Saturday, November 25, 2017

IT'S CHRISTMAAAAAS (in a month)

The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Drinks Edinburgh The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market
TOPSHOP vinyl jacket, checked trousers and cropped cardi | KAREN MILLEN croc boots | THE KOOPLES beret | MULBERRY Amberley satchel

Photos by Kirsty McLachlan

(It is recommended, but not required, that you listen to Michael Buble when reading this post. Go on, get him on).


Right, it's almost the end of November, there's been frost on the ground on more than one occasion and it's getting dark not long after I have my lunch. I'm doing it, I'm officially letting myself get excited about Christmas. Myself and my amigo had a charity ball last week and on the journey up we stopped off for our first hot chocolate of the season and blasted Christmas songs for a wee half an hour and, genuinely, by the end of it, I was giddy as a madman. There's just something so magical about this time of year... maybe it's the promise of all the cheese that lies ahead, I don't know (I do know. It's the cheese). One thing I do always associate with Christmas is that first Christmassy beverage. I remember coming down to visit the very same aforementioned friend three years ago - we lived in different cities then - and we decided to go out for a hot beverage and some Christmas shopping. We walked to Starbucks in some very crisp, very Wintery conditions, and ordered ourselves a hot chocolate. We sat down to write ourselves a list of the presents we wanted to buy that day and, at that very moment, Michael Buble's Christmas album started playing. I almost weed myself. It was all so wonderfully festive that I got that excited, bubbly feeling you get in your stomach when you're a child and had to force myself to confront the possibility that a tear might just escape from my eye. It genuinely was magical though, and we still reference it now with a sigh of, 'ah... that was a good day'. So, for me, hot, cosy drinks and Christmas is an even stronger pairing than Chrissy Teigen and John Legend.

The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Harry Potter Ship edinburgh The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market
Now if anyone does Christmas well, it's Edinburgh, so myself and my wee Kirsty headed there this weekend for a day of festive fun. We started off at the holy grail.. the Harry Potter shop. Oh god it's magical. I'm a huge, huge Harry Potter fan (when someone says they don't like it it physically hurts/sets alarm bells ringing about that person for the rest of time) and I always associate it with Christmas. They were the films we used to go and see in the cinema on Christmas Eve and also the films myself and my wee brother would sit and sloth out to with chocolate, Irn Bru and mince pies (a winning combo) every December in the lead up to the big day. SO, it seemed like the best place to start. And it's so good! Very very magical, as you'd hope, and well worth a visit. It also sits on one of my favourite streets in Edinburgh - Victoria Street - which is said to have been the inspiration for Diagon Alley. Fun bit of pub quiz trivia for you there. 

The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market After getting ourselves suitably excited, we headed up Victoria Street along the Royal Mile and down to Starbies. Their festive drinks collection is overwhelming - from gingerbread latte to festive cold brews and everything in between - but hot chocolate always wins it for me on the Christmas front so I went for a delicious fudge hot chocolate. We headed back along the Royal Mile and into the Christmas shop, which is another incredibly magical place. There's are decorations, candy canes and even a big ole tree right up at the back. The woman also wishes you, 'Merry Christmas!' when you walk in which, even though you know it's wrong for your body to respond to that phrase in November, gives you an excited little wave. Just you try go in there and not feel even a wee bit festive. I dare u.

The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market
We decided we still hadn't had enough Christmas so headed along to - dun dun dun - the Christmas market. Oh how I love a Christmas market. They're filled with stuff that no one ever needs or wants and sell food that's guaranteed to contain at least 4x your daily sugar allowance but that's the beauty of them. It was so, so incredibly busy (too busy for people as short as myself and Kirsty, we were being thrown about like... ping pong balls? I don't know, like very small things that you can throw about easily) and, as it turned out, it was because the Christmas lights were being turned on that night. Just when you think a festive day can't get any more festive, I know. There were fireworks, cheers, more fireworks, more cheers and it was all just lovely. Then I got on the train home in a little Christmas haze before realising it was actually November 18th and I had an entire month and a bit of work left until Saint Nick makes his appearance. Still, I regret nothing. I am in full festive spirit as of now and I'm ready for a whole host of fudge hot chocolates. 

x
The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market lil-magpiThe Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Markete-starbucks-2-59
I hope this post gave you a tiny little glimmer of stomach excitement (if it didn't you're broken. I'm sorry) and a hankering for a delicious hot, Wintery beverage.

Amy

Post in collaboration with Starbucks

(I'm going to leave you with this photo because I can't stop laughing at it)
The Little Magpie Starbucks Christmas Cup Drinks Edinburgh Market