Each day of December we will have a new blogger telling us this or that. Check out Day 18 if you missed it. Today is day 19 and we have Jules from Pondering Parenthood.
I’m Jules, I’m a thirty-something ex-teacher and mum to two girls; M, two-and-a-half, and B, eight months. I started
writing my blog, Pondering Parenthood, when my husband and I first started trying to conceive. Two children later, and
my blog has changed from me blurting out my conception and pregnancy worries, to my mission to help make parents’
lives easier, through product reviews, play and learning activities and sharing my experiences and thoughts on different
aspects of parenthood.
Find Jules on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Real or fake tree?
I’ve been used to having a fake tree since childhood, but I’ve always wished for a real one! A few years ago, I recycled
my school’s real Christmas tree as it was going to be thrown away, and I found it magical! We already had an artificial
tree, though, so we still use that as it seemed a waste to throw it out simply because I prefer a real one.
This year, we’re reviewing a real Christmas tree and I cannot wait!
Christmas pudding or chocolate log?
Christmas pudding! Several members of my family, including myself are gluten free, so it’s always a mission to find the
best gluten free pudding available each year. There may or may not be a considerable amount of taste testing on my
part…
BUT I do make Delia Smith’s chocolate truffle torte from her Christmas cook book, every year without fail. So, there is
still chocolate present on our Christmas dinner table! (It’s not Christmas unless there are at least three puddings,
surely?! In case you’re wondering, the third option is usually a fruit salad.)
Sprouts or no sprouts?
Sprouts are always a feature of Christmas dinner in our house. I just don’t eat any of them myself! I think they taste like
feet. Or at least, how I imagine smelly feet to taste!
Presents in morning or afternoon?
Both! Since Matthew and I have been married, we’ve had our time just as us (then with M when she came along, and B
too, this year) in the morning to open presents from each other, then in the late afternoon we open the presents to and
from our parents (the children’s grandparents).
Santa or Father Christmas?
Father Christmas! But used fairly interchangeably.
Ginger bread or sugar cookies?
Neither; unfortunately, I was diagnosed as gluten intolerant five years ago. As a child we used to have lovely sugar
cookies in a round, blue tin. We only ever had them at Christmas. I have no idea where they came from or even if
they’re still sold, but if I wasn’t now gluten free, I’d be tracking them down every year as I loved them!
Coloured lights or white lights?
White lights. I tend to go for a fairly minimal, Scandinavian feel.
Angel or star on top of tree?
A star for me, although often we don’t have anything at all as I can’t seem to find anything that will stay on top of our
artificial tree. We do have a good star to go on the real tree, though, so I’m looking forward to using that again this year!
Hot chocolate or mulled wine?
Hot chocolate! I don’t really understand mulled wine. It just doesn’t taste good, to me. I tried making it one year and just
managed to evaporate most of the wine anyway, so that was a bit of a fail! I’ll stick with my hot chocolate, preferably
that I haven’t made myself. It always tastes better when someone else has made it, doesn’t it?!
How will you be celebrating Christmas?
Ever since we moved into our own home five years ago, we’ve hosted Christmas dinner for
both sets of our parents. They’re not allowed in the house until 1pm, though, as this gives us
time to enjoy a quiet Christmas morning together, and also prevents them from interfering
with the cooking! We then spend the rest of the day all together, eating enormous amounts
of food, opening presents, and watching Christmas television, including the Queen’s speech.
Come back tomorrow for DAY 20 and see who our next blogger is!