I’m wearing ✶ Old South red duffle coat (Similar here in Dark Red upto size 24) ✶ Loudbodies plaid dress (similar here and also here) ✶ Peacocks cable tights ✶ Very old Clarks brogues ✶ Very old bobble beret (similar here)

Lila is wearing ✶ Corduroy dress ✶ M&S Paddington duffle coat (similar here) ✶ Bobble pixie hat (similar here) ✶ Navy toddler tights✶ Start Rite first walking shoes (similar style at Clarks)

Owen and I have been wanting to do a proper Christmas card photo ever since we’ve been together (7 years this month!) but somehow we never managed to get a Christmassy photo of the two, and then three of us in time. The closest we came to it was last year when we had our first proper family photos taken at Beamish – unfortunately too late in the season for printing on cards though! So this year, despite not having a photographer because of pandemic safety, we drove to the famously picturesque village of Blanchland where Owen shot some rather Christmassy photos of Lila and me. Now that she’s walking (just look at her adorable little red patent shoes) it’s so much easier to take her everywhere, even though we have to wheel the pram around for backup. And yes, I couldn’t resist a bit of mother daughter twinning as well, after all it’s Christmas! Scroll down to see which photo we actually used for our card in the end – it wasn’t easy to choose, they’re all so adorable!

And this is the photo we finally used for our Christmas cards!