Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

We have finally brought a little Christmas Spirit to our flat and put up our Christmas Tree.
Now it isn't quite like a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, with only one ornament and half falling over, but it certainly comes close.

We found this little tree for £2 (which is about $3.00) in the city centre, but it is perfect for us right now. Not only does it fit in our little flat, but we should be able to pack it up and take it with us to Grenada in a few months (wow that's a scary thought).

We didn't bring any Christmas decorations or ornaments (they are called Baubles here...which I LOVE) so I had to improvise and try to find something cheap and something that we would be able to transport as we move all around the world in the next few years (or if they were to get damaged, it wouldn't be a big deal). 

Since we know that every year we will be living in another Country, we decided that we wanted our tree to represent our life for that particular year. So this year, it's a true British Christmas Tree (minus the candles and 'fairy' (angel) on top) as we try to embrace and celebrate our first British Christmas together. There will however be no Black pudding or Figgy pudding in this house, this Christmas!!!

So I bought a package of baubles from The Pound Store (yes it's their Dollar Store) and a package of ribbons and pine cones (they came in a package that you would put in a bowl as a centre piece) and printed some British flags off our computer. I just bought some twine and made a 'hook' for each bauble and decoration that I wanted to hang. It was cheap and easy to do (again, if anything gets broken we wont be too sad about it lol).

So here is our wonderful tree this year....WE LOVE IT!

Our Charlie Brown Christmas Tree!!! It's almost falling over.

A Picture Says a Thousand Words.

It has been so long since Dave and I have had photos done of the two of us. The last time, was the day of our wedding...over four years ago!

Needless to say, it was due time to get some new and updated photos of us to add to our collection (although I think I get more excited for these things than Dave does lol) and we thought what a better way to remember England, than having some photos done in some of our favorites places here?

I had come across a friend's "Save the Date photos" and inquired who had taken her photos. It was the wife of another medical student and so I sent off an email and asked if she could help us out. She got back to us straight away and at the end of October we set out to do a little photo-shoot! (Our aim was to get some pictures we could send out for Christmas this year...there are some photos that many of you wont see until Christmas lol)

Alta Bills did an amazing job! We could NOT have been happier. You can check out some of her other amazing work through her blog: Alta Marie Photographie

Dave and I aren't the most photogenic (one of us seems to always have our eyes closed, or one of us will like one picture and the other hate it...so she definitely had her work cut out for her) but we ended up loving every single shot!

Here are a just a few of our favorites (there simply are way too many to post):

T'is the season to be Jolly...

It is now well into November which would usually mean that Christmas decorations have been up since the 1st of November, that Christmas baking and party planning would have started, Christmas card lists and present shopping would be close to finished...but this is a new chapter in our lives, in a new city and well I don't have any of my Christmas decorations here lol.

So we improvise!

So far, I am loving Christmas in England. We keep being told that you have not experienced Christmas until you have experienced Christmas in the England and we have NOT been disappointed thus far.

The streets are filled with Christmas cheer (hahah I just watched the Grinch (with Jim Carey) last night...it may have influenced my choice of words), store front windows have some of the most spectacular displays. One store Fenwicks, looks as though it was invaded by the imagineers  from Disney. There are always line ups of people just watching and gazing into these displays...it's truly magical.

There are Christmas things all over! But what I love, is seeing the English Christmas things everywhere. Happy Christmas signs and cards, "Keep Warm and Snuggle Up" signs and cute little Christmas Pudding outfits for kids...its hard to not want to buy EVERYTHING!

So in saying all this, I decided our flat needed some Christmas cheer. Again, without trying to over-do the decorations or buying too many things (I tend to buy everything at Christmas...yes it's a sickness) I set out on mission, and a budget, to make our home feel more like Christmas.

I found this cheap wreath, bought some Christmasy ribbon and two snowflakes to jazz it up a little.

I just wrapped the ribbon around the parts where the raffia was before and attached with hot glue.

Hot glued the snowflake on the front.

And our little Christmas 'wreath' on our flat door.

Dave and I wanted to create a "Bucket List" of things to do while he is on break from school. These are the items that we used to create the actually bucket, for the "Bucket List"

Our "Bucket List". What we will do is each choose 10 things we want to do (anything from drink hot chocolate, to watch a Christmas movie, to sleep all day lol) and put them all in the bucket. Once Dave is finished exams, we will choose one item from the bucket each day. Whatever that item says, we will do it that day (or whatever day is most convenient).

Cookie Containers (Idea was from Pinterest). Wrapping paper, pringles container, ribbon and hot glue.

Glue on ribbon for a handle.

One covered Pringles container and one yet to be covered.

All of the containers ready to be filled with Christmas cookies.

Love the wrapping paper "Happy Christmas"

Needed a place to hang our Christmas Cards: So ribbon, clothes pegs and a door.

I just wrapped the ribbon around the door like a bow on a gift.

Cheap stockings, snowflakes and marker (they aren't the most glamorous looking stockings...but they were cheap and we wont mind if for some reason we can't take them with us to Grenada).

Snowflakes from the Pound Store

Baubles from the Pound store.

Craft paper, snowflakes (again) and some string.

Hanging it to dry.

And our Merry Christmas banner and chalk board sign (thanks to Jules).

Girls Night

The last time that I went to see a movie was in July in Canada! It has been way too long and a much needed girls night out was in order.

After checking movie times and trying to find a movie we all wanted to see, or had heard of, a group of us headed to the Cinema (yes what it is called here) and had a fun evening out.

A couple of interesting things about the movies here:

1. Movies come out way later here than they do in Canada or the States. ie. The Help was out in the summer in Canada and just came out at the end of Oct. here.
2. The movies here are called Cinema...or at least that's what we saw on almost every advertisement.
3. When you purchase your tickets, you actually have to choose your seat.
4. When you buy popcorn they ask if you want it sweet or salted. Hahah this was a fun adventure for the cashier I am sure. "You aren't from here are you" He asked.
5. The cinema sells the cutest little Haagen Dazs ice cream (but it is seriously like two spoon fulls).
6. Half of the movies on the "playing list" were British films that none of us have EVER heard of. But might be something we try next time to just say we experienced it.

Oh another fun adventure of living in England!

Amanda, myself and Aliyah with our Haagen Dazs

All of us in Newcastle City Centre after the cinema. Notice the wet streets (typical England), how there is no one around and the Christmas decorations hanging from the buildings in the background.

Kimmy, Aliyah, Mary and Amanda all standing under the Christmas lights!

Kimmy, Aliyah, Mary and Myself...so excited for Christmas in England.

Watching all the lights go up at Grey's Monument...and Amanda posing for the camera!!!

Carving Ol' Jack

One of my favorite seasons is Fall (probably because it means Christmas is just around the corner) and I love all the activities and events that take place from September up until the arrival of Halloween.

Once again part of the journey of medical school has meant that our regular routines have simply had to change. Usually September in our house would mean fall decorations, mantels decorated, preparing for thanksgiving, baking and so forth. Since most of my decorations are at home packed away, and we are trying to not accumulate more items that we will have to pack and unpack for the next 3 years, we decided to skip the decorations (I shed a few tears at this thought) and decided that we needed to do less this year (which has actually been quite humbling and probably deserves its own blog post...maybe my next one).

Anyway September came and went, and I hardly noticed the "lack of festivities" in our house as Dave and I were both so busy with teaching and school.

But we decided that not everything should be forgotten and that we still needed to create as many memories (perferably cheap memories lol) as we can while on our 'safari kubwa'.

So here is our memory from Halloween. Sadly, Jack only lasted about two days and then we had to dispose of him!

Putting him outside on Halloween night.

Although this may look like we live in a haunted house, I promise you we do not. You can just see Jack's glowing eyes near the top right hand window.