Why Platonic Relationships Are Just As Important As Romantic Ones

 AD - This is a collaborative post

Healthy romantic relationships come with a hefty package of benefits: unconditional love, reduced stress, social fulfillment - you name it. Unfortunately, due to Hollywood-esque expectations, we often forget to focus on maintaining healthy platonic relationships. A platonic relationship is a loving yet romantic relationship between friends. Similar to its romantic counterpart, platonic relationships come with a multitude of health and social advantages. Here are four reasons why you should prioritize platonic relationships as much as romantic ones:

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1. Platonic relationships improve emotional development
Humans are social beings, meaning that friendship is necessary for people to achieve any kind of emotional development. Social interactions encourage people to develop skills such as active listening, problem-solving, and even empathy. Whilst most of these are learned from a young age, maintaining a social schedule will heighten all of those skills.

2. Platonic relationships provide unconditional support
We are all capable of managing the ebbs and flows of life, but going through them in the company of others is significantly less stressful. Having a strong group of friends can help you overcome difficult times and celebrate personal achievements. Romantic partners are capable of providing the same support, but it's essential to cultivate a support system outside of your relationship.

3. Platonic relationships give us perspective
Guess what? We're not perfect. Sometimes we act on emotional impulses and make mistakes. Fortunately, a reliable group of friends can help us parse out out ideas and make the appropriate choices. At the end of the day, you know what's best for you but having the opinion of your closest friends can open your eyes to factors you're blinded to. 

4. Platonic relationships promote longevity
Healthy platonic relationships lead to social support, which surprisingly leads to a longer life-span. There are a lot of health disadvantages that come with social isolation including stress, depression and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Investing in our platonic relationships is a form of self-care. It teaches us to be independent in the company of our loved ones. So what are you waiting for? Invite your friends over!

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My 2020 Women's Christmas Gift Guide*

AD - This post contains gifted items. Gifted items will be marked *

Already it's time for my Christmas gift guides! Like always, this year I'll be sharing 3 different gift guides throughout the week, one for the ladies in your life, one for the men and then a food & drink gift guide. This year has been tough for everyone so I've put together a variety of different things that I think anyone would be thrilled to receive this Christmas and I just hope it gives you some inspiration if you're about to start your Christmas shopping or have been stuck for ideas! Let's get started with my 2020 Women's Christmas gift guide.

Ramer Sponges*
For anyone putting hampers together, I highly recommend including Ramer Sponges! These are perfect for any beauty and skincare lovers you know and having used them myself for months, I can safely say they are perfect for giving you soft, luxurious feeling skin, something we all want, especially in the Winter months! Ramer Sponges are basically made from a magic material which hardens after each use when they dry which helps prevent growth of bacteria but they instantly soften when soaked in warm water so can keep on being re-used. These are made from super soft material which is non-scratchy so they lather up like a treat with whichever shower gel/bubble bath etc you may use. The Cranberry and Holly sponges are part of their Christmas range and are priced at £2.99 so a really affordable little stocking filler! You can find these & a range of other skincare products at Ramer Sponges.

Feather & Down Massage to Sleep Set*
I'm a big fan of Feather & Down, in fact you might have seen me blog about them a few times in the past and I personally think they are a fab brand to turn to at Christmas time. Whether you want to treat a new mum, help out someone struggling with their sleep or just want to give something a little different this year, Feather & Down have got you covered. Their Massage to Sleep set includes their pillow spray, a massage soap bar and a bottle of their bath essence so everything you could need for a peaceful night and each product contains a special blend of lavender and chamomile essential oils, the perfect scent to make you feel sleepy (or so I find anyway!). You can buy this for £10 from Creightons aswell as a huge range of other gorgeous sleep products. Also available at Boots and the official Feather & Down website.

Christmas Candles
You can't beat a candle. I fill our home with them at Christmas time as I'm sure a lot of people do and I am always happy to unwrap one at Christmas time. I personally love to check out Homesense and TK Maxx when Christmas shopping as they stock the most gorgeous candles at this time of year. From August onwards really the homeware just seems to step up a notch. The reasons I love the candles they stock so much is because they're so unique, you very rarely find the same one twice and that bodes well for getting someone a gift they've not had before!

Treatbox Christmas Movie Gift Set
Treatbox are the brand to go to for personal, thoughtful gifts that are sure to leave a smile on anyone's face. They have a monthly subscription box full of a variety of things from prints and pins to hot chocolate, food and lots more. They also have beautiful mugs, keepsakes and even ready to go Christmas boxes! I think their Christmas Movie Gift Set in particular is perfect. It's £29.95 and contains a Christmas mug, chocolate popcorn, a chocolate brownie mug kit, festive socks, salted caramel hot chocolate and a wax melt. Something like this is ideal if you're apart from loved ones or are stuck for ideas and want to get something a little different this year!

Body Bliss Bath Treats*
Next up for the beauty lovers is this gorgeous Bath Treats set from Body Bliss. I personally spend a LOT of time in the bath during Winter so if you know someone who loves a pamper night or deserves some lovely self care bits this Christmas then this is ideal. In this particular set you get 4 mini bath and shower gels in indulgent fragrances like Mango & Papaya, Raspberry & Pomegranate, Coconut Water and finally Vanilla & Macadamia. These all smell absolutely incredible! The great thing about Body Bliss is that their products are vegan friendly, cruelty free, bottles are made from 50% recycled materials and they use sustainably sourced fruit extracts. It's only £6 too which I think is a bargain! You can buy this set and a load of other beautiful Body Bliss products at Creightons.

Custom Pet Jigsaws
For the pet lovers, how cool is this custom pet jigsaw? I would absolutely love one of Bear! I found this whilst browsing Esty for small businesses to buy from this Christmas and I just had to include it. Custompopco are specialists at pet portraits so they'll take any picture of your choice and create something beautiful like this! You can choose the amount of puzzle pieces you'd like, they're presented in a lovely cloth bag and they'll also include a glossy print of your photo which is a lovely added touch.

Book & a Hot Drink Letterbox Gift
My final suggestion in this gift guide is this lovely book and a hot drink letterbox gift set from Bookishly. Letterbox gifts could be the way to go this year because really we can't predict what will happen at Christmas, who we can see, how 'normal' it will be etc so a present that can be delivered through the letterbox is definitely something to consider. For any book lovers you know, Bookishly have this wonderful gift where you can choose a classic book such as Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and Romeo and Juliet with a beautiful dust cover and you can also choose from either tea, coffee or hot chocolate to be included too. There's nothing better than snuggling up in Winter with a hot drink and a good book!

So that wraps up my Women's Christmas gift guide for 2020! I hope this has given you some inspiration. I know I definitely want some of these things for myself!

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

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My Christmas Wishlist 2020

 Christmas is officially on the way! Whilst I can't say I feel quite as much festivity and joy as I usually would at this time of year (understandable with lockdown 2.0 I think) I'm trying to make the most of the last two months of the year and I'm remaining positive that December will be better than November. It's gotta be right? To try and get into the festive spirit I put the tree up extra early this year, I've got the majority of the wrapping done and I also have a few Christmas gift guides coming your way in the next few weeks! Before that though I wanted to share my own Christmas wishlist. I do this every year and to be honest there's never usually loads I want or need, I do genuinely love buying for other people far more than I do receiving presents myself but here's what is on my list. It's mainly books to be fair!

Mowgli Street Food by Nisha Katona

George and I visited Mowgli when we went to Oxford in September and it is genuinely one of the best meals out we've ever had. All of the food was just on another level and the interior and service was just perfect. I can't wait until we're out of lockdown and we can go to a restaurant again, I don't think I'll ever take anything like that for granted again. Since our visit to Mowgli, I discovered Nisha Katona (the founder of Mowgli) actually has a Mowgli Street Food recipe book so that's at the top of my Christmas list this year! I'd love to be able to re-create some of the delicious dishes we had aswell as so many more at home.

How To Be More Paddington by Michael Bond & Peggy Fortnum

I just adore Paddington. We should all be more Paddington. This is a brand new book exploring Paddington's view on life with words about friendship, love, laughter and lots more and it just sounds lovely. I love a book like this that I can go back to again and again or just pick up as and when I need it.

Pawsome Boutique Dog Mama Pin

To be honest I don't really currently have anywhere to put all of my pins but that doesn't stop me wanting more. I spotted this a while ago on Pawsome Boutiques when Bear needed a new harness (that he now never wants to wear) and it turns out they have loads of different products. Not only do they cater for pets, they also have some gorgeous gifts for dog parents like prints, pins, jumpers and lots more. I just think this is adorable.

Love Actually Mug
I DO NOT NEED ANYMORE MUGS. but. I WANT THEM. Love Actually is probably my fave ever Christmas film so as soon as I saw this I knew it had to go on my wishlist. I never see anything Love Actually themed and a mug I can bring out every Christmas like this would be perfect. Anyone else still obsessed with Love Actually after all these years?

Lush Xmas Bath Bombs

Bath bombs are always an amazing gift in my opinion. I basically live in the bath during Autumn and Winter and whilst I don't use a bath bomb every time, that would be an expensive habit, I do love having a little basket full of a few to choose from every so often. I not long ago ordered myself a few Lush bits but I'm sure I'll have worked my way through them by Christmas. I'd also love a bottle of their Snow Fairy Shower Gel. It's just the best scent. 

No7 Wizard of Oz Emerald City Gem Cosmetics Sponge
I've not used a beauty sponge for a long time and tend to just use my Real Techniques brushes now but I do really notice the benefit of one when I do use them. I find they're just always so much better at applying foundation and hiding any blemishes so being the big Wicked fan I am, this one from the Emerald City range at Boots looks like the next one I need to try. I need a good sort out of my makeup again so this would be a nice little addition.

Ted Baker Body Sprays
I always lust over the Ted Baker gift sets each year at Boots. Their body sprays always smell absolutely gorgeous and they're such a bargain. I think they make fab stocking fillers.

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
There seems to have been loads of praise for this over the last month or so and I'm desperate to read it! This is the first book by presenter Richard Osman and it's about four friends in a retirement village who meet up each week to investigate unsolved murders. A brutal killing takes place on their doorstep and they find themselves in the middle of their first live case. It just sounds so different to any other book out there and I'm so intrigued!

Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris
I can't believe I've not picked this up myself yet. I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris at the very start of 2019 and it ended up being one of my favourites that year so I'm desperate to read the sequel which is about Cilka Klein. Cilka featured in The Tattooist of Auschwitz and I always wanted to know more about her and her journey so this is definitely a must read at some point.

That's about all I can think I'd really love this year, aside from chocolate of course cos is it really Christmas without loads of chocolate? (especially Toblerone).

What's on your Christmas wishlist this year? 

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All About Us by Tom Ellen Book Review*

I received a copy to review but all opinions are my own*

It's not often you find a romance written by a man, or at least I don't seem to find them all that often, so I was really intrigued by All About Us by Tom Ellen. I've really been after some festive romances to read recently after quite a few thrillers in a row so this came along at the exact right time!

'If you could turn back the clock, would you choose a different life? Ben usually loves the month of December, but this year, with his relationship with Daphne on the rocks, it's missing its usual magic. And then his old friend Alice gets back in touch. Ben's always thought of Alice as the one that got away, and he can't help but wonder: what if he'd done things differently all those years ago? He never imagined he might get to find out...but when a stranger sells Ben a mysterious watch one freezing winter's night, he's astonished to wake up the next morning on 5th December 2005: the day he first kissed Daphne, leaving Alice behind. Now Ben must make the biggest decision of his life, all over again. But this time round, will he finally have the courage to follow his heart?'

My Review

Like you don't often find romances written by men, you often don't find the main character is male and the only narrative, but that's something I really do enjoy so that's the first thing I loved about All About Us. I often find in books like this I'm desperate to hear both points of view and it's only in a few books like One Day In December that we get given that so I was really happy that straight away this was already different to most.

Whilst I know not everyone is as big a fan of romantic fiction as I am, it also has the magical fairytale element to it aswell which adds a totally different spin. We first meet Ben in a bit of a crisis. His marriage to Daphne is on the rocks, he's not long ago lost his mum and he's in need of a career change but he doesn't know what that should be. He's lost and wondering how different life would have been if he'd gone down a different path 15 years ago. On this very night, a charming man sells him a watch. The next morning he wakes up and the date is 5th December 2005. The day he first kissed Daphne, saying goodbye to Alice. Could this be his chance to change everything? Or will he realise he'd made the right choice all along?

I loved the time travel aspect of this and I love how each day he got to go back too showed us so much of Ben and why he's become the person he is today and the moments where it all started to go wrong. Whilst I really enjoyed finding out more about Ben and Daphne's relationship, I particularly loved the day he got to travel back and see his mum again and spend one last day with her. He really took it all in second time round and had conversations with her he'd never had before. It was really poignant and I definitely found myself getting a little emotional.

The book is quite fast paced so I personally found it so easy to keep saying 'just one more chapter' and because of that I finished it in a day! I found it such an easy read and for a debut novel aswell, I think it's just brilliant. I loved the majority of the characters and really could relate at times to Ben and Daphne and I understood that feeling of what if? What if I'd just done one thing differently, where would I be now? What if one particular event didn't happen? It showed though that whilst we might all have moments like that, the grass isn't always greener on the other side. However it also showed that it's never too late to start again. Want a career change? Go for it! Want to re-connect with lost friends? Do it! You only get one life.

All About Us made me feel every possible emotion and by the end I was just so happy I'd read it. It's a beautiful romance and I loved the ending but I enjoyed so many of the interactions throughout the book - the friendships and the mother/son relationship. Whilst the time travel aspect wouldn't be something I'd usually look for in a book, it worked absolutely perfectly in this. I think it would make an excellent film actually!

If you're looking for a book to start getting you in the festive spirit, All About Us is the one for you. Full of powerful memories yet hilarious moments, it's got something for everyone.

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