Holidays – Page 9

Categories: Holidays

Holiday Week: A Christmas Survey

I was struggling to come up with a topic for my last day of Holiday Week 2012 when I saw a fun Christmas survey posted on Tina’s blog. It felt like the perfect way to end the week. Feel free to do this on your own blog!

1. Favorite Christmas album/CD/song?

Favorite Christmas CD, hands down, is Michael Buble’s Christmas. It is so, so good and I could listen to him croon to me all month long. I also love the Trans Siberian Orchestra.

My favorite Christmas song is Silent Night, as I mentioned earlier this week.

2. Run on Christmas morning or take the day off?

This question is adorable! You can tell I got this off a healthy living blog.

No. Absolutely not. Christmas is for lounging around, opening presents, and stuffing your face silly with food and sweets. It is not for sweating. Thankyouverymuch.

3. What do you usually eat on Christmas morning?

Well, to be honest, I usually eat the candy that is in my stocking.

Yes.

Still.

I eat candy for breakfast.

IT’S CHRISTMAS. Stop judging me.

4. Favorite Christmas tradition?

I think my most favorite Christmas tradition is opening presents on Christmas Day. I couldn’t imagine opening them on Christmas Eve, really! Also: going overboard on my mom’s gifts. Every year. I can’t help it! It’s just so much fun to shop for her.

5. Real tree, fake tree, or no tree?

I was on Team Real Tree for a very long time and maybe when I have a big, strong man to help me out, I’ll get one again but artificial is just so much easier. Sure, I don’t get the wonderful smell of pine in my home, but having a real tree is just so much work! From buying it to fitting it in your stand (and hoping it doesn’t fall over in the middle of the night…) to remembering to water it to dealing with dragging it out to the trash after Christmas. Sigh. I’m very happy to be on Team Artificial Tree now.

6. Christmas pajamas: yay or nay?

Neither? I don’t buy them myself, but I don’t begrudge those who do. To each their own!

7. Where do you spend the holidays?

The last two Christmases have been spent at my apartment, where my mom and I open presents, make dinner, and wait for my brother and his family to come over where we do more unwrapping and spend time together. It’s quiet and nice and no stress! In the past, we have gone to my grandparents’ home for dinner and present unwrapping, and my aunt and uncle hosted one year. This year, my mom and I will wake up early (I will probably let her sleep until 8am but no later!) and open our gifts to each other, and then my brother and his family will come over to open gifts, and we’ll head over to my grandparents’ home in the late afternoon for dinner and quality family time. And hopefully a raucous game of Apples to Apples? Yes.

8. Food that you always have to have during the holiday season? Favorite Christmas food/treat?

There really isn’t any specific Christmas food I have to have. But I do love baking peanut butter blossoms and eating candy. Lots of candy. I always feel like I need a detox after December because I hop myself up on so much sugar.

9. Open presents all at once or take turns? Stockings: yes or no?

We always take turns when opening presents! When I was younger, my dad would play “Santa” and hand out the presents to us, usually rotating between my brother and me. And we would all watch as the person opened. I really never understood movies where the kids would open all their presents before their parents even woke up. Where is the fun in that? (I’m looking at YOU, The Santa Clause.)

And a yes to stockings! I’ve always had a stocking, although this year my mom and I are doing something different where we put something in each other’s stocking for the 12 days leading up to Christmas. It’s been very fun to have a special something to look forward to every day! There were some bumps in the road as we try to figure out the best way to go about this, but I think it’s a tradition we will continue.

10. Favorite Christmas(ish) movie?

The Santa Clause! I think the movie is so great and brings about lots of memories for my brother and me. It’s one of those movies I can quote as I watch it. And let’s not forget about Bernard. Swoon.

Elf, though, is a super close second. It is such a great Christmas movie. One of the best, in my opinion. The Santa Clause gets first nod because it has so many memories attached to it.

What do you usually eat on Christmas morning – it has to be better than candy! Do you open presents all at once or take turns?

Don’t forget! I’m having a fun holiday giveaway. One lucky person will walk away with a bunch of goodies. All you have to do is comment on this post with your holiday confession.

Categories: Holidays

Holiday Week: Christmas Town

Not my photo. iPhone’s do not take good nighttime photos. Credit here.

For my birthday, my grandma gave me a ticket to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens in Tampa. This was the inaugural year for the celebration and since I love all things Christmas, I wanted to go. I have been to Sea World’s Christmas celebration a few times and I absolutely love it. I love seeing theme parks dressed up for the holidays and the shows are usually spectacular.

So I had high hopes for Christmas Town!

The park wasn’t too packed for a Saturday night and the first thing we did was get in line for some eggnog and a fresh-baked cookie. My mom decided on a candy-cane Sprite which was basically Sprite with a splash of mint and a candy cane garnish. My eggnog was lukewarm and tasted like I was drinking Bubble Yum. So not my favorite. The cookie was good, though!

After our snack, we strolled around the park and looked at all the different shops. There wasn’t anything I particularly felt like buying. We passed SnowWorld which was a little snow-filled wonderland but seemed to be mainly for little kids and had a 2-hour wait. I realize this may sound funny to some of you who can actually just, you know, WALK OUTSIDE and play in the snow. Here in Florida (where I wore flip-flops and felt a little warm in my long-sleeved t-shirt in mid-December), we actually pay good money and wait in long lines to play in fake snow.

We sung Christmas carols on a train ride through the darkened park. I rode the fast-paced roller coaster, Cheetah Hunt, twice. And we took in a spectacular ice skating show set to Christmas music. (Which also featured a most adorable six-year-old girl.) We ended the night taking in a show by Jars of Clay, one of my all-time favorite bands. My mom said I had a goofy grin on my face the entire time and I just couldn’t help it! Their music has gotten me through some of my rougher moments and seeing them in the flesh was a highlight of my month. They put on a fantastic show, singing their Christmas classic hit, “Little Drummer Boy,” as well as other holiday favorites.

It was a nice Christmas-sy evening and I imagine it would be a great event for those families with younger kids, but I’m partial to Sea World and their celebration. I think there is more to do and see, but I’m also deeply in love with Clyde and Seamore so that may have something to do with it. I don’t believe it’s something I would go back for, as there really isn’t a whole lot to do for adults that warrants the $30 price tag. (As a side note, though, listening to my nephew talk to me about all he saw when he went there with my brother and sister-in-law was awesome. “I saw Cookie Monster wearing a SANTA HAT! And Elmo wearing a SCARF!”)

Don’t forget to enter my holiday giveaway for some wonderful goodies, from me to you. Go here to enter.

Categories: Holidays

Holiday Week: A Wishlist

My brother, my mom, and I still do Christmas wishlists. My brother was asking for mine in October. Call me selfish, call me materialistic but I get excited about thinking of what is under the tree for me. But I am also wholly excited to see my mom and brother and nephew open their presents from me. In the spirit of holiday week, I present to you some of the things on my wishlist this year:

Otterbox Defender Series iPhone4 Case, $60

I have never been a huge fan of the Otterbox cases because they seem so big and clunky. I like sleek cases, where I can easily slip my iPhone into my back pocket and go. But then I started dropping my phone. A lot. In parking lots. On cement. On the running path. My current case, which I’ve had for a few months, is battered and parts of it have chipped off because I’ve dropped it so many times. It’s time to realize I am too clumsy to not have a more protective case for my phone. Especially since I don’t have insurance on it so if it shatters, I am so screwed.

TOMS shoes, silver glitter, $54

I have succumbed. I want a pair of TOMS. Am I turning into a hipster? Perhaps, but I just want these shoes. I have been told they are super, super comfy and I am nothing but all about comfort. I just want to try some out and see for myself!

Kindle Paperwhite, $119

Do I need a new Kindle? No. I have the Kindle Touch, got it for Christmas last year, and it’s perfectly fine. (Except for some minor scratches.) But then I saw that Kindle released a new version. The Paperwhite. With new fonts and a built-in light for nighttime reading. And I just have to have it.

Ninja Express Chop, $20

I hate chopping vegetables. It’s one of the worst parts of cooking for me and why I usually opt for the easier (read: not as healthy) meals because my hatred runs that deep. So the easiest solution to this? Get a damn chopper, Steph! It does the work for me and I can stop shying away from all those healthy dishes that require so much veggie-chopping prep work. A win-win!

Vera Bradley All-in-One Wristlet, $20

100% of my bags and accessories come from Vera Bradley. My obsession with this store knows no real limits. I have an all-in-one wristlet currently that I have used throughout the year and it’s just about my favorite thing ever because it fits all I need. All my cards and money, a place for my license to be easily accessed, and a slot for my iPhone to fit easily. The chain even lets me hang my keys off it so I don’t have to lug a purse everywhere I go. The one I have now is getting dirty and old, so a fresh new one with a new design would make me very happy!

What’s on your wishlist this year?

Don’t forget to enter my holiday giveaway – some wonderful holiday goodies from me to you!

Categories: Holidays

Holiday Week: Confessions

1. I have been addicted to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Pandora station at work. It’s so peaceful and nice. And one can only handle so many Mariah Carey holiday favorites.

2. I always forget what a huge job writing my Christmas cards is. I get so excited to start them and then life gets busy and writing them keeps falling on the back burner. This year, I managed to get them mailed much earlier than normal. (And by much earlier, I mean 10 days before Christmas.)

3. Focusing on work is the hardest during December.

4. I have never spent a Christmas away from home. Christmas has always been one of those low-key holidays for my family and I like sticking close to home.

5. I am still obsessed with Christmas-themed window gel clings. It took me close to an hour to put all mine up this year and I’m getting to the point where I see new clings in stores and I’m like, “Dangit, I already have that!”

6. My favorite Christmas movie is The Santa Clause, because of all the memories attached to it. Elf is a very, very, very close second.

7. I still have yet to see Love Actually.

8. This year was the first year my mom and I actually didn’t get in a fight while stringing lights around our tree. Usually, we’re both stressed out and annoyed and end up angrily stringing the lights together. But I made us make a pact that we would not fight while decorating and we didn’t!

9. I used to insist on a real Christmas tree, but then we had a really bad experience with putting one up one year where my mom and I probably had our worst fight ever (and then ended up emotionally eating our feelings at Steak N’ Shake to a total of 2,500 calories each. For one meal.) so we go for artificial now.

10. I really, really want to get a white Christmas tree. My mom is forcibly against this. Scrooge.

11. My all-time favorite Christmas song is “Silent Night”.

12. I think “The Christmas Shoes” is one of the worst songs ever written. I’m sorry, but it’s awful.

13. My brother and I still give my mom a wishlist every year. We still do presents. We still act like five-year-olds during the holidays.

14. I still get sad that my brother and I don’t spend Christmas Eve night together, trying to stay up late and playing games until eventually falling asleep around 3AM – only to wake up bright and early at 6AM. Growing up is hard.

15. I genuinely enjoy the hustle and bustle of this time of year. Rushing around to different stores and trying to find that perfect gift – it’s all part of the magic for me!

Don’t forget to enter my holiday giveaway for some wonderful goodies. Ends on Sunday!

Categories: Holidays

Holiday Week: A Giveaway For You

Every year, I like to spend the week leading up to Christmas in full-time holiday mode on my blog. I originally began this because of Nora back in 2010 and this will be my third year doing this! I’m excited for all the posts I have planned for this upcoming week but I am the most excited about today’s post because after weeks and weeks of preparation, it’s finally here: my holiday giveaway!

Over the past few weeks, I have spent my time mulling over ideas for what to put in this giveaway. After an entire year of listening to me jabber on and on about anything and everything, I wanted to do something special for those of you who are still here and supporting me. This blog is easily one of my favorite hobbies and I enjoy the relationships that have formed because of it. Because of the support and advice I have gotten, I have found new interests, new ideas, and have pushed myself out of my comfort zone more and more.

This giveaway isn’t sponsored by any company. I spent my own time and money to put this together and I don’t say that to toot my own horn, but to say that these are things I would want in a giveaway myself and every single item was lovingly selected with YOU in mind.

So what will you win? Oh, just a few fab things…

A beautiful black-and-silver scarf
A gorgeous Eisley necklace, from Your Wishcake’s Etsy shop*
Aloe-infused socks to warm you up and make your feet feel amazing
Lavender vanilla hand cream
Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Hot chocolate packets
A journal, to jot down those blog ideas or lists at the last minute

Sounds like something you want to win? I hope so! The way to enter is easy: just leave a comment on this post with your one holiday confession. Make it good! I will choose a winner by random drawing and announce it on Christmas Eve.

This giveaway will remain open until Sunday, December 23rd at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be announced on Monday, December 24th.

*Eisley necklace provided by Kerri of Your Wishcake for the purposes of this giveaway. She is a true gem.

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