WHAT I'VE BEEN WATCHING: CHRISTMAS MOVIES

Happy Christmas week! I have some updates on Christmas movies!! Right now we are in it with the Netflix/Hallmark Christmas movies- light-hearted, slightly cheesy rom-coms that we all know and love! I've been watching them while wrapping presents and working on my Christmas puzzle. From my "What I Want to Watch on Netflix: Christmas Movies" post, I checked off both Champagne Problems and A Merry Little Ex-Mas. Both were cute- A Merry Little Ex-Mas definitely has the cheesy moments but I loved getting to see Alicia Silverstone back on the screen! Minka Kelly was also great, she's always so ethereal. I would've liked a little more drama or oomph for the ending of Champagne Problems, however I have no regrets and I liked a lot of the supporting characters. I have similar feelings about A Cowboy Christmas Romance. I think both were just a bit anticlimactic for my liking! 

A pleasant surprise in the mix was Christmas at the Chalet. I started this one on a whim and it's been my favorite one so far! I also had no clue Teri Hatcher was in it until I started watching. She was great- the storyline is really cute and I loved her character! The energy she has in the movie is so bubbly and fun, I was entertained the whole time. Definitely a feel good worth watching. I started A Sprinkle of Christmas because I love any cooking/baking themes but I couldn't really get into this one. 

Switching gears to Amazon, I randomly started A Cinderella Christmas which was so cute! The OG A Cinderella Story is a forever fave but I had zero expectations on what to expect here, definitely a pleasant surprised. I really think that the leading characters can really make or break a film- Emma Rigby's character, Angie, was lovely and really carried the movie IMO. Very charming, sweet and wholesome! 

I think that covers everything I've watched so far... I'm excited to dive into some of the "Classics" next! Every year I also love re-watching all of my faves like Christmas With the Kranks, This Christmas, The Family Stone, etc. 

Wishing you a wonderful week and a Merry Christmas!! - xx. 

MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY BLOG POSTS FROM LAST YEAR

With Christmas just a little over two weeks away, I thought I'd share three of my favorite holiday blog posts from last year. I always love to reflect on the previous years + gain some creative inspiration. After looking through all of the posts, I chose these top three as my favorites. They each encompass a different part of the holiday season that I always love. Here's the line-up: 

1. CHRISTMAS WEEK TO-DO LIST - The week leading up to Christmas always reminds me of being a child. It's reminiscent of those last few days of school before getting out on break. I also usually try to squeeze in any last minute holiday things- it's the final tah-dah before the big day. While I typically make my to-do lists in the present and this post is a little specific to what I had going on last year, a lot of the items on my list are yearly traditions. 

Read here: Christmas Week To-do List 

2. ANTHROPOLOGIE HOLIDAY COLLECTION - There is always something about Anthropologie's Christmas collection that gets me every year. Decorations are a large part of what makes the season special  for me. While I know that the true meaning of Christmas doesn't lie in the decorations, it definitely enhances the time of year and makes it magical. I loved all of the copper + gold themed items in this post last year + the cute mugs. I ended up snagging both styles and love them!

Read here: Anthropologie Holiday Collection | Copper + Gold 

3. COZY GIFT IDEAS FOR HER - Alright, ya'll know I love a good gift guide. Every season I try to add new ones on the blog with my favorite picks to buy for everyone on your list. I'm definitely a cozy girl at heart so I really loved this Cozy Gift Ideas for Her post from last year. If you are shopping for a cozy gal in your life, I still love all of these picks. I would be thrilled to receive any of them + would also gift them to loved ones! 

Read here: Cozy Gift Ideas for Her 

What holiday traditions are you looking forward to this year?

MY HOLIDAY BUCKET LIST

A little throwback of my tree for encouragement, hah!

Every year I like to make a little bucket list with all of the holiday activities I want to do leading up to Christmas. This year's is probably pretty close to being the same as last year but I like to map out my game plan. I love the festive activities but the season always goes by so quickly that it's impossible to get everything I want/"need" done. Ya'll know I also work in retail which makes things harder when it comes to my schedule and if we're being honest, my overall mental energy. Ya girl is tired, ok? We're tired but trying, lol. Right now the list is everything that I think I can realistically do to enjoy the holidays + get in the spirit. 

MY HOLIDAY BUCKET LIST

+DECORATE MY TREE - Putting up a Christmas tree seems easy (and obvious) enough, however it definitely takes some motivation on my end. I don't just work in retail during the holidays, I also sell a lot of seasonal Christmas merchandise and trees. I LOVE that, however by the end of the work day I just want to relaaaxxx and do nothing. I don't always feel mentally or physically motivated to drag my tree out and spend hours decorating. I love the end result and enjoy the process once I'm knee deep in glitter, I just need a little extra push to get going. 

+PUT UP CHRISTMAS LIGHTS - Alongside of that is doing outside lights/decorations. Love the look- need a little bit of motivation to get going. If all goes well, I'm planning on just diving into everything this week. I like to do it earlier so that it's out of the way + I have longer to enjoy it all. 

+BAKE CHRISTMAS COOKIES - I'm slowly establishing my own little tradition of baking Christmas cookies every year. I think this year will be my third or fourth year making homemade sugar cookies which I always do a day or two before Christmas. They are so delicious and fun, just a LOT of work. For me it's the decorating that is the most time consuming- maybe one day I'll be a pro! 

+BUY//WRAP GIFTS - I just started buying gifts this week which means I need to get a move on! I'm definitely a habitual shopper + wrapper. Every year I tell myself to wrap as I go which NEVER happens. Maybe this will be the year? I need a system where as soon as I buy something, I wrap it up. 

+HOLIDAY MOVIES - I'm proud to say I've started early this year with this one!! So far I've watched two Christmas movies. I always love to watch the new Netflix/"Hallmarky" romance ones as well as the classics. There are so many good ones, I wish I had time to watch one every day in December. 

+CHRISTMAS LIGHTS - Always a must-do is driving around to look at Christmas lights. It's so much fun and in a weird way, a little nostalgic? I don't know if it's because we always went as kids or if just the Christmas lights in general feel nostalgic. I love seeing how everyone decorates and gets into the spirit! It really is amazing and special how many people go all out and celebrate for the holidays. 

+ DONATE//GIVE - This isn't something I've really ever talked about on the blog but one of my goals for the holiday season is to give back more. With the state of the world, it just feels like we could all use a little more good and positivity right now. I also think I need it, too. Whether you spread a word of encouragement, volunteer your time or donate monetarily- it does something good for both others and your soul. You can feel it, as strange as that may sound. I use to feel like I couldn't offer much to make a difference but now I think we can all do something, even if it feels small or insignificant. 

What's your favorite holiday tradition or activity?

8 DAYS LEFT! | CHRISTMAS WEEK TO-DO LIST

CHRISTMAS IS ONLY EIGHT DAYS AWAY! I always say this but I don't think I'll ever get over how fast time goes by. After Halloween, everything has been a blur and constant go-go-go for me (if you didn't already know, I work in retail). It shouldn't be any surprise that there are still a ton of Christmasy things left on my to-do list, lol. It's my favorite time of the year and I always want to do the festive + fun things, however my expectations always exceed my reality. I'm still holding out hope that I can cram in everything this last final week! In the spirit of Christmas (and to mentally prepare myself to get sh*t done), I thought I'd share my Christmas game plan for the week.

While I haven't done everything on my list, I've still managed to check off several things + a few extras. So far I've put up my tree (major win IMO), finished *most* of my Christmas shopping, watched a Christmas movie, opened my advent calendar daily (each day is up on Tik-Tok if you want to follow along), went to a Christmas tree lighting and looked at Christmas lights around town.

THIS WEEK'S AGENDA

+ Finish up the rest of my Christmas shopping. Most of the time I never really feel "done," but this year I've knocked off most of the people on my list. I still need to pick up a few things here + there which I'm hoping to finish up this weekend. PS-- if you're still shopping + need some ideas, check out my Holiday Gift Guides here. 

+ Wrap presents. I get in trouble with this one EVERY year. I always put it off until literally the day of + end up hating myself for it, lol. I'm going to try my hardest to start wrapping a few gifts each day this week to make it fun + less stressful. I also have some presents that need to be wrapped + shipped ASAP.

+ Ship the presents. 

+ Watch more Christmas movies. Honestly it's tragic I've only watched one movie which was Love Hard on Netflix (see my Netflix Christmas picks here). Hoping to watch a few new ones + a few favorites this week. 

+ Bake cookies! I ordered some cute cookie cutters + sprinkles so the cookies are happening. 

+ Decorate my tree? I haven't made the time to do it yet but I'm thinking I might squeeze it in. I usually leave my tree up for a bit after Christmas so I'll still have some time to enjoy. 

+ Look at more lights around town. One of my favorite things to do! 

+ Finish up my advent calendar 

Have you finished your shopping yet? 😜

7 MUST-DO CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES

It's no secret that the holiday season is referred to as "the greatest time of year." For me it's a time to reflect on my faith, spend time with loved ones and enjoy all of the festivities and traditions that come with Christmas. It's always been (and I hope will stay) my favorite holiday. It also happens to always be an extremely busy one for me! I work in retail so to say this time of year is crazy is an understatement. Between longer hours and holiday season traffic, it's both an exhausting and rewarding time. Usually I'm ready to call it a day when work is over, however I also still love embracing as much of the holiday season as I can. Whether you also have a chaotic schedule or just love this time of year, here are my top must-do Christmas Activities! Also be sure to share what your favorites are-- I'd love to hear about them! 

Martha Stewart Tree (similar here) | Glitter Candles / Nutcrackers (similar here, here + here)

+ ADVENT CALENDARS 

Advent calendars are a tradition I started doing over the last couple of years. We never had them growing up but it's something that I always thought was a fun way to bring a little extra joy to the days leading up to Christmas. Opening a small gift everyday is fun + a simple way to celebrate the season. You can go as simple or as extravagant with this one as you like-- be sure to check out The Best 2021 Advent Calendars here. 

+ WATCHING CHRISTMAS MOVIES 

I've always loved Christmas movies!! I shared in a recent post how a few years ago I wouldn't have been caught dead watching a Hallmark or Netflix Christmas movie, lol! When I was younger, I always thought they were WAY too sappy and cheesy. I was more of a sentimental + classic Christmas movie kinda gal. I've since embraced them all and even when I'm tired, I love to lay in bed + watch them. You can read about some of my favorites in this post. Should I write an updated list for this year?

+ BAKING COOKIES

My sweet tooth loves the holiday season a little too much. I'm sure I can speak for most of us that it's too easy to indulge in all of the delicious holiday food, snacks + treats. Too easy but necessary! Balance is key so I tend to be a little more lax during the holidays. One thing that's a must do activity for me is to bake some sort of holiday treat-- usually cookies! Whether you make them from scratch or buy the Pillsbury cut-outs, it's the perfect pair to all of those movie marathons. 

+ GIFT SHOPPING

I live for gift giving during the holidays! While of course it isn't the reason for the season, it's always remarkable to me how it becomes the greatest season of giving. It's a special time to give and bless others if you're able to which I love. This can also be done in a lot of different ways-- not just through a material gift or present.

+ LOOKING AT CHRISTMAS LIGHTS 

Driving around to look at Christmas lights is one of the best (and free!) holiday activities you can do. Hop in the car with some friends, put on some Christmas carols and drink some hot cocoa while you cruise around town. So magical! 

+ HOLIDAY DRINKS 

Does anyone not like the holiday Starbucks drinks?? I love them + very year I try to treat myself to a few throughout the season. It's a fun little tradition I look forward to that's festive + delish. Today I tried the Iced Chestnut Praline Latte which had a warm, spiced flavor. Yum! 

+ DECORATING THE TREE 

I'll be honest-- I don't usually have the time or energy to do a ton of decorating. Retail will do that to you! Lol. One thing that is a non-negotiable is decorating my tree. I put up a little silver tree + a small green 5' which are the perfect size. My 5' still holds a lot of ornaments but isn't massive. Sometimes I have to push myself a little to actually get everything out and get it decorated, however I'm always glad once I do it. There's something about looking at all of the lights + ornaments that brings so much joy during the holidays. I also usually have fun doing decorating once I get started + I love adding a few new ornaments to my collection every year! 

What's your favorite holiday tradition?

I love sharing my picks with you! Should you click on or make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping. Pretty cool, huh? :)