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December Newsletter: Happy Christmas!

So yesterday was #christmasjumperday and I finallyyyyy started to feel #festive for the first time this December! 🎅🌲🌟

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Happy Christmas Eve-Eve!!

Ahhhh just two more sleeps – I can’t believe it! I know I say this all the time but it genuinely only feels like a couple of days have passed since I wrote my November newsletter, not a whole month! Because of the Christmas break, this newsletter is being brought to you a little early this month, and I have an End of Year Review coming just before the New Year, so watch out for that too, but first here’s how my December went…

I launched my first giveaway

 

It's HERE! My big #Christmas surprise! Go find out what it is over on the #blog- link in bio!! #Wordpress #newpost #blog

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So I’ve never done a giveaway before, but I see a lot of other bloggers doing them and it always seems to work out nicely; I get a few new followers and you get something in return, and it’s Christmas after all 😉 My giveaway is super simple- just go ahead and ‘like’ my Facebook page, if you haven’t already, and the person who is my 500th like will WIN a prize – it couldn’t be simpler! GOOD LUCK!

I went to The Clothes Show

 

Loved meeting @fernemccann today @clothesshow – what a babe! @ambamarie19 #clothesshow #birmingham #sundayfunday

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This was a last minute decision me and my friend made, and I am SO glad we did! We found cheap 2-4-1 tickets online and headed to Birmingham’s NEC Arena on a frosty Sunday morning in December ready for a full day of shopping! I’ve been to The Clothes Show before and loved it, and this was the final year it was going to be held in Birmingham, so it really was the end of an era! We had a lovely day of shopping, grabbing goody bags and celeb spotting too. The show is relocating to Liverpool next year so hopefully I’ll get the chance to attend when I’m up visiting the family!

I took a trip to the Birmingham Christmas Markets

 

I just love #Christmas markets 🎅🌲🎁🎡 #Birmingham #GermanMarkets #SundayFunday

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I went to the Frankfurt Christmas Market Birmingham the same day I was at The Clothes Show, just because we finished early and had time to spare before we had to be home that night! It was super easy to get to the city centre from the NEC – we left the car there, hopped on a train to New Street and arrived within a matter of minutes. The train was cheap, totally stress free and sooo much easier than driving into the centre, faffing with finding a space and paying for parking! The Markets themselves were lovely and super festive, selling everything from handmade chocolates and sweets to little fluffy hats and children’s toys. The Birmingham Markets are the biggest German Markets in the UK, and I would 100% recommend taking a trip there if you get the chance!

It was the public vote for #UKBA17

 

 

As most of you will know, this year I was SHORTLISTED for an award at UK Blog Awards 2016 and the whole experience was fantastic from start to finish. When I found out that the awards were running again in 2017 I knew I just HAD to take part for a second year running and entered my blog in the travel category again. The public vote went live two weeks ago and closed this Monday. During this time I promoted my blog, and my entry, and tried to get as many votes as I possibly could! Good luck to all the other wonderful bloggers too, I know there was some tough competition in my category alone! The shortlist will be announced on 2nd Jan 2017 and I am PRAYING that I make it there again as it would kick off my 2017 in the best way possible – I will of course let you know the outcome and am keeping my fingers crossed!

I discovered Christmas at Blenheim Palace

 

Oh baby it's cold outside ❄️☃ #sundayfunday #blenheimpalace #decemberdays #cotswolds #oxfordshire

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As an annual pass holder I get to visit Blenheim Palace ALL the time, and I totally love it! I go during spring, summer and autumn, but my favourite time to visit is in December, when winter is in full force and the Palace looks even more beautiful than it usually does. This year they’re hosting a special event called ‘Christmas at Blenheim’ which, sadly, I haven’t been to yet, but I have been on the normal days and it’s special anyway so that will do for me! I love exploring the inside of the Palace, gazing up at the artwork on the grand ceilings and wandering around the acres of grounds outside too. Blenheim is particularly pretty during winter so go if you get the chance, spring will be here before we know it!

I started planning my travel adventures for 2017

 

Planning for my 2017 #travel adventures… It suddenly all seems a little bit real! 🌎✈️🚂 #jessdoeseurope

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So this is kind of exciting, but I have been in full on planning mode for the past couple of weeks and already have my first two trips of 2017 sorted! I’m off to Copenhagen for a few days in February (bring on The Little Mermaid!!) and have booked a cheeky week away in Tenerife at the end of May (thanks Jet2 – those free flights came in handy!) – it’s been three years since I had a beach holiday or done any kind of relaxation on a trip so I am really looking forward to it! I’m also in the early stages of planning my European Adventure – details will be revealed in the new year but what I can say is that I’m gonna be doing a 10-week-14-country stint across the continent at some point during 2017. Watch this space… I am so excited! #JessDoesEurope

Well that’s it from me – I’ll be publishing my End of Year Review next week, but until then I hope you have a wonderful Christmas – eat, drink, be merry and ENJOY IT! Happy Christmas everyone, and thank you as always for reading my blog, you have no idea how much it means to me that it’s still going strong after 2 and a half years!

Love Jess x

It's friyayyy 🎅🌲🎉🌟 #fridaynight #christmas #drinkssss

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