Princessing for Christmas 2025

[estellacandance]

I haven’t seen a princessing thread for ages.

I feel like my self care has been sidelined this year.
My skin, weight and mental health have suffered the most.

So my list to prioritise:
Bed by 11, sleep by midnight
Remove make up at night
Night cream/retinol
Use my LED machines!
Hyaluronic serum in the morning
More frequent & thorough teethbrushing & use whitener.
Have water with me all the time
Take vitamins/supplements with my breakfast.
Daily stretches/yoga inc breath work
Outdoors every day, more forest bathing/blue space.
Drink green tea
Daily smoothie, raw veg & more fruit.
Weekly coconut hair mask.
Pelvic floor exercises 3 times a day
Morning Pages
Read from a book every evening
Squats amap
DIY mani/pedi inc self reflexology/Shiatsu
Reduce UHP foods/drinks
Daily relaxation/meditation with music/incense

Who wants to join?

What are your goals?

@Perimenopauzzzz pack .

If you like dark chocolate and go to Aldi , their Moser Roth Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt is really nice , I bought the 5x25g bars
They do other dark chocolate flavours IIRC

I find Cadbury Bournville can taste a bit icing sugar-ey .

Yes! The Moser Roth chocolate is lovely. The almond and orange one is lovely as is the mint one - which IIRC is something like 135 calories a bar.

Ooo, love this! Was thinking to start my September re-fresh tomorrow but this has definitely given me the motivation - thank you.

Continue:
*Weekly pilates
*Morning walks (while it's still light) before work at least 3 days a week plus weekends
*Good skincare habits - AM & PM
*Scratch cooking
*Paint own finger nails - as needed
*Monthly gel pedicure
*Limited carbs - only when eating out / with (early adult) DC

Start (thanks to PPs for some of these):
*Collagen powder daily
*More water - it doesn't matter that it makes you wee more 🙄. Grr.
*Morning tea outside (as a PP has said, I have loved doing this over the summer and was feeling a bit miffed it was ending. Genius idea to continue with a warm blanket!)
*Less scrolling
*More reading
*Resume intermittent fasting
*Resume taking Winter tea first thing (orange, lemon, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, honey blended then froze in ice cube tray). I credit this with my weight loss in February/March this year
*No Christmas food until December and most definitely no buying the awful tins of celebrations/heroes/roses/quality street that you didn't even like last year but you ate because they were there
*Seek out nicer quality chocolate instead - quality v quantity every time!

Oh gosh, that's quite a list 🫣 but I am ready!

Come on, we can do this! 💪🏼

Would love to join also! X

Good morning, I am officially starting today. I feel excited, motivated and inspired my you lovely lot. I started my morning journaling and meditating while drinking hot water and lemon, A good start for me🤗

Happy Monday all 🤩😃
and well done @Doseydots for such an early positive start!
@fivefoottwowitheyesofblue i like your idea of a winter tea. I might just steal your recipe! And having it outside is such a good idea

@fivefoottwowitheyesofblue please can I have a recipe for your morning tea? That sounds right up my street. I’ve fancied those ginger shots you can buy but not generating a tiny plastic bottle daily.

I’ve got homemade elderflower cordial in the freezer, just put a note on the fridge to remind me it’s there as it will get me drinking water in the evenings .

@tostaky
@PinballWizened
I'll attach a screenshot - it's actually really pleasant!

@fivefoottwowitheyesofblue by pepper - do they mean cayenne pepper? Thanks a lot!

Thanks to this thread i am currently having a coffee in my garden in my coat! It is a nice habit to keep and i will add it to my list. Even if everyday is not as leisurely as today.

Ah! I used black pepper but I guess cayenne would work and perhaps make more sense.

I also took my winter tea on the patio this morning with a warm throw on my lap. The wind was ferocious and it makes me smile that I was sat there in the midst of the wind but I loved it!

I love the image of us all drinking winter tea, wrapped up in a blanket outside. Sounds so cosy

Hurrah! Placemarking for when I can sling together an achievable list for scruffy old me.

Meanwhile, @Xmasmusings asked for a definition of a Princessing thread and I really liked @NotItsyBitsyNorTeenyWeeny's answer. However, here's what ChatGPT said:

"Long baths with expensive bath oils

Getting nails, hair, or lashes done

Buying new skincare or high-quality makeup

Wearing silk pyjamas and using nice perfume even at home

Eating nice food (often served beautifully)

Making the house feel like a luxury hotel

It's usually meant to be lighthearted and aspirational..."

Is it just me or does the AI not quite get it?

That winter tea sounds great @fivefoottwowitheyesofblue! Thanks for the inspiration.... I may just try making some myself. Like @PinballWizened I've been contemplating one of the apple and ginger style daily shots and had been looking at the 5 day dose in M&S as it's just one plastic bottle with 5 portions in it but your winter tea sounds even better.

So far:

✅ Kept up my 16:8 intermittent fasting
✅ Body lotion and foot cream
✅ Reading before bed
✅ Light makeup every day
✅ Booked brow appointment
✅ Went on my exercise bike

❌ Not been drinking enough water
❌ I've been rubbish at taking my vitamins
❌ Still need to paint my nails

OK, here's my resolutions at the scruffier end of the spectrum:

• Take more daily steps. (Explore little backroads near my new house.)
• Review (then buy) some kind of fitness watch/band. (Any recommendations? I used to like my Garmin Vivofit.)
• Walk/sit out in the morning (thanks PP)
• Walk after supper
• Foot soaks
• Buff fingernails. Maybe varnish them?
• Manage eyebrows. Used to use Dyelure brown, now trying black. My hair is grey. Gah!
• Read a chapter a day of a physical book.
• Declutter my old OU notes/essays/folders.

Good luck, all.

@Xmasmusings sorry, just saw that you'd asked what an everything shower is.

Essentially it is extending/upgrading your usual shower so it is focused on more steps and you do various beauty treatments in one session.

Personally for me the plan for them includes lighting a candle, dimming the bathroom lights, playing music and including a body scrub, shaving and body lotion as well as washing my hair as usual. Some people will use aromatherapy, or a face mask, or a hair mask or lip scrub....whatever you like really.

I like the idea because it is easy for me to forget things like exfoliating or using body lotion, despite the fact they make me feel nice so having a set time for an 'everything shower' once a week means I'll (hopefully) do those things more regularly.

I was wondering the same. I haven’t been to bed in my make up for years and usually then I was pissed.

@CrystalSingerFanno AI is mostly quite dumb!

It also shouldn’t be expensive or involve buying more stuff.

I’ve got such a huge haul of products- I just need to use them!

(I also want to get organised for the new OU year)

As it was day one I’ve done quite well. Had an early bath so did the preening that comes with that- body brushing (I do it wet but don’t see why not), scrub, face exfoliating & mask, leave in hair mask, reading (book now soggy 🤣), 90s music for nostalgia, full body lotion after coming out & bonus toothbrushing & flossing.

I’ve also had a glass of water vitamins, 2 bananas, a Satsuma, spinach, carrots & mushrooms.

I’ve done a little journaling & messaged a pal.

So not absolutely everything but a decent start.

I feel like the self focus is lifting my mood. 🙂

I wrote a whole long post this morning but it has disappeared! I must have reviewed and not pressed to post

I'm in. In addition to Christmas prep I'm also going on holiday in less than 4 weeks so have been trying to make changes for a while.

What I'm already doing
Morning skincare
Gym 2 x per week including weights circuit and a bit of cardio
Healthy eating, minimal upf, creating a Sunday super fridge with healthy snacks and meal prep items
Trying to be more boundaried about leaving work on time (still not great but I stick to it maybe twice a week)
2.2l of water a day. I drink a full pint the minute my feet hit the floor
Reading every day to relax
Sleep well, go to bed at a reasonable time, no screens after 9pm ish.

Things I could improve/ do more of:
Underwear drawer amnesty-yes!
Add in one more gym day per week
Short home workout on non gym days
Moisturise my body every day. Body scrub in my weekend big shower. I am so dry. I cannot go on holiday being lizard woman
Do my nails every weekend
Evening Skincare routine.

@estellacandance mentioned "I also want to get organised for the new OU year"

Well done on all that princessing, plus how super you're with the OU. Faculty, tutor or student? How's the place doing? I loved my post-retirement studies with them.

Meanwhile, I've bought a nail buffer downstairs and am staring at it...

On Saturday I'd bought myself the Holland and Barrett advent calendar, which was delivered today. It was £50 but contains 25 full sized items, all seem like things I will use rather than a random mix of makeup items that won't get touched found in other advent calendars. Anyway, at £2 per item it seems like super value to me! I've decided I'm not waiting until December, I'm starting right now as part of my princessing, so my day one item is an Antipodes probiotic skin rescue hyaluronic acid face mask. It smells amazing :)

I have also had my vitamins today, drunk my water and been to the gym.

Oh I am tempted by the Holland and Barrett calendar. I’ve dine pretty well today.

• Do Make up everyday
• No S diet
• Carry water
• 7 hours sleep every night - got be bed early
• Exercise everyday - biked to work and dog walk after work
• Journal everyday
• Meditate everyday
• Smile and laugh everyday
• No scrolling after 8pm (only check in on princessing thread)
• Pamper shower every week
• Read every day

I know from previous Princessing Threads ( Christmas or 100 Days to Holidays ) if you can do something for 21 Days it becomes a habit .

I drink a pint of water before bed , yes I have to get up in the night but it means I can go back to bed and think "four more hours of sleep " at 2am.

I need to get back into eating fruit - used to have a banana for lunch so I need to re startt that .

And I reckon I have enough toiletries and clothes so I don;t need to spend anything .

Did a face mask tonight , not one of those sheet masks but a proper gloopy scoop it out of the jar and plaster it on one .

Well done everyone on looking after yourself!

i will aim to do a body scrub with my next “everything shower” i need to think of it. Its probably well overdue!

i did well today:
. Gym session
.lots of water
. reasonable calorie deficit
. skincare routine
. night serum on my hair
. bought myself a new more feminine workbag for £16 on amazon
. didnt buy anything else
took my vitamins
went to bed early

i didnt do my pelvic floor exercise
didnt read either but theres always tomorrow!

Hope You don’t mind but I’m jumping on, I desperately need this.
I had a holiday in Italy in August and before I was doing Pilates/cross trainer 5 x a week and really looking after myself. Since the holiday I’ve gained nearly a stone. I gave up while I was there after seeing all the very slim, beautiful women in bikinis but enough with the self sabotage!

Heres my list:

Sort my skin care so it’s less complicated and that way I’ll actually do it

quit alcohol (already started this just over a week ago)

Pilates/crosstrainer 5 x a week

up my water

get my brows done

stop letting DH persuade me to eat take away 😆

sleep more when I’m not working late

wear the dresses I like

Everything shower & paint toe nails once a week

I would love to tone up, loose 12lb but most importantly feel confident and healthy.
Good luck everyone.

@thesnailandthewhale I also had the H&B advent calendar, sort of squinted when I bought it so that the contents would be a surprise!
If you’re going to post the contents, would you be willing to do it as a ‘sensitive’ image so people have to click on to see (I think that’s how it works) to avoid spoilers?
Otherwise I might have to duck off the thread (and remain a hideous swamp creature) 😂