Something For The Weekend: One Week To Go!!!!

Photos: by me; from Bardot in Blue and we heart it.

First off, apologies for the lack of a SFTW post last week (too many things got in the way of blogging for another weekend). It seems only right to explain the one thing that has taken much of my time recently: five weeks ago my beloved grandma suffered a stroke leaving her left side paralysed. She spent a week working on her speech and regaining some movement in her left leg. And then she had a second stroke. My mum, sister and I spent a week with her in the hospital after the second stroke with my sister and I taking it in turns to stay with my mum and grandma. She has now lost all ability to talk or do anything, really. She is able to move her right arm a little and can squeeze our hand when we hold hers. She can also venture a smile now. It is strange how when everything else is gone, something so small is such a joy. It has been a terrible month but it has been wonderful to see her whole family around her. So while Christmas has always been a time for family in our house, this year we will be making sure that family comes first and everything else will take care of itself.

In line with this month's theme on British Style Bloggers I have set up a JustGiving page to raise money for The Stroke Association this holiday season. Christmas is a time for giving and if you feel you can give a little, please visit my page.

The last two weeks have been two of the coldest here in the UK this year, I have spent them, wrapping up warm, decorating my Christmas tree, writing Christmas cards and wrapping gifts to put under the tree.

It seems that I am not alone in struggling to keep warm as temperatures refuse to go above zero:

Retro Chick asked readers, How are you staying warm?

Jill of Street Style London continues to make me wish for a snood with these beautiful photographs;

Haleigh of Bardot in Blue has taken some wonderful photos of Les Jardins des Tuilliers in Paris in the snow;

And Veshoevious of The Taxonomy of My Wardrobe looks cosy and fashionable in her double-layered look.

Make sure you don't miss out on anything on Sugar and Spice this holiday season and subscribe to the blog: either through Bloglovin', on Twitter, via Feedburner (on the lefthand side of blog) or Google Reader (at the bottom of the blog).

Today it is exactly one week until Christmas Day and I couldn't be more excited. Have you been keeping up with my virtual advent calendar? Last weekend the first 12 Days of Christmas came to an end and this past week I have been asking some of my favourite bloggers about their Christmas traditions.

This week I am actually off work, so I will be spending my time catching up with old friends and generally getting into the Christmas spirit. Maybe brunch with a friend and a cinema date with my sis?

I am still dreaming of a White Christmas... Now, wouldn't that be fairly fabulous?

Our Christmas traditions have changed a little in the past couple of years but this year, my sister and I will still convene as soon as we wake (it seems to get later every year) to open the stockings that our mum continues to lovingly fill each year! (She did ask last year if perhaps we were a little too old to still be getting a stocking - the looks on our faces told her she was wrong!) Then we will go downstairs where our dad will have lit the fire and all three of us will open our presents to each other. We will then have lunch together (a proper Christmas lunch with all of the trimmings!) before my sister and I head off to the hospital to spend the afternoon with our grandma, grandfather and mum. This year we have to wait until Christmas Day evening to get our presents from mum!!! It will be torture!

What are your Christmas traditions in your family?

All that remains to be said is, have a wonderful weekend as you get ready for Christmas. Of course, for all those who don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you can enjoy some time with your families too. And remember to check back for the rest of the week for a different blogger behind each door every day.