Tag: Blogmas

Winter bucket list update

Published on by Alicia5 Comments

Hello everyone, one of my Blogmas posts was a Winter bucket list and with winter basically over and spring right around the corner, I decided that I would come back and see how well I did on my little list. Most of the snow ones didn’t really happen because there were about 2 weeks in April where it was above 50 and most times the snow didn’t last long, but the rest of the ones I was able to do 🙂 Let’s get started.

  1. Finish Christmas Shopping –
  2. See the Christmas trees at the Museum of Science and Industry: Did this one also. Check out my Blogmas photo set to see some photos from that day!dec-26-biggest-tree
  3. Visit the Christkindlmarket: Check. It was so beautiful and I was able to find vegan candy there as well!! Check out my post about that day here
  4. Drive around and look at Christmas decorations: This happened on more than one occasion. Friends, family, and I drove around and marveled at many houses and did more than critique others.
  5. See the Macy’s tree and windows: The hype of doing this was real. I had never been to Macy’s to see the tree or windows and I did both of those. It was spectacular and the people involved definitely put in a ton of work to make Macy’s beautiful for the holiday season.

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    The Cubs window
  6. Go to Wisconsin for the weekend: I have done this a couple times. We were up there for New Year’s weekend and then I think another time but I can’t remember.
  7. Put up the Christmas tree: Put up our Christmas tree and took it down successfully.
  8. Have a Christmas movie night: I definitely watched sooooo many Christmas movies. It happened over a few nights (and one even in February) but I watched so many classics.
  9. Go sledding: It never snowed enough to go sledding :/
  10. Read some good books with some wintery drinks: I don’t think I ever did these together but I definitely enjoyed some great books and wintery drinks separately.
  11. See all of my friends while they are home on break: I wasn’t able to see all of my friends because of work, vacations, etc. But I was able to see a lot of my friends and I have been seeing them as well when they’re been home for Spring Break as well.
  12. Dress up on Christmas: Since I was given a Shrek Christmas sweater and was forced to wear that on Christmas Day I wouldn’t really consider myself dressed up, but I wore nice pants so I sort of looked nice
  13. Do a winter photo shoot: Did a mini shoot but nothing too extravagant.dec-10-we-forgot-to-take-a-pic-there-so-this-is-an-empty-cub-and-im-on-a-parking-garage
  14. Try to take a family photo… key word is try: This literally did not happen at all haha.
  15. Shovel some now: My neighbor with a snow blower beat us all to it each time it snowed
  16. Build a snowman: It literally didn’t snow enough to make one and when it did, the snow wasn’t good packing snow.
  17. Eat a candy cane: I didn’t even eat a mini one 😦
  18. Make Christmas cookies
  19. Build a gingerbread house: 2 of my friends and I each made one and they were super cute to be honestdec-22-gingerbread-house-fail-ish

     

    All in all I would I was pretty successful. I just need a damn candycane. 

    Alicia

Blogmas photo set

Published on by Alicia3 Comments

Good morning friends (if I ever get good enough wifi to post this), I am with my family and a friend up in Wisconsin to ring in the New Year but I still have time to blog, considering only my mother, dog and I awake right now. I’ve decided I wanted to document Blogmas in photo form. I write day in and day out on this blog and I wanted to switch it up by just showing my entire month of Blogmas in photos (and captions of course…alas… I am still a writer) Let’s get to it.


That was Blogmas.
Alicia

Blogmas wrap-up post of sorts

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Hi everyone, I realized I never really reflected on Blogmas, or even did a ceremonial extinguishing of the Blogmas torch. I have been so busy with family and friends and stuff I have had no time. I know I said I wanted to post every day during December but honestly, that wasn’t realistic. On the 24th, 25th, and 26th, I basically woke up, had breakfast, got ready, and left my house for the entire day, so there has been no time to do much of anything, let alone writing.So, I do have a few year-end posts but other than that Blogmas and Blogging in general for 2016 is done.

I’m honestly really proud of myself for blogging for 24 days in a row (especially since I had done NaBloPoMo which was every day during November and I was sort of blogged out). My initial plans were to blog every day in December like I said, but honestly, I’d much rather see friends and family than be glued to my computer for an hour or more each day. Basically, I’m pretty proud of Blogmas, and basically the entire latter for 2016 in blogging terms. I’ve been consistent, and obviously, I won’t be blogging daily in 2017, but more consistently than 1-5 times a month.

Basically, this is a total shout out to me post, toot my own horn, pat myself on the back, for not sucking at Blogmas like I initially thought I would. So, there may be another post today, there may be one tomorrow, I’m not quite sure. But I do want to make a post sharing a couple of my fave things I got for Christmas and then some 2017 goals and things you know, making resolutions that everyone and their mother know won’t happen.

Until my next post, whenever that may be.

Alicia

Waking up on Christmas

Published on by Alicia1 Comment

8:09 am: my door cracks open, letting in a line of light directly hitting my face, awakening me from my slumber

8:10 am: my sister coughs and mumbles something along the lines of “It’s Christmas come on.”

8:10 am: I jolt out of bed, wiping the sleep from my eyes, putting on my new bathrobe, pulling her into a Christmas hug as we descend down the stairs to our living room

8:15 am: Hannah Montana plays in the background (A Christmas tradition) as my sister and I peek in our stockings, hers revealing a new beauty blender and some anime figurines, and mine revealing the same beauty blender and some Play-Doh.

8:17 am: As my dog hears us ruffling through our stockings, she senses the possibility of some left over paper she can eat, and tramples down the stairs to see what all the ruckus is about. Despite her being sick she still has some pep in her step and tons of kisses to dish out.

8:30 am: I hear my mom cough and I immediately call up to her seeing if she is awake, to which I receive a heavy groan followed by a hmph

8:47 am: My father returns from Dunkin Donuts carting in a tray full of drinks for the four of us and some donuts for the three of them

9:00 am: My mother mopes downstairs finally after smelling the sweet iced coffee calling her name.

9:05 am: I am situated in front of the tree as everyone takes their seats on our furniture and my dog on my lap, I begin my role as Santa and begin to pass out presents.

9:45 am: Presents are unwrapped, coffee has been drunk, wrapping paper litters the floor, and smiles are all around.

Chrimbus memories

Published on by Alicia1 Comment

Hi everyone. Happy Christmas Eve, or for everyone who doesn’t celebrate Christmas, Happy December 24th. Since it is Chrimbus Eve, I have decided to take a trip down memory lane, and visit all the ghosts of Christmas past by sharing some of my favorite Christmas memories. Let’s get started.

My first Christmas memory I was probably 5 years old. I remember pulling up to my grandparents’ house carrying a ton of my gifts from Santa Claus. I was wearing pink Barbie sunglasses, had a pink Barbie purse, and desperately wanted to wear the pink Barbie heels I had also received, however it was snowing out, so my dad forbid it. I remember my grandparents and aunts and uncles coming up to me asking if I had gotten this for Christmas. I remarked to them that I wasn’t allowed to bring all my gifts with me (because they didn’t know that of course) but I had brought the important ones.

My next Christmas memory is a personal favorite of my sister’s. Preface: my sister was/is a HUGE Cody Simpson fan (Australian pop singer). Basically, my sister had requested anything Cody Simpson related for Christmas. Santa decided a life-size Cody Simpson cutout would suffice. When I awoke on Christmas morning, I scurried down the stairs only to be met with a dark figure hiding behind my Christmas tree. Mouth agape, I ran upstairs, to wake my sister up (why call my parents or the police when you can get help from your 10 year-old sibling when the Grimm Reaper is in your living room). We crept back down the stairs, believing someone had broken into our house, turned the living room light on, only to see that Australian pop singer in cardboard form was standing behind the tree. Thanks Santa, for the cardboard cutout of Cody, and the cardiac arrest for my sister and I. Really sweet of you.

This past Christmas was one for the books. Not only was I able to see all of my friends and family I hadn’t seen in 4 months, I was also able to receive a Shrek pillow pet. I am an avid Shrek fan (can’t believe I used avid fan and Shrek in the same sentence) and have no qualms about sharing my passion. Anyways, my sister gave me the Shrek pillowpet and I gave her a Donkey pillowpet (for those of you foreign in all things Shrek related, Donkey is Shrek’s noble steed). Shrek and Donkey currently live on the papasan chair in my bedroom. Quality gift and they have not once startled me upon walking into a room (Cody cutout reference).

I luv chrimbus and u. Bye

What’s in my winter makeup bag

Published on by Alicia2 Comments

Hi everyone, winter, while full of amazing elements, is the time of staticy hair, dry skin, and chapped lips. I can without a doubt say that none of those three things appeal to me, so I need to have some products with me at all times to combat the harsh conditions winter brings forth on our bodies. Here are my top 7 items in my makeup bag during the winter months.

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Mirror- this is a staple for every season, whether I need to re-part my hair after being outside in the wind, fix an eyebrow, or see if I have food in my teeth, my mirror is my best friend

Brush/comb- Chicago is such a windy city and just from walking out the door of my house to my car can create quite a mess of my hair. With my handy dandy brush/comb (comb usually) I am able to fix this before I start to resemble a tumbleweed.

Lotion- My skin is normally dry anyway, but add the wind and lack of humidity that winter brings, and my skin dries out completely. I bring a lotion bottle or two everywhere I go just in case my skin is feeling extra parched.

Chapstick- When I was younger, I used to lick my lips when they were chapped so people would call me “triple lip.” Now that I’m older and really really really really don’t want that nickname to make a comeback, I like to keep a thing of chapstick or vaseline in my bag to prevent my lips from chapping.

Tissue- Getting sick sucks, and having a runny nose while out and about is even worse. Always make sure to have tissues on you… just in case.

Clippers- With dry hands, come hangnails, and there is nothing worse than having a painful hangnail with no clippers to snip that guy in the butt.

Tweezers- I keep these in my bag anyway, however long car rides to family parties or vacations leave plenty of room for perfecting that brow arch

Naturally,  some of these stay in my bag year round and I have other things in my makeup bag from day-to-day such as concealer, eyebrow pencils, eyeliner, and my lip of choice, but these are specific to the season/they serve a certain purpose each season.

Also, winter is here. Or was here two days ago. I completely forgot until I saw a post about the solstice right after yesterday’s post was finished. Yay, the days now begin getting longer and it might stay light out past 400 tomorrow.

Until tomorrow

Alicia

Guide to Christmas with my family

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Hi everyone, the other day I was doing some fall cleaning, and stumbled upon a letter my friend had written me a few years back. I was going to visit her family with her where her mom grew up. Basically, she wrote a guide on how to survive a week with her family by telling me who everyone was, what they do, and just random things I should know. Since Christmas is a time when boyfriends and girlfriends meet families, I figured I would make a guide to my family, not that I have a significant other that is going to meet them this year, but maybe I’ll be able to use this in the future. So, here we have a guide to some of my family members I spend Christmas with.

Terry- My grandfather. We have Christmas at his house (and my grandma Barb’s) every year. He is allergic to chocolate but eats it anyways. Always compliment his brownies and ask him about his life as a teacher/principal and you’ll be fine. Also, if his water bottle is empty, ask if he wants a new one. He will.

Barb- My grandma. She cooks everything and doesn’t sit down to eat until literally forced to by my mother. Very nice but will call you a “little shit” if you beat her in cards. Volunteer to help with dishes and she may start crying.

Liz- My aunt. She is usually nice but can be very judgemental (especially of hair colors, tattoos, and piercings). She will eat any Rice Krispie treat that comes in her path and drinks a lot of wine.

Jason- My uncle (Liz’s husband). Can be a tool Usually is a tool who yells at the television nonstop, drinks a lot of alcohol, and is a very sore loser (he flipped the game of life and the wooden table on top of me when I got it for Christmas when I was 9). He is also known for not being a vegan supporter and giving vegans shit for being vegan. Jason has two kids- Megan and Jacob. Megan is married and Jacob changes where he lives every three months it seems.

Jim and Kelly- Jim is my mom and aunt’s brother but he’s sort of just there and they don’t spend a lot of time with the rest of the family. They are sort of irrelevant and Kelly just likes to complain about life so ignore them. They have three kids Ashley (love of my life), Luke (he said Hillary Clinton sucks so screw him), and Sean (my literally favorite cousin)

Alan and Lorene- my parentals. Pretty chill. My dad also yells at the TV (sports lol) and will probably fall asleep on the couch at some point during the day. My mom drinks a lot of wine and beer, eats too much, and the complains about how much she ate for the next 3 days.

Madi- my sister. Does not talk a lot. Usually on her phone. Doesn’t eat much. Talk to her about anime or Doctor Who and she will love you forever

Bill and Suzie- Suzie is my grandpa’s sister and Bill is her fiance. Suzie had a stroke a few months ago and is recovering. Her arm is still in a sling and she can’t speak very well, but she is doing good. Bill, just like my dad, will also most likely fall asleep on the couch at some point during the day.

Kristy- My Aunt Suzie’s daughter (not Bill’s). She has two kids (Will and Nathan) who typically don’t come because they spend Christmas with their dad. She sometimes brings a new boyfriend (she has a type- tattoos and piercings with lots and lots of hair gel, who are always super nice) and typically doesn’t bring them back. She is super nice though and is never judgey on anything. She also has really cool tattoos.

Robin and Ed- Robin is Kristy’s sister, who also has 2 kids (Kaylin(the love of my life) and Kira). Robin is super sweet and always wear high heels and dresses super nice, even when the rest of us are wearing jeans. Ed, on the other hand is very conservative, tags liberals in gun photos, and my mom and I have both unfriended him on Facebook. Do not talk to Ed… ever.

Kathy and Gary- Kathy is also my grandpa’s sister and Gary is her husband. The only thing Gary and I talk about is golf. He is always the one to cut the turkey and ham and I don’t know why. Kathy posts a lot of controversial things on Facebook followed by Buddha quotes which really pisses my mom off. No one really likes talking to her but we all have to anyways. She usuallt just talks to the adults but if a child walks in her line of sight, she can and will talk your ear off.

Patty and Mike- Patty is my grandpa’s final sister and Mike is her husband. My aunt Patty handmakes Christmas ornaments for everyone in the family. They take like 8 months for her to make them so we always remember to compliment the ornaments, not that we wouldn’t to begin with (she is very skilled and always makes amazing designs). Mike usually doesn’t come because he either has to work (no clue what he does) or is sick. So most people don’t have to worry about him.

But in the end, anyone under 20 hides in the basement until we are called up for linner (lunch/dinner) so there isn’t much to worry about. We basically spend the few hours watching Emperor’s New Groove and Princess Diaries until we are called up. When the elder people start filing out, we start playing cards and my grandparents start swearing.

Until tomorrow,

Alicia

Favorite red lippies

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Hi, everyone. Something that so many people seem to be on the lookout for, is the perfect red lipstick. Christmas day comes and you see so many women on social media donning jingly earrings and a perfect red lip. Which lipsticks are they using?

I’m sort of a lipstick connoisseur owning quite a few brands in quite a few shades. After doing so much research on lipsticks, anyone will tell you that most brands have perfected the red lipstick color and formula. If a brand doesn’t have their red formula down to a T, don’t buy from them because it is the easiest formula there is. Despite knowing most brands can in fact pull thru when it comes to a red lipstick, people still want to know what the best color is. So, I have decided to share my absolute favorite red lipsticks of all time with you all.

When I was in high school, I lived in a red Clinique chubby stick. I wore it all the time, because I A. wanted to be Marilyn Monroe (I was her for Halloween one year) and B. That was one of if not the only lip product that I had other than chapstick. I still have that product but no longer use it (Clinique tests on animals) and as I have matured, my taste in lip products has also matured to  actual lipsticks.So, let’s get to it.(All of the following products are cruelty free)

Favorite Solid Red lipstick- Colourpop Matte X Lippie Stix in “Trust Me”

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Okay okay, okay. Some of you may be thinking, “Alicia, of all of the lipsticks in the world, you are going to choose one that retails for $5??” Yes, yes I am. Colourpop lipstick colors can definitely be hit or miss. I love a ton of their products and while most of their proucts are phenomenal, some of their other ones are not as good. However, of all of their products their lippie stix are always amazing, no matter the color. Their formula is phenomenal, non-drying, dries matte (not all but this color does) and is only $5! Not only that but colourpop is vegan and cruelty-free which sends it skyrocketing towards the top in my book.

Favorite Liquid Red lipstick– Smashbox Always on Liquid Lipstick in “Bawse”

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I have used tons and tons and tons of red liquid lipsticks. However none come close to Smashbox’s. This formula is beyond perfect (and carries along with their other colors too). It is long-wear, non-drying (infused with lip-smoothing Primer Oil), dries on matte, does not budge, and can last for up to 8 hours (that’s what the website claims, but mine has lasted for 12). If you are a liquid lippie lover, this needs to be added to your collection.

Favorite Red Lip Gloss- Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss in “Punchy Red”

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I am not too much of a lipgloss wearer. I am not a fan of the sticky feeling glosses usually bring, however this Anastasia gloss (I don’t know about the other colors as I only have this color) isn’t nearly as sticky as any other brand I have tried. It also smells amazing (vanilla) and is non drying as well. I also like putting this gloss over liquid liptsicks if I want a bit of shine.

Favorite Misc Red Lipstick- Who is She Cosmetics Lip Composite in “Georgia Tea”

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Most of, if not all of you have probably never heard of this brand. This lip composite is from a brand called Who is She Cosmetics. I discovered them a few months back and have been absolutely obsessed with the brand. These lip composites are part lipstick, part lipgloss, all rolled into one cute little pot. I bought a few different colors of these, ranging from a silvery pink, a purple, a glitter, and of course this color, Georgia Tea. I have used almost the entire pot of this in the past few months. It is amazing, not transfer proof, but it doesn’t claim to be, and not drying. This doesn’t fit into any of the categories but I still wanted to share this as one of my favorites!

Until tomorrow

Alicia

My favorite Winter Drink

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

Hi everyone. If you have been following along on my Blogmas journey, you most likely know of my peppermint obsession. If you haven’t been following, I love peppermint. That being said, it’s only natural that my favorite winter drink contains peppermint: peppermint and chocolate to be exact (one of my absolute favorite combinations). To me, peppermint somehow tastes best during the winter season. I don’t know if it’s the cold weather or what, but something brings out the beautiful taste of peppermint and in the winter, I can’t get enough of it.

Being the white girl that I am, I love starbucks. Like honestly it’s not even close to the best coffee around, however, I do have a Starbucks reward card and the incentives are good enough to stay. I blogged a lot about visiting coffee shops in San Diego, however, around my house there aren’t that many, so Starbucks it is.

My favorite winter drink happens to be the Peppermint Mocha (with soy milk of course). Sometimes I will get it in frappuccino form, weather permitting. I actually have a system for which version of the drink I order. If it is above 10° (Fahrenheit) I order the frappuccino version, if it is below the 10° mark, I order the original hot version. And unfortunately, I end up getting the hot version more often that not. Curse you Chicago weather.

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Until tomorrow

Alicia

Winter mood board

Published on by Alicia8 Comments

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Hi everyone, not too much to say about this one, but here is a bit of a mood board for the winter season. I chose the color red, mainly because whenever I think of winter, the first thing that comes to mind is candy canes (shock.. I know) and holly. I also think that red contrasts with snow really well and snow is a huge part of winter. I also feature some winter drinks and cookies because warm drinks are a staple for keeping warm during the winter. Finally, I feature some red accessories (nails, lips, shoes) because those are all staples in my winter wardrobe.

That’s all for today and I hope you enjoyed this contrast from the rambles my blog usually consists of.

Until tomorrow

Alicia

Don’t take more than you give

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People who receive everything, appreciate nothing

Why are people greedy? Why is it that the people who have the most, want more? And, why is it, that they don’t appreciate any of the amenities they have?

Something I love about the holiday season is the kindness that radiates from people. People across the world donate clothes, toys, money, and time to those less fortunate than them.

While there are so many amazing people who give to those in need, there are some people who choose to not be as giving with all they have. Those who choose to be greedy, who choose to be so caught up in the receiving aspect of the holidays, they forget about the giving aspect.

A lot of times, people who choose to give back, aren’t the richest and don’t have every amenity in the world. They are middle or even lower class citizens who give all they have to give to others, even when they don’t have everything themselves.

Why are people greedy? Why is it, that people choose to take take take? To me, the reason for the season is about giving. About be thankful for all that we have and giving to those who have less, about giving to those we love. Yes, we receive amazing things, we receive gifts from people we love, but as a notion of love from the giver.

Receiving gifts is amazing, I will not lie, and I am grateful for every gift I have ever received (yes even my granola) but the look on someone’s face when opening a gift you gave them, is a gift all in its own.

Why is it, that some of us can’t appreciate a smile? Or a thank you? Or a hug? Why can we only appreciate materialistic items? Why can’t we remember that the holiday is for giving to those we know and don’t and for being thankful for what we have and are given?

Please remember to be thankful for all you have, and remember a new pair of shoes is just as great as a warm smile and loving hug.

How to beat Seasonal Depression

Published on by Alicia8 Comments

This is definitely a different sort of post. Not very festive, but still something I believe a lot of people may find beneficial. Let’s get to it

First off, you don’t. You will want to curl up under a blanket like a burrito for 5 days straight, sans a bra, sans a shower, with your door closed to the entire outer world.

You typically can’t get away with this during anytime of the year, let alone during the busiest time of the year. With trying to see all of your friends and family home for the holidays, buying last-minute gifts, and countless Christmas parties, there is no time to have a bad mental day… or 5.

Since you can’t technically ‘beat’ seasonal depression, here are a few ways to kickstart you from your funk and get you to see the people you love and do the things you love while you can.

  1. Take a shower: Something I never want to do when I’m depressed is shower. If you strip yourself of your clothes, let the warm water cascade down your body, smelling the scent of your soap and shampoo, you can remember that you can in fact, feel things.
  2. Think of all the good things the winter season brings: Hot chocolate, sledding, candy canes, snowball fights, and movie night-ins would not be as fun in June as they are right now.
  3. Buy some fun winter clothes: Not only is retail therapy my favorite thing to do in order to boost my mood, but adding color to your everyday wardrobe is sure to brighten up your life and mood.
  4. Workout: In the wise words of Elle Woods: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.”
  5. Try something new: Dye your hair, paint your nails, get a piercing of a tattoo. Do something different with your life. This change will bring a new aspect to your life that not only you will love, but you’ll be sure to receive loads of compliments from friends and family.
  6. Get outside: One reason we seem to get depressed in the winter is we lock ourselves up in our houses because of the cold. We never want to leave the house in fear of getting pneumonia. Just hopping out of the house for a few minutes everyday gets you some much-needed Vitamin D and the Sun shining down just makes everyone happy.
  7. Journal: Writing down feelings is a good way to get them off your chest and out of your mind.
  8. Get adequate nutrition: During the winter especially with all the holiday family dinners and friend brunches, we forget to get the proper nutrition. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water, eat your veggies and you will without a doubt be happier.
  9. Add color to your life: Besides your colorful clothes, decorating your house with bright and cheery colors because when you see gray outside but bright colors everywhere else, your mood may boost.
  10. Listen to cheery music: Upbeat music always gets my mood boosted. Whenever I can feel my depression coming on, I listen to a pump up playlist to beat that feeling.

Never forget that you have people who love and care about you and that they will be devastated if you miss out on seeing them while you are home.

Alicia

Go to your local Christmas Market

Published on by Alicia3 Comments

Hi everyone, this past Saturday, I had the opportunity to go to my local Christmas market. In Chicago, we welcome our German heritage and endure blistering winds and scorching deserts… pardon my Shrek reference. Anyway, we endure the cold and drive the 15 minutes to the Christkindlmarket to drink hot wine, buy German candy, and look at overpriced, handcrafted ornaments.

Typically, going to the Christkindlmarket is a huge event, beginning with breakfast for 15 at Heaven on 7th, followed by a half an hour bathroom break, and finally making our way to the market.

This year, however, there was a scheduling conflict, resulting with solely my mother and I attending. Due to this, we were able to have brunch at a phenomenal vegetarian diner. I had the most amazing vegan milkshake, TOPPED WITH VEGAN WHIPPED CREAM. For food, I had scrambled tofu and potatoes, and vegan bacon, despite looking like a strip of fruit leather, tasted divine. I didn’t take a single picture of my food because it was in my mouth the second the plate touched the table. My mother, however, took a picture of me at the booth, awaiting our food, but the poor lighting and eyebags resulted in me looking like a baby naked mole rat fresh out of the womb, so I will not make you see that.

After our bomb vegan meal in that cozy Boystown diner, we made our way towards the Christkindlmarket market. Being a Saturday morning in Chicago, the place was packed. We crept through crowds of people, elbowing when necessary, finally making our way to the wine tent. My mother is a huge fan of the Gluewhein (hot German wine), I, however, think it tastes like trash in a cup. This year, they decided to serve an apple flavor, to which I assumed would taste better…. It didn’t. After getting our wine and me taking a few sips to make the $8 my mom paid for worth it (she drank the rest in the end) we got in line for the sweet castle.

We became close friends with the people in front of us and behind us in line mainly because we waited half an hour to get into said castle. Also, we were the hot spot for squeezing through to the other side of the line, to which we decided was because we looked the least menacing. By the time we finally reached the entry way of the sweet castle, a group of about 10 people decided to ignore the gargantuan line before them and stepped right into the castle. Once we all yelled “there’s a line for a reason, get in it” we were back on track for getting our sweets.

I was able to find a small assortment, when I say small I mean small, or vegan treats, but still some nonetheless. By the time we were done in the sweet castle, we were completely finished with lines for the day. My mom and I decided to do a bit of holiday sightseeing, meaning seeing the Macy’s windows, Millenium park, and things of that nature, before finally returning home to indulge on our sweet treats.

Until tomorrow

Alicia

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This or That: Christmas Edition

Published on by Alicia4 Comments

Hi everyone, I was on Buzzfeed the other day and saw a question “Would you rather only eat fruitcake for the rest of your life or drink eggnog for the rest of your life.” I naturally would rather cut my own foot off before doing either of those. That got me to thinking if there were other difficult Christmas this or thats. I have never seen anyone do a post of them so far and decided I would (not that any of my other Blogmas ideas are original… You can only see “I want every Lush product in the world” so many times) If any of you want to do this, as a post or just leaving your answers in the comments I would love to see how we differ.

Santa Claus or Mrs. Claus

Naughty List or Nice Listsanta-naughty-list

Gift Bags or Wrapping Paper

Sugar Cookies or Gingerbread Cookiespic5gjzcz

Eggnog or Hot Chocolate

A White Christmas or A Green Christmas218cb53fabb5f5ff454af62c40b52b2b

Christmas Carols or Christmas Movies

Real Christmas Tree or Synthetic Christmas Tree

Snow Man or Snow Angelsnowman-wallpaper

Frosty the Snowman or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Angel Tree Topper or Star Tree Topper

Giving or Receiving

Elf or Home Alone

The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carolp01j0d4x.jpg

Those are mine, what are yours?

Alicia

Christmas Lights Rant

Published on by Alicia2 Comments

Hi everyone, since being the design editor and EIC of my high school yearbook for three years, I know a wee bit about design. I scan through magazines, catalogs, houses, anything I can, and mindlessly critique things based on every design rule I have ever learned. Christmas lights are no exception to my critiquing. To each his own, obviously, however, some people fail to follow very simple Christmas decorating rules that I (and almost everyone else I associate myself with) seem to know. It’s almost an untold Christmas Lights rulebook, and those who break those rules are subject to my wrath, and probably any other passer-Byers as well.

The rules go as follows:

  1. No mixing of colored lights and white lights.
  2. No mixing of new white lights and old white lights: While they are both advertised as white, we all know they should be sold as “Yellow snow” and “blue purple white”… we knowcomparing-white-led-christmas-lights
  3. Keep in lowkey with the flashing lights, we don’t want any seizures: The twinkling icicles are okay, but when your neighbor has like strobe Christmas lights, it makes me want to cut their circuit breaker.43252-flashing-christmas-light
  4. Don’t overkill with the blow-ups: They look dead and sad during the day and if you have 5 different Santas, it’s a bit much.

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    i will not enter your house if it resembles this
  5. Keep the bulbs the same(ish) size: Having teeny bulbs mixed with baseball sized bulbs looks obnoxious and just doesn’t flow.
  6. Do not mix Jesus Christmas with Hallmark Christmas: Having a nativity scene next to Rudolph…? Why? Usually the people who make this mistake are the ones whose profile pictures are a picture of Jesus surrounded by Cursive lettering saying “Remember the reason for the season.” Pick one. Jesus or Santa, not both,

    florida-west-miami-christmas-winter-holiday-decoration-xmas-manger-anpyxm
    note lifesize santa on porch
  7. If you for some reason must use old and new lights or white and colored. DO NOT….I repeat DO NOT switch lines on the middle of a bush, tree, etc.: Ugh, not many people mess up this much, but I saw one house near me that did it and I almost vomited.
  8. Take your decoration down by January 15th: I don’t care if it’s blizzarding outside or -30 degrees, take them down. Winter decor is fine, but when you have Santa and his sleigh outside your house on Easter, people will either think you’re very lazy, or very prompt.

Obviously everyone can do their own thing, but from a design aspect and an aesthetic standpoint, if you do these, you are horrible. Make your lights and decorations flow and keep the palette pleasing. Until tomorrow

Alicia