Blogmas #3: Mini Movie Reviews - The Holiday Calendar and The Spirit of Christmas

First let me say, I was never the one to watch the really cringy and predictable Hallmark Christmas movies. I felt like they were all the same: following a girl in the big city who is dating either a big celebrity or millionaire who treats her like trash until she goes back to her small (usually Midwestern) hometown and finds the true magic of Christmas.

But a few weeks ago, I watched a couple of them when I was home sick. And now I'm complete trash for them especially for the ones on Netflix which leads me to this post.



Yesterday, I watched The Holiday Calendar and swooned the whole time. This movie is about a young photographer named Abby (Kat Graham) who wants to be taken seriously in her career, but her parents don't approve and want her to get a "real" job. (She works as a photographer in a JCPenney type store taking pictures of kids with Santa Claus.) Then her BFF, Josh (Quincy Brown) comes home and she has to choose between him and this perfect single dad (Ethan Peck) all while trying to figure out the magic behind the titular Holiday Calendar she receives from her grandfather (Ron Cephas Jones).

Did you guys know that Ron Cephas Jones from this movie and This Is Us is the father of Jasmine Cephas Jones from Hamilton? I am probably the last one to cross this finish line, but I had to get that off my chest that I found that out after watching this. Please don't judge me.

Anyway, I thought this movie was really cute if not again completely predictable. Both male leads were definite eye candy and I think they both had their merits, but I was extremely happy with how the romance turned out. I do wish that the movie had ended on an engagement or something. This movie is about a magical Advent Calendar so I don't think that plot point would have been too unrealistic.

I loved how this movie featured an interracial family and a biracial main character. There are so many Christmas rom-com movies out there that focus on mainly white characters and it was a refreshing change. I thought Kat Graham played a relatable lead character struggling to work at something she considers her passion. In the middle of the movie, she hits a rough patch and I definitely could see myself in her in the midst of her pigging out and smelling of "Cheez Doodles and sadness" as her sister tells her.

The magical Advent Calendar idea was done well, in my opinion, and I need one like now.

In conclusion, The Holiday Calendar was a cute one and definitely got me into the holiday mood.

Yesterday, I was again home sick, so took the time to watch The Spirit of Christmas.


Tough as nails lawyer Kate (Jen Lilley) is given the job to appraise an old inn after the owner has died. There's just one wrench in the plan: the inn is haunted by the ghost of one of its former owners, Daniel (Thomas Beaudoin).

I came into this one extremely skeptical and watch completely prepared to hate watch it. I thought the synopsis sounded too cringy, but I was surprised...in a good way. This may have just become one of my favorite Christmas rom-coms ever.

The movie wasn't predictable at all. Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, it took me in the opposite direction. I thought the plot (the characters trying to figure out why Daniel became a human in the 12 days leading up to Christmas) was original and wanted to solve the mystery just as much as they did. The chemistry between the romantic leads was through the roof, and every time they were on screen together, I wanted to melt. This is another movie where the magic of Christmas is at the forefront, and I don't think it's too saccharine or cliche. Well, okay, maybe it's the tiniest bit cliche. There were some spooky bits in this movie, and I actually jumped a few times. I mean, it's not The Haunting of Hill House creepy, but I am a scaredy cat who jumps when my dog jumps on my bed in the middle of the night so there's that.

The only thing I didn't like so much is how the main character, Kate, is portrayed as being unavailable and unopened to love. Why is it that career women are portrayed that way? Yes, she's a borderline workaholic but does that really have to mean she's emotionally unavailable?

I don't think I can say much else, because I don't want to give anything away, But just suspend your disbelief for an hour and half and give this movie a chance.

Blogmas #2: Favorite Childhood Series

When I was a kid on a cold winter's day, there was nothing I liked more than to curl up with a good book from one of my favorite series and a cup of hot chocolate. Because of the library, Scholastic book fairs, and the times my parents would finally let me buy books from Borders (R.I.P) or Barnes and Noble, I'd just have to buy one of these.

1.) The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osbourne

I adored this book series when I was about 5-9. At one point, I had every single book published at the time. These books followed Jack and Annie as they traveled through time and space (I'm pretty sure the treehouse was an early prototype of a TARDIS) to help those in need and help Morgan le Fay to become Master Librarians. I used to get them in the mail regularly because my mom always ordered them for me, and I knew that whenever I knew they were on the way, I'd just sit in front of the door. I loved learning the different science and historical facts and seeing what adventures Jack and Annie would get into next. In about 4th grade, I gave them up as being "baby" books, but I would totally love to pick them up again. 

Favorite Book In Series: Tonight on the Titanic

2.) The Bailey School Kids by Marcia T. Jones and Debbie Dadey

                                  I'm pretty sure it was because of this series that I thought one of the teachers at my elementary school was a vampire. Anyway, I loved the adventures of Liza, Melody, Eddie, and Howard. Like them, I would be totally convinced that the adult they were investigating would actually be the supernatural creature of the moment and I'd be totally surprised when they found out the truth. Yes, I was a bit of an idiot, but it didn't even cross my mind about how predictable these books were.

Favorite Book in Series: Ghosts Don't Eat Potato Chips (I legit thought this dude was a ghost. No lie. And yes, I was very gullible.)

3.) The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

                                

I mean, who hasn't heard of the Boxcar children? I remember reading the first book and being sooo concerned that these kids didn't have anywhere to live. I think this is one of the OG book series about siblings solving mysteries. The first ones I read were in fact my mom's old editions, which I thought was pretty cool. I don't think I've read ALL of them because there are just too many. I don't think I'll pick these up again because they are way too sickly sweet. 

Favorite Book in Series: The Guide Dog Mystery (mostly because this is one of the only ones I remember)

4.) The Black Cat Club by Susan Sanders

                                   

These weren't the most popular books out there, but I loved this series. They were about a group of three kids (ho solved paranormal mysteries and discovered ghosts. They were some of the first really spooky books I'd ever read and the second one about the angry skateboarder ghost gave me nightmares for a super long time. 

Favorite Book in Series: The Ghost Who Ate Chocolate 

5.) The Magic Attic Club by Various Authors

                                        

I loved this series so much and I think I might pick up a few the next time I go the library to reminisce. This series followed a group of girls (Heather, Megan, Alison, Keisha, and Rose) who met in a neighbor's attic and were whisked away on different adventures by playing dress up. This series was so important to me because it was one of the first book series I read that featured an African American main character who actually talked about the racism she faced in every day life. Up until that point, I hadn't seen that before in a contemporary book. 

Favorite Books in Series: The Secret of the Attic, Keisha the Fairy Snow Queen, Cheyenne Rose, and Alison Goes for the Gold 

6.) Goosebumps and Give Yourself Goosebumps by R. L. Stine

I don't really think I need to say much about this series. Odds are if you were an avid reader in the 90s, you read at least one Goosebumps book or two. These books equally made me want to sleep with all the lights on or stay up to read more. When the Give Yourself Goosebumps books came out, I was officially hooked. I recently read some aloud to my 3rd-5th graders at my summer camp and they loved it! 

Favorite Goosebumps Books in Series: A Night in Terror Tower, Deep Trouble, Night of the Living Dummy, Phantom of the Auditorium, The Ghost Next Door, and The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb

Favorite Give Yourself Goosebumps Books in Series: Escape from Camp-Run-For-Your-Life, The Curse of the Creeping Coffin, Return to Terror Tower, The Deadly Experiments of Dr. Eeek, and Into the Jaws of Doom.

7.) Choose Your Own Adventure series by Various Authors

I discovered these shortly after I discovered the Give Yourself Goosebumps books, so naturally these were my jam. I mean, how cool were these? We, the readers, got to be the star of the story. I would take these to my room and act out these crazy adventures. As I look back, some of these were definitely not for 7 year olds, but I really didn't notice at that point. I mean, you got to join Robin Hood and his Merry Men, become a martial arts master, solve a murder mystery, get involved in a shootout in the Wild West, witness various historical events, be a hostage, discover dead bodies, get kidnapped by drug smugglers, be eaten by a space vampire, and die in multiple different gruesome ways. 

Yeah, these were definitely not for 7 year olds. Why were these in the kids' section of the library again? 

Favorite Books In Series: The Mystery of Chimney Rock, Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey?, The Underground Railroad, Master of Judo, Gunfire at Gettysburg, U.N Adventure, Shadow of the Swastika, The Gold Medal Secret, The Mystery of Echo Lodge,Who Are You?, Terror on the Titanic, and Hostage!

8.) American Girl series by Various Authors

I really loved the American Girl series, and this and the next series on my list pretty much cemented my love of history. This was my first foray into those not-so-great events of history, but the optimism of these girls amazed me. By the way, I'm 28 and still really want an American Girl doll. 

Favorite American Girls: Addy, Felicity, Josephine, Molly, Kaya, and Cecile

9.) Dear America and Royal Diaries by Various Authors

This series, along with the next one, was my absolute favorite from the time I was 8, and I honestly still love them to this day. I remember getting at least five to eight of these from my library at a time and just devoured them. These books started my obsession with historical fiction. An obsession I still have. I actually still own a few of these and refuse to give them up. I just recently found out that England, Canada, and Australia have their own version so I'm planning on reading those, too. 

Favorite Book In Series: LITERALLY ALL OF THEM (except When Will This Cruel War Be Over because omg that one was boring and depressing).

10.) The Babysitters' Club by Ann M. Martin 

Omg, these books were my childhood. I had at least 100 of these floating around in my house at one time, and my parents finally realized I had a book addiction. I've read almost every single book of the regular series, mysteries, super specials, and super chillers. Every day, between 5th and 6th grade, I would go home and hang out with Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, Stacey, Dawn, Mallory, Jessi, and Abby. Yes, I realize how unrealistic some of the plot points were such as how they've been in 8th and 6th grade for years and how they go on all these expensive vacations, but I don't really care. I don't have any anymore, but now that they're on the Kindle...I just might have to revisit this series. And I will forever stan the movie. 

Favorite Books In Series: Let's be real, this series has about 100+ books in it. We'll be here for a very long time if I listed every single one. 

11.) The Sweet Valley Twins by Francine Pascal 

                                            

If one is not born with a twin, I think everyone at some point in time will wish they had one. I was not immune to this, especially when reading these and watching every single Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen movie ever. These books were fun, and I couldn't wait to see what hijinks Elizabeth and Jessica (mostly Jessica) got into. Before you ask, no, I didn't really like the Sweet Valley High books that much because the twins got messy as hell, and I wanted to punch them both in the face numerous times. Unfortunately, I also recently read of these and hated it, but they'll always have a special place in my heart. Of course, I may still have to pick another one up because the one I read was one where Jessica was acting really bratty. 

Favorite Books In Series: The Class Trip and The Ghost in the Graveyard

Blogmas #1: Bookish Christmas Presents

Finally, it’s my favorite time of the year: the holidays! This year is especially important to me because it’s both my first Christmas in my new apartment and first Christmas being married to my husband. (It’s still super weird calling him my husband and not boyfriend or fiancé.

Anyway, I thought I would try Blogmas this year and attempt to blog every day in the month of December. Keyword: try. I’ve been blogging a lot on Wordpress and actually forgot about this one, so I’m trying to overhaul this one and start all over. That being said, I thought it would be a fun way to come back to the Blogger website (and completely procrastinate doing any grad school work).

With Christmas and Hanukkah coming around, it seems that the thing on everyone’s mind is what to get their child/significant other/grandparent/BFFL/goldfish what to get for the holidays? If someone in your life is a book worm, then look no further. I’m going to give you some gift suggestions to give to your favorite book worm. 

Or to yourself. That's okay, too. There's no judgement here. 

1.) Bookish Apparel

                                 

                               

There are plenty of fun websites that sell clothes with fun bookish quotes, fandom related stuff, and other bookish sayings on them. Some of my favorite websites to get bookish clothing from include Society6 and RedBubble. I have the sweatshirt listed above and it is sooo comfy. These websites also sell leggings, t-shirts, tank tops, and more.

2.) Bookish Candles

                             

Okay, please only buy these if the book lover in your life isn’t a huge klutz like I am. There could be disastrous results. Anyway, I’ve seen lots of bookish candles going around the book community and they seem to be pretty popular. There’s a lot of companies out there to choose from and you can gift one of these based on your book lover’s favorite scent or book. I’ll go ahead and list the sites that I know of.

Frostbeard Studio
Wick and Fable
A Court of Candles

3.) Book Journals and/or Planners

                                   

Like this one, for example. If your bookish buddy loves to keep track of what they read or write book reviews, then this is the present for them. I just ordered the one pictured above, but I’m sure there are others out there. I particularly love this one, because there are pages that let you track which book series you’d like to finish, what books you’ve read so far, and other fun pages (i.e favorite quotes, TV shows and movies you’d like to see, etc.) I got this from Little Inklings Design who sells not only this fun book planner, but also stickers, mugs, and bookmarks. 

4.) Bookish Artwork or Posters

                                    

If your favorite bookworm loves a particular book series, then it might be a good idea to invest in getting them artwork that features their favorite series. You can find many bookish artists on the same websites that I listed for bookish apparel (Society6 and RedBubble) and also on websites such as Etsy. I feel like this would definitely be a thoughtful present especially this beautiful watercolor by the very gifted kbhend9715 if they love the Throne of Glass series

5.) Book Subscription Boxes    

If there was one thing that I think is number 1 on my Christmas list, it's getting my hands on one of these babies. Book boxes are subscription boxes for those who love to read and include a book and various fun bookish objects. Some include bookmarks, notes from the author, FunkoPops, and more. For me, Owlcrate is pretty high on my list, but there are bookish subscription boxes out there for everyone's tastes.

So, these were some fun bookish gift ideas for the season. I hope you enjoyed them!