Wow - it's New Year's Eve already! And, as everyone else seems to be getting ready to take stock of everything that's happened to them this year, BSB decided to be a little bit different. What's the point of taking stock of the past when there's so much of the future to look forward to?

This year has, admittedly, been amazing for us - but next year is already shaping up to be even better. At last night's Editorial Team Meeting, we came up with a plan for the first few months of the year, and we think you'll really like what we have to share with you over the coming months.

The themes for January to April have been decided on, and we're going to introduce January's now: 2011, the year of...

So, what do you think this year will bring? In terms of fashion, your life, TV, movies, music, or anything else, really? If you have something awesome to share, do email us (editors@britishstylebloggers.org.uk) and we'll get right back to you!

If you want to advertise in January's ebook, the last date is 22nd January. Advertising information can be found HERE.

So, happy New Year, lovelies! We hope that you get everything you dreamed of, and that it sparkles and shines like all the fireworks you'll see tonight.

Before we go and prettify ourselves for tonight, we thought we'd better share the final BOTM winner of the year with you, too - you can apply to be next month's from tomorrow.

Blog of the Month #12, Dec 2010:

Congratulations to Lauren Loves Blog. If you could email amy@britishstylebloggers.org.uk, we'll sort your badges out for you!

Here's to 2011!

LoveLoveLove

- A -

PS - whilst we're away for Christmas, remember you can still read our festive columns and fabulous ebooks

If the mood takes you, why not also join our lovely community for some festive bloggerly cheer?

Earlier this month, Features Writer Naomi and I were lucky enough to have Press Passes for Clothes Show Live in Birmingham. There's a full write-up in our next ebook, but for now we thought we'd share some of the street-style we came across and loved with you.

I loved this girl's jacket more than I can honestly put words on, and she was just so modest and lovely. She felt uncomfortable having her face in the picture, so we made an exception to the usual rules - but don't you think that her outfit is beautiful? The Asian undertones are stunning, and the detailing on the bottom of the trousers and on the jacket is something else! I kind of wanted to ask her where she got it from, to be honest!

This girl's cardigan was the most exciting thing I saw all day, and I have this bizarre desire to try to replicate it myself! I don't know how well you'll be able to tell from the photo, but she's got actual Scrabble tiles all over it! How amazing is that?

Does anyone know, on that note, where we can Scrabble tile beads from?

This girl's shorts and tights were just on trend, and even though we accosted her for a photo as she was walking out of the loos she was so lovely and friendly! I also love her shoes - which I have kindly covered up with a watermark for you... how helpful!

This girl's cardigan was one of our favourites from the day - especially considering the snow outside and how generally freezing and unpleasant the weather's been this month!

But the security guy in the background was our absolute favourite, because of this delightful conversation we had with him -

Security: You can't take pictures.

Us: Why?

Security: You need a press pass.

Us: What, like this one?

Security: No, it has to say "photographer"

Us: It does say "photographer"

Security: ...

Who knew that searching for street style was this difficult and risky?!

What do you think of the outfits, then? And if you went, what did you wear?

Now then, please don't get me wrong, I love a bit of Slade or Wizzard as much as the next person when the festive season arrives.  No Christmas shopping trip - or indeed, any shopping trip taken from late October to late December - would be complete without having a little bop around the card shop/New Look/Starbucks as the familiar strains of 'I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday' float out of the sounds system.  However sometimes, don't you find it all just gets a bit much?  Even if you have just a sliver of musical taste, you'd be hard-pushed not to admit that the vast majority of Christmas music is the kind of stuff you'd turn off faster than a speeding sleigh throughout the rest of the year.

Feeling rather strongly that the arrival of the festive season didn't necessarily have to mean a complete departure from my normal musical taste, a couple of years ago I started work on an alternative Christmas/winter playlist, and the whole thing currently sits in my iTunes library as playlist that lasts almost three hours.  I will confess that Mariah Carey's does feature in there somewhere, but then I'm genuinely not trying to suggest that I am some grand musical aficionado here, merely that there is more to Christmas music than just a sizeable helping of cheese.

With this in mind, I thought I would share with you what I consider to be some of the highlights of my endeavour to find The Least Headache-Inducing Christmas Playlist EVER.  To me, these songs capture something Christmassy without having to ram sleigh bells down your throat for three and a half minutes.  Feel free to add suggestions if you wish, and enjoy!

© Naomi Thorne, 2010

1.  The Shins, Caring is Creepy -  A couple of references to ice, and ethereal guitars that sound good in the winter.  Take a walk in the snow listening to it and you'll see.

2.  Katy Perry, White Christmas - Was a close call between this and Otis Reading's version, but I seem to be on a Katy kick at the moment, so she won out!  Laid-back and understated, this is not the Katy Perry you'll be used to!

3.  Mumford and Sons, Winter Winds - The sound of a bit of brass always makes me go a bit misty and nostalgic, and this, combined with the beauty of the lyrics on this track just about finishes me.

4.  Badly Drawn Boy, Donna and Blitzen - In the same way that a good brass section makes me mushy, the same could be said for strings.  There are some serious sleigh bells in this one, but there are also some of the most romantic lyrics ever, so I think I'll forgive.

5.  Orba Squara, What I Want For Christmas - If this one sounds familiar, it'll be because Sky have decided that what you want for Christmas is satellite television in high-definition.  All the same, it's really rather lovely.

6.  John Mayer, St. Patrick's Day - Don't be fooled by the title; this song is all about definitely not breaking up in the winter, 'cos it's just too sad.

7.  Johnny Cash, Hark The Herald Angels Sing - Whoever persuaded Mr. Cash that it would be an excellent idea to 'do' a Christmas album is my hero.  If it were Johnny himself, he just rose even further in my estimation.

8.  Rosie O'Donnell & Macy Gray, Winter Wonderland - Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a good collaboration (see: turkey and cranberry) and this gem is no exception.  Also, I love Macy Gray's voice!

9.  Sufjan Stevens, Come On!  Let's Boogey To The Elf Dance! - Pretty much for the title alone, this song deserves to make the list.  Thankfully, it's also a very cool Christmas song too.

10.  Colbie Caillat, Mistletoe - Until I heard this, Colbie always seemed to remind me of summer, but I feel that this one redresses that balance somewhat.

11.  Eliie Goulding, Your Song - The power of advertising has compelled me to include this one.  John Lewis' 2010 Christmas campaign has proved so effective that I shall forever associate this song with the festive season.  Opinion has been very divided on this one, but I'm totally a fan.

12.  Counting Crows, A Long December - A song about the personal reflection that always tends to happen at this time of year.  Also talks about Christmas in California, something I rather fancy right now.

And finally...

13.  Mairi Campbell & Dave Francis, Auld Lang Syne - Featured in the first 'Sex and the City' movie, something about this song always makes me a bit teary.  I'm not the biggest fan of New Year - always an anticlimax and weirdly melancholy - and this version of the traditional song seems to capture that perfectly.

A Cause For Christmas

I am so, so grateful that the greatest difficulty I face this Christmas is fitting in all the relatives and friends that want to see me over the festive period.  For thousands of children across the UK, the situation will be quite different, with some having to face Christmas with a parent serving a custodial sentence in prison.  Storybook Dads aims to make that absence a little easier to bear for the children who have to live without their loved ones by giving them a CD or DVD of a bedtime story read by their mother or father.  As well as helping to maintain the emotional bond between a parent and a child, the project is also providing valuable skills to teams of offenders in twenty prisons throughout the UK, who are trained to edit the CDs and add music and sound effects.  The work of Storybook Dads has been so effective that they have now formed the Storybook Dads Alliance, widening participation in the scheme to involve women's prisons and the armed forces.  Before you allow yourself to question the worth of a cause intended to help those who have committed a crime, please take a look at http://www.storybookdads.co.uk/index.html to see how valuable something as small as a bedtime story can be.

It was my last lecture of the term at college today, and Christmas music filled the town. Even the weather is behaving properly 'Christmas-y' as apparently a white Christmas is becoming more and more certain (if you're reading this on the 25th itself and there is not a spot of snow outside I apologise profusely). Doesn't little Dior, one of my guinea pigs, make the cutest little Christmas helper?

Christmas is important to me as a Christian celebration, and it's also a wonderful time of friends and family. I'll get my dad back from his hours at his new art gallery and friends will be home from university making it the perfect chance for a good catch up. This may be my first Christmas as an adult, but that in no way means Hello Kitty will be absent from my list. Actually, my HK collection has grown more than ever this year and whilst I was ill a couple of weeks ago I sat cutting out HK angels and sprinkling them with glitter for my new 2ft pink Christmas tree, which is from Paperchase and sitting on my bedside table. Christmas decorations are ridiculously good at making everything look pretty and cheerful.

Giving presents is also one of my great joys in life. I love nothing more than finding the perfect gift for someone and then wrapping it with love, even if neatness with wrapping paper alludes me. Then there's the inner struggle to not spoil what it is, or indeed hand it over immediately, but I'm getting better at restraining myself.

What my father and I on Christmas morning last year.

With the R N Clarke Fine Art tree at the St Mary's Christmas Tree Festival 2010.

Intrinsically Florrie

My Cause for Christmas:

Veterans Aid is a truly amazing and worthwhile charity, helping veterans in desperate need of assistance. I must admit I knew only a little about the charity previous to this year, but found out more about them during my time as a debutante. However, the stories of that they have helped get back on their feet are heartbreaking- I admit to shedding a tear at the London Season etiquette day during the talk- which provides a lot of motivation to help this wonderful cause. The difference they make in the lifes they touch is incredible and that's why they're my cause for Christmas.

The Christmas cause I’m championing is vintage fashion. If we’re talking ethical, sustainable style, opting for something pre-1990s is, for me, the ultimate act of recycling. Having seen something of a renaissance of late, vintage clothing doesn’t have to mean musty old sweaters and tatty accessories. If you know where to look, you can get yourself some fantastic value gems – let’s face it, if it’s lasted this long you can be confident that it’s quality! Plus you can collect pieces that you know are going to be pretty unique; wear a vintage dress to your Christmas party this year and there’s no risk of the dreaded “well one of us is going to have to change” moment.

To shop an excellent selection of wares, and support a great charity in the process, visit Oxfam’s online vintage store.

We Are The Comeback Kids

Teju and Mercy, who run vintage stalls called Vintage Tartlette and Show Superstore respectively, are the delicious, dynamic duo behind We Are The Comeback Kids, an East London-based vintage market held every few weeks at The London Fields pub in Hackney. I met up with them to chat about their business and the philosophy of vintage clothes.

Teju (left) and Mercy (right)

Tell me a bit about We Are The Comeback Kids

Teju: Mercy and I met at markets around Hackney and thought it’d be nice to have a vintage event that has more of a funky vibe to it, you know, not too serious about itself and more relaxed. And more a reflection of the people in this area, to get that east London vibe in a vintage market. So we thought, let’s see if we can put on our own event and see how it goes. I had my stall, Vintage Tartlette, and she had her own, but we thought it would be good to do something together and get other people involved. And that’s when we started doing these events at the pub.

Mercy: We really want our events to draw people back, and back to this part of London, so they know when it’s on and where. If they’ve got a party coming up or need something to wear to work or whatever, they don’t necessarily have to go straight to the high street to find what they need. They might want to come to us to get something original. We want people to know that we’re here to bring vintage to you.

Teju: And obviously our stock is always going to be changing and the stallholders are going to be different; it’s not always just going to be us two, we’ll always have new people coming in. Some are people we already know, plus we put the word out on Facebook and we’ve approached people we’ve seen at other vintage markets and who we think fit the vibe of our events.

How do you juggle selling vintage and running events with your every day life?

Teju: I study footwear design full time so this is my weekend job. I try not to do too much during the week, maybe just sourcing products and that’s about it. But this is almost like a full time job in itself! I’ve been running Vintage Tartlette for about two years now. I started just selling my own clothes and after a while I realised that it’s the sort of thing a lot of people in this area like, so that’s when I started sourcing to sell.

Mercy: Same here, this is my part time thing. I’ve been doing it since March this year. I started out doing car boot sales and then started selling from Hackney Market, basically selling from my wardrobe, which is never ending. And that’s the problem! It’s good; you get to meet people and interact with the other stallholders and get more involved in the whole vintage scene. And I still buy so you can shop while you’re working.

Teju: And it doesn’t even really feel like you’re working either.

How do you make the choice between what to sell and what to keep?

Mercy: Everything I sell is my own. I find that after a while you just get over a certain trend. With other things, you just get comfortable in them, like the perfect jacket, or a pair of amazing shoes, or a really nice bag. Outerwear can do a lot for an outfit; it’s what most people are going to see and you can layer it up. There’s some stuff I’d never sell, like my summers are basically florals, whites, denim and lots of vintage-esque tops; that’s my key look and I’d never get rid of that element of my wardrobe because you know you’re never going to get over that. Sometimes you just buy things because you think that maybe you might wear it, but when you realise it’s not right you have to let it go. When I moved house last year I got rid of a lot of stuff… I had to be really ruthless and from that I’ve basically been able to stock my business. Why would I source when I’ve got a basement full of clothes?

Teju: It’s like an Aladdin’s cave.

Mercy: Yeah, it sounds amazing. But try owning it all!

So what is it about vintage clothing that gets you so passionate?

Teju: For me it’s the attention to detail with the clothing and footwear and accessories; much more than things that are made now. A lot of it’s just this throwaway fashion where you wear it twice and then chuck it out, whereas with vintage, things are really made to last and they’re made to look interesting and have character. They’re just different and people notice them a lot more because it is vintage, because it’s not like what you see in the shops so it stands out for itself.

Mercy: For me it’s the buzz I get when I find a piece, and no high street shop can give you that. That feeling of ‘that’s the one, I need to own it, I’ve got to go and get some money from the cash point!’ I feel like I can define my own style more with vintage clothes, more than just ordinary stuff like a Topshop item. And sometimes you see something and it’s so perfect and you’re thinking ‘how could someone have gotten rid of that?’

What’s that one perfect item you’re always on the lookout for?

Mercy: A black hooded wool-rich Scottish Widows-style cloak. Really long, but one I can obviously put my arms through. I’ve been looking for one for literally years.

Teju: Something like a full length evening gown with beading and loads of embellishment and maybe really big sleeves. I like things that are loud. Not garish, but colours, sparkles, glitter. I don’t know where I’d ever wear it but it’d just be good to look at!

Who's your style icon?

Teju: Kelis. Even though sometimes her outfits are a bit questionable she can get away with it and I think that’s what I like about her. She’s outside the boundaries of so-called fashion and she does what she wants.

Mercy: Mine changes depending on what mood takes me but I think Pam Grier from Foxy Brown. She was sexy whatever she wore in that. I really like French style too. They don’t seem to wear anything that’s covered in names, or anything too obvious. It’s simple and their execution is always spot on.

For more information on We Are The Comback Kids, email comebackkiddies@gmail.com, or visit their Facebook page

Ever since I was little, I've found the Christmas season utterly magical. I remember being awestruck by the twinkling lights and tinsel adorning shop windows, and listening out earnestly for the bells on Santa's sleigh. Now, at 20, the only bells I'm likely to hear at this time of year are last orders at the pub, but I still find time to get into the festive spirit. I thought I'd share some of my favourite things about Christmas with you. If you're a fellow festive-lover like me, hopefully you can remind yourselves why Christmas is so darn good, and if you're a Scrooge? Well. You won't be by the end of this post ;)

The Grub

I couldn't even save this til last. It's just a given. Christmas IS food. We all sit down for dinner on Christmas day knowing full well that by the time we've finished our meal, we probably won't be able to move. Or at a stretch we'll be able to roll ourselves to the sofa.

It's that one time of year when eating yourself into a food induced coma is not only socially acceptable but expected. One more roast potato? No I coul.....oh alright then. No mince pie for me tha....gosh they look scrumptious, thanks! Oh how these phrases are all too familiar. Bring on the Rennies.

The Drinks

They've become quite the cliche, but there's certainly something irresistible about those wonderful festive brews in our favourite cafes. Always tasty and served with a little flourish of chocolate sauce or sprinkles, those Christmas drinks are flying into the clutches of every cafe queen out there. You'll spot her this season, trust me. Suited and booted and holding the most important accessory of all...that red cup.

And to those who still insist on demanding an extra-hot, super-skinny, no-whip, peppermint mocha, hold the peppermint, I say one thing.

Bah Humbug!

Advent Calendars

I can think of no other month where it's perfectly acceptable to eat chocolate every day, first thing in a morning, in your pyjamas. Oh it's doable alright, just not generally the norm. At Christmas though? Anything goes!

And y'know, waiting up til 00:01 just to eat the next one is perfectly acceptable too. Just, maybe don't tell anyone. Or blog about it...

Family

Mum panicking over the over-done turkey, Nan and Granddad falling asleep in front of the afternoon's film, and Dad fiddling about with the latest gadget/toy that needs building. And probably rebuilding. Beautiful ain't it? As much as we groan at these yearly happenings, what would Christmas really be without them?!

It's this talk of family that brings me to my cause for christmas this year. Not long ago, my Christmas day would be built around our visits to grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends. Now, sadly, a lot of older family members have passed away and it's my gramps who I'm going to be dedicating this cause to. He died of Alzheimers Disease, and frankly, I can't bear the thought of him not being able to recall all of those memories which the rest of us held so dear. If I were to choose just one charity to encourage others to learn about and support this Christmas it would definitely be the Alzheimers Society. Living with the disease is hard. Caring for someone with the disease can be even harder, and this charity ignores neither. They fund fantastic care for those suffering the symptoms, and also provide support for the family and carers who have had to learn to deal with losing a family member to dementia.

So please, this Christmas remember how imporant those memories are. Whether it's mum burning the Christmas pud, or Nan having a bit too much to drink, make sure they're all part of a very memorable, very merry Christmas.

We're so sorry for the delay in getting this ebook to you - we're going to blame it on the snow, and we're sure you'll understand!

Click HERE to read it!

LoveLoveLove

- Amy & Susie xo -

Hi everyone, well Christmas is well and truly in the air isn’t it? No matter what or how you celebrate it no doubt your family have traditions, that no matter how silly they seem to others, to you they mean the world.

I have quite a big family; nine grandchildren, four aunts, four uncles and of course my Nana and Granda (and that’s without the assorted great relatives and second and third cousins) and of course we all lead quite different lives so Christmas is really the only time we can all get together.

The main tradition involves my Granda. Although us grandchildren range from eight to twenty one every Christmas day my Granda wears a Santa suit to give us our presents. And although we all really *know* who it is, it never loses its magic. As you can see his Santa suit also incorporates his love which is just as great as the kind he has for his family, it’s in Sunderland stripes!

The Christmas which I remember the most for massive reasons is 2005. Two month earlier I had been rushed into hospital where I was eventually diagnosed with Lupus (SLE). I was in and out of hospital during that time leading up to Christmas, the last stay was 21st December. The main reason that 2005 meant so much to me and my family was because for a short time there was doubt that I would be there to celebrate it. But I was and that meant more to us than any present. The picture below is me and my Granda that Christmas day, I may look quite gaunt but in truth it was the happiest I’d ever felt.

My Cause This Christmas:

That is why my cause for Christmas is Lupus UK. They strive to educate, support and advise those who have Lupus, are undergoing diagnosis or may never have heard of Lupus. The chronic illness is more common than AIDS, Cerebral Palsy, Multiple Sclerosis and Cystic Fibrosis combined yet there is still far less awareness. Lupus cannot be cured, but it can be controlled and the key to helping others is through education.

Head over to the Lupus UK site lupusuk.org.uk to find out more information on the illness, the charity and what you can do to help.