It might only be mid November but Christmas in London is well ahead of us!
But maybe you’ve spotted the winter markets, gazed at the sparkling lights and visited the festive pop ups already without feeling the faintest hint of Christmas spirit. But fear not: head back home, make yourself comfortable, and prepare to feel well and truly full of festive cheer. For best results, serve the below with a Baileys or two.
Throw an early Christmas dinner
Organised preparation or just a love for roast potatoes? If there’s one meal that’s generally frowned upon to eat during summer it’s most definitely a roast dinner. But now that it’s Officially Cold, we’re all for making pigs in blankets a regular occurance again. We’re not suggesting you go the whole hog with a turkey (who has the time?) but kit yourself out with a roast chicken, some potatoes, veg and yorkshire puddings for a far easier Christmas-spirit-enhancing dinner. Then, get your flatmates together, pour out the Baileys and mince pies, and you’re all set. Cheers!
Watch some Christmas films
Grab a blanket, a Baileys, turn the heating on and select your seasonal film of choice for the ultimate feel-good, pre-Christmas celebration. The options are endless, but the obvious choices include Love Actually, Home Alone, The Holiday and Elf.
Or cook up some festive recipes
A bit of pre-Christmas day baking, anyone? Nothing says “get me into a jolly mood” quite like these Salted chocolate Baileys truffle squares with gold edible glitter. We’re also a big fan of these Mini banoffee Baileys pies (and remember: banana = healthy = the perfect pre-celebrations snack) or, if you need a hefty dose of Christmas spirit, go all out with this recipe for a Baileys Christmas pudding with Baileys syrup.
For the early starters…start wrapping presents
Okay, we’ll be honest: We haven’t quite yet started buying presents, let alone actually wrapping them. But we all know someone who finished their Christmas shopping in September and who probably has a pile sitting in the corner of their room waiting to be wrapped. And nothing screams “the festive season is starting!” quite like getting glitter and excess stars all over the floor.
Make a cosy hot chocolate
We’re still waiting to find a better accompaniment to cold weather than a comforting hot chocolate. Our recipe: find yourself a good book, a cosy bed and a dash of Baileys on a dark evening. And here’s the official recipe just to make sure your drink is on top form.
Put up the tree
We could spend hours debating the “real vs fake” tree argument but one thing is clear: it’s (almost) scientifically proven that as soon as you put the tree up, you’ll start to feel slightly more festive. And, while you’re at it, grab a Baileys. If it’s a real tree, you’ll need a drink after the hassle of getting the tree through the door, into your chosen room and assembled. And if it’s a fake one, there’s a small chance you’ll realise mid-way through that there’s a branch or a stand missing. Let the Christmas cheer begin!
Listen to some Christmas songs
“We wish you a Merry Christmas…” and “All I want for Christmas is you” are two songs that will automatically fill your head with everything present/snow/tinsel related. By the end of the season there’s a small chance you’ll grow to hate them, but for the time being they’ll do the job of giving you rose (or rather, red and green) tinted glasses for the duration of November.
Start planning your own presents
Not so much for the planner but more for the optimist (and, surely, most of us are one or the other): If you haven’t decided what you want for Christmas yet, start hunting down your own presents. Whether they’re subtle and polite comments to family/friends/other halves/Secret Santa gifters or presents that you’ll buy yourself, sit yourself down with a Baileys and start internet shopping.
Merry Christmas!