Tuesday 1 December 2020

Twelve days of chocolate giveaway (Ends 12 December 2020)

It's that time of the year again, my lovely blog readers! The 12 days of chocolate giveaway has now become an annual event, which I run from 1 December. Don't know about you, but I'm pretty excited about it. I enjoy choosing different chocolate bars for each day of the giveaway, as well as buying little bits and bobs to go with them. This is a kind of prize I'd be happy to win myself. 

Hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. There is over 1,400kg of chocolate to win (some bars are 150-180g)!

First of all, let me wish all my blog readers a stress-free Christmas and a happy new year! (and if you don't celebrate Christmas, you're welcome too, I'm wishing you a lovely festive season!). It's been a crazy year, filled with sadness and anxiety. Sending everyone a virtual hug!

I love chocolate, and this giveaway is my celebration of all things chocolatey.

Every day I will offer you a chocolate bar and a little something too, edible or decorative.

For 12 days I will be revealing a part of an overall prize, and each day there will be a new question.

As stipulated in the T&Cs below, the number of winners will depend on how many questions the first randomly selected winner will answer. If they answer all 12 questions, they get the whole lot. If they choose to answer less questions, they'll get less prizes, and the remaining part of the prize will go to the next randomly selected winner.

Day 1:
The first chocolate bar to be won is Tony's Chocolonely Almond Honey Nougat (180g) + a small sized Parks Black Magic candle (lavender, lilac, honeysuckle, hyacinth, pear & orange).

Chez Maximka, chocolate giveaway, advent giveaway


 
Question 1: Do you have a cherished family tradition from childhood (or the one you've established yourself for your kids)? If you don't celebrate Christmas, what do you usually do on the day?

In case you're curious, we didn't celebrate Christmas when I was a child. We celebrated the new year's eve in great style, partying until the early hours, visiting friends and neighbours and often going out to see the fireworks in the central square. One of my fond memories is of my Mum painting winter scenes on windows, with a snow maiden, frosty swirls and snowflakes. It was so pretty, and I loved it. I haven't done it recently, but think perhaps I should resurrect this tradition from my childhood.

Day 2 (2 December):
Godiva 90% Cocoa Dark Chocolate + a tin of M&S Gryffindor milk chocolate balls.
Have you seen the latest Harry Potter range of chocolate gifts in M&S? It looks so good, and I couldn't resist buying a couple of mini tins, one for us, another one for the giveaway.

Chez Maximka, advent competition

Question 2 :
Do you prefer giving gifts or receiving gifts? If it's not a secret, what's the best gift you've ever given/received?

I suppose, when I was a child, I would have thought, of course, receiving gifts is much better, but now that I'm an old wise owl, I believe it's the other way around. I love giving gifts.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 3 (3 December):
Today's part of the stash is for the marzipan fans - you will get a Niederegger marzipan in milk chocolate and a mini marzipan log, both yummy.

Chez Maximka, chocolate giveaway

Question 3 :
- Are you good at wrapping presents? What do you find the trickiest to wrap up?

I confess, I'm total pants at this job. I can just about manage a rectangular box of chocolate or biscuits, but if a shape is a bit irregular, my wrapped gifts look like a child's done the job. Actually, a child might do better. :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 4 (4 December):
Today's part of the prize is Cadbury Dairy Milk Winter Gingerbread Edition + KitKat Santa

Chez Maximka, advent competition

Question 4: 
Which holiday song annoys you the most? (if none, what's your favourite Christmas song?)

Secretly, very secretly I do like Last Christmas, but after hearing it non-stop for weeks everywhere in the shops, it tends to annoy me. My younger son makes me laugh, singing it as "Last Christmas I gave you my heart, the very next day you sold it on ebay". Young people these days, nothing is sacred.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 5 (5 December):
Today's part of the prize are vegan treats - Montezuma's Like No Udder Milk Chocolate Alternative + a small sachet of Zero Trace Full Taste hot chocolate.


Question 5:
What TV show and specials are you most eager to watch over the Christmas season?

Now that we don't have Downton Abbey any more, for my period drama fix, I'm looking forward to Bridgerton. Also we're big fans of Julia Donaldson, and will be watching Zog and the Flying Doctors.
Will there be Call the Midwife as well? 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 6 (6 December): can't believe it we're already half way through the giveaway.
Today's part of the haul is a festive edition from Divine - Smooth Dark with Tangy Clementine + a box of 4 snowflake place card holders.

Chez Maximka, chocolate giveaway

Question 6:
What is your favourite festive food and/or drink?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 7 (7 December):
If you enjoy mint-flavoured chocolate, today is your day. The next part of the prize is Co-Op Dark Chocolate with Mint + Lindt Lindor Mint.

Chez Maximka, chocolate giveaway

Question 7:
Do you have a Christmas jumper? (do you buy them for your family?)

I know they are naff, but I love them. This year I got a Star Wars-themed jumper for my younger son, and a Mandalorian-themed jumper for my older son. Of course, they have nothing to do with Christmas, but they are festive and jolly. 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 8 (8 December):
Do you like M&Ms?! (apologies for the confusion, this is not the question of the day, see below the picture) If you do, you will be pleased with today's part of the prize - Crispy M&Ms chocolate bar (150g) + a Christmas cake ribbon kit found in Lakeland.

Chez Maximka

Question 8:
Tell me a Christmas joke (maybe a bad Christmas cracker joke?) or something funny your children say.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 9 (9 December):
Waitrose No.1 Milk single origin chocolate - Hazelnut, caramelised cashew & pistachio is today's part of the prize + a soft Santa decoration.


Question 9: Would you ever want to celebrate Christmas somewhere warm and sunny like Hawaii, or would you opt for a proper snowy holiday in Lapland? (It's a hypothetical question right now, for obvious reasons)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 10 (10 December):
Another festive flavour from Divine - Smooth Dark Gin and Tonic Inspired chocolate + a "tin" of sardines (chocolate as well).


Question 10:
What is THE-MUST Christmas dessert for you - a Christmas pudding, cake, Yule log, trifle, panettone, stollen, a big box of Roses, or anything else?

When it comes to desserts, I'm basically an "omnivore". Usually we have a fancy panettone, and sometimes I make a Christmas cake. A couple of years ago when we celebrated Christmas with friends, they brought a home-made tiramisu with them, and it was so boozy, Prue Leith would jump with joy.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Day 11 (11 December):
Today's part of the prize is  Cadbury Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations Jelly Popping Candy (180g) and a mini chocolate Santa from Waitrose.

Chez Maximka, chocolate giveaway

Question 11: 
What is your favourite carol?

If you haven't had a chance to spot it yet, ClassicFM does their annual The Nation's Favourite Carol vote, and you can win a Fortnum & Mason hamper.

I have voted for Gaudete, in case you're wondering.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Day 12 (12 December):
For the final day of the giveaway, there is a Lindt Excellence Dark Sea salt chocolate, a pack of tags and a scratchcard, which I hope is a winning one.


Question 12:
Please wish a Merry Christmas to a poster above you (to do that you'll need to scroll all the way down, and press Load More, to see the latest comments).

If you missed answering on any of the previous days, you can still catch up, you have until midnight of the 12th.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many thanks to everyone who joined in my giveaway, and made it such a fun event! I enjoyed reading each comment. I don't reply to comments on the giveaway threads, but I can assure you I read them all.

The winner of the giveaway has been selected by the simple method of a name from the hat (thanks to my son who helped me with the task).

The name of the winner will be announced as soon as they get back to me. And big well done to the winner, hope they will enjoy all the chocolate!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

T&Cs:

The giveaway is open to the UK residents only.

Please leave your name or Twitter username in the comment if you login as Anon, or I will never know who has commented.

There will be one or more winners, who will receive all the goodies appearing during twelve days of the giveaway.
If the first randomly selected winner has replied to all twelve questions, they will receive the whole lot.
If the first winner answers less questions, they will receive the prizes only from the days they leave their reply.
The remaining prize(s) will be allocated to the next winner(s). Hope I don't have to send twelve different packages.

The more questions you answer, the bigger your prize will be.
Only one entry per person per day/question is allowed.

If you missed a day, you will have a chance to catch up on any other day until the end of the giveaway, as long as it comes in a SEPARATE comment.

Please note, if you answer 12 questions in one comment, it will count as 1 entry.

Once the winner is selected randomly, I will count their replies.
I will contact the winner, who will have 7 days to reply with their address details. Due to the nature of the prize which I hope to dispatch in good time before Christmas, the time limit to get back to me is shorter than usual.

All the prizes are provided by me, and are in no way sponsored by any brand.
This is my way of saying Thank you to my blog readers.

Previous winners are welcome to join in as well, you're not disqualified from winning again, if your name is drawn from the hat.

I will post the prize at my own cost.
If the winner's away when the parcel arrives and is not able to rearrange the redelivery, and if by some chance it is returned to me, please do not expect me to cover the cost of the postage again.
If that happens, the prize will be taken to the local food bank (foods) and charity shops (non-perishables).

I will send the parcel by Royal Mail, tracked and to be signed for.

Any personal data given (basically the winner's address details) will not be shared with any 3rd parties, and will be deleted after the prize is received by the winner.

The giveaway will end on the 12th of December at midnight.

Good luck!

449 comments:

  1. Day 1. Our family tradition is that we always serve "Reindeer poo" with the turkey. Actually balls of chestnut stuffing. The first time I made them, the shaping went wrong and one of the children poked her shapeless brown blob and said, "What's this, reindeer poo?". However everyone loved them and the name stuck. Now that same child has children of her own who also expect Reindeer poo with their Christmas dinner.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Day 1. We always watch Santa Claus: The Movie on Christmas eve!

    ReplyDelete
  3. We bake mince pies while watching Christmas films. Always A Muppet Christmas Carol!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Day 1. Our biggest Christmas tradition is advent calendars...Even as adults my mum still buys us one (and for the little ones too of course) x @HelenArlowTT

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Day 1. I think opening presents in the morning is the only family tradition I still have. But, this year we are having a different kind of gift-giving, with 25 gifts, one for each day, instead of Christmas gifts. Most of these daily gifts are cheap, £1-£5. Only a few are more expensive, like a book. So, this Christmas we are going to have only 1 gift on the day. :)

      Delete
  6. We watch christmas movies on chrismas eve we dont really have any other tradition

    ReplyDelete
  7. When my children were growing up we used to take it in turns to read A Christmas Carol through December always finishing on Christmas Eve

    ReplyDelete
  8. I always had a face sticking out of my stocking, a teddy, a toy with eyes, an orange with a face drawn on haha! My girls don't always have a face in their stockings but my OH fills my stocking (same one from childhood) and pops a wee face at the top <3

    ReplyDelete
  9. Day 1. My family tradition is to have a board game day on the first Saturday of December.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Question 1 - We don't really have any set traditions, we do like to get new christmas pyjamas on christmas eve though and watch a festive film x

    ReplyDelete
  11. Day 1 I always have smoked salmon, scrambled eggs and bucks fizz for Xmas Day breakfast. It wouldn't be the same without it. My son has had it too since he was a baby!

    ReplyDelete
  12. For Christmas eve we like to go on a walk to the beach we then come home and my little one has a Christmas Eve Box and we watch a festive film together. Afterwards my husband and I enjoy cheese and mulled wine.

    ReplyDelete
  13. We used to all queue outside the living room door until my Mum shouted 'Come in!' Obviously so they could make a cuppa first. We do the same with our kids now

    ReplyDelete
  14. We used to get a new decoration for the Christmas tree each year so when I left home I had my own tree full of memories. We do it for my kids now

    ReplyDelete
  15. Day 1 . Yes always putting an orange in my childrens Christmas stocking as my parents and grandparents did

    ReplyDelete
  16. Day 1 - our favourite Christmas tradition is going to the carol service at church on Christmas Eve. It's always the 'proper' start of our Christmas celebration

    ReplyDelete
  17. We always track santa, make cookies for Santa, visit a few close friends and family delivering presents and then snuggle up and watch a Christmas film! Even though my babies are 22,20,17 and 15 we still do it x

    ReplyDelete
  18. We leave a carrot and bowl of water out for Rudolph and a mince pie and whisky for Santa

    ReplyDelete
  19. The present run is our family tradition - doing the rounds of everyone's house on Christmas Eve to drop off and pick up presents.

    ReplyDelete
  20. We have a new tradition of always having a curry on Christmas Eve if that counts!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Day 1: We always bake a big christmas cake using my late Nanny's recipe. Everyone has to stir the bowl and make a wish! @jscamb22

    ReplyDelete
  22. We always have a small, fun present for after lunch. When we were children it was to keep us busy while the adults tidied up, now it’s until we can get up to clear up as we don’t want to move after eating too much!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Day 1 Usually putting My mother in laws tree up on 1st with a party, and Croissants for breakfast on Christmas day

    ReplyDelete
  24. As a child in the 60s after the excitement of present opening and before the big lunch we would have half an hour relaxing, snacking on Lincolnshire cocktail sausages and tinned salmon on crackers washed down with a cup of tea. 60 years later the tradition is still alive in my house and in my children's houses!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I don't really have any traditions - it's just me and the other half so we just go with the flow and see what happens.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Ever since I can remember we have been eating fondue on Christmas Eve. That's a tradition I have carried on now that I have my own family.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Day 1: I don't have any traditions as I also didn't celebrate Christmas growing up however I now take part with my boyfriend's family. My favourite is the car ride to look at christmas lights on houses around the neighbourhood!

    @sbatbbitw (twitter)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I guess the tradition is sitting down and eating Christmas Dinner together as me and my parents never really eat together (I live at home still)

    ReplyDelete
  29. Day 1. Our tradition is visiting a local National Trust house their decorations are amazing and my children love their full gingerbread village @laurajanes Instagram

    ReplyDelete
  30. I love to go on a woodland walk to Cannock chase and hopefully see some reindeer.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I do not really have any Christmas traditions except that everyone must wear their hat out of the cracker.

    ReplyDelete
  32. We started the naughty elf on the shelf tradition for my daughter. Ours is called Ralph and she loves him. Shes 10 next month so not sure how much longer we'll have with him.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Every Christmas Eve we sit and watch a film whilst drinking hot chocolate

    ReplyDelete
  34. Day 1. We always have a "tree present" on Christmas eve and spend the day baking and watching Xmas films.

    ReplyDelete
  35. One year, when I was a kid, we had to have a Chinese takeaway on Christmas eve as the fridge was full of Christmas food(we were entertaining the extended family too) and my mum didn't want to see the kitchen again. Its become a bit of a tradition now. We usually have a quiet lazy evening with new pyjamas. Its the best.

    ReplyDelete
  36. A takeaway on christmas eve and then we always have a bucks fizz with breakfast

    ReplyDelete
  37. Day 1. We have a lazy morning then a walk. Dinner when we get back home and watching TV like everyone else!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Day 1: we live putting out Santa's footprints in flour. My parents did it for me as a child and now I do it for our children

    ReplyDelete
  39. Day 2. I like both. Searching for gifts for loved ones it is rewarding in itself, but receiving something it's just as great. For example, today I opened one of the gifts my husband got for me for our advent. It was a very long package... with 6 jars of coffee. How hilarious is that? With me having 3-4 cups of coffee each day (normal and decaf), it's just a perfect gift. :)

    ReplyDelete
  40. Day 2: I really like giving gifts. There's something really great about knowing you've chosen the perfect thing. Probably the best thing I've ever given is a good friend a portrait of his dog!

    ReplyDelete
  41. Question 2: I much prefer giving gifts.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Day 2. I definitely prefer giving gifts. The best gifts I've received have been handmade or personalised x @HelenArlowTT

    ReplyDelete
  43. Day 2 - I much prefer giving gifts. I like to make people happy so hope that by choosing a gift carefully i do so. I actually find receiving a gift extremely stressful. Especially if somebody asks what I would like as I don't like to offend by suggesting something too cheap and them thinking I think they can't afford something more expensive but then I worry I may suggest something higher than their budget and then they feel pressurised to spend more. Lets just say I worry a lot lol.

    Last year my grandma bought me an Ursula hair brush from Primark and I genuinely cried because I was so happy with it. Ursula is my favourite Disney Villain and I'd tried to get one of the brushes from Primark but for a few reasons had been unable to so to see that my nan had gone out of her way to track it down and get me one really made me happy and I knew a lot of thought had gone into it.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Day 2 - I prefer giving gifts. The fav gift I have recieved has to be my dolphin chain

    ReplyDelete
  45. Day 2 . I really love giving gifts .my favourite gift was a heart necklace etched with a picture of my children

    ReplyDelete
  46. I love giving gifts to others seeing them small is the best. My favourite gift was being asked to be the godmother of my niece x

    ReplyDelete
  47. Day 2: giving gifts! My favourite gift was a curation of small things I want that went in my stocking. Overjoyed with the amount of thought that went into it and still makes me feel warm thinking about it.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Day 2 - I'm not sure whether I have a preference, it's the act of exchanging gifts I love. My best ever gift was a box of wax crayons, with 64 different colours in it. I was 5 or 6 years old at the time and I spent the entire day and the rest of the school holidays colouring, much to the dismay of my parents because I ignored the beautiful dolls house they had hand-decorated for me. But I think that's what set me on the road to becoming the avid crafter I am now, half a century later I'm still colouring!

    ReplyDelete
  49. Day 2 - Definitely giving, I love saying the pleasure. One that always sticks out is the rabbit my boys were given with a note from Santa saying it was getting too cold for him to live in the North Pole so he needed the boys to look after it

    ReplyDelete
  50. Day 1: we decorate the xmas tree together as a family with decs we've collected over the years

    ReplyDelete
  51. Day 2: i love giving & receiving preesies. my best pressy is a charm bracelet from my daughters that gets added too each year

    ReplyDelete
  52. Day 2: Recieving! Probs my 1st Smartphone when I was younger

    ReplyDelete
  53. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Day 2 Receiving is great but giving is even better especially if its something you know the other person will love.

    ReplyDelete
  55. Day 2 I enjoy gifting, I genuinely much prefer to see others happy or thankful for the thought

    ReplyDelete
  56. Day 2 - I really enjoy choosing gifts for other people. The personalised necklace we got for my Mother in Law as a highlight

    ReplyDelete
  57. Day 2- I love giving and receiving gifts to be honest.I think the best gifts I have ever received are often small ones with a special meaning where you can tell that the person has really thought about you.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Love to give presents but happy to receive as well!

    ReplyDelete
  59. Day 2 - couldn't do without giving gifts 🎄
    Twitter: @CHennighan

    ReplyDelete
  60. Question 1 The Tree must always be taller than me. It's only looking back at photos that I've realised that as a kid our tree was tiny but stood on the sideboard
    @spanglsher

    ReplyDelete
  61. Question 2 I love giving gifts and spend months finding the perfect gifts. I always receive rubbish presents so would happily forego receiving
    @spanglisher

    ReplyDelete
  62. I like giving, it gives me great joy.

    ReplyDelete
  63. It's much better to give presents. It's so exciting when someone's face lights up when they get something they really want.

    ReplyDelete
  64. Day 1 - ON Christmas Eve me and the kids snuggle up on the sofa in our new pyjamas and watch a Christmas film with a hot chocolate. I always have a drop of Baileys in mine though!

    ReplyDelete
  65. Day 2 - I prefer giving gifts, I love seeing the joy on peoples faces when they get something they love. I would like to think that I have given many gifts that people have loved but the best present I have received was a home made dolls house that my Dad made me when I was about 7 or 8, it was wonderful. I'm not sure what happened to it as I would have loved to have kept it for my children.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Day 2 : I've always preferred giving gifts as I love seeing people's reactions. Plus I enjoy hunting down things that people have mentioned in passing during the year and then surprising them with it. All through the year I am always thinking "so and so would love this or that"

    ReplyDelete
  67. Definitely giving gifts! I love seeing my son's reaction when he opens his presents on Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  68. Day 1 - We make marzipan fruit on Christmas Eve

    ReplyDelete
  69. I prefer giving, the best present I ever received was a handmade card from my daughter when she was very little

    ReplyDelete
  70. Day 2 - I love giving gifts especially to my niece. I love seeing her face light up! The best present I ever had was my very first computer I was amazed.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Day 1 i love our stockings, we left them out on the bed for Santa to fill when I was a kid. Now they magically appear when Santa drops them off each year. The excitement of seeing them when we woke up started Christmas joy from the very minute we woke up. Now they keep the kids occupied for long enough for us to get coffee made and one of us get in position to capture the magic. Twitter @purplecatlover

    ReplyDelete
  72. Day 2 I love giving gifts. I take pleasure in choosing gifts carefully and rarely just give someone toiletries unless they’ve asked for them. Twitter purplecatlover

    ReplyDelete
  73. Day 2 : I prefer giving gifts - twitter -@marmsmin

    ReplyDelete
  74. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Day 2 I much prefer giving gifts except for the Spot the Peanut game I was given in 2004 . It turned out to be a very early scan of my first grandchild, now a strapping 15 year old! (Tw: @avery64)

    ReplyDelete
  76. Day 3. I'm dreadful at wrapping presents. Most years we as a family agree not to wrap them to save my blushes. It's particularly embarrassing because as you know i'm a keen crafter so everybody thinks I ought to be good at it.

    ReplyDelete
  77. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  78. Day 3. I am awful at wrapping presents.. By the time I've finished, it looks like a small child has wrapped everything haha x @HelenArlowTT

    ReplyDelete
  79. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  80. 2.Prefer giving presents but like receiving a few too

    ReplyDelete
  81. 3. Wrapping bottles of shower gel etc is always a challenge

    ReplyDelete
  82. 1. Not really a tradition but a fairy made by the grandchildren when small always goes atop the tree.

    ReplyDelete
  83. Day 3. I can't say I'm good at wrapping presents, if they are not in a box. But I don't think it matters that much. :)

    ReplyDelete
  84. Oh no I'm running late for this one. I always enjoy it.
    Day 1.I guess the only tradition we had was we could only put the Christmas tree up after the 8th Dec because it was mum's birthday x

    ReplyDelete
  85. Day2. I adore giving gifts, always have done x

    ReplyDelete
  86. Day3. I used to love wrapping presents and spend ages putting on ribbon and bows. I have alot of nieces and nephews now so my presents just end up with a tag. Think I've got lazy as an adult x

    ReplyDelete
  87. I love wrapping gifts - very satisfying to make a good job

    ReplyDelete
  88. Day 3 - I'm pretty good at wrapping gifts and I enjoy it too, my only bug bare is childrens toys. Why do they not package them in nice rectangle easy to wrap shapes boxes.

    ReplyDelete
  89. Day 3 - No, I'm awful at wrapping. I agree that toys are the hardest!

    ReplyDelete
  90. Day 3. Thankfully I get my wrapping skills from my Mum, unless it's a football and with 3 boys, there's ALWAYS a football

    ReplyDelete
  91. Day 3 - I love wrapping when I have lots of time to make it look nice. The hardest things I've had to wrap were some Schleich Dinosaurs for my son a few years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  92. Day3: i'm not too bad at wrapping although awkward shaped items can be a challange

    ReplyDelete
  93. Day One - We're quite a new family unit, but we've established a tradition of watching Die Hard on Christmas Eve! @hanruns13 (tw)

    ReplyDelete
  94. Day Two - I love giving, the best one to date has been giving my parents a voucher to their favourite local restaurant. @hanruns13 (tw)

    ReplyDelete
  95. Day Three - I'm pants at wrapping presents, I find clothing hard to wrap as it's so soft! @hanruns13 (tw)

    ReplyDelete
  96. Day three no I get in a tangle with the sellotape, easiest to wrap a box shape

    ReplyDelete
  97. Day one @clairedriver622 same for day three entry. With my children we make a homemade gingerbread house and the kids decorate however they want

    ReplyDelete
  98. Day 1 @Myrrhanda1 I don't have any cherished traditions from childhood, but we have a weird new tradition. One year, to keep the kids quiet, we put on a Teletubbies music CD over dinner and now we still have to do it even though they're now adults!

    ReplyDelete
  99. Day 2 @Myrrhanda1 oh dear, I have to admit I love receiving presents. Probably because I always get something I really want. When we were first married I left it to my husband to surprise me, but the surprises weren't always great (a Stylophone one year!) so I now email him with a link to what I want and a message in CAPS saying "This is what I want for Christmas"

    ReplyDelete
  100. Day 3 @Myrrhanda1 I'm useless at wrapping presents unless they're in nice rectangular boxes. Anything else goes into a gift bag instead of wrapping paper

    ReplyDelete
  101. I'm not that great at wrapping presents, they always seem to look a mess. Toys are the hardest things to wrap.

    ReplyDelete
  102. Day 3 - I am awful at wrapping! I send most to my sister to do!

    ReplyDelete
  103. Day 3 . I am good at wrapping presents I just hate doing it !!

    ReplyDelete
  104. Day 3 - I am fine at wrapping, though not very neat

    ReplyDelete
  105. I'm not very good at wrapping any presents but things like bikes and balls are the worst

    ReplyDelete
  106. Day 3. Nothing spectacular but more than adequate and streets ahead of the men in my family who only have to wrap up my present

    ReplyDelete
  107. Day 3. I think I'm quite good at wrapping tho I don't go overboard with ribbons etc as its a waste.

    ReplyDelete
  108. Day 3- I’m not to bad at wrapping although it frustrates me with the sellotape sticking together etc lo or losing the end I find the hardest to wrap is presents that are a funny shape and bottles

    ReplyDelete
  109. Thrilled to see this back again!

    Day 1 - A tradition from childhood was that I would go into my parents room and open my stocking - and as well as stocking fillers which obviously changed every year with my tastes/age it always had one of those tiny little plastic tubes of KP nuts, chocolate coins and a satsuma!

    ReplyDelete
  110. Day 2 - These days I much prefer giving. I find receiving gifts can actually be quite stressful, but every year I put together hampers for my parents and I absolutely love finding things I know they'll love to put in them.
    Best gift I've ever received was a (real) mouse!

    ReplyDelete
  111. I'm OK at wrapping presents, I find the best way is to have a flat surface and lots of paper. @BoostieBoo

    ReplyDelete
  112. Day 3 I’m not very good at wrapping. My other half is brilliant so usually takes over!

    ReplyDelete
  113. Day 1 : My husband's family tradition is to always have homemade meat and potato pie for our dinner on Christmas Eve. This is a delicious tradition we have happily carried on in our own family since we were married in 2008.

    ReplyDelete
  114. Day 2: It's always better to give than receive. I love to see my husband and son smile when they receive some special surprises in their stockings.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Day 3: I'm not good at wrapping presents and find anything with an awkward shape really tricky. Give me a simple box anytime please!

    ReplyDelete
  116. Day 3 - I'm generally ok at wrapping presents if they are square or oblong,the worst are circular tube like presents, they normally just end up with a scrunched up bit of paper at each end!

    ReplyDelete
  117. Day 3: I start off neat and then get fed up and no longer have neat corners. My tips are do it little and often, use a flat surface and ensure you don't use the same paper as Santa!

    ReplyDelete
  118. I'm rubbish at present wrapping but am marginally better than my other half so it always gets left to me! Anything that isn't square I find tricky.

    ReplyDelete
  119. Day 3: I can barely manage to wrap rectangular presents, let alone any other shape!

    ReplyDelete
  120. Day 3 - I love wrapping presents!

    ReplyDelete
  121. Day 1. When I was a child, I used to go an open my presents at the crack of dawn, and take them to show my mum, but she was still really tired, and never seemed bothered. Now we open presents at dusk on Christmas Eve. We're all together, we all enjoy seeing what everyone else has been given, and it's all very civilised, and fun

    ReplyDelete
  122. Day 3: I'd say I'm fairly good. Anything that's really large is my biggest struggle.

    ReplyDelete
  123. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  124. Day 3: I'm decent, aslong as the item is square lol. Anything else I'll mess up.

    ReplyDelete
  125. Day 3 - I love wrapping presents, I'm OK with pretty much anything

    ReplyDelete
  126. day 2 - I prefer giving gifts, I love seeing peoples faces when they open them.

    ReplyDelete
  127. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  128. Day 4- I hate "The Fairy tale of New York "by The Pogues such a depressing song although I know it is a favourite of a lot of people.

    ReplyDelete
  129. Day 4 @c
    @clairedriver622 I don’t like the fairy tale,of,New York not the Christmas spirit I am after

    ReplyDelete
  130. Day 4 - the one that really annoys me is "Away in a manger" especially when it's sung by small children. Everybody else is going "Aww how cute" and I'm thinking "Those poor kids have no idea what they're singing, nobody's ever explained to them what a manger or a crib is." I think it's because as a child myself it was so poorly explained to me that I thought the first line was "Awangel in a mangel" until I was about 6 - I might as well have been singing "Ging gang gooly" for all the sense it made. It's also almost always performed too slowly and in too high a pitch, even for young voices, making it sound like a shrieked dirge.
    OK rant over - I bet you wish you'd never asked now!

    ReplyDelete
  131. Day Four - Has to be All I Want for Christmas is You, it's just over played!! (@hanruns13 tw)

    ReplyDelete
  132. Day four Rockin around the Christmas tree annoys me most

    ReplyDelete
  133. Day 4. Chris Rea Driving home for Christmas annoys me the most, it's just so dreary x @HelenArlowTT

    ReplyDelete
  134. day 4 Fairy tale of new york, a couple of plays and you feel like shooting yourself, so depressing

    ReplyDelete
  135. Day 4 Mistletoe and Wine, drives me nuts, I just don't see the fascination with the song

    ReplyDelete
  136. I find Fairytale of New York the worst as it's not jolly enough!

    ReplyDelete
  137. Day 4 : The Fairy Tale of New York

    ReplyDelete
  138. Merry Christmas Shout! We bought this singing reindeer head thing for my son a couple of years ago and it sings Merry Christmas Shout which is a festive version of the lulu song Shout and it makes me want to rip my ears off.

    ReplyDelete
  139. Day 4 - I don't like 'Silent Night' anymore, I find it a very sad song to listen to.

    ReplyDelete
  140. Day 4 . Has to be mistletoe and wine i just can't stand it !!!

    ReplyDelete
  141. Which holiday song annoys you the most?

    Saviour's Day (I think it's called) by Cliff

    ReplyDelete
  142. Question 1: Every Christmas Eve our family walks along the local beach, we find pebbles and write on them the names of sadly lost loved ones. We then take time to reflect on Christmas gone with them and how much we miss them and then toss the pebbles into the sea. It sounds sad, but it has become my favourite part of Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  143. Question 2: I much prefer giving gifts than receiving them. The best gift I ever received was a gigantic cuddly snoopy, given to me when I was around 4yrs old. Through the years he has comforted me through heartbreaks and stresses and now, 30 years on he still sits on my bed.

    ReplyDelete
  144. I'm terrible at wrapping and usually I get my dad to wrap my presents. Unfortunately due to covid this year I will have to do it myself (I'm that bad that I might stick everything in gift bags!)

    ReplyDelete
  145. Question 4: Anything sung my Michael Buble really annoys me and the radio goes straight off. I love traditional carols and my favourite song is Carol of the Bells.

    ReplyDelete
  146. Day 4: None of them really annoy me that much. My favourite is probably Little Drummer Boy by David Bowie and Bing Crosby.

    ReplyDelete
  147. Day 4. Hmm... I think most (all?) of them annoy me. I used to listen to carols and Christmas songs but not any more. :)

    ReplyDelete
  148. Day 2. I love giving gifts and trying to really think about that person

    ReplyDelete
  149. Day 3. I hate wrapping and my husband usually does it 🤣

    ReplyDelete
  150. Day 4. I’m not a huge fan of I wish it could be Christmas everyday I mean where would the fun be in that

    ReplyDelete
  151. Day 4 @Myrrhanda1: Jingle Bell Rock annoys me

    ReplyDelete
  152. Day 4 I don’t like Mistletoe and Wine by Cliff

    ReplyDelete
  153. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  154. Day 4 - Happy Christmas War is Over by John and Yoko - so boring.

    ReplyDelete
  155. Day 3 - I used to be good at wrapping presents, now my hands don't work as they used to and I can't wrap anything.

    ReplyDelete
  156. Day 2 - I love giving gifts, it's always nice when you manage to get something someone adores!

    ReplyDelete
  157. Day 4 - Mistletoe and Wine, I'm not sure exactly what about it is, but definitely not one I like.

    ReplyDelete
  158. Day 4. I don't have any that annoy me but love the fairytale of new york x

    ReplyDelete
  159. Day 4 - A Spaceman Came Travelling just don't find it Christmassy!

    ReplyDelete
  160. I wish it could be Christmas everyday - it's so overplayed by Christmas eve I'm turning the radio off if it comes on!

    ReplyDelete
  161. Day 4: I'm going to choose a quite obscure one: Wonderland by Heidi Klum. I know that all proceeds were given to a children's charity, but that song ... just no!

    ReplyDelete
  162. Day 4 - Rocking around the Xmas tree gets on my nerves

    ReplyDelete
  163. anything Michael Buble is singing!

    ReplyDelete
  164. Day 4 - Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time by Paul McCartney really bugs me, I have no idea why!

    ReplyDelete
  165. Day 5 - I've not given any thought to Christmas TV, we generally rarely switch it on over the festive season except perhaps to see the mid-day news headlines. And I'm sure we'll be far too busy to watch, as we are bubbling with family we'll not have seen for over 2 months.

    ReplyDelete
  166. Day 5 I have not yet seen what is on over Christmas but if it is on then Strictly special will be a must and I know Motherland is on and that makes me laugh. We will play it by ear and go with what we feel like on the days.

    ReplyDelete
  167. We watch Muppets Christmas carol every Christmas Eve and no telly on Christmas day

    ReplyDelete
  168. 5. looking forward to Call the midwife and All Creatures Great and Small

    ReplyDelete
  169. Day 5. I haven't seen any specials advertised yet that interest me. We tend to watch films rather than tv shows, with Mary Poppins being my favourite. For some reason, I always associate it with Christmas x @HelenArlowTT

    ReplyDelete
  170. Day 5 - Always love the Call the Midwife Xmas special.

    ReplyDelete
  171. Day 5 What TV show and specials are you most eager to watch over the Christmas season?

    The Vicar of Dibley this year. I also like Zog.

    ReplyDelete
  172. Day 5 . Usually it would be all the soaps but this year I have stopped watching them Because of covid .

    ReplyDelete
  173. Day 5 - Not really looking forward to any but will probably watch the soaps

    ReplyDelete
  174. Day 5 - After last night's Eastenders, I'm looking forward to their Christmas Day special!

    ReplyDelete
  175. Day 5. We're definitely looking forward to Zog and the Flying Doctors in our house.

    ReplyDelete
  176. Day 5 - We are looking forward to Worzel Gummidge.

    ReplyDelete
  177. Day 5. I am rarely watching Christmas related movies or series, so who knows? :))

    ReplyDelete
  178. @clairedriver622 day 5 look forward to seeing again Paddington 2 and grease

    ReplyDelete
  179. Day 5: Call of the Midwife and Worzel Gummidge

    ReplyDelete
  180. Day 5 @Myrrhanda1: the Doctor Who Christmas special

    ReplyDelete
  181. Making long holly garlands- a tradition passed down by my Irish grandparents

    ReplyDelete
  182. Question 2 - definitely giving (unless my present is incredible!)

    ReplyDelete
  183. Question 3 - shockingly bad at wrapping. Always have a stash of white paper bags which I can decorate for the recipient

    ReplyDelete
  184. Cliff Richard’s mistletoe and wine sets everything on edge

    ReplyDelete
  185. Question 5 - does lockdown Vicar of Dibley count?

    ReplyDelete
  186. Day 5 - I'm looking forward to all the Christmas specials - Bake off, Vicar of Dibley and Strictly are top of our list this year.
    Twitter: @CHennighan

    ReplyDelete
  187. Day 5 - Haven't looked at the listings yet, but hopefully Morecombe & Wise Christmas Special

    ReplyDelete
  188. Day 5. Hollyoaks because it showed the trailer last year so I'm excited to see what happens x

    ReplyDelete
  189. The goes wrong show. We saw the Christmas special last year and my children were laughing so hard there were tears running down their cheeks

    ReplyDelete
  190. Day 5 Not sure what is on this year to be honest, am sure my mum will want to watch Strictly special

    ReplyDelete