Yes, another fresh weekly diary from our Carolien. Because you know: she never sits still.

Sometimes you need to pamper your mother a bit. I found the perfect moment for an ode just before Christmas and my birthday (only a week to go!). First of all, she looks fantastic; she could easily be my older sister. Roeland Fernhout couldn't stop talking about her when we ran into her during the recordings for Zwarte Tulp. She is also a fantastic chef de cuisine: when I happened to join last week, there was avocado shrimp soup and a delicious curry on the menu. Not exactly standard weekday fare. She is always there for me, extremely caring, and also the sweetest. In short: dear mom, for me, every day is Mother's Day.

Now that we can't avoid Christmas anymore, my eye falls on everything that glitters and is gold. Jon finds it all quite a hassle, but I love to dress up completely every day for a lavish family dinner. In the meantime, I have purchased a green and a red Christmas dress, complete with matching gold heels. But during the day, I also need to look a bit festive. Read: watching Netflix at home by the fireplace and the Christmas tree, but of course, that also requires a festive outfit. So my metallic blue/red outfit from Zoe Karssen is already ready, complete with gold Woden sneakers. I couldn't let this last combination sit for another week, so I'm already celebrating a bit of Christmas today in this lovely outfit.

Just one more day and then my shoot for JFK will finally be in stores! When I think back to this trip, I would immediately get on a plane again: with just two hours of flying, you're in the heart of Sweden, and after an hour's drive, we arrived at the most idyllic spot ever. Hotel Sommarhagen is located in the middle of nature, you can eat wonderfully there, and in the evening in the hot tub, you can completely drift away with the beautiful view. On the last day, we drove to the forest by the edge of a lake, where I could have sat for days. In Sweden, it is very normal for the government to provide shelters, fire pits, and firewood in the forests that you can use free of charge. Jon and I immediately decided to go hiking in those forests next summer. But actually, I also want to experience the snow there: a fun weekend getaway for Valentine's Day, maybe?

When you think of Balmain, you think of beautifully tailored jackets, high shoulders, and the madness surrounding their collaboration with H&M (which I was more than happy to participate in…). But besides these beautiful couture pieces, they also make the most stunning hair extensions and hair care products. When I was still at the Theater Academy in Maastricht, I once bought those beautiful Balmain hair locks in a moment of madness. It sounded so easy; longer hair in an instant, but to this day, I have never put them in… But luckily, I have more success with the hair products! I can't live without their volumizing line and sea salt hairspray, especially during the cold winter days (read: warm inside, so static hair, here we go!). This lovely set will be under the tree soon. Oh, what's wrong with buying your own Christmas gifts?

Just a few more nights of sleep and then it's here! This coming Friday, we will perform our show inspired by Britney Spears with our own company “Bouillabaisse” at the Volkshotel. It's going to be quite a spectacle, including the real dance moves from the music videos and complete adoration for the phenomenon Britney. But don't expect a musical: the fantastic Joost Maaskant produces the most amazing soundtracks during the performance that are anything but ordinary. Within a few days, we were already sold out, but on January 23, we will perform again at the Sugarfactory!