A Review of “A Christmas Prince”

Hi everyone! Today’s Blogmas post is a review of the Netflix original “A Christmas Prince.” So many people have been debating watching it because it’s not an ‘original’ Christmas movie. However, I figured I would watch that 92-minute movie to see how it ranked.

For those of you who haven’t heard of the movie, straight from Netflix comes this brief synopsis: “Christmas comes early for an aspiring young journalist when she’s sent abroad to get the scoop on a dashing prince who’s poised to be king.” I don’t want to give anything else away so you’ll all have to watch the movie for yourselves to see what happens with that journalist and the prince. 😉

Pros:

  • Ben Lamb (Prince Richard) is a cutie
  • most of the actors  in the movie I’d never heard of so it’s always nice to see new people playing bigger roles
  • Princess Emily and Amber’s relationship is so cute
  • ROMANCE!!
  • A plot twist I actually wasn’t expecting
  • The cliche

Cons:

  • Lady Sophia and Simon are so annoying (but what is a cliche movie with no annoying people)
  • That period of time where shit hits the fan and you have 10 minutes to resolve
  • The cliche

Overall Review: Overall, I adored this movie. I am a sucker for a cliche but if you aren’t you’ll probably hate it. It sort of reminded me of a Christmas Ella Enchanted just without the violence. I really liked the plot twist in the movie (that I will not share) and it was just overall a very cute and sweet movie. I’d say a 9/10 from me tbh.

Until next time

Alicia

A guide to “Secret Santa”

Hi everyone, still going strong with my Blogmas posts. Today’s Blogmas post is all about giving a successful Secret Santa gift and some tips and tricks I use to try to give the best Secret Santa gift ever!!

  1. Plan it out. Normally Secret Santa presents are supposed to be under a certain amount of money so make sure you budget for what you’re going to buy instead of going crazy the second you walk into the store. Nothing is worse than receiving a gift that is way above (or below) the budget. Plan accordingly.
  2. Talk to the person’s friends (if you know them) or try to learn more about them- Even though Secret Santas are usually among friend groups I almost always get the person I know the least. I try to go through their social media accounts to try and find out some of their favorite things and ask their friends as well for things they like to make sure the person receiving the gift really loves what they’re getting
  3. Try to make it festive- I always like making my Secret Santa gifts festive. Whether I throw in a pair of Christmas socks, hot chocolate mix or a scarf and gloves because I know I personally love opening gifts filled with holiday items because they really make me feel in the Christmas spirit
  4. Avoid funny gifts unless you know the person really well and know their sense of humor. While you may think the gift is funny the person on the receiving end may take the joke the wrong way and some hard feelings may occur.
  5. Gift receipt- Always place the gift receipt in the gift when it’s apparel. Whether it’s the wrong size or a color the recipient doesn’t enjoy, you want them to enjoy the gift, not for it to sit in the bottom of a drawer for the next 5 years.

Are there any other tips you have for Secret Santa gift giving?

Alicia

Stocking stuffer ideas

T-minus 3 days until Christmas and there are still many people at malls running around picking up some last minute gifts. I feel like with all the commotion with getting the bulk of the gifts we tend to forget about the stocking stuffers. Those are always some of my favorites gifts to receive because they are usually the first I open and it’s always fun to see what ‘Santa’ puts in them. Here are a few random ones that you can usually find in most stores and some pretty close to check out.

1. Silly Putty- Always a classic and anyone f any age will enjoy this timeless gift
2. iTunes gift card- Any music lover will love this gift card.. 10 new songs here they come
3. Hair ties- More of a girl gift, however, any human with long hair will thank you for this
4. Uno cards- Another timeless gift that any person of any age will love. Uno cards would be a hit on Christmas day
5. Chapstick- With the dry winter air there is not a soul on this earth who couldn’t use some chapstick
6. Slinky- More of a gift for a younger receiver, however, slinkys were and are such fun toys. Before everyone was glued to a screen for the whole day slinkys could be hours of fun
7.Slippers- Slippers are a great way to keep warm in the winter months.
8.Tumbler- These are super cute and they can be personalized so everyone can drink water and look good doing it
9. Christmas socks- These are pretty self-explanatory because who doesn’t love a fuzzy pair of warm Christmas socks?

My ugly Christmas sweater collection

Hello everyone, I have been one to talk about my love of ugly Christmas sweaters, and I figured I’d also share the ones I have. I only have 3 of my own at the moment but I’m certain my collection will grow. So, here’s my collection and a backstory behind each of them.


Let it Glow- The most recent Christmas sweater purchase and the most ‘fun’ one. This light up sweater was a hit at a few parties over the past few weeks and I love to dazzle the crowds with the color changing lights.


Shrek Christmas- This sweater was a gift from Santa 😉 last Christmas. After receiving Shrek and Donkey pillow pets the year before, I guess the tradition had t continue. This sweater is actually really comfortable and if there wasn’t a lifesize Ogre head on it I’d love to wear it regularly.


Homemade Sweater- I’ve discussed this sweater in posts before so I’ll keep this one short and sweet. My entire family slaved over the sweater for hours trying to make me the perfect ugly Christmas sweater. Let me say, this one is always a big hit for everyone who sees it

 

Do you have any funny Christmas sweaters?

Alicia

The Unique Blogger Award

Hi everyone, I was nominated for the Unique Blogger Award by Rachael! Thank you so much for this award and everyone definitely go check out her blog!! I love reading it. Let’s get started with the award. 🙂

The Rules:

  • Share the link of the blogger who has shown love to you by nominating you.
  • Answer the questions.
  • In the spirit of sharing love and solidarity with our blogging family, nominate 8-13 people for the same award.
  • Ask them 3 questions.

My answers:

  1. If money didn’t matter(free schooling,) what would you want to do for a career? I think I would just stay in school forever and learn as much as I could and then do whatever I liked the most
  2. What weird food combination do you really enjoy? I don’t think I have any?
  3. What was the last photo you took? A picture of Poppy (my dog) in front of the Christmas tree

My questions:

  1. What is your favorite holiday tradition (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, St. Patrick’s Day… any holiday)?
  2. What was/is your favorite subject in school?
  3. What is one New Year’s Resolution you hace for 2018 (if you don’t like resolutions what is one thing you are looking forward to in 2018)

I nominate:

A Soulful Saga     Beachy Girl Monique      A real messy beautiful twisted sunshine

Shinavy Blogs      A Beautiful thing       Life of Blind     An Emzy Life      KaylaAnn

My Christmas traditions

Hi everyone, continuing with my Blogmas posts today and today I will be talking about some Christmas traditions I have. I always felt like I don’t have any but after talking about what to do in Chicago for Christmas I’ve realized that I do have a few traditions of my own and here they are!

 

  1. Christkindlmarket- Every year (not the past two because of bad schedules however my family has kept going) my family and some family friends head to the city to have breakfast at 7th on Heaven and then walk over to the Christkindlmarket. The adults always get hot wine (tastes like garbage) and we all love the Sweet Shoppe which has an abundance of German candies, truffles, and nuts. It is normally very cold so we try to keep it short and sweet. This year, however, it was 50 degrees on the day we went so we were able to spend longer and make it more enjoyable
  2. Holiday lights- This tradition is a hit or miss for my family. We usually get there every other to every 3 years but when we do it’s so much fun. The Brookfield Zoo has Holiday Magic every year during the month of December and it’s so cool seeing all the lights littering the Zoo along with taking some cute pictures and spending quality time in the cold with friends and family
  3. Ugly sweaters- This was a tradition just started 2 years ago but each year I have received an ugly Christmas sweater… I bought one this year for myself so even if I don’t receive one as a gift I still added to the collection
  4. A weekend in Wisconsin- My mom’s best friend’s family and our family always go to Wisconsin for a weekend each winter break. No matter what else we have going on with works, friends, and family we almost always make time to see each other in the midst of the holiday craziness.

 

Those are my traditions, what are yours?

Alicia

Christmas events in Chicago

Hey everyone! If you’ve learned one thing about me it’s I love Christmas! Due to this I love doing Christmas related outings close to home! So…. I’ve decided to make a guide to Christmas events in Chicago and the surrounding area for myself and anyone else who lives here or is around for the holidays!!

  1.  The Christkindlmarket- This has been a bit of a Christmas tradition for my family for the past few years. We always buy the festive Holiday Cup (with either Gluhwein or hot chocolate in it), and candy from the Sweet Shoppe. It’s such a fun day for everyone involved despite all the crowds and below freezing temperatures
  2. The Museum of Science and Industry Christmas trees- If you ever want a lesson on world Christmases head on over to the Museum of Science and Industry. During the entire month of December (and a bit more) the main hall of the Museum is filled with Christmas tree decorated in the fashion of a Christmas from countries all over the world. It is a beautiful sight to see and it’s so much fun learning about different celebrations from around the world.
  3. Ice Skating at Maggie Daley Park– This one is not something I have ever done or will ever do (I am terrified of ice skating but that’s a story for another day) but this is something that so many people love doing. Lacing up your ice skates with some friends or a significant other (barf) and skating the ribbon around Maggie Daley park is always a day of frozen butt fun (or so I hear)
  4. Zoo Lights- Whether you go to the Brookfield Zoo or Lincoln Park Zoo (I have only ever gone to the Brookfield Zoo lights since it’s 5 minutes from my house) the holiday lights are always so incredible. I always wonder how expensive their electiricity bills are because of the sheer amount of lights that are placed on trees, bushes, and even in te sky.
  5. The Art Institute Wreathing of the Lions- This actually already happened but for next year, the day after Thanksgiving hundreds of people  gather across from the Musuem(and even on Michigan Avenue) to watch the Wreathing of the Lions. The lions outside of the Art Institute are sort of a symbol of Chicago and when they are adorned with wreaths the entire city just gets in the holiday spirit

What are some holiday events in your city?

Alicia

Christmas playlist

Hi everyone, sorry I’ve been a bit inactive over the past week. Just being home and recovering my lack of sleep over the past semester paired with seeing friends has taken its toll. Also, I queued up some posts for the past few days which I realized this morning never posted and were saved as drafts so I’ll have loads of Blogmas posts coming in the next few days. Until those upload, here is my ultimate Christmas playlist!

 

 

 

Things I hate about winter

Hi everyone, me again back to post about the things I don’t like about winter. While I mentioned before that there are some great aspects of winter there are also quite a few things that I’m not too keen on and here they are.

  1. Snow: When it starts sticking to the road, or there’s two feet of it, snow is cute in theory but when shoveling or driving… it sucks.
  2. Middle aged mothers Christmas Shopping: I was walking past a Walmart the other day and an ambulance carted away a middle-aged mother who WE ALL KNOW was fighting with another mother over a Tickle Me Elmo
  3. People who forget how to drive: when it snows people seem to forget that we have to be careful on the roads and can’t drive recklessly.Every winter I see so many accidents it’s almost unbelievable
  4. People who get offended when you say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”
  5. Dry skin: I have dry skin as it is, but with winter and the lack of moisture in the ar, my skin becomes drier than ever.
  6. Getting sick: I am literally sick all winter. Even when I’m not sick… I am.
  7. Cold… cold… cold
  8. Wet hair freezes: I can’t leave the house with wet hair or my hair might break.
  9. Football: I love football but every year as we near playoffs and the Super Bowl it reminds me just how terrible the Bears are.
  10. It starts getting dark ridiculously early

Things I love about winter

Hi everyone, sorry I have been MIA for the past few days. Studying for finals was kicking my butt. I finished finals earlier this afternoon so I am done with my first semester at OU! More on that later. Until then, I figured I would write about my favorite things about winter and then tomorrow or sometime in the near future I’ll share my least favorite things about this chilly season. Let’s get to it.

  1. Christmas: Seeing family and friends and being able to catch up on everything and anything is so nice to do.
  2. Peppermint: Candy canes and peppermint coffee, peppermint hot chocolate… I really love peppermint
  3. Cozy pajamas: Cute and warm pajamas with penguins, snowmen, Santa, or Candy Canes on them… What could be better?
  4. Christmas music: Any Christmas song is a jam and I will listen to all of them long after Christmas is over
  5. Holiday scents: Vanilla, Peppermint (if you can’t tell I’m obsessed), Cinnamon, and Gingerbread are some of my favorite scents year round but for some dumb reason it’s only acceptable to have them around during winter
  6. Snow: when it coats the trees and bushes, and the large flakes land softly on your hair, it’s so beautiful
  7. The clothes: I love boots and sweaters and scarves… basically, any item worn when it’s cold out.
  8. Baking: Spending the day surrounded by mixing bowls, spilled flour, and sprinkles are the perfect way to spend any winter afternoon.
  9. Lights: houses all over are covered with white lights, colored lights, twinkling lights, and everything in between. Driving down streets with snow-covered lights is like driving in a winter wonderland
  10. The first snow: Yes this is different than snow in general. The first snow of the season whether it happens in October or February that really marks the coming of the winter season.

Alicia

Top 5 Christmas movies

Hi everyone, Christmas movies are a Christmas tradition like no other so I figured I would share my top 5. Let me know what Christmas movies make the cut for you!

1.How the Grinch Stole Christmas: By far my all-time favorite Christmas movie. Either version is phenomenal, but the more recel-grinch-fotoent, un-animated version comes out on top. It is hilarious and I relate to the Grinch so much. Also, it is almost never on, so when it is, it is definitely a treat.

2. Home Alone: This movie is the sole thing that taught me that it’s okay to laugh at other people’s pain.

3. The Polar Express: Such a classic. My favorite part was when the conductor cut out words into each of the children’s tickets and I remember I bought a hole punch to recreate those ticket… without success, I might add.

4.Fred Claus: This was one of the worst movies ever, it was good. I haven’t seen it in ages but Vince Vaughn and a British actress whose name I can’t remember did too. The only thing I really remember is that at the end of the movie Vince Vaughn is in that woman’s bedroom and she says ‘Wh-Why are you in my bedroom?” and the way she said bedroom my sister and I still laugh at it and I have absolutely no idea why.

5. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer- This movie is such a classic and I would add Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus is coming to town because the three of these movies go together like me and falling in ice.

Alicia

Holiday Bucket List

Hi everyone! Today’s Blogmas post is all about my bucket list for the holidays! I love doing fun wintery things in the city, with friends, and then some! So, here’s a fun list of things I want to get done during this holiday season!

  1. Finish Christmas Shopping: I have a few more to buy but the bulk is done!!
  2. See the Christmas trees at the Museum of Science and Industry: We used to do this almost every year but haven’t in a while and it is such a cool thing. You get to experience Christmases from all over the world
  3. Celebrate my friend’s 21st birthday!!!
  4. Drive around and look at Christmas decorations: There is one road I drive on a lot that millionaires (owner of Portillos) live on and they have the most extravagant Christmas displays. Such a beautiful thing to marvel at.
  5. See the Macy’s tree and windows: I know so many people go to Macy’s in the winter to admire the Christmas windows and the Christmas tree in the nutcracker room but I have never done this and have always wanted to.
  6. Go to Wisconsin for the weekend
  7. Put up the Christmas tree
  8. Have a Christmas movie night: Including but not limited to: Fred Claus, Elf, Home Alone, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Santa Claus is Coming to Town
  9. Go sledding
  10. Read some good books with some wintery drinks: I have been slacking with reading and just need a cozy environment and some hot chocolate to get back into the groove of things
  11. See all of my friends while they are home on break
  12. Dress up on Christmas: You’re typically lucky to get me in jeans on any given holiday
  13. Do a winter photo shoot: Going to city with super cute clothes, snow, and holiday lights… what else should I be doing?
  14. Try to take a family photo… key word is try: My sister hates smiling, my mom can’t open her eyes and I give my dad the side-eye every time he tries to be funny… 100 attempts and still nothing worthy of sending to our 100 closest friends.
  15. Shovel some now: It’s good exercise and it’ll be nice if I do it so my dad doesn’t have to wake up early to shovel every morning
  16. Build a snowman
  17. Eat a candy cane: I used to eat them all the time but I haven’t had one in a while and I feel like the holidays can’t start until I have sharpened my candy cane to a weapon a mouth destruction
  18. Make Christmas cookies: Vegan ones of course
  19. Build a gingerbread house: They are super fun to make but I always ended throwing mine away because… I hate ginger.
  20. Spend some quality time with my loved ones while I am home

There’s my list… what’s yours???

My Christmas wish list

Hi everyone, and welcome to my next day of Blogmas… my Christmas List. Making a wish list is always hard for me because I usually don’t need/want a lot of things, however, I was able to come up with a few things that would be amazing to have, a few pertaining to my time at school.

  1. A Keurig- My roommate and I drink a ton of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate and we both agreed how nice it would be to have a Keurig next semester to spend less. This will be super cool to have next semester and also during the rest of my time at school 🙂
  2. Avocado huggers- Okay these may sound stupid but they’re actually genius. I love avocados and sometimes I don’t need/want a whole one but I have to anyways because they rot so quickly once sliced open. These huggers are placed on the avocado to help stay ripe longer
  3. A Himalayan Salt Lamp- I just think these are super cool and they’re supposedly good improving sleep, aiding in asthma and allergy symptoms, and increasing serotonin levels in the brain all of which I could use!!
  4.  Eat, Pray Love- this bad boy was on my list last year and I didn’t get it so I decided to ask for it again because I really hope to read it because everyone tells me I am similar to the main character 🙂
  5. Some sort of Lush gift set- Getting anything from lush makes my Christmas and the cute gift sets are even better! I love trying all of their festive winter products and getting other products I have loved for ages

That’s all for my wishlist… What’s on yours??

Alicia

The Christmas Tag

Hi everyone and welcome to Blogmas Day 3! I did a Christmas tag last year as well and wantd to do another one this year!!! I’m going to tag everyone participating in Blogmas to do it as well!! If you aren’t and want to participate as well… Please do!!!!

  1. When do you put your Christmas tree up? Take it down? We try to get it up the weekend after Thanksgiving. I don’t think my family has put it up but I’m honestly not sure… We take it down New Year’s Day or the weekend following.
  2. What is your tree topper? We have an angel on top of our tree but none of us are religious? I want to put a star on top of it and will have a star on my own one day
  3. Is your tree real or synthetic? Synthetic. It;s just so much easier, cheaper, and les messy
  4. Favorite Christmas Scent? Peppermint or cinnamon
  5. Can you name all of Santa’s Reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen and do you recall the most famous reindeer of all Rudolph
  6. When did you stop believing in Christmas? My neighbor ruined it for me in 5th grade I believe but I believed for another year or so
  7. White lights or colored lights? I think white lights are really classy but I love colored lights and my house is always littered in colored lights!
  8. Do you open presents on Christmas Eve or Morning? Both. I go to 5 Christmas parties over the span of 3 days so we are constantly opening gifts
  9. Have you ever had a white Christmas? Typically yes but sometimes no
  10. Are your wrapping skills pinterest worthy or “Let’s use a giftbag” worthy?” Okie dokie folks. When it comes to like clothes boxes or normally shaped presents I can wrap like no other… but when it comes to like kids toys that are neither rectangular or fit into rectangular spaces.. Put it in a giftbag.
  11. All time favorite Christmas Song? Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You.” It is such a jam and you can find me singing it at any point of the entire year. I’m also a huge fan of “You’re a mean one Mr. Grinch”
  12. Have you ever made a snowman? Of course I have. They are so annoyingly hard though. Like you make the bottom and you’re like “Ok.. I’m done.. Oh wait, I have to make two more of those things.” Plus I could never find accessories for him/her despite knowing we have like 30 pairs of gloves hidden in my house that we never use.

If you end up doing this tag, tag me  so I can see your answers!!!!

Alicia

December Goals

Another one of my famous “Goals I don’t complete” posts… WHOOPS. Anyways, here are my goals for December. Let me know yours too!

  1. Post Daily- Whether that means writing 5 posts the weekend before or staying up later to post I’m going to try my hardest to post daily!
  2. Get a 3.5 GPA or higher- I’m not sure if I will know whether or not this happened in December but all my hard working towards this will happen in December
  3. Finish Christmas shopping- I still have my mom and a couple friends but I’m doing good
  4. Try not to be a hermit- I want to go and do things with friends and family but whenever I go home I just like to curl up into a blanket burrito and sleep
  5. Stay hydrous- Drink water girlfriend!! This is always a goal but it is always so important soooooo

Until tomorrow

Alicia