Christmas-Filled Weekend

It's only December 19th but I've already had 2 Christmas celebrations this year! I've said it, but I'll say it again... where is time going!? It's all I can do to hold on and embrace this holiday season. I'm looking forward to this short work week (for Jared) and lots of celebrating this weekend with both sides of my family. And then? Oh, I hope for some serious downtime and rest going into the new year. I need a fresh start for sure and I'm already excited for the new year.

Friday night Jared and I snuck away for a third time since T's been born. I get so anxious leaving him even though I know everything will be fine. Jared makes fun of me for not wanting to leave him, especially since every time we've left we've put him to bed for the night already... but it's hard! The time with Jared is always so wonderful once we're out, so I'm working on getting better about scheduling some date nights in the future. We went to Awaited, the Christmas production we see every year at a local church. We met up with Jared's cousin and her boyfriend and enjoyed a festive evening together. I think this is our 8th year seeing this play!

Saturday Jared and I both took turns doing some last minute shopping for each other and running a few errands. Somehow, no matter how much I plan, I end up out and about the Saturday before Christmas and holy moly, I DON'T KNOW WHY!? Way too many people, too much traffic and too much chaos for my liking. But I got the last of things I needed for Jared's stocking and I think I'm all set now. That night we watched yet another Christmas movie while we wrapped gifts.

And yesterday wrapped up with family Christmas at my in-laws house. I ate entirely too much peanut butter fudge and I'm not even ashamed about that. We exchanged gifts and I got some super fun stuff I'm pretty excited about- including new sheets. These are the things that we ask for at 30, right?! ;) T was a trooper, even though he's still teething like crazy (Can we pleeeease get a tooth or two by Christmas?!) and didn't nap like normal. I love my little family so much!

TLFG: 19 December 2016 - 2 January 2017

Well we've made it to the end of 2016 and what a year it's been for Britain and the world.

I won't say any more than that but I'm still grateful to be here and I hope I'll have enough to stumble over the line into 2017.

The football world has been rocked by scandals again with the still unfolding abuse story overshadowing things as the new year beckons.

My personal highlights were Harrow Borough making the FA Cup First Round, organising another successful Non-League Day, see friends get their football books published and making a couple of trips overseas to watch some European football.

The first half of 2017 will see my two favourite clubs have to fight out a relegation battle as QPR and the aforementioned Harrow are in trouble.

I'm also looking forward to the second Non-League Finals Day at Wembley in May and I'm debating whether to go to the Women's European Championships in the Netherlands in July.

I'd be interested to hear about your highs and lows and hopes for the year ahead.

This week's blog is the now customary festive special edition which will cover you for the next two weeks. There are loads and loads of games, many of them derbies - although, as you'll see below, the Premier League and EFL are a bit lacking in terms of real blockbusters which is disappointing.

There are games spread right across the period with kick-offs varying too, allowing groundhoppers to take in at least two matches on some days.

It's just gone 0300 GMT so I think it's time to hit the hay and wrap things up for another year. I hope you've enjoyed the blog and found it useful. Have a great festive period and see you back here in early January.

TRAVEL ADVISORY

Please be aware that public transport will be significantly affected over the Christmas period, especially on Boxing Day (26 December).

There will be virtually no national rail services, including London Overground, and a significant chunk of the District Line will be shut too.

This means that getting to matches at Brentford, Chelsea, Millwall and Watford will be less straightforward than normal but good London Underground alternatives, with a bit of walking, are available instead.

For full details of festive services, including those on New Year's Eve, see the TFL website.

THE WEEKS AHEAD

There are 130+ matches in the London area over two weeks with action in the Premier League, EFL, National League and several minor league and county cup competitions.

However, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or venue has been changed. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.

Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (white pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.

Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.

It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top (e.g. clubs in the Conference South).

Match map 19-25 December
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Wednesday fixtures
Purple pin - Thursday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures

Match map 26-30 December
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Wednesday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures

Match map 31 December - 2 January
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Orange pin - Sunday fixtures
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures

TLFG DAILY DIGEST

In the following section I list, by day, what are in my opinion the most notable games of the week and give some brief reasons for my choice. Check the maps above for kick-off times, ticket info and directions.

Monday 19 December

Ryman League Premier Division
Kingstonian v Dulwich Hamlet @745pm - a fine game to start the week as two sides with play-off ambitions from south of the river meet at Kingsmeadow

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Tuesday 20 December

National League
Boreham Wood v Braintree Town @745pm - ninth in this division, The Wood are London's second highest ranked non-league club and should fancy themselves against relegation threatened opposition from Essex

Ryman League Premier Division
Harrow Borough v Tonbridge Angels @745pm - both sides are in slightly artificial positions at either end of the table with several games in hand on most of the teams above them. Tonbridge would be top of the league if they won theirs so will start as favourites

Ryman League Division 1 North
Thurrock v VCD Athletic @745pm - after several disappointments in recent years, Thurrock look all set to mount another promotion bid and are currently second, a position that should make them confident of victory here

London Senior Cup First Round
Corinthian Casuals v AFC Wimbledon @745pm - an attractive local derby between an amateur club and one from League One. The Dons are highly unlikely to field a full strength team but there could be one or two notables in their line-up

Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Oxhey Jets v Sun Sports @745pm - simply put, this is the Watford non-league derby

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Wednesday 21 December

League One
Millwall v Charlton Athletic - in the quiet time before Christmas, this is definitely the match of the week. Re-arranged after an initial postponement, these two near neighbours from south-east London should put on a decent display

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Thursday 22 December

Middlesex Charity Cup Second Round
Cockfosters v Hayes & Yeading United @745pm - the hosts are having a fine season in the ninth tier SSML Premier while HYU are having a bit of a stinker two divisions above - real cupset potential here

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Friday 23 December

Ryman League Division 1 North
AFC Hornchurch v Aveley @745pm - the pre-Xmas period ends with this rather randomly scheduled Essex derby towards the far end of the District Line. Both clubs have very realistic promotion ambitions so it could be a cracker

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Monday 26 December - Boxing Day

Premier League
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion @3pm - the festive fixtures get underway on Boxing Day with a bumper programme of games. However, the Premier League and EFL offering in the capital is a little underwhelming with this match, albeit between two top eight sides, unlikely to get many pulses racing
Chelsea v Bournemouth @3pm - again, a bit of 'meh' game on paper, with the Blues overwhelming favourites to win. However, if the visitors have a real go it could be exciting
Watford v Crystal Palace @1230pm - the only derby of the day in the top flight is this one but there's no particular rivalry between them so don't expect fireworks

Championship
Brentford v Cardiff City @1pm - this is the best you'll find in the second tier on Boxing Day but neither side are having a good season

League One
Millwall v Swindon Town @3pm - another uninspiring midtable versus strugglers contest

League Two
Leyton Orient v Crawley Town @1pm - the O's badly need a win in their fight to avoid relegation and midtable Crawley could well be beaten (I'm clutching at straws to try and build this up too)

National League
Bromley v Sutton United @3pm - when you drop into the non-league ranks, things start to get far more interesting with this derby between clubs from south London likely to draw a decent crowd

National League South
Dartford v Ebbsfleet United @3pm - although a division below, this is arguably an even bigger derby, both sides are also in the top five
Wealdstone v Maidenhead United @3pm - the Stones welcome the runaway league leaders for what is likely to prove to be a very tough encounter

Ryman League Premier Division
Hendon v Harrow Borough @3pm - it's also north-west London derby time where these two old rivals meet for the first time at Hendon's new ground, it's also a relegation 'six-pointer'

Ryman League Division 1 South
Carshalton Athletic v Tooting & Mitcham United @3pm - a south London derby between two promotion contenders

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Tuesday 27 December

Ryman League Premier Division
Grays Athletic v Dulwich Hamlet @3pm - a lot of non-league clubs have decided to give their players an extended Xmas and play today which is also a Bank Holiday. This seventh tier match is the highest level game on offer and Dulwich should win

Southern League Division 1 Central
Hanwell Town v Uxbridge @1pm - at the time of writing, the hosts are the best London has to offer in this division. If they can string two or three wins together then they could find themselves in the top five. Although not disastrous, Uxbridge's season looks over already

Combined Counties League Premier Division
Bedfont & Feltham v CB Hounslow United @1130am - the CCL always do groundhoppers proud on Bank Holidays by giving the bulk of their games late morning kick-offs meaning you can easily catch another game or two elsewhere. This match, next to Heathrow airport's runway, is a groundshare derby
Walton & Hersham v Westfield @1130am - the game of the day in this division pits fourth against second and with the visitors hailing from Woking there's a touch of a derby about this one too

Combined Counties League Division 1
AC London v Banstead Athletic @1130am - we've got another groundshare derby between one side who were top and one who currently are top

Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division
Cockfosters v Hadley @3pm - up in third, Cockfosters are the best London have to offer in the SSML and should therefore feel confident going into this local derby
Edgware Town v Wembley @3pm - elsewhere in the division we have another local derby which should be worth a watch

Spartan South Midlands League Division 1
Hillingdon Borough v Harefield United @3pm - another derby between two Middlesex clubs who effectively play on the same road. If you've got a car, this could be combined with the 1pm kick-off between Broadfields and Kensington at Harefield's ground

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Wednesday 28 December

Ryman League Division 1 North
Romford v Thurrock @745pm - the pick of the day's action is this groundshare derby where Thurrock will look to win to close the gap on leaders Maldon & Tiptree

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Friday 30 December

League One
Millwall v Gillingham @745pm - for the last couple of years Gillingham have been Millwall's geographically closest opponents so there is definitely a derby feel to games between the two

Ryman League Division 1 North
Aveley v Haringey Borough @745pm - if you fancy a non-league alternative then this game between two clubs who could make the play-offs might tickle your fancy

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Saturday 31 December

Premier League
Chelsea v Stoke City @3pm - the year comes to an end with another fairly average looking fixture at Stamford Bridge, one the Blues should win to maintain or extend their lead at the top

Championship
Brentford v Norwich City @530pm - the Bees provide the 'best of the rest' entertainment again as they take on the out-of-form Canaries who have won only two of their last 10 games

League Two
Leyton Orient v Cambridge United @1pm - with the visitors chasing promotion, it looks like another tough afternoon for the O's. The early kick-off makes this another good one for groundhoppers

National League
Boreham Wood v Eastleigh @1pm - having seen off Halifax to make the third round of the FA Cup, Eastleigh arrive with a bit of national recognition

Ryman League Premier Division
Dulwich Hamlet v Wingate & Finchley @1pm - the biggest crowd of the day in this division is likely to be at Champion Hill for this south versus north London clash

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Sunday 1 January

Premier League
Arsenal v Crystal Palace @4pm - at last, a half-decent derby to get excited about with both teams needing the points at either end of the table
Watford v Tottenham Hotspur @130pm - another derby which should be a bit more even than the one above

National League
Sutton United v Bromley @3pm - it seems to be the custom in the National League to play one of your nearest rivals on Boxing Day and then play the reverse fixture the following week

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Monday 2 January

Premier League
West Ham United v Manchester United @515pm - this will be the third time in a little over a month that the Hammers will have played Jose Mourinho's side. They got thrashed in the EFL Cup but managed to draw the arguably more important league game 1-1

Championship
Fulham v Brighton & Hove Albion @3pm - tickets will be very hard to get for the match above but this game provides a very good alternative. Being located just outside the capital, all matches against London clubs are effectively derbies for Brighton so they should come close to selling out their allocation. They could also be top of the table by kick-off

League One
AFC Wimbledon v Millwall @1pm - there's another cracking London derby to look forward to here but you must be a member or on the club's 'fan register' to buy a ticket

League Two
Barnet v Plymouth Argyle @3pm - the Bees play host to the team who are currently top

National League
Dagenham & Redbridge v Braintree Town @745pm - an Essex derby between sides at opposite ends of the table

Ryman League Premier Division
Metropolitan Police v Kingstonian @3pm - a local derby at the well appointed Imber Court but don't expect much rivalry as the hosts don't have many fans

Ryman League Division 1 North
Phoenix Sports v VCD Athletic @1pm - these two are very local rivals so much so that when I went to watch Phoenix a few years ago, you could hear the crowd watching the match at VCD's ground

Ryman League Division 1 South
Tooting & Mitcham United v Corinthian Casuals @3pm - a derby between two sides who are also fighting for promotion
Walton Casuals v Whyteleafe @3pm - yet another groundshare derby

Southern Counties East League Premier Division
Erith Town v Erith & Belvedere @3pm - the Erith derby, it's just a shame neither of them play there and have to groundshare with other clubs

Southern Counties East League Division 1
Sutton Athletic v Kent Football United @3pm - third versus fourth at the time of writing

Spartan South Midlands League Division 1
Southall v Hillingdon Borough @3pm - two former FA Vase finalists meet at Hanwell Town's ground as the festive season comes to a close

GET INVOLVED

If you're going to see a game, whether you're a local or a visitor, please let me know what you've been up to. If you're interested in reviewing a ground within the London area for this blog then get in touch. I also very much welcome photos of your football travels.

Got any questions about visiting London? Don't hesitate to ask - be they football or more general travel/touristy queries.

You can contact TLFG through the comments section below or via Facebook, Twitter or even by good old email.

11 Days

Can we talk about how there are only ELEVEN days until Christmas folks?! It has completely snuck up on me... even though I always knew it was coming! In fun, holiday spirit today-- I give you the 11 days of Christmas! (Yes, I should have posted this yesterday and it could have been 12 but... messed that one up!)

11- Attempts at a Christmas card picture. Let's just say, it wasn't our best card this year- but hopefully our cute kid makes up for it.

10- Thousand steps a day I'm aiming to get every day for the rest of this month. I don't want to start the new year feeling like I'm slacked off all holiday season so I'm trying to stick with it! Also, I might be signing up for another half-marathon.... what!?

9- Number of "Baby's 1st Christmas" ornaments I am trying to decide between. This decision should not be this difficult, but it's taking me entirely too long to choose.

8- Varieties of baked goods that are tempting me every.single.day right now.

7- Candles that we have on constant rotation in our house. We've stocked up in the past couple of years so we have a huge variety of seasonal scents that I can't get enough of.

6- Number of Amazon Prime packages that are still on their way to our house. We thought we were so ahead of the game, but WHOOPS we still had some shopping to do.

5- Average hours of sleep I'm getting per night right now. I stay up too late, and my baby is teething sooo...

4- Christmas movies that are still must watches for me this year that we haven't seen yet:  Jingle All The Way, The Grinch (with Jim Carey!), Claymation Christmas and The Holiday.

3- Number of gifts we bought for T this year. He literally needs NOTHING and will remember NOTHING so we got him practical items that he'll actually need in the coming months.

2- Boys that I'm going to kiss under the mistletoe this year. That's Jared and T, for anyone wondering ;)

1- Goal for this holiday season is just to soak it all in. It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle but the holidays are all about family and time together, and that's what I want to focus on.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Between the shopping, the baking, the Christmas movies and a holiday party it was quite the festive few days over here. Friday night after we put our grumpy baby to bed (#teethingprobz) Jared and I made the most of a date night in starting with a few rounds of our on-going rummy game. In case you haven't heard me mention it, we're playing one continuous game and tallying it until someone gets to one million points. Sitting by the the tree with tunes on the record player apparently threw me off my game though because Jared dominated. Thank goodness we still have a long way to go.

That same night I chose It's a Wonderful Life for our movie and was super stoked to watch it because I felt like it had been a few years since I had. So IMAGINE MY SURPRISE when about 20 minutes into the movie Jared tells me HE'S NEVER SEEN IT. What?! I legitimately had to pause the movie and question him, his childhood and his life motives for a few minutes. Once I got over the shock, we continued and Jared ended up absolutely loving the movie. I mean, how could you not?

Saturday I baked all day long with my sister-in-law and her aunt and grandma. This is the third year they've hosted a baking day now and I'm happy to be included in this little tradition. All the treats turned out dangerously good so if you'd like to come help me eat them please feel free. Otherwise I will eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner over the next week!

To round out my weekend, I attended a small get together at the home of the photographers I'm now working for part-time. They invited the team over and I was thrilled to be included, considering I've only worked for them for a couple of months. We enjoyed snacks, more delicious cookies and easy conversation. It's truly a blessing to have this job and I'm excited about the long-term potential as well. They are good people with good hearts and I feel fortunate to be part of their business and their vision.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend full of holiday cheer!

TLFG: 12-18 December 2016

I don't think I've got a huge amount to write about this week as I've been working every night and haven't had a chance to see any live football.

My teams, QPR and Harrow Borough, both suffered further defeats to leave them going into Christmas in a relegation battle. With Boro that's the norm but for Rangers, their squad and resources should see them nowhere near the bottom three. With back-to-back home games against vastly improved Derby and Aston Villa sides over the next few days, it could get even worse.

More generally, from a London perspective, the Premier League is showing signs of becoming a two-horse race between Arsenal and Chelsea as they both won again while Liverpool, Manchester City and Spurs all dropped points.

In all the divisions of the EFL we have several teams pushing for a play-off place but title challenges look unlikely for most of them.

In non-league, keep on eye on the eighth tier Ryman League Division 1 South where things are really hotting up. Six of the top eight clubs are from the London area and several meet each other this week.

It's late on Sunday night so I'll keep this brief and wrap things up now. Enjoy your week and let me know what you've been up to.

THE WEEK AHEAD

There are well over 100 matches in the London area over the next week with action in the Premier League, EFL, National League and several minor league and county cup competitions.

However, please make sure you check with clubs before you travel just in case a game has been called off or venue has been changed. Also, please let me know if anything is wrong or missing.

Details on all of this week's games can be found on the following match maps. If you've never used them before, please note that when there is more than one match at a specific ground you'll only be able to see individual match pins if you zoom right in. If you don't, the pins obscure each other and you might miss them. To avoid this, you can also scroll down the list of games on the drop down menu at the top of the map page to make sure you get all the information. Games are listed from top to bottom in date order so Monday's games (yellow pin) will appear first and Sunday's (white pin) last. Games are also ranked in terms of status so the higher the division, the higher up the list they will appear on each day.

Also if you're unfamiliar with the English league structure I indicate the level at which an individual league sits in the national 'pyramid' with the Premier League at the top (Level 1) and various minor leagues at the bottom (Level 10). Typically a top level game will see crowds of anywhere between 20,000-60,000. These figures will gradually decline as you go down the leagues until you get to Levels 8-10 where attendances of 150 or less are most common.

It should also be noted that the top four levels are for fully professional teams. Level 5 has a mixture of professional and semi-professional teams, while Levels 6-10 will see most players paid but it will vary from no more than travel expenses at the bottom, right up to several hundred pounds a week at the top (e.g. clubs in the Conference South).

MIDWEEK MATCH MAP
Yellow pin - Monday fixtures
Green pin - Tuesday fixtures
Magenta pin - Wednesday fixtures
Black pin - Friday fixtures

WEEKEND MATCH MAP
Blue pin - Saturday fixtures
Orange pin - Sunday fixtures

TLFG DAILY DIGEST

In the following section I list, by day, what are in my opinion the most notable games of the week and give some brief reasons for my choice. Check the maps above for kick-off times, ticket info and directions.

Monday 12 December

Premier League 2 
West Ham United v Swansea City @7pm - it's fourth versus the leaders in this PL2 Division 2 game at Dagenham & Redbridge's ground
Fulham v Brighton & Hove Albion @7pm - the Cottagers are just ahead of West Ham and will need to win to make sure of their place in the top three of this U23 competition

Ryman League Division 1 South
Carshalton Athletic v Tooting & Mitcham United @745pm - the promotion race in this division is really hotting up with these two south London rivals very much in contention

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Tuesday 13 December

Championship
Fulham v Rotherham United @745pm - the hosts are London's main contenders in this division at the moment with a win here against the division's bottom club possibly putting them in the top six

FA Trophy First Round Replay
Wingate & Finchley v Wealdstone @745pm - Ryman League Wingate did well to salvage a late 2-2 draw against the Stones on Saturday. Will they make the most of home advantage and cause a cupset in the replay?

Ryman League Premier Division
Enfield Town v Lowestoft Town @745pm - after a slow start, these two regular promotion contenders are right back in it. Now both in the top seven, a win would really bolster their credentials

London Senior Cup First Round
Clapton v Greenwich Borough @745pm - the Tons are up in the top four of the Essex Senior League while Greenwich are in the top four at the level above. The Old Spotted Dog could be a leveller, especially if the Clapton Ultras return to the stands after their boycott but it's looking doubtful at the moment


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Wednesday 14 December

Premier League
Crystal Palace v Manchester United @8pm - there's a big night of top-flight action on Wednesday with this probably the pick of the games as teams needing points at either end of the table do battle. Stat attack - this game sees the highest scorers in the bottom six (Palace with 27) take on the lowest scorers in the top six (Man Utd with 20)
Tottenham Hotspur v Hull City @8pm - Spurs have suffered only two defeats in their last 10 league games and put five past Swansea last week. A struggling Hull side should also be dispatched with relative ease
West Ham United v Burnley @745pm - without a game on Saturday, the Hammers dropped back into the bottom three but they pulled clear again after a fine 2-2 draw at Liverpool on Sunday. Burnley are having a better season than many predicted and could well win here if the Hammers aren't 'on it' from the start

Championship
Queens Park Rangers v Derby County @745pm - after suffering a humiliating 1-0 defeat at bottom club Rotherham on Saturday, Ian Holloway's return to the club as manager already appears to be going badly wrong. With three defeats from four games against sides who were all in very poor form, things are looking worrying. The Rams also had a shocking start to the season but with Steve McClaren back in charge they've won six in a row and are force again

Ryman League Division 1 South
Walton Casuals v Godalming Town @745pm - the pick of the night's non-league action gives us the opportunity to run the rule over the Stags who are mounting a bit of a promotion challenge. Despite being without a ground of their own this season, they're right up in seventh and enjoyed a thrilling 4-3 win over Tooting & Mitcham on Saturday, a result which knocked the Terrors off top spot. The visitors are having a horror season and should provide another three points 

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Friday 16 December

FA Youth Cup Third Round
Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers @7pm - end the working week with a bit of U18 football up at Boreham Wood's ground. If that's not handy, Fulham play Mansfield Town in the same competition at the club's Motspur Park training ground

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Saturday 17 December

Premier League
Crystal Palace v Chelsea @1230pm - the Eagles end a tough week of games with this derby against the Blues who could well be league leaders by the time kick-off comes round. On paper Palace should lose but they have managed a couple of wins over Chelsea in recent years including a 2-1 triumph at Stamford Bridge last season
West Ham United v Hull City @3pm - back-to-back home games against Burnley and Hull could make or break the Hammers' and particularly boss Slaven Bilic's season. Both games must really be won, four points would be acceptable but much less than that could be terminal

Championship
Fulham v Derby County @3pm - depending on how things go in midweek, this could be a really entertaining game. The Cottagers have bagged nine goals in their last two games and should see off Rotherham. Derby, as mentioned above, are on a hot streak built mainly on a solid defence which has seen them concede only two goals in six games

League One
AFC Wimbledon v Port Vale @3pm - the Dons suffered the disappointment of a 1-0 loss at arch rivals MK Dons on Saturday. Given how tight the table is, they dropped down to 10th but a win here against lower midtable opposition could put them right back up there
Charlton Athletic v Peterborough United @3pm - two sides with a good shot at the play-offs meet at The Valley in the day's other third tier game

League Two
Barnet v Stevenage @3pm - the Bees played their first game following the departure of manager Martin Allen on Saturday. Interim boss Rossi Eames, a 31-year-old coach who has never played pro football, took charge and masterminded a 1-0 win over Yeovil to keep the north London club firmly in the hunt for a play-off place. This match, against opponents from Hertfordshire, is effectively a derby too

National League
Boreham Wood v Barrow @3pm - the Wood welcome team of the moment Barrow who are currently on a spectacular 23-game unbeaten run which has taken them to fifth in the league and earned them a place in the third round of the FA Cup. The sides drew 1-1 in Cumbria earlier in the season

National League South
Hampton & Richmond Borough v St Albans City @3pm - the game of the day in the NLS pits fifth against second. I went to the reverse fixture on Non-League Day and it produced an entertaining 4-2 win for Hampton but it's City who have been on the up since

Ryman League Premier Division
Dulwich Hamlet v Tonbridge Angels @3pm - in the division below we have another heavyweight contest to look forward to. Dulwich are fourth and even though Tonbridge are back in eighth they've got between three and five games in hand on most of the clubs above them so should be there or thereabouts by the end of the season

Ryman League Division 1 South
Corinthian Casuals v Greenwich Borough @3pm - there are lots of big games in this division this week with many of the top six in action against each other. At the time of writing this is fifth against third
Carshalton Athletic v Hythe Town @3pm - a little further to the east, we've got fourth versus sixth so take your pick!

Essex Senior League
Clapton v Takeley @3pm - a top four clash at the Old Spotted Dog. As mentioned above, the Clapton Ultras are in dispute with the club over a sudden rise in admission prices so have been boycotting games so the atmosphere might not be as lively as normal
Barkingside v FC Romania @3pm - it's possible a few of them might make the short trip to Ilford to support Barkingside's 'Game for the Homeless' as they throw open the doors to local people who find themselves without accommodation. They'll also be collecting money, food and clothes to benefit such people so don't go empty handed

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Sunday 18 December

Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley @4pm - Spurs host the Clarets knowing a win could take them back into the top four, if midweek results go their way

Championship
Queens Park Rangers v Aston Villa @12pm - if you've got tickets to the above you could very conceivably combine it with this game and catch two games in a day. QPR are struggling at the moment while Villa are a much improved side under new boss Steve Bruce and are climbing the table steadily

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Traditions Old & New

I love hearing about other family traditions and learning what makes this time of year special for other people. Sure, we're all decorating our trees and watching holiday movies- but the unique little things that people love year after year are so special. Jared and I have been making new traditions together each year we've been married and I know we'll continually add to them as our family grows. Chelsea recently shared her family traditions and inspired this post :) So today's post is about traditions old and new!

Growing up my sister and I convinced my parents to let us open presents on Christmas Eve EVE one year and it just stuck. It actually made sense at the time... my dad was always working late on Christmas Eve and then we were rushing off to one Grandma's house that night and another Grandma's house the next day which didn't leave a lot of time for our immediate family to exchange gifts. So every year on December 23rd we got to open gifts from my parents and we'd just save our stockings for Christmas morning. My sister and I thought it was SO awesome to spread out Christmas for an additional day.

Since Jared and I got married we've started many of our own traditions. Every year we put up our Christmas tree and decor immediately after Thanksgiving (okay- except this year we jumped the gun and did it early hehe) and fill the whole weekend with festivities. We waste no time busting out the Christmas movies and Christmas pjs. Most years we see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and we always try to squeeze in a trip to our zoo's festival of lights as well- no matter how cold it is ;) And finally, we make it to a local church's huuuuge Christmas production every year without fail! Bonus points for it being a FREE show.

Now that we have T, I know Jared and I will want to add new family traditions with him- especially as he gets older. Even though he won't remember a second of this holiday season, I cannot wait to snuggle him up on Christmas morning while we open gifts in front of our tree and eat waffles. Well, Jared and I will be the ones eating waffles... still milk and purees for you kiddo ;) I love seeing him stare at our tree in amazement and can't wait for the day he'll be awake late enough to drive around and look at lights as a family. I look forward to a time when T's old enough to understand the importance of giving back and we can do something for a family or charity in need.

What traditions have you kept year after year? What new ones are you hoping to start with your family?

Currently {December Edition}

Joining in with Anne and her co-host Kellie for this month's edition of the Currently series! 

Doing- Too much online shopping. Not really too much, I guess, since everything I'm buying is a Christmas gift. It just feels like a lottttt all at once. I am just not someone who enjoys shopping all that much in general so if I can do it from my couch, you best believe I will! 

Enjoying- How festive and cozy our house feels. Those suuuper early mornings with T are a little bit easier when I come downstairs and our tree is glowing over in the corner. Because yes, I typically leave it on all night and day, 24/7. You only get a month of it after all.

Cooking- Jared and I are on a spaghetti squash kick lately and have been making it a variety of ways. It's nice that it's so versatile and that you can add meat to your recipes or it can be a great meatless option too. Anyone have a favorite way to prepare spaghetti squash that they'd like to share? We are always looking for new ideas.

Wrapping- Nothing yet! I am excited that we stocked up on paper, gift bags and bows after Christmas last year though. I saved money and it was a fun little surprise to get them out of the storage bins this month.

Playing- Sudoku on my tablet (Grandma status) and lots of repetitive "games" with T each day. It's both amusing and boring that he loves to hear/see/do the same things over and over again. He's very into clapping hands (with my help of course) and playing peek-a-boo these days. Ahh, the simple life of a baby.

What are you currently doing??