That is it 2023 has been and gone and it is safe to say once again I was well and truly spoiled for Christmas. We opted for the more practical gifts this year with a few funny novelty items thrown in the mix and as always I am super grateful for what I received. I love doing these posts as it gives me the chance to see how my taste etc has developed over the years and the post is in no way a bragging one, it is more for me to look back on in years to come. So here is what I received for Christmas 2023, spoiler it is a nice mix of items...
First up I received a very generous amount of money for Christmas and rather than rushing out and wasting it like I always do this time around I was clever and opened up a savings account for it. I will be dipping into this money if there is an item I really want however, the plan is to save the majority of it for my goal shop when I hit that weight loss goal at long last.
Tony's is by far my favourite chocolate however, during the year I tend to stay away from it as it is just so pricey for what it actually is. My sister got me two bags of the little bits which to be honest won't last two minutes as these are gorgeous. My parents also got me this set of mini bars, the aim is to not eat them all in one go though.
My auntie & uncle got me a gorgeous little gin set however, I am sticking to my no drinking until 30 rule so this is going to have to wait before I give it a try. My sister & nephew got me a lovely bottle of alcohol free Merlot which I have tasted in store before and loved, this should give me a feeling of having a nice drink without touching alcohol. At the total opposite end of the scale my parents got me this colour changing Harry Potter hot chocolate which will be saved for when I am sat watching the film.
I think Liam really did get sick of me stealing his giant blanket we have downstairs as he got me my own which is actually a little bigger than his too. I love these blankets as they are so warm and cosy and with plans in place meaning we will be spending more time at home at least there will be no arguing over who gets the best blanket anymore.
There are of course some random novelty gifts thrown in at Christmas and me, my sister & nephew all opened up Tamagotchi style games on Christmas day, let's hope I don't get as addicted with this as I did with mine as a kid. I also received this Powerpuff Girls card holder which is probably going to come in super handy. My parents are also clearly sick of me and my sister complaining about paper straws as we both got a pack of these funky glitter straws.
My auntie & uncle also got me this very random but very cute Coca Cola tiger which is now on the shelf in my office. I just love how happy it looks and it looks right in place on the shelf.
This little boiled egg is absolutely adorable and again is the perfect addition to my office area. My parents got me this seen as they always joke about the amount of boiled eggs I eat, I buy the little packs as part of my meal deal so I go through a lot. This might even make it to my games room desk when I get around to giving that a makeover, although that could be in 2025 at this rate.
I just mentioned giving my games room desk a makeover and although that might not take place for a long time this PlayStation desk mat that my parents got me will keep me going in the meantime. I absolutely love the simplicity of this mat and it just changes my desk up a little bit.
Lego is going to be a big part of 2024 which you will see more of on social media and my sets are slowly building up. My parents added this adorable Groot set which I can't wait to get building. Once done this will be out in the games room pride of place so I need to get a move on with it but with a goal of less screen time I should fly through the sets I have got.
There were just a few books received at Christmas and this Sarina Wiegman one from my grandparents has gone straight to the top of my to be read pile, I can't wait to read this as Sarina is honestly the greatest manager in the world in my opinion. My grandparents also got me this Lego Harry Potter book which I am going to go through with the nephew as it is about time he learnt all about my favourite franchise.
My parents got me this jar of matches which my mum made a little more unique thanks to the customization. I have been looking at these jars for a while now and had been putting off buying them. These are going to be the perfect addition to our new bedroom when it is done in a month or so plus the sayings on them just make me laugh every time I see them.
My auntie & uncle got me this very cute dog figure as Odin became a big part of all our lives in 2023. The quote on the box has that bit of extra special meaning too with me being a Bradford City fan so this is going to be in my office so it is nearby me all the time.
My grandparents got me 3 more bath bombs and let's just say they are strong in fragrance but I love treating myself to one of these in a bath every now and then as it makes a nice change from the bath salts. They also got me this Harry Potter toiletries bag with a few goodies in it which is going to be perfect if things go to plan and I do get away a bit more. My parents also got me this Nightmare before Christmas scalp massager which I am looking forward to trying.
My auntie and uncle also got me a few fragrances the sea salt one is from M&S, I have had this one before and know I love it so I am glad to have it back in my rotation. This Lacura one though I have never tried before so I am looking forward to seeing what this one is like.
My sister and nephew got me some straighteners which I am super grateful for as my hair is getting out of control now it is growing. My old straighteners were much more suited to my old shorter hair so these are a very welcome addition.
The essentials were definitely restocked this Christmas and I am glad as I had just run out of hairspray before the festive break. My parents got me 2 cans of my favourite hairspray and my sister got me some heat protector for with those new straighteners. Now let's see how long they last me shall we.
My parents came through with the goods too... a 2 Kg bag of my favourite bath salts which are great for aiding my recovery post workout. I am constantly using these so to be honest a 2 Kg bag never lasts me too long plus with me now increasing my workout frequency they might last even less time than before. The parents know though that these are an essential these days.
They also got me this giant cup which I can't wait to get using. I have seen these all over social media but never really considered one however, it makes a very nice alternative to my old 2 litre water bottle which was becoming worn out. This is going to really help me with my water intake, I wonder how many I can get through in a day?
My auntie and uncle got me this gorgeous necklace which is a mixture of gold and silver with some saying on one of the rings. They also spin which is a nice little addition. I wanted to add more jewellery to my rotation in 2024 and this is a great addition which will go with a lot of outfits I have in mind.
Oh look another essential for the parents and one that comes in handy year after year. These wipes are great for bringing your trainers back to life and with me buying more white ones these are an essential to have on hand at all times so those white trainers stay white for longer. I definitely need to get an every day bag that is big enough to fit these in.
These socks might have been a joke gift from my auntie & uncle but I will definitely be getting my wear out of these. They are certainly a novelty pair and won't be being with shorts but they are white socks at the end of the day and I am starting to realise you can never have too many pairs of white socks.
Now I am walking the dog more often and going on adventures where I am having to wear my wellies I realised I didn't really have suitable socks for this as all my current pairs were a bit too thin. I told my mum this in passing and on Christmas day I opened 4 pairs of thicker socks that are going to be much more suitable for the adventures we have planned in 2024. These are so soft too which is always an added bonus.
Now these are a bit of a novelty compared to the pj's coming up later in the post but when I was shopping with my mum and she said I needed a pair of pj's for Christmas I couldn't resist them. Spongebob has long been a favourite of mine and these are super soft so tick all the boxes. These will be perfect for lounging around & gaming in throughout 2024.
My old slippers had well and truly worn away so I suggested a new pair to my parents and then I came across these in Primark, a cheaper alternative to the Uggs I had been wanting. As I couldn't justify the price of Uggs for myself I ended up asking for these to see if I liked the style or not and let's just say if I do end up falling in love with these and wearing them until they fall apart then a pair of Uggs are definitely on the cards.
Towards the end of 2023 I got myself some corduroy trousers and fell in love with them instantly. I paid full price for them in M&S however, on a visit to our local outlet I found the same ones in a variety of colours for just £15. With how much I loved my black ones I asked my grandparents if they minded getting me some for Christmas and in the end I settled on a subtle brown colour. I am really looking forward to styling these.
My parents added a new workout top to my rotation too which I am grateful for as I need more in my rotation due to increasing the amount of times I work out.I absolutely love the colour on this one so I can see it been worn a lot. It is a size smaller than my usual too so even if I lose the weight it should still fit me for a while.
My parents also got me this TMNT t-shirt which again I picked out for myself a long time ago. You just can't beat the turtles and although I am moving away from graphic t-shirts this will come in handy for lounging around in whilst I am working away at home or having a nice long gaming session.
The theme with Liam was glow up and growth to align with my 2024 goals so he signed me back up to an online coach and lets just say I can't wait to get started with them to see how much progress I can make weight loss wise in 2024. He also got me this gorgeous silver bracelet as he knew that I was wanting to improve my jewellery collection. This is a lot smarter than a lot of other jewellery I own and will be perfect for a lot of outfits I have in mind.
He also got me these super comfortable, smart looking pj's. I had seen these on Lydia Millen's blog and fell in love with them so opening them on Christmas day was certainly a treat. The colour on these are gorgeous and I can see myself getting a lot of wear out of them, I just hope even with the weight loss they last me quite a while but no doubt they will be an instant repurchase as I love them that much.
So there you have it I was well and truly spoiled for Christmas 2023 and I am really looking forward to using all the items in this post. 2024 is the year of growth and glowing up, the majority of these items will certainly help with that.
What did you get for Christmas 2023?
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