekends!) but did you know that almost a quarter of Brits start their Christmas shopping in AUGUST..?! Who are these people? I’d like to meet them and pick their wonderful brains.

Just like last year, I am planning to make something small and homemade for everyone and compliment with a little something extra.. which I happen to have already picked thanks to Boots! Making something homemade has such a special touch, and is a way to make Christmas more sustainable. Last year I made my own scented candles. I bought wax and my own little glass jars, used essential oils, and wrapped them up with a bow. It was so satisfying to make, incredibly easy, and made everyone so happy!

I was so surprised to learn that around 59% of British shoppers consider sustainability when Christmas shopping, which makes me so incredibly happy! Baby steps for everyone, if every single one of us made one step to reduce their waste and lower their carbon footprint (how about including more locally-grown plants on the Christmas table? or using recycled paper to wrap your presents, or better, not use any paper at all, and wrap them in pieces of material and string you can reuse next time you need to wrap up a present?)

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I chose a gift for M from their "Christmas Gifts for him" section - he needs a little help and push to look after his skin, so I thought this Liz Earle set would be perfect! He also happens to need a new wash bag as I am ashamed to travel with him and his current one (I’ll let you image the state of it.. it’s as old as he is), then I picked a present for my sister from the "Christmas Gifts for her" selection, she is as much of a skincare nut as I am so I thought it would be fitting, and I love that they included two soft cotton cloths to use too!

Oh but I didn’t leave it at that, I also treated myself to some calming essential oils, because if you can’t treat yourself at this time of the year then when can you?! The items I picked are all cruelty-free and made with natural ingredients. I adore the Liz Earle products, I admire her as an incredible leader in the world of clean beauty, and of course, I picked all the essential oils I could get my hands on! This year marks the year I have truly fallen in love with essential oils and their powerful properties. I use them all over my house from cleaning the house, for health (perfect to fight off germs, when diffused) and in my beauty regime. They can lift your mood and make you feel a sense of calm and grounding like nothing else.

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When do YOU start Christmas Shopping?!

I am so excited to say that I am running a giveaway below for you to win your very own Total De-Stress essential oil diffuser + essential oil blend…! I’ve been using it non-stop around the house to calm the pre-holiday anxiety, it’s small and discreet, I love that you’re able to change the light colour, perfect for those dark cosy evenings! I love having a diffuser in the living room and in our bedroom, I seriously diffuse something all day long..!

** GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED **

To enter the giveaway :

1. Follow me on Instagram

2. Like today’s post HERE

3. Let me know below in the comments section : “When do YOU start your Christmas shopping?!” and make sure to write down your insta handle too!

The winner will be chosen at random next Wednesday 4th of December, and announced on my Instagram Stories! So make sure to leave your insta handle or I won’t be able to get in touch! GOOD LUCK!