Blogmas – Day 23 – Christmas Eve Traditions.

One sleep ’till Christmas!! Woot woot!!

This morning was just a nice and restful morning. Did some preparations for dinner later on in the evening. Our contribution to dinner was sausage balls, and it’s an easy recipe; it’s only a 3-ingredient recipe:

Ingredients:
– 1 lb of sausage
– 1 jar of Cheez Whiz
– 1 box of chicken flavored Stove Top Stuffing

Directions:
Mix the sausage and cheese together. Once all cheese is incorporated into the sausage, start adding in the stuffing, until everything is thoroughly mixed.  (***Pro-tip #1: put stuffing into a food processor to chop/grind into a finer powder. Easier to mix, and less chance of biting into a large breadcrumb later.)

Using a melon-ball scoop, or something similar, start scooping out 1-inch balls, and place them on a greased cookie sheet, or a cookie sheet lined with non-stick foil.

Have your oven pre-heated to 350°F, and cook the sausage balls for 20 minutes. (***Pro-tip #2: after cooking for the first 10 minutes, flip over sausage balls. Gets a nice toasting on both sides.)

After 20 minutes are up, let the sausage balls rest for 5-10 minutes so they can cool down and firm up a bit.

After prepping the sausage balls for cooking later, we were off to church for Christmas Eve service. The Christmas story, lighting the final advent candle, and closing with Silent Night, it’s definitely a favorite tradition.

When service was over, it was back home to cook the sausage balls, before heading over to my cousin’s house for dinner. This has become a new tradition for us the last few years, as this is when they exchange gifts with their dad’s side of the family. We do our exchange on Christmas morning.

Once dinner was over and we visited for a while, it was back home to do another tradition, which many people do on Christmas Eve, and it’s the last minute present wrapping! XD

For my 3 youngest cousins, I did a DIY Cookie Jar, that Zoë mentioned in her Last Minute DIY Christmas Gifts video.

It turned out pretty great, except my jars were a bit on the larger side. Oh well! The boys won’t care! LOL

Then once all the presents were wrapped, it was time to sit down, relax, and complete this blog post.

Today was the last day of my beauty advent calendars! T.T I forgot to include day 11 in yesterday’s blog post, so I’ll just include it here. 😀

Day 11:
– Benefit’s “They’re Real! Remover”
– feelunique.com: Salcura’s “Winter Skin Warming Hand Therapy”

Day 12: 
– Benefit’s “Rockateur” blush
– Nuxe Paris’ “Rêve de miel” ultra-nourishing lip balm

It’s now officially CHRISTMAS!! YAY!! Now, off to bed so I can open presents in a few hours lolz.

Blogmas – Day 22 – Vlogmas Favorites!

Today, I am still feeling poorly, so I did pretty much nothing but rest. In choosing today’s blog post, I figured on doing something that’s easy enough to do, and that’s watching YouTube! XD

Many people participate in Vlogmas, but to be honest, I didn’t get to watch a whole lot. The one I mostly kept up with was Zoë, aka Zoella, as she did the 24 Days of Zoella, which was a main channel video everyday, on top of doing daily Vlogmas videos on her second channel, MoreZoella. 48 videos in one month; that’s insane!!
*

Two of my favorites from her main channel were the Last Minute DIY Christmas Gifts and the Ultimate Christmas Quiz with Mark. From the DIY one, I’m actually going to do the cookie recipe in the Kilner jars for some of my younger cousins. *Thumbs up*

From her second channel, I really liked days 8 & 9, Best YouTube Christmas Party and Christmas Sleepover with Tanya & Jim. Emilia was SO adorable in the start of day 9!

Another Vlogmas participant is Meg from MegSays. I actually found Meg through Zoë’s channel, and I’ve just really come to enjoy Meg’s videos. As a fellow invisible illness spoonie, it’s nice to find people whom you can relate to. ^///^ Anyways, one of my favorite Vlogmas videos from Meg is one she did with her grandma, Queen Jean, entitled, “Grandma & I Discuss 1D & Life Advice” – Queen Jean is a gem, and you should definitely check it out.

Finally, to end on a Phantastic note (see what I did there?! lolz), even though it’s technically not Vlogmas, I’m including from DanAndPhilGAMES, Dan vs. Phil – Festive Flash Fight! These two always bring the lolzy-bants, and they make me laugh, so it gets included.

And even through it’s definitely not Vlogmas or Christmas related, I’d totally recommend their Sims 4 series; their most recent episode took a steamy turn. ;p

So, that’s it for this post. What’s been your favorite Vlogmas moment?

*(gif credit: convergence.enjin.com)

Blogmas – Days 17 through 22 – Of Christmas Cookies, Concert, a Belated Advent Calendar, and Other Miscellany.

It’s been a couple of busy days, that’s for sure. Let us catch up, shall we? XD

Last Thursday (Day 17) was a usual work day, followed by Christmas sweater shopping at night, in preparation for our Christmas luncheon at work on Friday. My work has what they call “over the top Christmas attire”; I don’t go over the top like some others like to (which is fine), but I definitely wanted to have some sort of Christmas-y attire for the day, so I was totally down with wearing a cheesy sweater, and let me tell you, it’s a GREAT one!

So, Friday (Day 18) arrives, and I’m all decked out in the BEST Christmas sweater EVER, at least in my crazy cat lady opinion.

Because this sweater was kind of on the thick side, and the weather has been surprisingly mild, I bought a Christmas-y t-shirt to wear under the sweater, in case I got too hot and needed to take off the sweater. Needless to say, my t-shirt is pretty awesome too!

I got LOADS of compliments on the t-shirt, more so than the sweater, which just goes to show that loads of people prefer the Dark Side to cute, cuddly, grumpy cat sweaters.

In addition to Christmas attire, some of the departments decorated their rows, and some even had a competition to see who decorated the best. As I mentioned in a previous post, my row is composed of some Scrooges, but two of the other rows did The Polar Express and some Gingerbread Houses.

And the thing that made this day even EPICALLY better was the fact that we had REINDEER!! What. EVEN?!? :O

I even got to PET one! Day was MADE!

And if that wasn’t the best thing ever, Friday was my last working day before taking vacation for Christmas! Awww, yiss!!

On Saturday (Day 19), I started my day off with a bit of pampering. Got my hair done, toning down some of the brassy Balayage sections from previous appointments.

After that, I went and got my brows done at the Benefit Brow Bar at my local Ulta Beauty, followed by some more Christmas shopping. Later that evening, we went over to my cousin’s house for dinner, and then decorated Christmas cookies with the kidlets!!

Sunday (Day 20) was mostly just church and resting. Evening service was a musical concert, as both the youth and adult choirs sang. The kids were adorable and funny, as usual. The adult choir were awesome! When a choir is on point, my most favorite Christmas hymn to hear is “O Holy Night” and they did it perfectly! *two thumbs up*

Monday (Day 21) was the “official” first day of vacation. Both my mom and I took off the entire week, so that worked out well, considering I’ve been using her car. We went and picked up my insurance check, so now it’s time to start car shopping.
*

After getting the check, we went and did some Christmas shopping for family members. We decided to go to Sevierville and Gatlinburg, instead of going out to West Knoxville because traffic has been so horrible out west. Sevierville and Gatlinburg can have crazy tourist traffic, but it was not bad at all, so that was a good call! *thumbs up* The Village area in Gatlinburg is one of my favorite places, so here are some Christmas-y decorations from there!

When we finally got home, I got another surprise. I FINALLY received my order from feelunique.com with the 12 Days of Unique Beauty Advent Calendar. \:D/

Because it’s SO fun playing catch up, here’s everything from days 1 through 9!! XD

From left to right, days 1 through 9:
Day 1: Monu’s Illuminating Primer with SPF 15: Can be used alone, or as a base before putting on makeup.
Day 2: Philip Kingsley’s Elasticizer: A super-conditioning, pre-shampoo treatment.
Day 3: Grown Alchemists’s Hydra-Repair Day Cream with Camellia & Geranium: A hydrating facial moisturizer.
Day 4: Roger & Gallet’s Fleur de Figuier Gentle Shower Cream.
Day 5: Fleur de Force’s Quad Eye Shadow in 010 Cosmic Bronze.
Day 6: Phyto Paris’s Subtil Elixir: An intense nutrition, pre-shampoo shine oil.
Day 7: Redken’s Extreme Length Primer: A rinse off treatment for distressed hair.
Day 8: thisworks sleep plus+ pillow spray.
Day 9: Gatineau’s Collagene Expert Ultimate Smoothing Serum.

I like how there is a lot of hair items; since I’ve started coloring my hair, it’s important to keep it as moisturized as possible.

Then there’s also the Benefit calendar to catch up on.

From left to right, days 5 through 9:
Day 5: They’re Real! Mascara
Day 6: lollitint lip and cheek stain in candy-orchid.
Day 7: the POREfessional pore minimizing balm.
Day 8: Watt’s Up! Soft Focus Highlighter
Day 9: BADgal lash Mascara

I intended to post this last night, but feel asleep before I could. So I just decided to post it today, which brings us to…

Tuesday (Day 22), wherein I woke up feeling poorly, like I had gargled shards of glass and swallowed cotton. Not a fun feeling, so I went to a walk-in clinic and got diagnosed with THE CRUD. Basically, a cold, I guess. Pretty sure there’s a sinus infection going on, due to the colorful mucus (too tmi? Maybe!), but the doc loaded me up with some meds, so hopefully I can kick this because it totally sucks being sick on vacation. Not much else happened today, so I will leave you with the items from today’s calendars, and head on off to bed! XD

Benefit, Day 10: Hoola Ultra Plush Lip Gloss
Feelunique, Day 10: A black, no-dent hair tie, with sparkly star charm from popband london… >.>… ooooook?! (That star is gonna get tangled in my hair, I just know it! XD)

*(gif credit: mashable.com)

Blogmas – Day 16 – Advent calendars!

Ideally, this would have been a blog post better suited for the start of Blogmas, but alas, the plans I had went awry!

I haven’t done an advent calendar since I was a wee little kidlet. And even then, I don’t recall it being a fun one. I think it was an old Coca-Cola one, where you literally just peeled back the day, and it showed a Christmas-y image; no chocolate, and definitely no beauty items, just the countdown to Christmas. So boring for a five-year old kid…

Now that I’m older, and falling back into the worlds of beauty and make-up, imagine my surprise at discovering beauty advent calendars!

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I’ve read many beauty advent calendar blog posts and articles (ex: Zoë, Carly’s Beauty Blog, & Cosmo UK), and thought to myself, “Self, you want to get some of these!” and so I went looking, and of course, the majority were all. sold. out!!!

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I managed to buy two; Benefit’s Party Poppers and feelunique’s Beauty Calendar. I currently have Benefit’s in my possession, but still waiting on feelunique’s to arrive. T.T

Both are 12 day calendars, which I had perfectly scheduled to start on Sunday, December 13th, but best laid plans and all. *facedesks* I will go ahead and start sharing what is in each day for the Benefit calendar, and hopefully be able to try the items out, to give a decent review at the end of each remaining Blogmas posts. At the very least, you’ll get some snazzy pics! XD

I like the availabilty of beauty advent calendars because it can basically be a gateway into learning about various product brands. Most offer sample sized products (though some do offer full sized), and you can test out many items before deciding if you’d like to commit and buy more from that brand. The only downside to beauty advent calendars can be the price. So with that, I want to talk about the calendars I wanted to get, but couldn’t, either because they were sold out or were just too expensive. Because I’m masochistic like that.

The one I wanted most and was in absolute love with was The Book of Makeup Magic by Charlotte Tilbury.

Just look at how GORGEOUS it is! It is a 12 day calendar with both mini and full sized products, and covers a wide range of skin care, lipstick, and eye makeup. Of course, it is available, but for a price of $200.00, I couldn’t justify purchasing this, even though it equals out to about $16.66 per item.

Next up was the 24 Happy Days Premium Advent Calendar by The Body Shop.

As the name implies, this a 24 day calendar, and includes a variety of body and hand creams, scrubs, and butters, nail colors, lip butters and balms, shower gels, and so on. This one came in at a hefty $137.00, but as it was sold out during my browsing phase earlier in the month, I didn’t have the monetary want vs. practical not-need struggle as I did with the CT book.

Another one I thought was beautiful, but was also sold out was the Liberty Beauty Advent Calendar, totaling £149.00. The other saving grace is that they don’t ship internationally, so even if I wanted it and it wasn’t sold out, I wouldn’t have been able to get it! XD

(photo credit: shemazing.net)
The Liberty calendar is a 24 day with 24 different brands, including NARS, Kiehl’s, and Diptyque, to name a few.

Finally, the last one was the L’Occitane Holiday 2015 Advent Calendar, which contains a mixture of bath, body, and hand products. This would have been ideal for me, as winter is really harsh on my skin, so I can use all the help I need, and it only cost $49.00 for 24 products, roughly $2.05 per product. Alas, sold out. 😦

Some honorable mentions include The Beauty Secret from lookfantastic, and No7 25 Days of Beauty Wonders.

Having searched for beauty advent calendars and failing this year, I’ve learned my lesson; pre-order for next Christmas! LOL

Here’s the Benefit calendar I have, along with the first 4 days. Enjoy!

From left to right, days 1 through 4:
– Day 1: Ooh La Lift Under Eye Brightening Boost
– Day 2: Total Moisture Facial Cream
– Day 3: Highbeam Face Highlighter
– Day 4: Ultra Plush Gloss in Sugarbomb

Anyone else doing a beauty advent calendar this year? If so, which one(s), and what’s your favorite product so far?

Blogmas Days 6 Through 15: A Review.

So, let me just preface this blog post by saying I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!!! >.>

I didn’t plan in advance, so I knew I was going to miss some days; I just wasn’t counting on it being 10 in a row.

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Basically, I got sick, and when you’re sick you really don’t feel like doing much of anything at all. I procrastinate enough when I’m healthy, but when I’m sick? Forgetaboutit!

So, I figured for Blogmas Day 15, I’d do a recap of all the goings on during days 6 through 15! (Which honestly, is not a whole lot cause I’m boring as heck, so hey, easy reading ahoy!!)

(credit: rebloggy.com)

Wednesday and Thursday was a whole lot of nothing, except for work and then watching Zoë and Alfie vlogs after work. Not a shabby way to spend the night.

Friday, I remembered to take in some Christmas decorations to work, and finally got my workspace decorated with a touch of Christmas. Basically, lights around my desk and a tiny tree on the desk; it’s enough to make me feel festive. Our department is having a decorating contest, and our row, unfortunately, is doing nothing. We’ve got some Scrooge McDuck’s!

(credit: disney.wikia.com)

Other rows are doing some awesome things; one has a theme of The Polar Express and another is doing Gingerbread Houses. It’s quite nifty.

Saturday, still feeling poorly, but Mom and I went to Dollywood to see the Christmas lights. It so happens because the weather was so mild that day, that it was one of the nights with record attendance in park history. Much crowd. Such claustrophobia.

Here’s a few more pictures from the night, but we’re going back next week since we’re on vacation, and I may do a proper blog post on it, since we’re actually going to see some of the shows. *thumbs up*

Sunday, I woke up feeling worse, so it was just a resting at home day. The most I did was watch cable TV movies (The House Bunny, anyone?) and took creeper photos of a sleeping Lucy.

Monday, I got up early and went to the auto body shop where Betsy was resting, and gave her a good clean out, since the salvage truck was coming later that day to pick her up. All things considered, I don’t think she looks too bad, but the insurance company said it would cost more to fix her than what she’s worth, so she’s a total loss. 😦 Bye bye, blue Betsy, you were an awesome car! </3

Tuesday, TODAY!! Yay! Typing all this up on my lunch break (it’s almost time to clock back in…NOOOOOOOO!!!) and will get it posted sometime after work. Tonight, I’m going to try and get some gifts I’ve already bought wrapped up, and clean up the tsunami of Christmas debris in my room. It’s bad.

….10 HOURS LATER…

Yep, no cleaning happened. Worked late, got home, and then got sucked in by The Voice finale. No surprise there! Maybe tomorrow will be better! *crosses fingers*

Blogmas – Day 5 – What’s on my Christmas tree?

In yesterday’s blog, I posted a full picture of our current Christmas tree. It’s pretty nice and simple, so I thought for today, I’d take a few up close pics, for a “What’s on my tree” post!

This picture literally encompasses the majority of decor on the tree. We have some pearled string garland wrapped around, with some hanging Christopher Radko Christmas Brites Flocked Rounds, and some random floral accents for stuffing in the tree’s blank spaces.

With some long, dangly, sparkly green foliage, I decided to give the tree some pigtails. I believe it came out splendidly! XD (This is its best side; so Mariah-esque!)

Here’s an up close of the Radko baubles. They are quite shiny, but have been flocked, so the designs have a 3D, velvety texture. Such a lovely diametric piece. Sparkly red floral accents add some pizzazz!

The pièce de résistance, the angel topping the tree. This piece was originally my Nanny’s, and has topped all of our Christmas trees, for as long as I can remember. No matter what theme of tree we had, that angel would always top it. Now that Nanny is no longer with us, this has definitely become one of our tradition pieces.

What about you? Do you have any tradition pieces that you always use? What’s your favorite ornament on the tree, or decoration you’ve put up? Feel free to let me know in the comments below. ❤

Blogmas – Day 4 – Of Decorations and Parking Lot Stumbles.

Today we did it! We finally got our tree put up and decorated, and got the indoor decorations put up as well! \:D/

This year we went back to our “traditional” full size tree; the last couple of years we have been using a very minimalist feather Christmas tree.

This year we kept the decorations on the tree simple as well; just some pearled garland strings, some Christopher Radko Christmas Brites Flocked Rounds, and some sparkly floral stems.

Off to the side, since we don’t have mantle to hang our stockings, we have a free standing stocking hanger; we have stockings for my Mom and I, our two cats Fred and Lucy, then a stocking for my Nanny, who passed away.

Now with all the decorations up, it’s definitely starting to feel more like Christmas.

After all of the decorations were up, it was time to get ready for evening service at church. Tonight was a short sermon, followed by some finger foods and the Lottie Moon basket auction, which helps raise money for missionaries. I actually felt like putting in some effort on my appearance for tonight, and if I do say so myself, it turned out ok.

Tools of the trade:

– Pixi’s “Redness Reducing Primer”; used on cheeks.
–Maybelline’s “Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser”; used on sides of nose and inner cheeks. Works wonderfully!
– Benefit’s “boi-ing” concealer in #02; really great coverage. 10/10, would recommend.
– Smashbox’s “Camera Ready BB Cream” in Light. A great all-over coverage that is much lighter than a normal foundation.
– Maybelline’s “BrowDrama Pro Palette” in Soft Brown 255. A wax to help set brows, a color to fill in brows, then a highlighter for brow bone, if needed.
– Too Faced’s “Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer”, to help set the eye shadow.
– Urban Decay’s Vice4 palette: colors used, “1985” (pink magenta shimmer) on the lid, “Harlot” (lilac shimmer) in the crease, “Bones” (silvery white shimmer) on the brow bone, and “Underhand” (burgundy purple shimmer) on the lower lash line.
– Rimmel London’s “Wonder’Lash” mascara with Argan Oil in 001 Black.
– Julep’s “Charming” lip gloss, a sheer mauve color.

So, I got my face on and feeling good, and I decided to wear my new wedge boots. Worst. Idea. EVER!! Just by looking at them, you wouldn’t think so. Go ahead, take a look; I’ll wait:

Totally cute, right? Cute, but deadly. First instance; we get to church, and are greeting fellow members in the sanctuary. Business as usual, then one step back and I roll my right ankle. Not too bad, done that loads of times playing volleyball when I was younger. Then after the service, we head downstairs for the food and auction. Feet really not liking me at this point, and can’t say I blame them, on a 3-inch or so wedge heel, when I’ve not worn anything with a heel in forever! XD

Anyways, we make it through the food line, and some of the auction. Both Mom and I were wearing down, so we decided to leave early. We make it outside and start walking to the car when BAM!, I trip and fall forward, luckily landing on my knees, then hands, and not my face. But that tricksy right foot of mine; something caught that shoe, and down I went. These shoes were my Titanic, sinking on its maiden voyage. T.T

Eventually made it to the car, and back home, to prop up the foot and write this blog post.

Oh, by the way, did I mention my cat Fred threw up on my bed while we were out? Cause he totally did. Which totally made this night even MORE awesome! < / sarcasm >

What a day! Every day is a good day, but today was a day, if you know what I mean. Can I be any more random?

We all stumble in many ways… (James 3:2)

Blogmas – Day 3 – The Christmas Tag!

One of my favorite things are tag posts because it’s a simple way of getting to know more about someone, and what could be more festive during Blogmas, than a Christmas tag post? Searching through the intarwebs for possible tags posts, I came across one at http://www.mamakatslosinit.com from last year, called “The Holly Jolly Christmas YouTube Tag Questions” – clearly this isn’t YouTube, but the tag questions are totally easy to do in a blog post. Besides, they had me at “Holly Jolly”! XD

Anyways, on to the questions!!

1. Favorite Christmas Movie? As mentioned in a previous Blogmas post, it’s Home Alone. It’s just a great family comedy that gives you the warm fuzzies, but not those of the arachnid variety.

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2. Are you on the Naughty list or the Nice list? Probably the nice list. I’ve mellowed in my older years. ¬_¬

Well, I guess Santa says different! *cries*

3. Show us an embarrassing Christmas photo. Not to brag, but I really don’t have any embarrassing Christmas photos (that I know of, at least). Come Easter I can show you one where I show some leg, but for now, enjoy these cute Christmas photos from my early childhood. ^///^

4. Have you ever had a White Christmas? Yes, and one of them was even an icy Christmas.

5. Do you start your Christmas shopping on Black Friday or wait until the last minute? I always used to wait until the week of Christmas to shop, but it was just too stressful, and so I’ve finally started shopping, usually online, after Black Friday. Shopping online saves sanity, pass it on! XD

6. If you could be in any Christmas movie what would it be? Love Actually. Who wouldn’t want to be in it?

(credit: crazycinephiles.tumblr.com)

8. Name all of Santa’s reindeer. Rudolph and the Twelve. XD

9. When does your family put up your Christmas tree and who decorates it? We try to put it up Thanksgiving weekend, and it’s always my mom and I. This year, we still haven’t got it put up, but hopefully we will today.

10. Is your Christmas tree real or fake? Recently, it’s been fake. Easier to maintain, and the cats don’t try to eat it. It’s a win-win!

12. Peeking at gifts or be surprised? Be surprised, of course! Why would you want to ruin the awesomeness of Christmas morning?

13. Show us your ugly Christmas sweater if you have one. I wish I had one to show, but I don’t! 😦

14. If you could be under the mistletoe with anyone who would it be? Either one of these dorks would suffice! XD


(credit: rebloggy.com and lotsofkpopgifs.tumblr.com, respectively.)

15. Does your family have a special holiday recipe you like to help make? Not really. My nanny always used to make fudge during the holidays, but we really haven’t made it since she passed away. Maybe we can revive it.

16. Are you a pro-present wrapper, or do you fail miserably? Not a pro, but definitely no slouch!

17. Have you ever gone Christmas caroling? Nope, but it would be a fun thing to do!

18. What tops your tree? A porcelain lighted angel of my nanny’s that we’ve had forever. That’s definitely a tradition piece that always tops the tree.

19. Do you make New Years Resolutions? Do you stick to them? I do, but always fail them. I think my record of keeping a resolution was three months.

20. You have been granted one Christmas wish…what will it be? Happiness for all…

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Those were great questions, but I just happened to notice during editing, what happened to questions 7 and 11? They weren’t on the website’s list either. Maybe they have an aversion to the convenience store bearing the same name? Enquiring minds want to know. Such mystery, much wow!

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Blogmas – Day 2 – Christmas Movies!

One of the best things about the Christmas holidays, aside from family, food, presents, Baby Jesus, decorations, snow, hot chocolate, and so on, are the Christmas movies!!! What better way to prepare for Christmas than to indulge in multitudes of yuletide theatrical eye candy?!

While I love watching almost any and all Christmas movies, I realized I only have a few true favorites, that I watch every year without fail. They are, in numerically descending order:

#5: Jingle All the Way – Arnold Schwarzenegger running around the city, trying to find Turbo Man, and asking the important questions…

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#4: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – A few years back, I finally saw this movie in its entirety, and now understand why it’s such a classic.

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#3: The Santa Clause – Man (accidentally) kills Santa, then becomes the new Santa. Morally questionable, but enjoyable nonetheless.

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#2: Love Actually – just an awesome movie. Excellent cast, so many great moments, but the message of love is the best. ❤

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And finally, my number one, most favorite Christmas movie is, of course…

#1: Home Alone!

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Of course, there are many more great holiday movies out there; I’ve just realized I’ve never seen two of the other classics, “The Muppets Christmas Carol” and “Elf”. Pick your jaws up off the floor; I’ll try to rectify that this Christmas! 😀

And to stir up even more drama, I really don’t care for “A Christmas Story”. I think that my dislike of the movie stems from the fact of the few clips I saw when I was younger, where Santa kicks the boy down the slide, and the fact that a certain cable channel plays it on repeat. I have always had an aversion to watching this movie. Last year however, I watched the part towards the end, where the dogs eat the turkey dinner and the family has to go out for Chinese instead, and then there was that weird leg lamp thing. Basically, I don’t hate it anymore, but I now have more of a “meh, whatever” feeling towards it. *shrugs*

That sums it up for me. What about you? What are your all time favorite Christmas movies that get you excited for the Christmas holiday season?

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Blogmas – Day 1

On the first day of Blogmas, my true love gave to me, my car wrapped up in some trees! \:D/

Not exactly a festive start to Blogmas, eh? *facepalms* However, it’s a good time to point out vehicular safety around the holidays, especially as this literally just happened to me yesterday.

CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!

>.>

Sorry for the Mad-Eye outburst, but it really is just a friendly reminder to be safe this holiday season, because whether you are traveling or staying local, there are killer kamikaze squirrels out to get you. It’s a fact of life! Sure, they look like fluffy, bouncing puffs of spastic joy, but don’t be fooled; behind those cute faces are diabolical minions of epic car-wrecking proportions. Don’t believe me, just ask Betsy!

Poor Betsy…*pours out a 40 for my homie* 😦

All joking aside, I am truly grateful and happy I was able to walk away from my wreck uninjured, with only some slight stiffness and sore muscles. There are many people who don’t walk away at all! So, here’s some friendly, common sense tips and reminders for car travel safety:

– Leave the phone alone: seriously, your life isn’t worth a text message or missed call.
– 10 and 2 it: try to keep BOTH your hands on the wheel, if at all possible. More control is better than NO CONTROL (see what I did there Directioners? XD Awww yiss!! *fist pump of awesomeness*)
– Maintain the speed limit: DUDES! I was probably only doing 30 at most when I wrecked, and I felt like I was going 100/mph. If I was going any faster, it totally would have been a much worse scenario for me.
– WEAR YOUR SEATBELT!!!!!!!!!!! Did the caps help? I sure hope so. Or maybe it was all the exclamation points. Seatbelts work, I promise. And an itchy neck is preferable to a pancake face through the window into a tree.
-Things like grooming or make-up while driving…just don’t. Either get up earlier and do it at home, or wait until you get to your destination.

Basically, you’re driving around 2 tons of steel, aluminum, metals, and glass. Respect it.

Harry Styles says it the best:

Here ends my PSA. Tomorrow I’ll actually start the Christmas-y, festive-y, Blogmas-y posties. >.> ❤