Highlights

Posted in Holidays, Life by C.

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{a little holiday cheer in my home.}

It’s been a battle for Christmas cheer this week, and while it was a tight race – Christmas cheer is winning! I’ve been a little under the weather the last couple of weeks and am now on antibiotics; so naturally, things have been slightly off and Scrooge was pushing his way through to say the least. I’ve managed to keep things festive over the last few crappy (then medicated-infused) days and indulge in the holiday spirit. The best way to do that I found, was to watch tons of holiday movies, listen to lots of Christmas music, and focus on the fact that 10 days from now – my boyfriend and I are heading up North for Christmas for a week. I’m looking forward to the change of scenery and the drive (well, because I get to sit and look out the window for 6 hours).

I have to say, last weekend in particular, was especially helpful in keeping my spirits bright when I was feeling my crappiest. My boyfriend brought me a little something to decorate my place (this adorable wreath) to give my humble abode the smell of Christmas since I decided to forego a Christmas Tree this year, along with In-N-Out and my favorite candy. He sat with me all weekend, watched Holiday movies and took really good care of me. I have to give him a special shout-out! Finally, I’m looking forward to a full recovery over the weekend. Who-hoo!

And since last weekend found me trying to lay low and rest (which is not necessarily easy for me do in general), I’ll have to spend some time this weekend catching up on life. This includes laundry (like desperately), grocery shopping, and finally getting around to getting that estimate on my car (full story here).

And in case you want to know…

My Prescription for Holiday Cheer

WATCH:
* Love Actually
* The Holiday
* The Family Stone
* Mr. Bean’s Holiday (which isn’t a Christmas-themed movie, but boy did those silly antics keep me entertained for an hour and a half!)

LISTEN:
* Duh, to my Spotify Holiday Hits Mixtape.

SMILE AT:
* THIS…

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Have a great weekend!

The Christmas Project – Results

Posted in DIY, Explore, Film, Food, Fun, Inspiration, Treats, Uncategorized by C.

Christmas was officially over, but I was luckily still in the beginnings of a long holiday vacation. I love it when you have so much time off that you don’t even know what day it is, or even care for that matter.

When it came to festivities and the goals I set for myself to celebrate the season (dubbed The Christmas Project – thanks, I came up with that myself!), I did pretty well, though admittedly there were some…um…hiccups.

1. Decorate my apartment.

Result: DONE

While my prized glitter poinsettia plant (pictured in the header) died about 2 weeks before Christmas, all was well when my Christmas tree came along and provided the warmest, festive feeling whenever I was home. You can read about my tree experience here.

2. Watch at least 2 Christmas themed movies a week.

Result: DONE

Love Actually kicked-off a Holiday flick marathon for the whole month of December. Along with The Holiday, This Christmas, Just Friends, Home Alone, Fred Claus (which was so awful I turned it off so this might not count), Rare Exports, and Gremlins.

3. Get Christmas shopping done well before Christmas.

Result: DONE

I can proudly say that thanks to my pre-planning using a secret Pinterest board, this gal was done Christmas shopping by December 21st! Some of my favorites to hand out this year was an engraved business card holder for my boyfriend’s Mom who just started a new jewelry business, and tickets to The Groundlings (the best improve show in L.A.) for my boyfriend.

4. Bake something festive.

Result: FAIL

Let’s just say I did A LOT of eating of festive inspired cookies, but failed to actually make them. Honestly, this was the holiday goal I knew would be the most challenging for me to get to, even as I was typing it I wasn’t very confident. For now, this handy collage of images I made from Pinterest images will have to do in place of the fact that I was too lame enough to follow through.

5. Lots of Hot Cocoa.

Result: DONE

Okay, so I didn’t exactly count how many cups I’ve had, but suffice to say that I had at least 2 cups per week.

6. Be present.

Result: DONE (to the best of my ability)

This one is hard to gauge whether or not I actually accomplished enough to say one way or another. On the one hand, I listened to Christmas music, watched movies, decorated my apartment, wrapped gifts, and spent time with some of my favorite people celebrating the season. However, it’s no secret that this Holiday season was overshadowed by some bad news both personally and in the world around me. Suddenly, I felt guilty and a sense of missing cheer about wanting to be active in the season in light of certain events. I will give myself an “A” for effort because as I reflect, I know I did the best that I could, given the circumstances. Once we hit Santa Cruz and got into the spirit, I couldn’t have been more present and welcomed the feeling.

Highlights: Holiday Inspired

Posted in Explore, Film, Food, Fun, Treats by C.

It’s amazing how literally everything around you changes during this time of year to bring the spirit of the holidays alive. Magically, green and red colors infiltrate your world, the make-overs in store window fronts and shopping malls prompt you to spend away, Christmas trees pop up all over town, homes glow from the sparkle of lights at night, and egg nog, peppermint, and gingerbread everything become all the rage. 11 days until the big day. Here are a few Holiday themed highlights that have been making the season extra festive:

{Starbucks’ new holiday themed paper cups.}

{“Operation: watch tons of Christmas movies” has been going well. So far I’ve watched 5 festive flicks, including this fun stay at home and get cozy comedy, The Holiday.}

{These adorable reindeer made from real Christmas trees.}

{Goodies received from a recent holiday party gift exchange.}

{Gifted homemade toffee crunch.}

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