13+ Fantastic Christmas Movies

There have been a large number of lists on this blog as of lately, but with Christmas coming and the new year around the corner, I suppose it is inevitable.

Unlike my favorite Christmas tunes, I can almost guarantee you that the following list of movies will not be watched this year. I don't really watch movies often, and Christmas movies are no exception. This list of movies is, however, a selection that does remind me of Christmas whenever it is that I do get around to watching them.

1. Home Alone & Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

(Home Alone)

(Home Alone 2: Lost in New York)

If there are any Christmas movies that stand out from my childhood most vividly, it is this series featuring Macaulay Culkin. The Christmas music is superb, the concept of a child defending himself and getting lost in New York at Christmas time is spectacular, and who can forget the two bad guys – Harry and Marv? If you have never seen this movie, I highly recommend it for Christmas time or any time really! :)

2. The Family Stone

I really can't imagine a more perfect re-enactment of what Christmas is like for a completely dysfunctional family. (Aren't we all part of one?) The large array of well-known actors and actresses may have encouraged you to see this movie, but the comedic aspect will keep you entertained throughout. 

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas Live Action/cartoon

Before Universal put out the live action version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, it was Christmas tradition to watch the cartoon version on television every year. I'm not entirely certain which version of this story that I like the best. Both versions are adorable with Cindy Lou Who and all of the people in Whoville reminding us that perhaps Christmas is more than gifts under the tree.

4. Miracle on 34th Street (1994)

While this version of Miracle on 34th Street is not the original, it is the one I grew up watching and thus the one I most associate with Christmas. The story is a beautiful one about the belief of a young girl, her mother, and a lawyer who fight for the rights of a Santa Claus that will inevitably bring a miracle or two into their lives.

5. The Santa Clause

Guess what? Tim Allen killed Santa. Or something like that. What happens when you kill Santa? Your whole world turns upside down. Somewhere between the weight gain, super-fast beard growth, and present delivery, Tim Allen (aka Scott Calvin) and family must figure out how to fit a new career into an already challenging world.

6. A Christmas Story

To be honest, this movie… Ummm… no. I always saw it as incredibly stupid and thus hated it. I can't say my feelings have changed over the years, but, as circumstance would have it, A Christmas Story is a movie that my husband's family loves to enjoy every Christmas. As soon as I figure out why, I'll come back and share. Until then…

7. The Polar Express

This was an amazing book from my childhood, so I was very excited when I discovered it was being made into a movie. The movie was made very well with beautiful music and incredible visuals; however, despite how well made this movie was, I encourage you to check out the children's Caldecott award winning book of the same title by Chris Van Allsburg. A movie can only do so much for a well-illustrated children's book.

8. Prancer

Apparently there are a lot of Christmas movies with little girls as the main characters; Prancer is no exception. When a young girl stumbles across a reindeer, it takes a lot of belief (and patience from her family, friends, and neighbors) to get the reindeer back to health and back to Santa.

9. The Holiday/Sleepless in Seattle/While You Were Sleeping

(The Holiday)

(Sleepless In Seattle)

(While You Were Sleeping)

When I was trying to pick out my favorite Christmas movies and looking at google lists, all of the above movies were mentioned. While they didn't come to my mind initially as Christmas movies, after seeing the titles listed, I couldn't think of them as anything but Christmas movies. All are romantic comedies that take place around Christmas time and just make you feel good even if they don't offer the most surprising of endings.

10. Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town/Frosty the Snowman/Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

(end scene of movie)

I truly cannot imagine a Christmas without this series of cartoons being shown on tv. They are the staple characters of Christmas that every child knows and loves. Plus, the movies are short enough to distract without encouraging tons of tv time. Would it really be Christmas without these delightful characters and stories in our memories?

11. A Charlie Brown Christmas

Following the above cartoons on my list is the Peanuts in A Charlie Brown Christmas. Charlie Brown and friends feel that Christmas is over-commercialized. Everything Charlie Brown does is wrong including picking out the Christmas tree. It all works out though when Linus shares the true meaning of Christmas with Charlie Brown, and everyone comes together to make Christmas special.

12. A Mom For Christmas

(first part of movie)

A Disney original made-for-tv movie featuring Olivia Newton John, Doris Roberts, and Juliet Sorci, the story is about a young girl who wants a mom during the Christmas season. It is yet another Christmas miracle story. Now that I am a bit older, the movie seems a bit scary with mannequins coming to life; what were they thinking when they made this movie?! How many kids has this story freaked out?

13. The Night They Saved Christmas

ad from 1983

Starring Jaclyn Smith, June Lockhart, and Art Carney (big stars in the '80s?), this Christmas movie is my mother's favorite Christmas movie, and thus we watched it every year. When the Baldwins move up North, so that Michael Baldwin can dynamite looking for oil near the north pole, he is unaware that he could be endangering Santa Claus. Chief elf, Ed, comes to take Michael's wife and children to meet Santa Claus and prove to them all that Santa is indeed real and that the dynamiting needs to stop before any more damage is done. Trouble strikes when the kids go out on their own to visit Santa and warn him of pending danger; the kids get stuck in a thick arctic fog keeping them from returning home prior to Christmas eve, the exact day Michael's team is set to dynamite North Pole city where they are. If Michael allows the dynamiting to continue before his children are found, it is quite possible that he will kill those he holds dear (his children) and ruin Christmas forever.

What movies come to mind when you think of Christmas? What are your favorites to watch at this time of year? Have you seen any of the ones I have included on this list? Are there any you think I should have included? Share in the comments! :)


** Check out 31 Days of December Blogging prompts here!

My Top 3 Favorite Photos of 2013

My challenge for today was to consider my top three favorite photos that I have ever taken. Due to the great hard drive crash of 2013, my choices were fairly limited to images shot this year. Luckily, I have taken a few that I am proud of and do not mind posting again.

1. Sunset at Biltmore – Taken at sunset while stalking the Biltmore Estates, I love this Christmas scene. I almost feel like parts of the image look illustrated and not real. I can't imagine a more beautiful sunset to have captured of this beautiful historic home.

2. Atlanta View – For Justin's birthday we celebrated by taking a walk around Atlanta and discovering the many views of the city. This lingers behind as one of my favorite shots from the day taken with my cell phone! I used old editing techniques to bring this image to life, but I still come back to it frequently as one of my favorite shots of the year. Would it be better with any new editing techniques I've learned? Perhaps. It's hard to say.

3. Charleston Florals – This image was taken over the summer during a vacation to Charleston most likely inside a hotel. I took the image using old camera techniques and edited it using newer editing techniques, which I feel really gave this image the sense of beauty I was seeking and unable to achieve with older techniques. Is it as interesting as the architectural shots above? No. I still think it would be beautiful as a large canvas print hanging in someone's house though.

In the spirit of the holidays, if you find one of my original blog posts featuring any one of the above images, be the first to leave a comment below and I will send you a printed copy of your image choice. :)

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Monday! :)


** Check out 31 Days of December Blogging prompts here!

Favorite Clothes & Laundry Soap Giveaway

One of my current favorite outfits is one I was able to put together after I bought this Free People top from Bloomingdales during their Black Friday sale:

As I'm sure you read in my latest set of reviews, the Yummy Dobby Whistle While You Work tunic is super comfortable, soft, warm and I love the color. I think it may be my favorite color to wear, because it works so well with my skin tone.

While the model paired her shirt with leggings, I prefer my dark Paige skinny jeans. They are comfortable and fit me well. They may actually fit me better than my Rag and Bone jeans which is surprising since I've found that usually Paige jeans are for taller people. The ones in the image above are not exactly the same as what I have, but I can't find my exact pair online. :( I bought mine from Nordstrom Rack.

I also can't find my boots online anywhere, but I think that is more understandable since my dad bought them for me from some random cheap store in the Atlanta area that I would never be able to find again if my life depended on it. The boots above are very similar and currently found on ebay. (Can anyone explain to me why heeled boots are out of style now?! It makes me sad.)

When I put all of the pieces of my outfit together, I feel cute, comfortable, and casual. I find myself wearing the outfit while lounging around the house, going shopping at the mall, or even going to a family style restaurant for dinner. I love that people compliment the combination, but my outfit, on the whole, doesn't stick out too much screaming "look at me!" I'd never wear it if that were the case! :)

Photo credit: Internet Archive Book Images via Visual hunt / No known copyright restrictions

In order to keep my outfit looking it's best though, I use Fels Naptha laundry soap. I've found that some laundry detergent can irritate my skin, but this soap works well making laundry a much cheaper task and preventing weird smells (read: lavendar, citrus, etc…) from forming on my clothing. Plus, it gets rid of stains, because why would I use it if it didn't?

Here's the recipe Justin and I use for making our laundry detergent with Fels Naptha. It works quite well and takes minutes to put together. Plus, the savings are tremendous!

If you would like to try the Fels-Naptha bar of laundry soap, leave a comment below sharing one of your favorite home remedies for cleaning any area of your house (not just laundry). I have one coupon to give away, and I'll choose a winner next Friday, December 13.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! :)

*I was given a coupon from Purex to try the Fels Naptha bar and give away, but all opinions in this post are my own. My husband and I were using Fels Naptha soap before I was provided with this opportunity. :)

** Check out 31 Days of December Blogging prompts here!

My Top 10 Favorite Christmas Songs

Usually by October, I am already listening to Christmas music and thus sick of it by December. Not this year. Last year when my computer died on me, I lost all of my downloaded (and uploaded) music which meant this challenge was especially difficult! :)

1. Mariah Carey - "All I Want For Christmas is You" (Buy album)

 

I woke up this morning with this song stuck in my head, so I assumed it was a sign that it needed to be included in this list. (I think I must have overheard it in the mall on Black Friday while shopping, since it tends to be really overplayed.) The truth is that it's just a fun, upbeat song that really gets me in the Christmas spirit. 

2. Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas" 

 

I'm not really sure when I first heard this song. The reason behind it is pretty inspirational and awesome: raising money for an Ethiopian famine in 1984. If you'd like to read more about it, take a look at the wikipedia page. 

3. Enya - "And Winter Came" (Buy album)

Honestly, if you haven't heard this cd, you really ought to. It is absolutely gorgeous, and one I am quite happy to listen to all year-round. When I first put my headphones on in Barnes & Noble nearly 5 years ago to hear samples from this cd for the first time, I knew I would like it, but I was still incredibly shocked by the beauty and intensity of the music. 

4. Michael W. Smith - "Christmastime" (Buy album)

 

mini-rant: I hate on youtube where they try to emphasize the words and include the lyrics. Do yourself a favor and play the song in the background. Music is about pretty… not words. Or maybe pretty and words. But not just words. 

Anyway, Michael W. Smith is an awesome singer and pianist. One of my favorite albums of his is Freedom where he doesn't sing a single lyric but instead plays the piano beautifully.  

When I was trying to decide on a Christmas song of his that was my favorite, the song "Christmastime" stuck out to me. I love the beginning with the church choir and how it leads to the rest of the song.  

5. Dean Martin - "Let It Snow" 

 

This song is so pleasant and makes me think of all things vintagey Christmas including those awesome stamps I got to put on envelopes over the weekend. Plus, they used it in The Family Stone, which was such a fun movie.  

6. Johnny Mathis - "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" 

 

My mom loved Johnny Mathis when I was a child, and I always thought she was crazy. (That and the BeeGees! Ick!) And now who am I listening to? It's not my fault I associate Christmas with this song! :) 

7. John Lennon - "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" 

 

I'm not sure why I felt I had to include this song on my list. It's a mix of being slightly depressing and slightly optimistic. Perhaps I should have called this my top 10 favorite alternative Christmas songs since I don't seem to be choosing anything particularly normal. 

8. Jim Brickman feat Rebecca Lynn Howard - "The Simple Things" 

 

and Jim Brickman feat Wayne Brady - "Beautiful (Christmas Version)" 

I know most people either love Jim Brickman… or they hate him. I love piano music and sometimes elevator music counts as piano music, so I am on the side of those that actually like his music. *shrugs* 

I couldn't decide which song I liked the *most*, so I included both. Did anyone else know that Wayne Brady could sing? I just put two-and-two together that this is the dude from the tv show Whose Line Is It Anyway! :) I guess he did sing on that show some, but I think he was an interesting singer choice to record that song.

9. Point of Grace - "When Love Came Down" (Buy album)

 

For the longest time, this was one of my favorite Christmas cds. I especially like this song on the album. It's a very calming song. 

10. Amy Grant - "Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)" (Buy album)

 

I think this song is so beautifully done. Amy Grant has a beautiful voice and the lyrics are touching.

While I could probably come up with another half million awesome Christmas songs to share, with some being more meaningful and some being more Christmassy than what I have shared today, I will stop at 10. (Besides I have to go to work at some point!) I hope you enjoy some, if not all, of my music choices and share some of your favorite Christmas songs with me too in the comments below! I need to build my collection back up, and any suggestions are welcome! :)

** Check out 31 Days of December Blogging prompts here!

Favorite Picture

For the month of December, I have decided to follow along with the Reshape Your Life Blog for the 31 Days of Blogging Challenge. Obviously, as with most challenges I accept, I will not be posting for all 31 days especially since it is the Christmas season. There is a lot to do this month and not enough time to do it all! If you decide to follow along with this challenge as well, share your blog with me in the comments so I can check it out. I always love finding new blogs to follow! :)

I'm going to start with Day 3's blogging challenge: Post a favorite picture of yourself and explain why.

This picture was originally taken as a full head-to-toe shot of myself and my husband on our wedding day by our photographer. I'm incredibly particular, and I decided (with permission of course) to throw the image into photoshop and make some adjustments.

Rather than slamming the photographer and explaining all of the things I disliked about the original picture, I am going to be a bit more positive and just talk about why I like this image. :)

1. I like how skinny my arm looks. Sounds crazy, but holding your arm right up next to your body "fattens it up". I don't particularly like having fat arms. Does anybody?
2. I like the subtle pink in my cheeks and my pale skin. It's probably washed out, but I'm ok with that look.
3. I like my eyes. They look brighter than usual. Happier?
4. I like my husband.
5. I like my jewelry.
6. And I like my wisps of hair. I'm not a "perfect hair" kind of person. In fact, I'm not really a "wear hair up" kind of person either.
7. I like that my reception dress flares out more like my wedding dress was suppose to. (Grr…)
8. Finally, I like that my reception dress was more comfortable and not as heavy as my wedding dress. Plus, the getting to eat thing. (Note to future brides: eat. DO NOT do like I did where I went to bed at 2AM, got up at 6AM, and did not eat anything until after the ceremony at 3PM. You will feel awful and look like you feel in your pictures no matter how much you pay for dress, hair, and make-up.)

If I were to re-edit this picture, I'd probably brighten my irises. I have brown eyes… not black. And get rid of the tree house. It's a distraction.

I can't wait to check out others' photo choices!

Hope everyone is having a terrific Wednesday! :)

** Check out 31 Days of December Blogging prompts here!

A Life Update: Thanksgiving+

After the long holiday weekend ended, I was feeling a bit lost; I decided it was time for a life update.

1. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving

This year was the first year my mom was hosting Thanksgiving. We usually have it at my grandparent's house, but my step-grandmother (on my mom's side) wasn't feeling up to par. She was concerned about having the energy to cook for so many people (12 children and step-children including spouses, and 17 grandchildren including spouses). Rather than hosting all of this gigantic family at my parents house, the two families (my step-grandmother's and my grandfather's) split up. (Confusing, huh?)

Since it was my mother's first year hosting, I decided to go up on Wednesday to help her prepare. I thought we were going to be cooking and cooking and cooking… It turns out, my mom wanted to hand over most of the cooking duties to my husband who is amazing in the kitchen. Instead, I found myself decorating.

We pulled out china dishes, napkins, and silverware used at mine and Justin's wedding. With over 100 dishes and silverware sets, we knew there would be enough for the 20 or so people that would be coming to Thanksgiving dinner. 

My mom's favorite china set I have (and one of the most meaningful) is the set shown above given to me by my aunt (my dad's sister) to use at my wedding. She had received it more than 30 years before when she got married. :) Even though she couldn't attend Thanksgiving, it was nice having a piece of her history at the dinner table.

We also used silverware and hand sewn napkins from the wedding, decorative wine glasses I had given my mom for Christmas the year before, and a few leaves to make the place settings festive.

Justin did come up to my parent's house on Wednesday night to finish making a chocolate chunk pecan pie and a pumpkin pie, but we found ourselves returning home early since we were tired.

2. Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving morning, Justin and I woke up particularly early to go back out to my parent's house and get started on all of the cooking. Justin was in charge of cooking almost all of the dishes, and he only had until 1PM before everyone arrived.

Yours truly (me) stayed in the kitchen trying all of the different foods Justin was cooking, cleaning up after him, and mostly being in the way while he ran around the kitchen trying to get everything done. Finally, at 12:30PM all was done. French green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, ham, brussel sprouts, salad, salad dressing, stuffing, macaroni, crescent rolls, turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, and some sort of pumpkin butternut squash and sweet potato casserole (Justin's recipe) were ready and waiting for consumption.

3. Black Friday

After a relaxing day with family on Thursday (after everything had been cooked), it was time to hit the mall. I was doing a survey in which I would be paid for shopping, so we had a lot of fun with that. We stopped in Anthropologie, Free People, Macy's, and Bloomingdales taking in all of the sights and sounds of a mall overrun with people.

We were finished by noon and decided to go have lunch with a friend of Justin's. I won't go into details, but needless to say somewhere over the course of the week this friend had mentally checked out. When we were first met up with him, we weren't entirely certain he needed help, but by the end of the day it was clear. Hearing him talk to himself about everything from taking over the world to suicide verified our concerns that he needed some help from hospital staff.

4. Weekend Plans

The traumatic episode from Friday made things complicated and confusing for Justin who was worried about his friend all weekend. He tried desperately to stay on top of news and provide the hospital with all of the information he could, but we had other things that needed to be done as well.

Justin had promised to change out an electrical outlet and help move a tv. We also needed to start Christmas decorating and putting together a bunch of swag/coupon envelopes to send out. It was not a weekend of rest.

Altogether, the weekend could have been better, but it wasn't all bad. Spending time with family and friends, especially when they need you most, is one of the best thing you can do during the holidays (or anytime really). The goal is to have plenty of other holidays when everyone is well and healthy, right?

So how was your Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend? Did you do lots of shopping? And eating? And decorating? Did you dream about receiving your Christmas-stamped envelope filled with Wal-Mart photo coupons from the last giveaway? I'd love to hear about it! Share a comment or a blog entry below!

Sales, Sales, Sold

After having pinpointed two different challenges that I would love to take part in during the month of December (to keep me on my toes), I decided to take a different approach today and do some reviews after the busiest shopping weekend of the year.

Over the weekend I went to a few of my favorite stores. Since a few of those stores are currently providing promotions, I thought you might like to see a few reviews before making holiday purchases.

Two weeks ago when Free People was having a promotion I ordered the Pointelle Ruffle Hem Pullover. The details looked beautiful online and I adored the lady-like ruffles. I just KNEW I would love this piece.

Except that I didn't.

When I wore the sweater with jeans, I didn't feel like the middle section of the sweater (see where it goes up towards the middle?) was long enough. I probably could have gotten past that, but the sweater kept falling off of my shoulders. Recap: tight in the stomach area and falling off of the shoulders. Can someone please explain that to me? I tried this sweater on in an xs, so even if I had wanted to go down in size, I wouldn't have been able to. :(

If you have really broad shoulders (think: football player) and a regular size waist, this sweater should fit you. It's a soft material and see through, so you will need a camisole underneath. Otherwise, the details are gorgeous and feminine.

When I went to return my Pointelle Ruffle Hem Pullover, I saw a sweater/skirt combo I simply had to try on. It was the Cross My Heart Pullover and the FP ONE Kelisi Embroidered Skirt.

The combo was definitely cute on, but I had some bones to pick with both items.

If you look at the bottom of the Cross My Heart Pullover, you'll notice the edge is not sewn neatly. :-/ I suppose some people like that kind of thing, but in my opinion it made the sweater look cheap. If I'm paying $100 for a sweater, I do not want it to look cheap. The sweater was soft though and the perfect length to wear with a short skirt. You can choose one of five colors to buy this sweater in including black, ivory, white, beige, and burgundy.

The FP ONE Kelisi Embroidered Skirt was cute, light, and short even on a petite person, but the material was incredibly thin and almost see-through. I tried it on the ivory. If you have thin, petite legs, this could be a good skirt for you when paired with heels. I could see it being paired with a sweater for winter or something light for spring. The skirt comes in three colors.

Both these piece were tried on in my usual size of xs and they fit as expected.

I didn't actually try the Ombre Foil Dress in a Free People store, but I did try it on at Bloomingdales. I was in love with the fade of color, and I just knew the dress would be an absolute stunner.

While the color is as pretty as you see online, I was very disappointed in the quality of this dress. The straps were thick and ugly, but I thought I could cover them up with a sweater. However, after trying this dress on, I realized the side zipper hit my hips in such a way using a bad hem (according to Justin who knows a bit about sewing) that the dress would never lay flat against my body. It would always look like I had left a big tag on in the inside of the dress at the hip… or like I had a pointy hip.

If it fits you right, this dress would be lovely to wear to a holiday party, but I had to return it to the rack.

This dress comes in a wide variety of colors, so if you are not too fond of the burgundy/black color, you should check out the website and see if there is a color just right for you.

(This dress is currently 25% off at Bloomingdales for Cyber Monday!)

My favorite item that I tried on was the Yummy Dobby Whistle While You Work soft pink Free People tunic sold at Bloomingdales. I tried on an xs which was a bit roomy but it wasn't altogether unflattering. It looks great with skinny jeans and knee high boots. The material is super soft, and the shirt keeps you warm on those 50º weather days. Plus, I adore the blush pink this shirt comes in. And it has pockets! This shirt was definitely a win for me especially while it was on sale! (see: Cyber Monday sale)

I wanted so badly to love the Free People Kristal Lace Salinas Foil Print Dress (also sold at Bloomingdales), but I just couldn't get past the split down the middle of the dress. It almost looked like you weren't fully dressed. :( The sparkles on the dress were gorgeous though! You can buy it in either black or red. If you decide to order this dress, try a size or two larger than what you would normally wear. Otherwise, this dress will fit tight and not have the flowy look you see on the model.

I tried the Free People Mesh Lace Tutu on just for fun at Bloomingdales, and it is exactly how it looks. If you have a top to wear with it (I'm betting a sweater would go nicely?), it is definitely a fun piece to add to your closet. I tried on the xs which fit like normal.  I ended up putting it back on the rack, because I couldn't think of any tops to wear with it. :( This skirt also comes in black if you are not a blush kind of person. :)

The last thing I tried this weekend at Free People was the above skirt. It was soooo, sooo, soooo much fun to try on! Unfortunately I cannot find the name of it anywhere. (Help?) It was on the last item rack at Free People, and I so badly wanted it. Unfortunately, the $368 price tag quickly turned me away. The skirt was huge and it had a ton of layers including a bit of tulle. I tried it in an xs size, and it fit well after the bow was tied. The skirt ended right below my knee. If this skirt ever went on sale, I think I would be the first in line to buy it. :)

I hope my reviews have helped even if only a little bit. Remember that Free People and Bhldn are doing discounts on sale items, Anthropologie has free shipping, and Bloomingdales has 25% off all sale items today. Happy shopping! :)