My 2023 Christmas & Birthday Gifts
Hello Everyone! I hope you've had a lovely festive break. I say it every year, but my goodness did 2023 go by in a flash. With 2024 plans already filling up my calendar, I’m excited to see what the new year has to offer.
As is tradition here, I wanted to share my 2023 ‘What I got for Christmas' blogpost.
It goes without saying that I am highly grateful for the generosity of my family and friends who have spoiled me this year, but I also strongly believe that it is the people you spend your Christmas with, and not the presents under the tree.
What I got for Christmas
I'm always overjoyed to receive gifts of experiences, so the very generous birthday gift from my boyfriend for a trip to Copenhagen at the start of December was well received ahead of the busy Christmas season. He also surprised me with a cute PJ top and my favourite flower bouquet - lilies and roses.
I'm a lover of gin and chocolate, so I was made up when I received a JJ Whitley Pink Gin and Maltesers Reindeers. In 2023, I developed the taste for Ginger Tea, so the gift of Clipper Tea in the ‘Sweet Ginger’ flavour was well received.
Before Christmas, I’d never heard of Martha Brook, however, this year I was very kindly treated to a 2024 Planner and personalised notebook from the brand to get my year mapped out.
I love topping up my bathroom drawers over the festive period, and this year was no exception. This year I’ll be trying out Boots Extract Shower Gels and Royal Jelly to keep my shower stash stocked up.
I’ve loved Sol De Janeiro last year, so I cannot wait to try the shower gel from the range, as well as finally getting to try the much raved about L’Occitane Almond Shower Gel.
I’d also been curious about trying a scalp massager for hair growth, and a wide tooth comb for brushing through my hair in the shower.
Receiving Laundry Shampoo for Christmas might not be for everyone, but I’d been wanting to try this brand ever since seeing the Tallow & Ash brand spoken about by Victoria McGrath (InTheFrow) and her raving about the great scents available.
I’ve shared my love of socks as a Christmas gift before, so this pair with hedgehogs in headbands put a smile on my face. I’m also a lover of planning, so receiving a notebook and a travel guide for Thailand are another perfect pairing for planning an upcoming trip.
I love for my flat to smell nice, and was very lucky to receive a Reed Diffuser from NEOM and a Festive Spice Candle to help make the place smell nice, as well as a plug in candle warmer to save me lighting the candles.
I’d treated myself to some airpods in 2023, but hadn’t a nice case for them so will now be able to carry them with me safely. I also ended up quoting Nanalan way more than someone in their mid-20s should, however, receiving a mug quoting the viral tik-toks brought a smile to my face on christmas morning.
I love the chance to try new scents, so the chance to try a selection of perfumes from Jo Loves is a great introduction to Jo Malone’s brand, without committing to a full sized bottle. I always love having perfume and body spray to hand, and love the ‘In the Stars’ scent from Bath & Body Works, as well as ‘Passion’ from Revolution that were kindly gifted to me.
I’d been meaning to replace my old black shoulder bag, so this lovely leather and suede bag from Monsoon was a lovely addition and I’ve already had so much use out of this.
Christmas always proves to be the prime opportunity to replenish my skincare and body care stash, and this year was no exception. I’d wanted to give the wristbands (that look much like sweatbands) a go for when cleansing my face and as I was running out of cleanser, serum and eye cream, receiving these for Christmas has given me the chance to give some new skincare from The Ordinary, The Inkey List and Origins a go.
Adding to my makeup collection, I was kindly treated to a refill of my Charlotte Tilbury Bronzer, which had run out just in time for Christmas and a great assortment of nude eyeshadow palettes. I’ve been on an Empties/ Project Pan mission this year, so I was very happy to see some new additions for my collection, including the Naked Mini Palette, ELF Primer and a refill of my favourite Clarins BB Skin Detox Fluid.
Dan and I were also very kindly treated to a joint gift of a cheese board and knife set, and a kit to grow your own herbs, which we have planted in our kitchen window in an attempt to grow Mint, Basil and Coriander.
So that's all for my 27th Birthday and Christmas Haul. I am incredibly grateful and humbled by the generosity of my friends and family - so thank you all if you are reading this!
