200 days until Christmas - party essentials listed!

Guys! GUYS! Listen up! This is important! It's 200 days until Christmas! You know how I love Christmas, so every chance to celebrate it - even if it's June - is welcome in my house. And today, it's 200 days until Christmas Day. So needless to say we're going to have a party.

Some things are essential in a 200 days until Christmas party. (And mind you, the list is fundamentally differenet from that of a 100 days until Christmas party.) Certain items make the ambiance. Here's a list of essential things you absolutely need for your 200 days until Christmas party.

1. Christmas carols. Holiday music is essential to getting into the Christmas spirit. So think everything from Mariah Carey to Chris Rea to the chipmunks, if you like. Put the music on the background and let your spirit wander back to December.

2. Decorations. My house has a small plastic tree and disproportionately large silver balls hanging in it. You can do this the way you like - fairy lights, Christmas socks, little gnomes - there's no right or wrong way of decorating your house for the 200 days until Christmas party.

3. Christmasy food. I have gingerbread cookies and traditional rice pudding this year. Last year I made an entire swede casserole (my favorite Christmas food), but this year I'm carnivore, and I don't think I'd be able to resist it so I won't be making it. Speaking of carnivore, you can spice up your Bulletproof latte with ginger and nutmeg and cinnamon to make it extra Christmasy. I'm telling you, it's totally awesome.

4. Presents. This doesn't have to be anything fancy, but if you're having a tree in your decorations, placing a few quickly wrapped gifts under it can make all the difference. I found some leftover candy in the kitchen and wrapped them in a newspaper and finished the package with some rustic thread. The gifts look adorable under the tree - it's totally worth the couple of minutes you spend finding random objects and wrapping them.

5. A Christmas movie. This is actually not essential - you can replace this with a Christmasy ASMR video or a fireplace video or some Christmasy cartoons - but a moment to sit down and let something visual take you back in your memories is definitely worth it. It's also good to do as the last thing in your party after an entire day of toiling away: have your cup of spiced coffee, or your rice pudding, and just relax for a while, watching the video, be it the movie or the fireplace, and value the fact that Christmas is still a long way ahead, and you'll have all this amazing time to look forward to it before it rolls around in December.

Happy 200 days until Christmas!

RK