Oh my, it's been awhile since my last blog post, hasn't it? I think this is actually the longest I've gone between posts on Darling Magpie since its inception! Why? Oh, a packed holiday calendar combined with end-of-year projects and vacation planning at work, throw in some family issues and a good heap of seasonal affective disorder, and you end up with a mopey, mopey me.

So to counter that, today's post is going to highlight a few of the things that help me get through the holidays in one piece!

Face masks. All of them.

If your December is anything like mine, it involves a lot of parties and events and a general lack of REST. And the place it shows up? Right there on your face, the first place everybody looks at! Throw in a healthy dose of inconsistent Canadian winter humidity and I definitely could use some help! Some of my favourite masks include Lush's Festive Cranberry mask, Fresh's super moisturizing Rose Face Mask, sheet masks like The Face Shop and MaskerAide, Amie Skincare's Deep Cleansing Mask and Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask. Or sometimes I just DIY my own.

Tons of tea!

With all the holiday parties and drinks and obligatory family events, I have a really hard time stayed hydrated. To counter that, when I'm at work or at home I've always got a tea by my side. Whether it's a black tea like Majtestea's Buckingham Palace Garden Party, David Tea's Super Ginger or Berry Poppins, or Fortnum & Mason's Gunpowder. I have a huge arsenal to choose from. That said, I'm trying to switch to organic teas in 2016 so watch this space for updates!

A few good reads

Books, books and more books! I'm an avid 50-books-a-year gal, and this year I upped my goal of 60 just to see if I could hit it. I'm happy to say that 10 days to the end of the year and I've sailed past that number with 63 books read and a bunch more nipping at their heels. Some of my favourites of 2015 include inspirational reads like Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes, and We Should All be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, genre surprises like The Girl With All the Gifts and Nimona, and pulpy historical fictions like A Touch of Stardust. Look forward to a synopsis of these and more soon!

Some flavourful favourites

Finally? I have to admit that I do rely on tasty comforts during the holidays to tide me over. Clementines, chocolate and nuts! Give me a bowl full of shelled nuts, a nutcracker, a cup of tea and a clementine and I'm basically set for a lazy December afternoon. When it comes to the seasonal favourites, I tend to lean towards the orange flavoured milk chocolate, or peppermint bark but I do also have a weakness for Sea Salt Caramel Turtles though if you have any kicking around...

How do you take care of yourself during the holidays? What are your coping strategies? And let me know what your favourite books of 2015 were, I need to build a list for 2016!