Christmas Parties, Christmas Movies, and Christmas Day ~ My December Highlights

December was a fun, yet very fast month.

~The month started off with going to a book signing at the library.

~On December 2 we got snow!! It was fun playing out in it!! :D
We got snow a few other times this month but that day was the best snow day.

~I went to two Christmas parties. One was a work party that was super fun and the other was a party at a friends house.

~Then I hosted two Christmas parties. One for friends and one for my book club.
We also had our company/family Christmas party.

~I participated in Faith's 12 Days of Christmas blog party.

~The first full weekend I played my violin in an orchestra at a Christmas concert for the 5th year. It was lots of fun.

~I filmed 5 videos!

~Christmas!! My favorite holiday came and went. I love Christmas. :) It was a great day!

~The day after Christmas I had a girls night with some of my friends.

~I had fun watching Hallmark Christmas movies including the new When Calls the Heart Christmas!

~I read some fun books and I participated in a readathon the last few days of the month and that was great.

~Today we went to a New Years Eve party in the afternoon. The rest of the day was spent with pizza and games at home, and of course, staying up until midnight to ring in the New Year.


How was your Christmas?

2018 Bookish Recap Tag // Book Video

2018 is almost over. I can't believe it.
I'm doing a fun tag that Faith created a couple years ago. Sorry about my excessive blinking in the video... I'm not sure what was up with that. ;)
What was your favorite book from 2018? How many books did you read this year?

Merry Christmas! ~ 2018

Merry Christmas!
I hope that everyone has an amazing Christmas Day! Lets remember though that Jesus is the true reason for the season! Christmas is a fun holiday but it's also an important one. It's the day we celebrate Christ's coming to earth to be born in a manger so that He could later die on the cross for our sins so that we can one day live with Jesus in heaven for eternity.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. —John 3:16 NASB

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. —Isaiah 9:6 NASB

 In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” — Luke 2:8-14 NASB

Christmas, My Favorite Time of Year

I can't believe that Christmas is tomorrow! I'm very excited and thankfully I got all of my Christmas gifts bought and/or made. :)

This Christmas season has been so fun! =)

On December 2, we put up our Christmas tree. It's the earliest we've ever put it up and I was so excited!

December 7, 8, and 9, my brother and I played our violins in a community Christmas orchestra.

I went to a couple Christmas parties and hosted two as well. :)

I got my room all decorated for Christmas!

I read some fun Christmas books. Hopefully I can squeeze some more in between now and New Years. ;)

I watched some fun Christmas movies as well.

We got snow on December 2! It was so much fun. I went out and played in it and built a snowman as well. :)

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!!

Another Christmas Tag!

I know, you may be thinking, “Another Christmas tag?” Well, yeah, who doesn’t love to talk about Christmas!
Brooklyne over at Showers of Blessing tagged me for this one. Some of the questions are the same from the last tag I did, but most are new. ;)

1. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
We Need A Little Christmas. I did that song in a lip-sync contest just a few days ago and won. :)

2. Favorite Christmas tradition?
Our family/company Christmas party! We did it just this past Friday and it was SO MUCH FUN!!!!

3. Favorite Christmas Movie? 
I just watched a really good movie last night called Christmas Bells Are Ringing. It was really, really good!

4. What is your favorite holiday sweet? 
I have lot. One being rocky road fudge!

5. Favorite holiday drink?
Water in a fun holiday mug? ;) I don’t really know.

6. Candy Canes or Chocolate?
Candy Canes are so good and I only usually have them this time of year, but chocolate is good too.  ;)

7. Sugar Cookies or Brownies?
Definitely sugar cookies!!!

8. Do you like to buy or make Christmas gifts?
I like doing both. It depends on what I want to give and it depends on the person.

9. Does your family decorate for Christmas? 
Yes, we do! I love decorating!

10. What do you do on Christmas Eve?
In the past we’ve done our own Christmas Eve service. This year though we are going to an afternoon Christmas Eve service at our church then coming home and decorating gingerbread houses as a family!

11. What do you do on Christmas Day? 

We have a lovely day as a family reading the Christmas story, opening presents, and just spending quality time as a family. I love Christmas and I love my family! ❤️

12. What is your favorite Christmas Bible verse? 
Luke 2: 8-14


Wow, it’s already the Eve of Christmas Eve!!
Did you check out Faith's post for the day? :D You don't want to miss it! :)

Favorite Christmas Movies - Part 2 // Video

How is your weekend going so far?
I had an amazing day yesterday with my book club Christmas party and our family/company Christmas party!!!!
Here's part 2 of my favorite Christmas movies. Enjoy!
Have you seen any of these?

Remember to head on over to Faith's blog to see her fun post and to get the links to the other blogger's posts!

Only 3 days until Christmas! :D

Favorite Christmas Books! // Book Video

It's December 21st! Only 4 more days until Christmas!
Today will be a busy, but fun day for me. I have my book club Christmas party then a family Christmas party!! :D
I love reading Christmas books SO much! I'm sharing some of my favorites in my newest video!

So, do you like Christmas books? What's your favorite?

Sugar Cookie Recipe!

Today I am sharing my most favorite Christmas cookie recipe.

Sugar Cookies!!

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

6 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup shortening

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter and shortening for 30 seconds; add sugar and beat till fluffy. add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture, beating till well combined. Cover and chill at least 3 hours. Working with 1/2 of the dough at the time, on a lightly floured surface roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Place on an non-greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375* oven for 8 minutes or till done. 

This recipe is taken from a Betty Crocker cookbook. These cookies are my absolute favorite Christmas cookie ever! My family and I make them pretty much every year. We also make them other times of the year, but in different shapes. ;)
The recipe doesn’t usually make that many cookies, so we usually double (or triple) it.

Also these cookies are really good with a cream cheese frosting, and sprinkles. Lots of sprinkles!!!


Do you have a favorite Christmas cookie?

The Christmas Tag

I can't believe that the party is halfway over!

I saw this Christmas tag over at Victoria's Book Nook and thought it looked fun so I decided I would go ahead and do it!

1 // What is your favorite Christmas movie?

I actually just posted a video about some of my top favorite Christmas movies!

Favorite Christmas Movies - part 1

2// Have you ever had a White Christmas?

Yes, I have! Most of our Christmases are white. Hopefully this year will be too!

3// Where do you usually spend the holidays?

at home because there's no place like home for the holidays! ;)

4// What is your favorite Christmas song?

I love We Need a Little Christmas, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, What Child is This?, and I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

5// Do you open any Christmas gift's on Christmas Eve?

No. We used to when I was younger. A lot of times us kids would open up a gift and it was a pair of pajamas. So we'd wear those to bed and on Christmas morning as we opened presents.

6// Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

Yes, I can! ;) Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph. I play the violin and when I was younger, each year I'd play my violin at the Festival of Trees with a group of other violinists and we would always play Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and the words just got stuck in my head. ;)

7// What Christmas Tradition are you looking most forward to this year?

I'm very excited about our family/company Christmas party that I mentioned in yesterdays post. It is always SO MUCH FUN!!!

8// Is your tree fake or real?

It is fake. It's a super old tree, but it still actually looks nice after all these years. 

9// What is your all-time favorite holiday food/sweet treat?

Sugar cookies! Those are my most favorite cookies ever. I also love mint M&M's, I can only find them at Christmastime.

10// Do you like giving or receiving gifts more?

I love giving gifts!! It's definitely my love language. 

I do like receiving gifts too, but buying stuff for people is so fun!

11// What is the best gift you've ever received?

About 8 years ago I got a collectable miniature dollhouse and I just love it.

12// What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?

I would love to go up to a cabin in the snowy mountains. A Christmas town would be so cool as well.

13// Are you a pro present wrapper or do you fail miserably?

I don't fail miserably, but I wouldn't call myself a pro. ;)

14// Most memorable holiday moment?

I'm not sure really! I have so many special Christmas memories! 

15// Do you make New Years Resolutions? Do you stick to them?

I tend to make a list of things I'd like to accomplish, and I usually stick with most of them. 

16// What makes the Holiday feel special to you?

Snow!! ❄️ 

Christmas Traditions/Memories

Christmas is in exactly one week!!! That's so crazy!!!

Today I am going Christmas shopping with my mom once I get off work. Hopefully I can get gifts for the rest of the special people on my list.

Today I will be sharing some of my favorite Christmas traditions/memories.

~On Christmas morning my younger sibling and I used to always be so excited to get up early. My parents said that we couldn't get them up until 7:00, but we could get up at 6:00 if we wanted to. So my sister and two younger brothers would get up at 6:00 and hang out in my and my sister's room. As we got older and my sister and I got separate rooms she stopped getting up early with us. Now it's just my brothers and I who get up at 6:00 and hang out in my room. Although I usually have to go wake them up. ;)
Once everyone is up we read the Christmas story. Then we open up stocking and have breakfast which is usually homemade cinnamon rolls. After breakfast we open presents.
For dinner we have an early dinner of prime rib. In the evening we'll hang out as a family and sometimes we'll play a game and/or watch a movie.

~My dad is self employed so each year we have a work company Christmas party. It's just us, but it's something I always look forward to. Having a family party is a blast. We tend to have pizza for dinner. My parents put together a basket with a movie, game, and snacks. We watch the movie with our pizza. Then we play the game and eat snacks and we have a gift exchange too.

~My younger brothers and I always love to sleep in the living room by the Christmas tree at least a few times during December.

~Christmas baking. We do Christmas baking more some years then others, but it's always fun,...and delicious!


Don't forget to check out Faith's blog today!

Five Fun Christmas Party Ideas

Welcome to day 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas party!

Do you like hosting Christmas parties? I sure do! In fact I'm hosting one on Wednesday. If you love hosting parties as well, or even are looking for a fun idea to do with your family then you came to the right place! In todays post I'm going to be sharing five different Christmas party ideas.

1. A Christmas song lip-sync contest. Have your friends/family each pick a Christmas song that they know well. Play the music and have them lip-sync the words. If everyone doesn't want to participate then have them judge. Whoever does the best job lip-syncing their song wins. You can provide a fun, yet inexpensive gift for the winner like a Christmas coffee mug or some candy.

2. The plastic wrap game. Pick out a fun, small prize and put it in a little envelope and wrap it in plastic wrap. Take some candy and other small odds and ends and keep wrapping them in plastic wrap. Make sure to tear off the plastic wrap every so often and then keep wrapping. At the end you will end up with a big ball of plastic wrap with little odds and ends and candy all wrapped up in it. Put some oven mitts on and try to unwrap it before the person next to you gets doubles on the dice.

3. Gingerbread house building. You can either make this a contest or just decorate the house.

4. Watch a holiday movie! Everyone loves a good Christmas movie! Pop some popcorn and make some treats, sit back and enjoy a movie!

5. Musical gift exchange. Buy some fun inexpensive gifts and wrap it up in wrapping paper. Then wrap it again, again, and again! Wrap each present a few times.
Once everyone arrives have everyone sit in a circle give out a few gifts and start some festive music. Once the music starts everyone starts passing the gifts around. When the music stops whoever has a present in their hands unwrap one layer of wrapping paper and the music starts again. If someone unwraps the final piece of paper then they get to keep the little gift.


Have you ever played any of these games before?

Endless Christmas // Book Review

9 days left until Christmas!! Have you got all your Christmas shopping done? I haven't yet.... Hopefully on Tuesday though!

Today I will be sharing a book review.

About the Book:
Both in their eighties, Dodie and Wilson Binder celebrate every Christmas as if it were their last. This year, their only grandson, Micah, asks his girlfriend, Katie, to marry him -- in front of the whole Binder family. But things go terribly wrong when she says no. Now Katie is stuck. Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster. But, sometimes too much is just enough. Especially, when it's Christmas.
Will Katie let herself love and be loved before it is too late?


This is the first book I've ever read by this author. It was really enjoyable. I honestly wasn't sure if it would be a book I'd like or not, but it was on sale on CBD so I decided to pick it up. A friend of mine and I decided to read this book together which made it fun, but I also really enjoyed the story! It was so sweet. Micah is such a great guy and I enjoyed reading about Katie and his relationship. The whole Binder family was so fun, although I couldn't keep track of everyone. ;) I enjoyed this book quite a bit and it's probably one I'd read again sometime.

I give this book 8.5 R's out of 10

You won't want to miss Faith's post for today, so don't forget to hop on over to her blog if you haven't already!

Favorite Christmas Movies - Part 1 // Video

Welcome to day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas blog party! Are you having as much fun with this party as I am?
I love a great Christmas movie. In this video I share some of my favorites! :)


What's one of your favorite Christmas movies?
Don't forget to check out Faith's blog to see her fun post and to find all of the links to the other bloggers posting today!

Christmastime is Here ~ 12 Days of Christmas and a Book Review

Christmas is only 12 days away!!!! It's really sneaking up!
Today is also the very fabulous, fantastic, fun 12 Days of Christmas blog party hosted by my dear friend, Faith over at Stories by Firefly! This is the 4th year Faith has put on this party and also the 4th year I've participated.

I'll be doing a fun, Christmas related post each day through Christmas Day. Faith will too. You should totally check out her blog each day as well. Not only will she have a fun post going up each day, she'll also be linking to the other participants posts. These next two weeks will be very fun!
For my first post I will be doing a book review.

************************************************************

From the Back Cover: Christmas is coming, but this year feels different for Alyssa Sing. Not only is she in Florida instead of the snowy Northeast, but Alyssa misses having good friends like she did in her knitting club at her old school. Things seem to look up at the Palm Meadows Holiday Festival when Alyssa meets Rachel, Elle, and Becca, who all show an interest in Alyssa's homemade scarves. But trouble arises when Alyssa finds out her new friends used to be friends with each other...but aren't anymore. While Alyssa is glad to have Dasher, a mysterious cat that appears in her backyard, to confide in as she navigates her new school, she can't help but wonder: Will Florida ever feel like home?


This is a fun, sweet book. I recently read this book to see if it would be okay to give to my book club girls, ranging in ages from 9-13, and yes, it passed the test! It was a fun book about a girl and her family moving to Florida and the main girl Alyssa getting used to a new state that has no snow, and settling into school and making new friends. Alyssa really enjoys spending time with her new friends, but she soon realizes that her new friends used to be friends with each other but aren’t anymore. So Alyssa sets out to try and mend those friendships. Even with that part of the story there really wasn’t all of that drama that some books have. It’s an appropriate book that is great for younger reader and one that older readers may find enjoyable as well. 

I give this book 8 R's out of 10

Are you as excited about The 12 Days of Christmas link-up as I am?

The Baby Name Challenge Tag

Victoria, over at Victoria’s Book Nook tagged me for the Baby Name Challenge Tag.  

1 // What are your favorite boy and girl name from the top 100 of the year?
Girl:  Elizabeth
Boy: William

2 // What are your least favorite boy and girl name from the top 100 of the year? 
Girl: Penelope
Boy: Oliver

3 // If you had twins, what would you name them?
Girls: Ashleigh and April

4 // If you could change your name to anything, what would you change it to?
Well I do like my name, but if I had to change it I would go with my middle name: Ashleigh

5 // If you had four children, any gender, all with the same letter, what would their names be?
Ashleigh
April
Autumn
Andrew

6 // What is your favorite animal inspired name?
Umm…none?

7 // What is your favorite color inspired name?
Girl:Violet
Boy: I have no idea. ;)

8 // What are your top three favorite boy names?
William, Samuel, Eli

9 // What are your top three favorite girl names?
Ashleigh, April, and Elizabeth. I also like Laura though.

10 // What is your favorite month inspired name?
Girl: April  — No surprise there!
Boy: August...? — I’m not actually a big fan of this name but it seems to be one of the only month names for a boy.

11 // Choose a name from a movie.
Girl: Caroline (Little House on the Prairie)
Boy: Lee (When Calls the Heart)


12 // Choose a name that is already in your family.
Girl: Samantha— I have a cousin with this name
Boy: Andrew — One of my cousin’s husband has this name

13 // Choose a name from a book.
Girl: Natalie (Child of Mine)
Boy: Troy (Circle C Adventures)


That tag was a bit hard because I'm not that good at coming up with names.

Books I Read in November // Book Video

Here's my video for the books I read in November!



Thanks for watching!! =)

Behold Blog Tour

Today is the release day for my good friend, Faith's, newest book! It's a collection of Christmas short stories. The fun thing is that today is Pearl Harbor Day and a few of these short stories take place during World War II.

About the Book:
A collection of short stories honoring the birth of the Savior
From two siblings caught up in the harrowing days of World War II to separated foster children in the US...
From a memorable road trip across the Southeast to the reunion of a war-torn family...
You’ll be swept into the Christmas spirit with the endearing stories tucked inside these pages. The storylines range from family to romance to the bond of community, with settings scattered across America and beyond.
Behold the beauty of the Savior’s birth with this gathering of stories that warm the soul and bless the heart.



My Review:
Behold is a wonderful Christmas book with four short stories in it. Each story was amazing and felt so Christmasy. Not only that, each story had the true meaning of Christmas in it.
The last story is about Charity and Ryder from Dandelion Dust. So if you’ve read that particular book, this last story will be especially fun! If you haven’t read Dandelion Dust then you should definitely give it a try!
A lovely Christmas book that I'll definitely be reading many more times!

You can buy it on Amazon!

You can also add it on Goodreads!

Author Bio

Saved by God’s grace, Faith Potts is a teenage writer and homeschool graduate, living with her family and beloved yellow labs in the North Carolina mountains. When she’s not weaving stories, consuming large amounts of coffee, reading stacks of books, or studying American Sign Language, she can be found laughing harder than is healthy, daydreaming, and—of course—blowing dandelions.

Blog

Website

Facebook
Instagram

Goodreads

There's also a giveaway that you won't want to miss!!

First place:​​ paperback copy of Behold

Second place: ​​ebook copy of Behold

Go here to enter!

Thanksgiving, A Trip to the Zoo, and the Hallmark Store ~ My November Highlights

November was another great month!!!

~I started off the month with a girls night with two friends of mine! We watched some fun movies and had lovely chats.

~My mom, sister, and I went shopping the first Saturday of the month. We bought some fun Christmas decorations, along with stuff to put in the Operation Christmas Child boxes. We also went to the Hallmark store!! I got a fun shirt and a bracelet

~My uncle came to visit for a few days. It was a lot of fun seeing him again! My uncle, grandparents, and and my mom and siblings came to get lunch at the deli that I work at. It was fun seeing them all. (My uncle is a good tipper too! ;))

~A friend and I went to this book sale thing. It wasn't actually a sale though because all of the books were free. We both got some stuff, but it was crazy! Tons of people!

~I started watching Hallmark Christmas movies!!!!!

~On November 19, my mom, and my two younger brothers went into town. I got the day off work and I had a ton of fun!!!
We got lunch at Chick-Fil-A, went to the library, and went to the zoo!! It was SO MUCH FUN!!!

 Going down the slide at the zoo

 

Picking up speed

 Falling off the slide.  We don't have a picture of this, but after falling off the slide I kind of went flying and landed on my stomach. ;)

 Having fun on the animals...and sliding right off it....(yes, I did fall all the way off. ;))

My brothers and I

~Thanksgiving was a fun day. A simple dinner, a family game of Clue with hot chocolate, and dessert and some friends house.

~Unfortunately I only posted one book video. Be on the lookout for all the Christmas ones that will be coming!!

~Our town had a parade and tree lighting the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The place that I work at participated in the lighted parade. It was a lot of fun. My co-workers and I rode in an old truck decorated with Christmas lights. We waved to people as we drove by and threw candy as well.
The tree lighting was my first one, and lets just say it wasn't a Hallmark moment. There was hardly any lights on the tree...

~I stayed over at some friends house, while their parents were out of town, and helped watch the younger siblings. After we put the younger ones to bed, my two friends and I stayed up a little later and watched movies together.


How was your Thanksgiving? What was one of your favorite memories from November?