#instagramadvent

20th Dec - Who remembers the horror of getting lost as a kid? As a child that was easily distracted & fantastically nosey (still am), I got lost a lot. Most outings would involve a return journey with my dad pleading at my mum (or vice versa) ‘I haven’t got eyes in the back of my head!’ One such journey was after visiting Selfridges to see the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ grotto. Selfridges, in the 1970s, would design a breathtaking seasonal journey based on a theme & team this with their windows, which were like giant dioramas & contained no actual product. I was obsessed with Alice’s Adventures to the point the LP I had narrating the story (played on repeat for a year) mysteriously vanished (that’s another story) Mum, dad & myself headed to Oxford Circus & I am super excited. I remember it vividly: a dark corridor with dozens of doors with playing cards projected on the walls, vintage illustrations bought to life in 3D, amazing stuff. I overheard a woman saying she didn’t remember a part of the story illustrated so I filled her in whilst my parents looked apologetic & embarrassed. Soon after leaving the grotto I got lost. I was examining the toy Santa had given me (a mini tool kit, he knows me so well) & my parents disappeared. I was taken to a room & an announcement was made. While I waited I sat on a counter in a room off the shop floor, some lovely perfume counter girls: all smelling beautiful with shiny blond flicky hair and frosted blue eyeshadow fed me ‘Quality Street’ and distracted me from being upset. I was now very happy & this was becoming the highlight of the day until ma & pa arrived and ruined it, displaying that terrifying combo of relief and anger. We headed home, dad stating his lack of rear view eyes and me planning an evening of audio Alice and playing with my new tool kit. #christmas #christmaslooks #christmasadventcalendar #instagramadvent #leejackdesign #holidays #tistheseason #adventcalendar #rusticchristmas #christmastree #christmascountdown #christmas2018 #christmasfun #christmascheer #christmasmood #christmaslove #selfridges #vintageselfridges #selfridgeswindow #christmasmemories #aliceinwonderland #alice #london #christmasinlondon https://www.instagram.com/p/Brmt5otjw3p/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11tootdy5s8hb

17th Dec- What’s the best present you ever received? Without a moments thought mine was my ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ action figure. He had three main features (parking being cool AF aside) a ‘bionic eye’ which was a hole in the back of his head you could look through: an action which had to be teamed with a rapid ‘du du du du du’ noise that was made on the show when he chose to use said eye, he had a curious, white skin coloured, condom thing on this arm you would roll back to reveal his ‘bionics’ and if you cranked his head left he had a button on his back which, when pumped, would raise his bionic arm upward and for a touch of drama he came with a car engine you could clamp into his hand to illustrate his strength. I LOVED him. I can even remember he was wrapped in a red bag from Hallmark Cards with a picture of Snoopy on, as in the bag they put your purchases in (it was a miracle I got Steve Austin at all so I wasn’t complaining) this amazing gift was coupled some weeks later by the sh!!est gift I ever received (excuse my language but there really isn’t another word for this ‘gift’) on my birthday, a few weeks after Christmas, I woke to a stiflingly hot bedroom. This was odd because my room, over a garage, with normally like a walk-in chiller. My sister, Amanda, came in with a downturned smile and said ‘that’s your birthday present’ pointing at (brace yourself) a portable heater!!! How the hell I managed to manufacture a sincere ‘thank you’ to my parents (rather than a completely appropriate ‘you gotta be fricking kidding me!’) for a blow heater is still beyond me. What made this gift even worse was, two weeks later, Auntie Ethel ‘borrowed’ it and I never saw it again! So, for that birthday, technically speaking, I got a two week loan of a blow heater. Just ‘praise be’ for Steve Austin, is all I can say #christmas #christmaslooks #christmasadventcalendar #instagramadvent #leejackdesign #holidays #tistheseason #adventcalendar #rusticchristmas #christmastree #christmascountdown #christmas2018 #christmasfun #christmascheer #christmasmood #christmaslove #steveaustin #bionicman #sixmilliondollarman #favoritegift (at Nuovo Cantiere Bovisa Location) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bre84xLjQ3K/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1gw64aef1uumo

11th Dec- In our primary school we had a neon orange hymn book (this was the 70s) called ‘Sing and Praise’ (I’m heading to eBay after this to try find one) and the ‘praising’ was broken into seasons. I loved the harvest festival vibe, often accompanied by the classic ‘We Plough the Fields and Scatter’ I can still remember the words and I liked the image of God ‘feeding and watering’ the earth with his ‘almighty hand’ like planet Earth is God’s allotment (which, it sort of is, which makes us lot a load of pesky bugs that keep buggering up the crops...but I digress... ) When this hymn book suddenly became magical was when the spine would crack on the last chapter: ‘Praising Christmas’ This was concrete evidence that the season had started, confirmed by God and tiny squares of fousty chocolate in your advent calendar. My favourite was ‘Ding Dong Merrily on High’ I always thought this hymn missed a trick and really should have been called the much grander title ‘Gloria Hosanna in Excelsis!’ The real title sounding like a ill thought out fumble after a few too many Snowballs. The reason I loved this hymn was the chorus, which basically sings the word ‘gloria’ for what felt like (if you were 9) 20 minutes meaning the beginning of the line ‘Hosanna in excelsis!’ was always sang by hundreds of kids on an inward breath, frantically gasping for air. It occurs to me now I have no idea what it means and no teacher bothered to tell us (I suspect they didn’t know either) I genuinely thought ‘Gloria Hosanna’ was a lady, who sounded quite exotic. I pictured her with a giant Afro, a full length Mac tied at the waist, hoop earrings, long nails. She got out of the city for Christmas and headed upstate to ‘Excelsis’ Well, Gloria, or give you your proper title ‘Gllllllllooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiia’ Merry Christmas, sister ✌🏾✊🏾#christmas #christmaslooks #christmasadventcalendar #instagramadvent #leejackdesign #holidays #tistheseason #adventcalendar #rusticchristmas #christmastree #christmascountdown #christmas2018 #christmasfun #christmascheer #christmasmood #christmaslove #gloriahosannainexcelsis #gloriahosanna #hymn #hymnbook #singandpraise #littleheathschool https://www.instagram.com/p/BrPWeCVjeE7/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1eb1h1emo3trm

6th Dec- I think one of the most perplexing things about Christmas is dipping into other people’s ‘day’ and realising families can have some bizzare and unique traditions. As my comedy idol, Victoria Wood, once joked about this concept ‘oo, we always sing Little Donkey in three part harmony in the garden at midnight’ My families most elffed up tradition was opening the Christmas presents at night (normally when you were hoping to be ‘enjoying’ some woman being abused on EastEnders). This is paramount to torture for a child as you would spend the whole day just staring at them ‘it gives you something to look forward to’ mum would chime, her control freakery ramped up to 11. Coupled with my parents insistence on eating the dinner when the seasonal Top of the Pops was on, I found Christmas Day a hot bed of frustration. Speaking of hot, my parents equate luxury and celebration with heat, so they had the heating on at full pelt so any Christmas snap of our family includes a cracker hat bonded to our heads with a sweat patch. Sweaty Christmas, one and all! #christmasmemories #christmas #christmaslooks #christmasadventcalendar #instagramadvent #leejackdesign #holidays #tistheseason #adventcalendar #rusticchristmas #christmastree #christmascountdown #christmas2018 #christmasfun #christmascheer #christmasmood #christmaslove https://www.instagram.com/p/BrCbaDylhyP/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1hbnj34xli5e4

Can't find a Christmas case for my phone so I added a snowman sticker to a clear one instead ⛄️ #Christmas #Christmastime #holidayseason #christmasseason #snowman #snowmansticker #iphone #iphonecase #iphone5c #phonecase #phonecover #iphonecover #phonecasediy #christmasphonecase #christmasphonecover #christmasdiy #diy #simplediy #clearphonecase #socreative #advent #instaadvent #instagramadvent #25daysofchristmas #countdowntochristmas #christmasiscoming #potd #picoftheday #instadaily #dailypic

Being an adult doesn't mean you don't get an advent calendar, it just means you have to buy it yourself 😂#christmas #advent #adventcalendar #christmastime #christmaschocolate #chocolateadventcalendar #thesimpsons #homersimpson #christmascountdown #countdowntochristmas #kinnerton #kinnertonchocolate #suchanadult #adulting #childatheart #suchakid #festive #christmasseason #holidayseason #25daysofchristmas #25daysofinstagram #instagramadvent #december #day2 #2ndofdecember #potd #picoftheday #dailypic #instadaily #itsthemostwonderfultimeoftheyear