This was a PR Event that Jet2CityBreaks kindly invited me to. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own – full disclosure policy here.
A couple of weeks ago, I did the unthinkable. I went out for the day….BY MYSELF. That’s right, ya girl had a full day to herself; no kid, no husband, no stress! I was invited into Leeds to celebrate the festive season with award-winning Jet2CityBreaks at their Christmas blogger event. Jet2 are your go-to for budget and last minute holidays in and out of the UK, offering a wide range of sun, leisure city and ski destinations. They fly from 10 UK airports to over 60 destinations across Europe!
This was my first ever blogger event, and to be honest not something I thought I’d ever do. I tend to be quite shy in public settings, so I was a bit nervous to go but what a breath of fresh air it was! It was such a fab event, and I got to spend time with some wonderful bloggers. And it well and truly put me in the Christmas spirit!
The event took place at Headrow House in Leeds, which is an absolutely stunning venue. We started off the day with a nice little meet and greet, sipping on mulled wine and coffee (I opted for coffee because, as usual, I was up all night with a toddler). After that, we broke into two groups for the day’s festive activities.
My group started off with an candle-making session with Golden Hour Co., ran by the lovely Christian. She walked us through her process of making gorgeous aromatherapy candles, discussing the different scents and notes that go into each candle and the feelings they evoke. There were a few signature scents on display, inspired by some of Jet2’s best city getaways, of course! We were given the option to make one of these signature scents, or make up our own if we were daring enough. I really loved the smell of Amsterdam, which had notes of cedarwood, orange, and ylang ylang. All scents smelled amazing on their own, but together? Magic. I took inspiration from this candle, swapping out orange for pine needle to make my own signature scent. The smell of pine needles is something that reminds me very much of being back home in NJ, hence the incredibly cheesy name of my candle!
After that we broke for lunch. The food at Headrow House was made in house by the Ox Club, on their solid-fuel grills. The food was absolutely incredible, including steak, garlic dauphinoise potatoes, brussel sprouts, and so much more. The day’s menu was very inclusive of vegetarian and vegan eaters, so it was really nice to see that they cater to everyone with absolutely delicious food. I honestly cannot rate it enough!
Followed by lunch was a cocktail making class. We all got to get behind the bar and learn how to make festive holiday-inspired cocktails (or mocktails!). I opted for the Winter Margarita (I think that was what it was called?!). Honestly I was so focused on not spilling everything that I completely forget what goes into it but the end result was delicious.
After lunch and cocktails, we did a crash-course in brush lettering with Phylecia Sutherland (another expat!). Phylecia specialises in letterpress printing, and makes her own handmade paper. If you’re getting married, or having any type of event and are looking for gorgeous stationery, then she’s seriously your girl. Phylecia showed us how to write in “faux calligraphy” which was so much fun. We then got to put this skill to the test decorationg baubles. Kinda wish I hadn’t downed that margarita before this because a holiday was at stake! I didn’t win the holiday, but I really enjoyed learning the art of faux calligraphy! I found it SO incredibly calming to sit there and do, so I think I might try and keep up with it.
The whole day was so much fun, and I didn’t realize how much I truly needed it. As a busy working mom, it’s hard to get time to myself like that. In fact, I hardly took any pictures because I was too busy having such a good time! (I know, I know…I’m such a bad blogger!) It’s a testament to how great of a shindig Jet2 threw, though! Fantastic venue, fantastic food, and fantastic people…what more could you ask for?!
….A holiday. You can ask for a holiday, because god knows we all could use one. Jet2 has some incredible winter holidays on offer at the moment, so why not treat yourself this Christmas?!
xx Lauren
