December 2022 – London Days & A French Christmas

Bonjour lecteurs! Have you reflected on 2022 and made some special plans for this year? Describe in 5 words what you want 2023 to be like. As I already shared on my Instagram, mine are ADVENTURES, MINDFULNESS, BALANCE, STRENGTH & HOME. A good mix? I put it out there so that I can remember it and fully focus on it in the coming months. But for now, time to share with you my ritual Monthly Highlights. December 2022 was a busy one with lots of festivities and fun London days out. But also a French Christmas! ?

A Dazzling Start

Oh, the joys of Christmas! It feels a bit weird to type this word now but December 2022 kicked off so well!

Indeed, we went to London for the weekend with a visit to the Royal Opera House. The iconic place regularly hosts its Family Sundays where you can see the premises as well as learn about the world of the opera.

So we were off to some moments magiques for all the family.

We also stopped by Harrods to check out the toy selection. I might have popped in to see the new Maje and Sandro‘s collections ?

Oh and then, diréction le Milestone Hotel in the so fameux royal neighborhood for its festive Afternoon Tea.

It was absolutely délicieux and oh très chic!

More Parties

I might not have been able to enjoy a Christmas Party with the Step Up Club because of the train strikes.

But I still had beaucoup de fun with Xmas parties the following week, I was back in London on my own for a colourful event with Love Leggings.

I met some lovely fellow Instagrammer around a cocktail or two.

I even stopped by High Street Kensington, walking around the shops. This area is full of memories as it is where I stayed for a London weekend with my mum back in 2007.

The year just before I moved into the UK. It might have been a trip that inspired me to move here…

Lightopia London

I felt even more nostalgic the following weekend as we stopped by Crystal Palace to see Lightopia in Crystal Palace Park.

This is actually where I met Grumpy Boyfriend ages ago! And where we lived together at the start, 13 years ago.

Magic memories! We went there to see some family and spend Christmas day with them.

If you want to book a nice Xmas evening fun, I really recommend Lightopia. It was so beautiful and really well made with the lights and music!

I used to go jogging around there back in the day! Haha!

Citadines Apart’hotel Islington

And back to London in the Angel area to stay at the beautiful Citadines Apart’hotel Islington.

Wow! You basically rent a flat or a studio to stay in with all the facilities you need.

It’s like renting your own flat for a night or two. Or longer if you want.

We absolutely LOVED it from start to finish. Our studio was absolutely stunning and with so much space.

In the evening, Grumpy Boyfriend went clubbing while I had a night in with Stanley. Think champagne and Netflix all night.

I felt so rested and happy. And we also stopped by for a bit of shopping around Islington. I LOVE London. I will always be a bit of a Londoner deep down…

And yes, I might have been dreaming of one of those terraced houses like in the movies.

More Nostalgie & School Nativity

The following week was all about catching up with our British family as we were headed to France for Xmas.

With more pub lunch, an exciting World Cup Finale, and more wine! Gosh, I can’t believe France nearly did it! Never mind, we will win the next World Cup!

And now, it was time for me to have a party too with my girlfriend. I enjoyed my experience on the Christmas Steam Express.

We departed from London Victoria to go all the way to Surrey while enjoying some yummy food.

Another place full of memories as I used to commute all the time to Victoria!

To carry on with Stanley’s Nativity. I was so contente we could make it this year!

A French Christmas

But after all those fun memories, it was time to drive to France on a very rainy day!

We made it to Soissons in Haut-de-France where I am from. We booked a short stay at L’Hôtel des Francs.

It was so convenient and le top détail! There was a pool! So I was literally swimming on Christmas Day!

Ok, it was not Barbados or some other exotic destination… But I completely switched off and it was nice.

Did you miss me on Instagram during those 10 days? I bet not!

You were probably spending some quality time with your loved ones! And so did I! I had such a laugh with my brother, mum, and niece.

We played games, drank way too much champagne, and ate LOTS of food. Life was pretty good!

Relaxing & Reflecting

I was planning to take the boys to Lille, where I studied at l’université, for a few days. But we had to change our plans and came back home earlier.

Not to worry, we relaxed more at home and caught up with more family. I was quite happy to chill.

What did you do for New Year’s Eve? I was at work and the boys were away to see Grumpy Boyfriend’s sister. But I bought a beautiful new dress in the sale. So I am happy 🙂

I can wait to show it to you! Let’s hope for a sunny day for a shoot somewhere in Kent.

December 2022 – London Days & A French Christmas

December 2022 was an absolute blast! Not much in Kent. But it feels more like we still have a London life after all!

I really enjoyed being back in all those special places from my past. And typing those lines, I feel so nostalgic about my early days in the UK.

But more importantly, it makes me realise how far we have come together with Grumpy. We watched a few old videos of ourselves over the 31st and our life has changed so much over the last 10 years or so. All for the best!

En plus, it really inspires me to push myself more for 2023! Cliché? I don’t believe in New Year Resolutions.

Instead, I like setting up very specific targets and building good atomic habits that help me progress. It’s all about the small steps because no success is built overnight!

So I am extremely excited about 2023 and I can’t wait to see what it will have for us!

Bonne Année 2023! 

Disclosure: This post might feature some sponsored content I recently published but it is merely a list of my highlights of the month! This a post where I share some reflections as a mum in the country and in London. I hope it will inspire you to get on more family adventures.