Festive favourites from 2024

Festive favourites from 2024

29th December 2024 0 By Rachael Stray

Christmas may be over for another year but I thought I’d reflect on my festive favourites from 2024.

I have done this for the last few years when I looked back on my festive favourites from 2023, festive favourites from 2022,  festive favourites from 2021, festive favourites from 2020, festive favourites from 2019, festive favourites from 2018  and my festive favourites from 2017.


Festive favourites from 2024

The build up to Christmas

Our festive celebrations were supposed to start in late November this year with a visit to the Winter Light Trail at The Alnwick Garden to celebrate my birthday but also to kick-start the festivities however we were snowed in instead!

We decorated the house just the three of us this year and Elsie enjoyed putting the decorations on the tree.

And we were kindly gifted a Christmas tree and decorations from We R Christmas which meant Elsie had her own tree for her playroom.

At the end of November we enjoyed our first family panto watching Beauty and the Beast at Gala Durham this really got us in the festive spirit.

In mid-December we braved the bad weather and enjoyed fireside stories with Father Christmas at Raby Castle this was such an enchanting experience.

Steve’s parents joined us for our annual visit to Beamish and Father Christmas’ Grotto which was such a lovely day.

We made sure Elsie was really wrapped up and she loved the whole day!

We enjoyed watching Elsie perform as a chicken in her nativity at school the week before she broke up for the holidays.


Christmas 2024

Steve’s parents came up to visit mid-December for a long weekend.

Elsie loved having her nanny and pops stay.

On Christmas Day it was just the three of us and Elsie loved that Santa had been and made light work of opening her presents.

Steve rustled up a delicious Christmas dinner which we all enjoyed.

On Boxing Day we headed to my parents house for a buffet bonanza lunch.

It was like Christmas Day all over again and Elsie received even more presents!

Although it was more chilled than the previous year we had a lovely Christmas.

We enjoyed the Call the Midwife, Gavin and Stacey and the Great British Bake Off Christmas specials.

Steve is only at work a couple of days before going back to work properly when Elsie returns to school that first full week in January.

And I’m so fortunate to have almost two weeks off – a break I very much needed!

We are having a quiet New Year but we are looking forward to possibly going out on New Year’s Day.


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Other festive related posts

You can find out all about my Christmas family traditions

Read all about how I made my very own Christmas wreath 

I answer all things Christmas in the Christmas Tag

Father Christmas’ Grotto at Beamish Museum – review


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