Hello everyone! Merry Christmas!! In honor of today, I’ve decided to make a little bit of a different post today. It doesn’t really have anything to do with books, but it’s Christmas, so I think that’s okay. 🙂 Today, I’m going to share with you all some of my most memorable Christmas memories and traditions.
My family has always been super into Christmas! We decorate in early November, and fill the months of November and December with Christmas music, movies, and activities.
Christmas Festivities
For my family, it’s always been a tradition to watch Home Alone on Thanksgiving night, and eat leftovers. It used to be the very first Christmas movie we would watch for the season. While we’re all too excited to wait for Thanksgiving to watch Christmas movies now, we still always have to watch Home Alone on Thanksgiving night!
Another favorite Christmas activity I do every November, is go to a Christmas tree festival. There are always so many beautifully decorated trees, and I look forward to going every year!
Christmas Eve Traditions
One of my favorite memories, is of my grandpa reading us The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve at my grandparents’ house. My family, and my aunts, uncles, and cousins would all be there, and we’d gather around by his feet as he read to us. He always had to put on these slippers that were Santa’s face, too. I remember being such a little (and not so little, lol) giggly kid when he read, because that meant Christmas was so close!
Another fun Christmas memory of mine was after we left our grandparent’s house. After my family and I got home, my sisters and I would hang our stockings, and my mom would always record us and then ask us what we want for Christmas. Books were always on my wishlist! 😉 Then my sisters and I would perform. 🙈😂 The Chipmunk Song was our annual tradition, but various other songs were performed as well. I’m still partial to my performance of Santa Claus Lane by Hillary Duff. 😜
Christmas Morning Rituals
Ever since we were little, my younger sister and I wake up super early and watch Christmas movies and eat snacks in bed before the rest of the house wakes up. We used to get up at 4 AM, but we’re old and tired now (lol) and so we don’t usually get up until 5:00-5:15, but we still continue the tradition!
My mom always makes this delicious egg casserole and cinnamon rolls for breakfast! She only makes it on Christmas. Because of that, it’s always so good, and the leftovers are always gone too fast.
After my immediate family (plus now my older sister’s husband and kids) opens our presents, we all go to my grandma’s and eat and open presents and visit with the rest of our family. It’s always a great day! 🙂
WORST Christmas Gift
The absolute worst Christmas gift I ever received was the stomach flu. It also stands out as one of my most memorable Christmas memories – even if it is a negative. It was 2008. My little sister, who was 10 at the time, woke up at 2 AM, and literally threw up all night. It was horrible. However, during the night, I still felt fine, so I thought while I might get sick later, at least I might make it through Christmas. In the words of the Grinch: “Wrong-O!” I woke up ready to open presents, like usual (which looking back seems pretty self-absorbed being that my little sister was sick all night, but hey, it was Christmas. When you’re 10, not even the stomach flu can stop you from opening presents!), and I felt a little queasy, but I admit, I’m a bit of a hypochondriac at times, so I thought it was just in my head, so I forced a smile and pushed on. I made it through opening my stocking, and was in the process of opening my first present when the flu hit full force. Needless to say, the Christmas of 2008 will forever be seared in my family’s memories as the Throw Up Christmas. And yes, in case you were wondering, the rest of the family DID get sick in the days after…
BEST Christmas Gift
Honestly, I don’t know if I have an absolute best Christmas gift. I really do love and appreciate all the gifts I’ve gotten. One gift stands out though, because I don’t think I expected to get everything that went with it. So, I think the best Christmas present I ever got was my Happy Family Barbie family. It was a controversial toy, because the Barbie doll was pregnant, but my mom bought it for me anyway, because Y’ALL that’s why I wanted it! 😂 I remember they stopped selling her with the baby bump right around Christmas, and I was so worried I wasn’t going to get the one with the detachable belly. But, sure enough, Santa came through! I got the pregnant Barbie doll and her baby, and the dad and the big brother. And then, the icing on the cake was my grandparents bought be the Barbie grandparents and kitchen set!! 9 year old me was so hyped up, and I couldn’t believe I got the whole set! I just remember going to bed that Christmas thinking about how I truly got everything I had wished for, and I was just so appreciative.
I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, and just an overall lovely day! I’d love to hear some of your favorite Christmas traditions and memories in the comments!Thanks for reading!
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Hello and Merry Christmas Eve! The big day is finally almost here! Welcome back to my final Countdown to Christmas of 2017. Countdown to Christmas is a weekly feature where I recommend a different Christmas-y book each week to read this holiday season.
Today’s book is The Child’s Christmas by Evelyn Sharp.
Members of an English country family experience the excitement and beauty of an old-fashioned Christmas season, in events leading from the early days of decoration and preparation through New Year’s Day and up to Twelfth Night.
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The Child’s Christmas is such a festive and delightful book! It tells of all the various Christmas festivities in an old-fashioned, late 1800’s/early 1900’s setting. It was really fun reading about all the different activities! Also, I really appreciated that the book started in early December, and went all the way through January 5th, the 12th day of Christmas! Learning about all the different activities they did AFTER the 25th has only pushed my love for Christmas further. You can be sure I’ll still be celebrating Christmas until then, too! Overall, The Child’s Christmas is a fun and entertaining holiday book that I think people of all ages will enjoy!
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Title: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
Pages: 198
Genres: Fiction, Christmas
Published by: Arrow (Nov. 6, 2004)
Summary
Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; they won’t be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren’t even going to have a tree. They won’t need one, because come December 25 they’re setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences – and isn’t half as easy as they’d imagined.
A classic tale for modern times, Skipping Christmas offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that has become part of our holiday tradition.
I’ve been a fan of Christmas with the Kranks ever since it was released. It’s such a fun and lighthearted Christmas movie! That being said, I’ve never read the book that inspired the movie. It’s always been on my holiday TBRs in years past, but I just never got to it. Well, I’m so glad to say I finally did!
Hello! I was recently tagged by Taylor @ Taylor Is Reading for the Christmas Party book tag! Thank you so much, Taylor, this looks like SO much fun!
Okay, let’s get started:
First, Who’s Invited to Your Party?
I’m going to have to go with all the wonderful characters from Anne of Green Gables, and Little Women. I love how classic both of these books are, and yet still so relatable. Plus, both of these books have prominent Christmas scenes, and so I know these characters adore Christmas! 🎄
The Best Decorations in Town
A Book that has a Really Great Setting
In keeping with the holiday theme, I’m going to have to go with Clara Claus. The book takes place at the North Pole, and I think that would be a pretty great place to explore!
Rocking Around the Christmas Tree
A Book That Has a lot of Music in it
*Bonus Points if it’s Christmas Music*
It’s not Christmas music, but I love how music is incorporated so much throughout If I Stay, and its sequel, Where She Went.
The Obsessive Host
The Character that Freaks Out Over the Little Things
For this one I have to go with Mia Thermopolis from The Princess Diaries. I love her, but she does have a tendency to overreact. Not that I always blame her, but still, she likes to freak out.
The Ugly Sweater Couple
That Couple that’s Annoyingly Cute
Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe are my favorite couple! They’re so cute and so perfect for each and just, I love them! 😍
Who’s Eating All of Santa’s Cookies
A Character Known for How Much He/She Eats
I gotta go with my girl, Bess Marvin, from the Nancy Drew series! She is always hungry, and up for a good meal…just like me. 😂💁🏼
Who is Kissing Under the Mistletoe
The Book Couple That You Just Really Wish Would Get Together Already
I have to go with Emma and Arden from Regal Hearts! They’re so cute together, and would make the perfect couple!! 😍
Thanks again for tagging me, Taylor! This tag was such a blast to do!!
Thank you all so much for reading!
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Hello everyone! Today for Blogmas, I’m sharing another cookie baking recipe and experience. Last week I made Christmas bells, and here’s how it went:
This is another recipe that I found from Betty Crocker’s Cooky Book.
So, here’s all the ingredients I used:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
First, I preheated the oven to 375°, and I mixed the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
Then, I mixed in the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Aftrer that, I took out about 1/3 of the dough, and put it in a separate bowl for later.
For the rest of the dough, I used food coloring and dyed it green. I put in about 7 or 8 drops.
Next, I took the green dough, and rolled it out into a long snake-like shape, and then shaped it [to the best of my abilities] like a bell.
Then, I put that dough in the fridge to chill. Meanwhile, I rolled out the remaining bit of the dough, although I left a small ball of dough to use as clappers for later.
The small dough left over for the clappers
After I rolled out the dough, I let it chill. Then, after all the dough was cold, I wrapped the rolled out dough over the green dough.
I would recommend chilling it a little bit, because for the next step, you slice the dough into cookies, and the dough squishes down. So, it’s a bit easier to cut if it’s slightly chilled. Then, after I sliced the cookies, I placed them on the cookie sheet, and used the extra dough to roll little tiny clappers.
Then the cookies baked for about 8 1/2 minutes.
Here’s how they turned out:
They actually turned out pretty well! I don’t know if they exactly look like bells, but I can kind of see it!
They tasted really delicious, too! They kind of reminded me of those Pillsbury holiday cookies. I really had fun making these!
Have you tried making Christmas Bells?
Thanks so much for reading!
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It’s Top Ten Tuesday again! It’s a weekly bookish list created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is:
Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings Me
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
This book has been on my TBR since it was first released, and yet, I still haven’t gotten it. I love Alice in Wonderland, so I have a really good feeling about this book!
The Fever Code by James Dashner
Despite my feelings about the fate of certain characters in The Death Cure, I really do love The Maze Runner series. The Kill Order was such a letdown for me as a prequel, but I’m really hoping to get some actual answers in The Fever Code!
Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall
I’ve heard so many wonderful things about this beautiful book! I’ve heard it has excellent representation, and the whole story is just really good.
The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz
While I have heard some mixed things about this book, I still really want to read it for myself. The book is mysterious and about ballet, which are 2 of my favorite things for books. Plus, look at that absolutely gorgeous cover!
The Chemist by Stephenie Meyer
I admit, part of the reason I want to read this is because of my love for Twilight. I’m really curious to see how a spy/thriller book by Stephenie Meyer is!
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
This is another book that I’ve heard so many good things about The premise of Caraval is so intriguing, and I really want to read this one!
Ringer by Lauren Oliver
Replica was one of my favorite books that I read this year, so I’m super eager to get my hands on the sequel! I love how creative this story is, and I can’t wait to read how things end!
The Color Project by Sierra Abrams
So many people love this book! I’ve heard it’s so cute, emotional, and well written. I really want to read this book!
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
I love John Green’s books, and I’ve been hearing really good things about his newest one. I really can’t wait to read this book, either!
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Everyone has been buzzing about this book lately! I just recently heard about it, but from what I’ve heard, it’s really good. Plus, it takes place in Cleveland, Ohio, and I actually live in Northeast Ohio, too, so it’s always fun to read about places you’ve seen/know of!
There’s my Top Ten Tuesday! And yes, I do realize it’s Wednesday. The past few days I’ve been busy getting school work done for winter break, and I just haven’t had the time to adequately blog. The good news though, is that I’m officially on winter break, so yay! I’ll actually [hopefully] have time to do things now!
Thanks for reading! What books do you hope Santa will bring?
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Hello, and welcome back to Movie Monday! Movie Monday is a feature on my blog where I compare and discuss books and their movie or television adaptation!
Today I’m discussing the 2004 movie, Christmas with the Kranks based off the book, Skipping Christmas by John Grisham.
Hello everyone! I can hardly believe that Christmas Eve is next week!! Who’s all ready for Christmas?! 🙋♀️ Today it’s another installment of Countdown to Christmas! Countdown to Christmas is a weekly feature where I recommend a different Christmas-y book each week to read this holiday season.
This week’s book is Ex-mas by Kate Brian.
Two Exes. One holiday adventure. Merry Ex-Mas? Seventeen-year-old Lila Beckwith’s parents just left for vacation, and Lila’s all set to throw the holiday party of the season. But when her Christmas-obsessed little brother, Cooper, discovers that global warming is melting the North Pole, he and his best friend, Tyler, take off on a runaway mission to save Santa.Lila has to get Cooper safely home before her parents get back on Christmas Eve. But the only person who can help her is Tyler’s older brother, Beau a.k.a. Lila’s musician, anti-everything ex-boyfriend.It’ll take more than a Christmas miracle for Lila and Beau to overcome their differences and find their fugitive brothers. But could a journey destined for disaster help these polar opposites fall in love…all over again?
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Ex-mas is such a fun and adventurous holiday read. It’s filled with romance, goofy little brothers, and a road trip! It has everything that makes a short and sweet YA novel. More people need to read it! If you’re looking for a Christmas themed book to read the week of Christmas, Ex-mas is a great choice!
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Title: Journey Back to Christmas by Leigh Duncan
Pages: 154
Genre: Contemporary, Sci-Fi/Time Travel, Romance
Published by: Hallmark Publishing (Oct. 17, 2017)
Summary
Treat yourself to ebooks inspired by Hallmark Christmas movies. Enjoy a heartwarming, feel-good story…and find out what happens after the movie ends.
WWII is finally over, but Hanna’s husband, Chet, didn’t return home. She puts on a brave smile during the day while nursing her hospital patients, but at night, she grieves the loss of her love.
Then the Christmas Comet appears for the first time in over seventy years, and Hanna’s caught in a snowstorm and knocked unconscious. She wakes up in modern times, and much to her confusion, her small town has changed. A local cop takes pity on her and invites her to stay with his family over the holiday.
As she searches for her place in this familiar yet different town, Hanna discovers that even small acts of kindness impact lives…and that the true meaning of Christmas is timeless. Now, she hopes to find her way back to her own time…and this year’s comet may lead her to a Christmas miracle.
What I Thought
*I received this book in exchange for an honest review. I huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley!*
I’m obsessed with Hallmark Christmas movies. Like, they’re pretty much the only thing I’ve watched since November 1st! 😂 So, when I saw there were books inspired by Hallmark movies, I had to check them out! Journey Back to Christmas was my favorite Hallmark premiere last year, so I was very intrigued to check out the book.
Hello! It’s time for another holiday book tag! I was tagged by Jenn @ Jenniely for the Bookish Naughty List book tag. 😁 So, let’s decide if I deserve to go on the the naughty list this year!
Received an ARC and not reviewed it ✅
Hasn’t everyone done this? 🙈 Especially with things like NetGalley, it’s so easy to receive an ARC, and not get around to reviewing it. I plan on finishing them all someday…I JUST NEED MORE TIME!
Have less than 60% feedback rating on NetGalley
My feedback rating is currently at 75%, which actually isn’t too bad, and better than I thought!
Rated a book on goodreads and promised a full review was to come on your blog (and never did) ✅
Bahahaha this is every book reviewer’s biggest lie. 😭 I have good intentions, guys! I really do!
Folded down the page of a book
I try to keep my books looking extra nice, so I don’t intentionally fold pages.
Accidentally spilled on a book ✅
Is this for this year? Or ever? I’ve done fairly well this year at not spilling on my books. Like I said, I try to be careful…that being said, I’ve had my fair share of splashes of tea on my books throughout the years. And, one time I spilled a giant glob of applesauce on my favorite book when I was, like, 10. It traumatized me. 😭
DNF a book this year
Not this year!
Bought a book purely because it was pretty with no intention of reading it ✅
Well, I’d like to say I intend on reading every book I get. When I actually will get to it, however, is another thing. 🙈
Read whilst you were meant to be doing something else (like homework) ✅✅✅
All. The. Time! I admit, I put off so many things to read.
Skim read a book ✅
I don’t do this too often, but if I’m not feeling the book, and I’m too close to the end to DNF it, I’ll skim it. 🙈
Completely missed your Goodreads goal
I think I’m going to reach my goal! I’ve read 48 of 52 books, and I don’t think that’s too crazy for me to accomplish in 15 days. I’m still holding out hope!
Borrowed a book and not returned it
Nope! 🙅♀️ It drives me crazy, when people don’t return my books, so I always make it a point to return borrowed books promptly. Library books, though, I always return them…I don’t always return them quite as promptly. 🙈
Broke a book buying ban ✅
Shh…Don’t we all? . 🙈😜
Started a review, left it for ages then forgot what the book was about ✅
This one’s for you The Graveyard Book! I remember the main premise, and that I enjoyed the book, but I don’t remember enough specific details to write a review for it anymore. I still have the review in my drafts, but unless I reread it, it’s never going to get a review. 😭
Wrote in a book you were reading
Unless you count the Bible, which I’m not, because that’s different, I don’t write in books.🙅♀️
Finished a book and not added it to your Goodreads
I haven’t done this either! I gotta reach that Goodreads goal! 😅
So, out of 15 things, I’ve been naughty for 8 of them. I guess that makes me on the bookish naughty list! 😭🙈😂
Are YOU on the bookish naughty list? I’d love to see your answers!
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the calico books 