*This post was sponsored by Sparkling Jewellery

With Christmas coming up, there is so much to think about, isn’t there?

Even if you don’t have kids, there is the whole decorating the house and buying presents and writing cards out to some far-flung destination your little cousin is spending Christmas in with that friend of hers that always smells a bit TOO MUCH like hemp.

As much as you might see pictures of me out and about, loving life and looking well on Instagram and Twitter, I can assure you, it takes a lot of motivation for me to get fabulous and go out. When it is Christmas, I tend to make a little bit more effort to get out and about to see people. But I will tell you a little secret. This doesn’t just “happen”. I have to gear myself up for “Sparkling” over the festive period, and below are my tips on how you can do this too if it doesn’t come naturally to you.

Make a list

Like in the song, check it twice haha. OK, I admit, that was not remotely funny. On a serious side though, there is nothing like a good old-fashioned list made by a pen onto paper. I love them so much, I have a list for my lists. The festive season comes with tacky decorations a hefty price tag and an opportunity to have lists for your lists. One of the main lists I do during the festive season is the “Christmas dinner” cooking list. You will find if you list everything down in order of cooking etc, you won’t have a stressful experience.

Buy some Sparkling Jewellery

I know I have previously mentioned Sparkling Jewellery, but they are one of my favourite brands. I do think if you put something sparkly on, you will soon start to feel sparkly in yourself. And what could be more sparkly than diamonds? The Diamond Pendant and Chain is one of the most beautiful things you will ever own. You can also get a 10% discount if you use the code “MOREFUN” on your order.

Be Prepared

I never used to plan for Christmas. We get paid before the holiday (which, by the way, makes January a bloody long month!). So I’m usually in Selfridges all sweaty and stressed after work around the 21st, needlessly splashing the cash on last-minute things for my Mum which looks fancy. But this year has been an absolute game-changer. With Christmas dinner, all planned, I also took some time to plan out what presents I was buying. But even this was too little planning for the precise mission of getting presents. On my list this year, I planned out the shops in the order I would go to them in my town centre, and what I needed in each one. When you’ve planned present-giving as ruthlessly as that, you’ll find you can ENJOY the run-up to Christmas.

Eat well

Let’s face it: a lot of Christmas is about eating. the festive season is a great time to throw that diet out of the window and just enjoy yourself. This is perfectly fine, but do remember this is also a time of year you need to have lots of energy and keep your mental health in check. You might remember me writing a previous post about eating more mindfully, and although I don’t deny myself anything at this time of year, I also try to keep a balanced diet and add things in that will give me energy and will help with my anxiety.

Have a pre-Christmas pamper

Again, I am going to delve into previously written posts here, with ways to spa at home. If you are going to be busy this Christmas, entertaining, cooking, or visiting others, then you should fit in a nice little pamper session beforehand. I always feel that touch more confident in my appearance after the most slight of changes, for example painting my nails. If you feel the same as me, set aside one evening before all of the madness to give yourself a pamper.