The last month of the year was filled with super tasty food and sweet treats. It appears I love food and am usually very grateful for food. For whatever reason we have some traditions where we only eat certain types of food during this festive time, so be prepared for some repetition.

It’s interesting reading back on my December and learning how much I rely on tools to help me remember things, like checklists and calendar blocking. I have been dipping into the productivity space and I suppose some things are rubbing off on me.

So, here is a food-filled, productivity-attempting December gratitude journal:

1 Grateful for the hubby making a hot water bottle last night. Grateful for the existence of hot water bottles! It actually snowed a bit today so I’m super grateful for heating!

2 Grateful for Christmas as we put up the Christmas decorations today and the house looks super festive! Grateful for Korean food because I had that tonight, the first time in absolutely ages – it makes me reminisce about our old local Korean place that we used to go to all the time. Grateful for frozen food, as I also got some food from a Korean supermarket and they are now in the freezer ready.

3 Grateful for hot water bottles and heating. Grateful for Artemis who was snoozing on me this evening. Grateful for a lovely home cooked meal – so tasty.

4 Grateful for bonding and dog training this morning, Artemis is really getting the hang of some commands that she didn’t before – consistency is key it seems. Grateful for calendar blocking, helping me stay on track and ensuring I don’t plan too much each day, I’ve been finding it super helpful recently. Grateful for having the tools to allow me to better accept people: when people show you who they really are, believe them. I can’t change people, I just have to learn to accept that some people are just wired that way and I can learn to accept it and not ruminate or let it ruin my day. I feel I have bigger fish to fry these days and less patience in ruminating or thinking about things I used to care a lot about – progress, it seems, is letting go.

5 Grateful for hearing something for the first time today. Grateful for having my numerous questions answered. Grateful for stretching, as I stretched before bed last night and got to sleep quite quickly – if only I could stay asleep though! Grateful for Artemis who is snoring really loudly at the moment – she sure is precious.

6 Grateful for chocolates today and grateful for colleagues as they were thank you gifts to show appreciation for hard work. Grateful for lasagne which I brought to work from home as there were leftovers. Grateful for planning ahead and actioning work like a week earlier than I would have in the past, which was an absolute pain last week, but I’m actually reaping the benefits today as I was not as stressed as I might usually be because I had planned so well last week.

7 Grateful for snacks and chocolates today, some really tasty stuff! Grateful for a good chinwag with some colleagues today, learning stuff about work and office moves etc. Grateful to be reminded by a colleague that I’ve got to give the carrot, not the stick, at work. Grateful for a cuddle session with the dog, she was snoozing on me this evening and really adorable.

8 Grateful for Fererro Rocher from my advent calendar – yum. Grateful for management development training, which I’ve been finding super useful and informative. Grateful for Christmas, we have ordered some food items ready for Christmas so I’m looking forward to eating all the yummy stuff! It’s odd that we only eat these foods around Christmas, but I guess that’s what makes it special. Grateful for The Santa Clauses, season two is definitely better than season one – really entertaining stuff.

9 Grateful for routine, went to obedience class today and it was just nice attending. Grateful for recipe ideas online, I made chicken broth for the first time ever and it wasn’t that bad! Grateful for having a productive day, meaning I can totally rest tomorrow. Grateful for a random Chinese drama I’m watching, but I don’t even know the name of the show, but it’s still really entertaining and addictive!

10 Grateful for sleep and rest and recuperation. Grateful for skincare, specifically azelaic acid, which I’ve started using recently and it appears to be working. Grateful for Artemis who was very cuddly today.

11 Grateful for quick reheating for lunch as I had back to back meetings. Grateful to be in the room where things happen, I spoke and contributed once in the meeting, though still unsure why I was invited – it appears I’m there to answer the detailed questions. Grateful for the hubby, relaying information to me. Grateful for Artemis, who was adorable staring at me most of the evening and then she settled with her head on my lap – so cute!

12 Grateful for books, I’m starting – at least trying to – read again. Grateful for bookmarks, we have loads of bookmarks from various years and they actually remind me of the places where I got them. Grateful for Artemis, it was thundering this afternoon and raining quite hard and she was shaking, so I comforted her and reassured her. Sad that she’s afraid of loud noises, but grateful that I can comfort her – she was so adorable in my lap.

13 Grateful for traditions today, had KFC at work due to a kind of tradition around Christmas, and there was also a really tasty strawberry cake too. Grateful for a good old chinwag with colleagues and grateful for team spirit and camaraderie. Grateful for existing wrapping paper as I was able to wrap my secret Santa gift this evening. Grateful for our dog walker who shared a hilarious picture of Artemis trying to chase a retired race hound – how she thinks it’s even possible amazes me – hope grows eternal in the canine heart!

14 Grateful for work Christmas lunch – food was great. Also grateful for work Christmas party, really entertaining and had a thoroughly good time. Grateful for work and colleagues celebrating Christmas and just having fun. Also grateful for colleagues for helping me getting to the venue, it’s been a while since I travelled on the underground!

15 Grateful for sleep, had a late one last night so sleeping in was good. Grateful to rejig some checklists and properly sort stuff out to try and be more proactive at work. Grateful for calendar blocking, I feel it has changed how I work and for the better. Grateful for Artemis, she was cuddling with the hubby on the sofa this evening and then I turned to look at her and then she looked at me and then decided to ditch the hubby and lie on my lap instead – I didn’t coax her or anything, really random. But I love it.

16 Grateful for catch ups, as we had a double date today. Grateful for Thai food, this particular restaurant seriously never disappoints. Grateful for discovering new books that I wish to buy. Grateful for really good hot chocolate. Grateful for the hubby listening out for things. Grateful for Artemis, who has been staring at me a lot this evening and then just napped on my lap – so random yet adorable.

17 Grateful for tuna pasta bake, such a tasty meal. Grateful for a lie in, slept in really late, recuperation is good. Grateful for chocolate from the advent calendar.

18 Grateful for original Fererro Rocher, my advent calendar is a mix and I finally opened a door that had the original chocolate! Grateful for a wealth of knowledge and information online as I’m researching things. Grateful for the dog, who is funnily really able to convey what she wants.

19 Grateful for sleep, absolutely shattered this morning so had a nice little slumber. Grateful for Artemis, who was snoozing by me this evening and her little snoring noises and juddery movements are adorable – I’m glad that she feels safe enough to let her guard down and snooze near me.

20 Grateful for our dog walker and her kids, they gave Artemis Christmas presents from “Santa” – how adorable! Grateful for Artemis, she snoozed near my leg this evening, but every now and then she had to turn around and look up at me to make sure I was still there, and then she went back to snoozing against my leg. Grateful for Fererro Rocher and chocolate biscuits, super tasty, definitely got the right treats for Christmas!

21 Grateful for Fererro Rocher again, my advent calendar gave me a coconut version, which I’m not so fond of and gave to the hubby – but I had some original Fererro Rocher from another pack so it’s all good. Grateful for a quieter work day, as most people are off on their Christmas holidays already, it allowed me some quiet time to get through quite a lot of backlog that I just needed some dedicated time to tackle. Grateful for being present and experiencing some exciting stuff and also grateful for the hubby being there for me.

22 Grateful for naps, as I had a lovely nap this evening on the sofa. Grateful for lists and checklists, ensuring I remember everything that needs to be done. Grateful for Artemis, we left her home alone for maybe 20 minutes but she wasn’t very happy, and when we came back her tail was wagging so much it looked like she was going to take off! We need to work on her separation anxiety, baby steps.

23 Grateful for exercise this morning, did the tiniest bit and I was actually surprised with how energised I was afterwards! Grateful for our family dog walk this evening, I saw all the neighbours’ twinkly lights, some were flashing and practically blinding, whilst others were mellow with soft and colourful lighting and projections. Grateful for broccoli and stilton soup, which we had this evening – it’s a Christmas tradition I suppose, but I feel we can definitely make it more often as it’s so tasty.

24 Grateful for having a car getting me from place to place. Grateful for home cooked food, super tasty. Grateful for impromptu catch ups with friends. Grateful for the hubby doing the chores while I was out. And grateful for Artemis who snored on me this evening.

25 Grateful for rest, had a little lie in this morning. Grateful for food: croissants for breakfast, roast for lunch, apple crumble and custard for dinner – all super tasty! Grateful for Christmas, grateful for well wishes from family and friends. Grateful for Artemis being adorable and pining for anything we were cooking in the kitchen today.

26 Grateful for a lie in, probably the latest we’ve slept in for ages. Grateful for another roast dinner – super tasty. Grateful for the hubby, as we trimmed some of Artemis’s fur, which can be difficult when she squirms around. Grateful for Artemis, she brings me so much joy, just saying her name and she wags her tail!

27 Grateful for sleep. Grateful for a lazy day. Grateful for pistachios, so tasty! Grateful for family dog walks. Grateful for hilarious Korean dramas, so over the top but absolutely hilarious. Grateful for Artemis who trusts me enough to snooze and snore on my lap.

28 Grateful for pillows helping me sleep. Grateful for duvets keeping me warm, I was actually super warm sleeping last night. Grateful for dog walks, Artemis sure helps me keep present – she sniffs absolutely everything, and when she wants to sniff even more she just noses the thing she wants to sniff. Grateful for the hubby and dog duo, we’ve trained the dog to know when it’s bedtime and the hubby was playing around but the dog was super serious and ran up the stairs ready for her bedtime routine, while we were laughing our heads off in the kitchen! Dogs really do love consistency.

29 Grateful for a restful night’s sleep. Grateful for Artemis who is just really funny when she grumbles. Grateful for pizza which I feel like I haven’t had in ages!

30 Grateful for family outings to town, which doesn’t usually happen as Artemis gets really nosey. Today she was attracting a lot of attention and strokes from passersby – I think she loved it. Grateful for dim sum, which I had for the first time in ages. Also grateful for apple crumble and custard – so yummy.

31 Grateful for thick chips today. Grateful for Artemis, who did wonderfully with the fireworks tonight! Grateful for a lie in, resting and recuperating. Grateful for spending the new year with loved ones.