Happy Christmas everyone!

Today has been a very tiring day and I literally spent it alone. lol Last night was spent with my family at my brother's home. My brother Steve and his girlfriend made all of the food. He is an amazing baker. Yeap my brother has many skills. 

The Eve was spent with family laughing and playing games with a holiday movie playing in the background. 

I have always loved his Christmas trees. He puts lights on it and maybe 10 ornaments are scatters around the tree. This is his tree!

Those are my favorite kind of trees. I love all trees and their decor, but my all-time favorites are the ones that have hardly any ornaments on it. Sometimes the ornaments take over the whole tree and you can hardly see the lights. It is the lights that make a tree for me.

Christmas Day was spent by myself as it usually is and I'm 100% OK with that. Mind you my brother Pete is across the hall with his cat Vince and my mom is downstairs, but I'm still alone in my bedroom listening to music, chatting with friends online and writing blog posts. 

I ended up breaking my coffee pot, it literally shattered in my doorway on the way to the bathroom to fill it to make me some much-needed coffee. Luckily, I have a couple pour overs at my disposal, so I was able to make some coffee and not be a grouch all day. 

I hope you had an amazing Christmas filled with love, laughter and loads of hugs.

Hard Candy Christmas

I love Dolly Parton's song "Hard Candy Christmas". I literally listen to it every Christmas. Granted it's not exactly a Christmas song, but I still love it none the less. 

It makes me think about the hard candy I always buy around this time of year. I tend to buy a few bags of it when I see it because I can't find it year-round. 

Mind you I normally don't eat it, but I will drop a few pieces in a bottle of water to add some flavor or a few lemon pieces to a cup of hot tea.

I have a glass candy bowl that I put some of the candy in and when I want something sweet then I'll grab a few pieces.  

11 things I try do at Christmas

1. Cover the house with Christmas lights. In my case I have lights up all over the windows in the living room and also in my bedroom!

2. Send out Christmas cards. I sent out cards for the last 2 years, but this year I wasn't able to do so.

3. Decorate a Christmas tree. I actually have a tree up year-round in my bedroom with lights on it and very few ornaments. lol

4. Hang a wreath on the door. I usually hang one, but this year I sadly didn't. The one we had was damaged and I never got around to getting a new one.

5. Listen to Christmas music. I actually listen to the music year-round. I know it's weird, but I'm ok with that. I love listening to it while I'm baking. It just seems like perfect baking music!

6. Watch Christmas movies and tv shows. I watch the movies year-round as well. I love me some "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby!

7. Go to church services. Sadly, I have never attended a church service around this time, but I do plan to attend one as soon as I find a home church. 

8. Build a snowman then build him a snow family. I have ceramic snowmen that I have used to build a snow family. lol If I'm out in the snow for more than 5 minutes then my asthma kicks in. When I was younger, I didn't have this problem, but now most unfortunately, I do. 

9. Create a hot cocoa bar in your home. I have a coffee/tea/hot cocoa wall set up and it is very well stocked! My favorite cups are hanging ready to be used by anyone who wants something warm to drink!

10. Decorate the house with paper snowflakes and colored chains. I love doing this! It brings back so many childhood memories!

11. Put up a Nativity scene. I bought a nativity scene at my work last Christmas, and it sits out year-round on my shelf. 

Real trees vs Fake trees.. which do you choose?

At the old house we lived in we had a real tree most of the time. According to my mom Christmas isn't Christmas without a real tree. Wrong... see she and I were at odds because I always preferred a fake tree. Less hassle and easier to clean up after taking it down!

My reasons were this... She would keep the real tree up until all of the needles fell off... ALL of them! Guess who had to clean it up?? That's right ME! So, we would bicker about whether we had a real tree or fake one. I will admit that I did win a few times. lol 

While signing the lease for the townhouse we were given some news that literally cut the tree decision out. No REAL trees are allowed to be put up. I was overjoyed and well... mum was not.
No more bickering about what tree to get. My sister gave us one of hers and it's currently sitting up in the living room. It was literally never taken down from when we first moved in. lol It's been up for two years.

I also have an awkward tree up in my bedroom that stays up year-round. At night I'll turn the lights off and watch a show on Netflix with just the tree lights glowing. 

My favorite British Christmas traditions

1.} Christmas crackers are usually put on the table and opened up after the meal is over.  You can find some here! 

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2.} Christmas movies and shows are usually on my Kindle year-round, but I tend to catch the British ones on Brit Box as well.

Some of my favorites are 
- The Vicar of Dibley's Season 1 episode 8: "The Christmas Lunch Incident"
- Keeping up Appearances Season 2 episode 11 "The Father Christmas Suit"
- Are you Being served Season 3 episode 9 "Christmas Crackers"
- Are you Being served Season 4 episode 7 "The Father Christmas Affair"
- All Creature's Great and Small {1978} Season 2 episode 14 "Merry Gentlemen"

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3.} I always look forward to the Queen's speech. She makes one every year on Christmas Day and has been doing so since 1957. 

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4.} Going to my brothers on Christmas Eve has always been loads of fun. We always watch a movie or two, it's mostly the Christmas Story or Elf. lol 

Quaintly Box: The Royal Edition

 

I just love these boxes! I really really do! As an American gal who dreams of living in Britain, this box makes my heart smile each time I get it and it makes me feel closer to Britain. I love the little magazine that comes with it. So much information about the country where my heart lies. It came with two tea bags and a package of shortbread cookies that I ate while reading the "Clanland" book. :) Last year I got two boxes, Quintessential and a snack box, and immediately wrapped them up and opened them on Christmas day. I love the contents and definitely recommend them to anyone I meet who says they love Britain.

Merry Christmas!!!

I woke up this morning from some pretty strange dreams. Laid in bed and looked around and just thought about 2020 in general. We have all dealt with some pretty crazy shit this year. Please tell me that I'm wrong! 

So who ever is playing Jumanji ... STOP PLAYING the game is OVER!

Toilet paper shortages, we all know that 2020 will be remembered not for the pandemic only, but for the tp shortage as well. Your great grand children will come up and ask you to tell them about the great toilet paper shortage of 2020! 

One thing 2020 is a big year for is hate and division. Unfortunately that's so very true and it's a sad reality to face. You see it on the news, and all over Facebook and other social media sites. It seems like it's coming from everywhere and when the calm comes and everything is at peace, the storm appears and drops a note after it's gone.. Suckers! 

~ Let's just remember that everyone has thought, feelings and emotions. 

~ Let's remember that it's OK to make our own decisions and though we may not all agree on everything, that's OK, but seriously.. 

~ Let's be ADULT'S. Name calling and judging someone based on their opinion is not necessary, it show's the lack of maturity on your part.

Most of all let's remember that everyone has their fears, they may not be the same as yours so they're trivial to you, but they are not something to just shrug off. How we each deal with those fears of ours is up to us. We may not all agree, but we can at least be supportive of each other. 

How we treat each other is our Karma and how we react to how we're being treated is ours. 

It doesn't matter how rich or poor you are, doesn't matter what skin color you are and every skin color is beautiful might I add. It doesn't matter how big or how small your house is. 

What matters is how we treat each other. Enemies can become friends just like friends can become enemies.  I think it's better to have friends don't you?

Andrea's tree

I just got off the phone with my sister Andrea. She proceeded to lovingly rub it in my cellular face that she got Taco Bell from our sister Melisa and niece Morgan and I didn't get any.

 It's a little game the two of us play. lol Every time she eats Taco Bell she always calls me and says "You're gonna be mad at me.. I had Taco Bell and you didn't!" 

I call her and say the same thing to her only I always say.. "Guess what I had and you didn't?" LOL

Then she was all happy because my brother Steve brought a Christmas tree over and they decorated it together and he brought her cookies, he makes amazing cookies!

 Then she rubbed it in my face that he was making her his yummy Christmas fudge and cookies. 

This girl is getting spoiled rotten. lol Next week I'm going to send her some Taco Bell via Grub Hub and I'm hoping to go see her on Sunday. 

I have to email her supported apartment manager to see if it's ok to come.

I'm lost and I'm just tired...

 

I'm feeling super lost right now. 

For the past few months I have been having thought's about faith and where my spiritual path is leading me. 

At the moment it is leading me to follow an extended path to the one I am currently on. 

When I was a seventeen I began my Pagan path. 

That path is forever strong and will never waiver. 

Those Gods and Goddesses have been with me from the very beginning and I will always stick with them. 

I feel like I'm being drawn down an extended path back 

toward the Christian God. 

Thanks to It Works, the pull is so very strong that it's a bit scary.

I'm scared of expecting too much and feeling let down again. 

I'm scared of not being enough and for being an absolute failure. 

I'm tired of drowning in this fear that I carry on my shoulders like a weight. 

I'm just tired...

Are you listening to Christmas music too?

 Yeah I know it's too early, but not for me.
I can listen to it year round and never get tired of listening to it. 

Most of the time I listen to Christmas music when I'm baking anything especially cookies. 
The music get's me in a baking mood and instantly uplifts my mood and I'm feeling great. 

For the record.. I watch Christmas movies year round.. "White Christmas" and "Polar Express" are my favorites.

So I just did a thing.... this baby is staying up year round.

Gift wrapping idea's

Guess what? Christmas is around the corner once again! Aside from festive holiday wrapping paper there are so many things you can use to wrap a gift. 

~ Gift bags
~ Tissue Paper
~ Plain parcel paper
~ Newspaper
~ Magazine pages
~ Sheet music
~ Cosmetic bags
~ Gift boxes

There are many things you can use to decorate the gifts as well.

~ Holiday ornaments
~ Bows
~ Sprigs of holly or other seasonal flowers
~ Paper flowers
~ Candy Canes
~ Snowflakes
~ Ribbons

Happy Christmas Eve!

We went to my brother's home for Christmas Eve and had a bit of fun. Exchanged gifts and just enjoyed random silliness. 

My sisters and nieces went to see my mom in rehab while my brother and I came home with a nasty ole migraine. 

Once we got outside I was shocked to see how cold it was! When we went in it wasn't as cold. 

I was dreading the thought of my laptop not working as coffee had spilled on it last night. Luckily though it turned on!

I wrapped a few presents and now I'm off to bed, early to rise tomorrow to get to rehab with mom to open presents.

Offensive Christmas songs.. really??

There are so many sensitive and easily offended folks in this world that it's pathetic. We need to put

them all on their own lil island so they won't get offended by anything ever again.

The easily offended are now going after holiday songs. 

"Rudolph"

"Santa baby"

"White Christmas"

"Baby it's cold outside"

"Grandma got run over by a reindeer"

I'm sure there's more, but these are the one's I've heard of so far. These songs have been around for years and there has been no controversy surrounding them until this "Me Too" movement... now "Baby it's cold outside" is suddenly being banned from playing on the radio in certain states.

There are so many really serious things to worry about and Christmas music is not one of them.

My favorite Christmas movies

Once those holiday movies hit the Hallmark channel I can be found glued to them. I have a few that I really like, but not many. Mind you I like them all, but there are a few that I can watch over and over again and not get bored with them. 

1. Thomas Kinkades Christmas Cottage has to be my all time favorite ever. I am a huge fan of his artwork and this story stars one of my all time favorite actors.. Jared Padalecki as young Thomas Kinkade.

2. White Christmas is another favorite. I love the musical aspect of the movie. I can listen to Bing Crosby sing for hours and never get bored of hearing his voice. I actually watch this movie on Netflix a few times every month all year round.

3. The Polar Express is another favorite. I watch this every year. The animation and music are wonderful and they play a song sung by Bing Crosby!

4. I love watching the movies with Lacey Chabert. She has starred in so many Hallmark Christmas movies that they have all become my favorites. 

5. The Christmas Card is one of them. I am a big fan of John Newton's. It's about a man who was serving in Afghanistan who received a Christmas card while stationed overseas. He set out to find the woman who wrote the card and letter to him.

The Christmas Chronicles

My dream has come true finally! Kurt Russell is playing Santa Clause in a Netflix Original Christmas movie! I am a HUGE fan of Kurt's and have always wanted to see him play Santa. I know it's weird, but yeah.

The story revolves around two kids who are mourning the loss of their firefighter Dad and a single Mum who is trying to make life as normal as she possibly can. They try to capture Santa on Christmas Eve and in the end they help him to save the holiday after he looses his magic red velvet sack full of gifts. This sack is what gives him the powers do do his job in one night.

He was also in a Christmas movie called "Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A." This movie was actually based on a true event that took place in  1951.  A group of miners get trapped in a coal mine after there was an underground explosion. I have never seen it, but it looks pretty good!