Here's the tv, sitting on a gorgeous pine chest. This is bad for three reasons 1) the tv is too low; 2) you can't really see how lovely the chest is; 3) you can't open the chest to store more junk in it. And, actually there's a fourth bad thing - the tv is eeeeeeeeeeeenormous; I bought it in 1995 before nano-technology meant we could all equip ourselves with televisions as thin as a sheet of paper; it still works, but since the UK went digital, it no longer receives a signal as we don't have a set-top box or whatever else it is that we need to get a picture. As I type it has literally just occured to me that it's actually pretty pointless even having the tv in the room. Talk about dumb and dumber.Anyway, while in dumb mode, we shifted the pine chest and put the tv on this lovely cabinet that my great-grandfather made.
Yes, you read that right, my very own blood relative on my mum's side, made this gorgeous, and very useful, piece of furniture. He also made a chest of drawers in our bedroom which I'll have to show you some time. I always remember this cabinet being in my grandparent's hallway, and Gramps kept his hairbrush in it so he could smarten himself up before leaving the house. When my Gran passed away I asked if I could have this as a momento of them and their house. Unfortunately it's taken a bit of a battering over the years and even more so since DC made an appearance (hence the scratches on the front); it definitely needs a trip to the French polisher (who whoever it is who fixes up these sort of things nowadays.)
But look at the lovely (but blurry) carved detailing
And lovely handles. 
As mentioned in my last post of things that still needed doing in the snug, we also moved in the bookcase which had been displaced from the living area into the dining area by the Christmas tree. And which can no longer go back to the living area since we moved the dresser in there. Are you keeping up with me?!
Here's the 'can't make an omlette without breaking a few eggs' shot - ie the room looks a lot worse before it looks better.
See the little table/trolley to the left of the bookcase? I bought that in an antiques/junk shop in Axminster in December for the princely sum of £20. It came into its own over Christmas as the 'treat trolley' - I wheeled it into the living area like Mrs Overall with both 'wings' up and both tiers holding the masses of chocolates and biscuits which we devoured over the festive season.
And here we have the lovely bookcase crammed full of my 'to be read' collection. Rather a lot of books for me to get through, including the entire top shelf dedicated to cosy crime. Bliss.
And moving around the room, here's my lovely chair...
And next to it, finally somewhere to put my coffee cup and magazine. This little bookcase has been acting as a bedside table in the guest room, but after a bit of a swap around it now lives in the snug.
With a few little additions:
Inlcuding this gorgeous candle which smells wonderful and looks good too - bought it in a little shop in St Andrews when we were on holiday in Scotland in October 2010, and it's finally found a home! And, best of all, when the candle is all used up, I'll have a pretty little cup and saucer to use.
Ah, here we are, complete with all the dust collectors I could need and a magazine to read when the urge takes me.
And a final look at the room all tidied up
compared to the same view just a few months ago
But wait, have you spotted one of the things that is still on our 'snug to do' list? You can see it in this photo
And again here
And here
Yep, that's right. We REALLY need to change the curtains. Look how well the orange and yellow check goes with the purple stripe carpet... I'm dreaming of long, purple velvet drapes, swept back with jewelled rope tie-backs. Although they are some way off as the purse strings are tightly closed for the time being. And it may involve having to move the radiator from under the window, which makes for an expensive job.
Oh, and what's this? Just as I had my bookcase all nicely full (I say 'mine' because hubby has his books in the bureau along to the left), I discovered another box of my unread books in the garage. And nowhere to put them. There goes the tidy snug.
And it fits in the snug an absolute treat - the colour is just right to go with the carpet, the size is perfect, it still feels as comfy as it did when I first sat in it and absolutely best of all the invoice showed it was £200 less than I thought it was going to be, all down to the fact that between me snapping it up in mid-Dec and when it was delivered a piece of the back leg had been damaged. 
Yes, it's a bit unsightly, but it's at the back and out of view and a couple of coats of paint (or even a marker pen?!) should cover it up. And for £200 off, I'll take it!
It was absolutely lovely, and as the sun set and the curtains were drawn the room absolutely lived up to its name and was a totally cosy, comfy and snug cocoon where I whiled away a lovely half hour with a magazine while awaiting the arrival home from nursery of the whirlwind that is DC.
We discovered that DC is still too young to 'get' Christmas and had to be co-erced into opening his presents
- in fact after he'd opened those containing a toy tool set and a new guitar
he wasn't interested in the others (except for the trampoline, 
which he'd had a couple of days earlier as it kept getting in the way out in the garage once all the 'extra' Christmas food needed a home!) and it was New Year's Eve before the final gifts were unwrapped. I'm sure next Christmas will be a different matter entirely. Having said that, my favourite part of Christmas day was overhearing hubby going into DC's room first thing in the morning and saying 'Oooh, look, Father Christmas has been and he's brought you some presents' while holding up DC's stocking. And DC's reply 'Has it got chocolate in it?' He is his mother's son.
None of us are religious, but since we can actually see the church from our house and it's all of a one minute walk away up the path opposite, we thought it might be a nice tradition to start now that we are part of a new village. I don't want us to seem like hypocrites for attending church on Christmas Day and declaring in the same sentence that we're not religious, but for us it wasn't about the religious aspects, it was more about being part of the community and saying hello and 'Merry Christmas' to our neighbours.
there were edible/drinkable gifts: 
there were gifts that could be worn: such as this great scarf from my Mum
and some upside-down pyjamas and socks
gifts to be read (with head tilted to one side): I'm looking forward to baking something from 'Baked in America' and making something inspired by Kirstie
crafty gifts:
'treat' gifts: including a voucher for a beauty treatment or massage at a local establishment
and tickets to the Coronation Street musical!
practical gifts:
and the much-coveted and hard to come by 
(can you guess what it is yet?!)
Cath Kidston iPad cover!
deliciously smelly gifts:
including this fabulous Avoca candle from hubby - such good taste! The box is so pretty I think it may have to stay out on display.
As you can see I was thoroughly spoilt and I'll have a lovely time wearing, reading, devouring, admiring and enjoying all of the gifts while thinking of the kind souls who gave them to me.
