The Christmas Tag

Hello friends! I'm in full festive mode now, so I thought I'd do The Christmas Tag to spread the joy. Here we go!

1. When do you start getting excited about Christmas?
     Usually late-August to mid-September is when I start thinking about it, and then by my
    birthday in September I'm in full gear. This year it came a bit early, and I may or may
    not be guilty of listening to Christmas music in August...
2. Do you still have Advent calendars?
    Yes. Chocolate every day for 24 days? Count me in.
3. Favorite Christmas film?
    Hands down, Elf. It's a classic. I can quote pretty much the whole thing.
4. Any funny Christmas memories?
    My family has this tradition called The Can, and someone new gets it every year. It's an
    old popcorn tin filled with gag gifts and a whole story to go with the gifts, and when it
    gets passed, the story is read by the giver as the recipient open the gifts accordingly. It
    doesn't matter what's inside, it's always hilarious.
5. Any Christmas traditions?
    Other than The Can, my family gets together on Christmas Eve, and then just my
    immediate family spends Christmas Day together. We also spend December 23rd baking
    cookies, and pretty much eat cookies all day Christmas Day.
6. Favorite Christmas songs?
    I love all of Pentatonix's Christmas songs, but my top three are "Mary Did You Know?,"
    "O Come All Ye Faithful," and "Joy to the World." They're great spins on classics that
    everyone loves.
7. Real or fake Christmas tree?
    Fake, my dad loves having a giant (nine foot) tree that doesn't leave needles
    everywhere.
8. Favorite Christmas treat?
     We have our set cookie list every year, and I can't get enough of the potato chip
    cookies (yes, don't judge, they're amazing) and the graham cracker cookies (basically
    the ever-popular Pinterest "crack toffee" on grahams instead of Saltines).
9. Giving or receiving presents?
    Giving. I love picking things out and making things personal, from the gift to the
    wrapping. It's so much fun.
10. Dream place to visit during Christmas?
      Colorado. I adored it in the summer, and I cannot wait to see it in the winter. I may
      not ever leave.
11. Ever had a White Christmas?
      Yes, not recently, though. It usually snows a week or two after Christmas where I
      live. It's kind of sad, really. I love snow.
12. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
       Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph. I didn't
      spend my childhood choir days learning those for nothing!
13. Favorite festive scent?
      I love spicy scents and the smell of baked goods, so my guilty pleasure, I-have-to-
      ration-this-it's-so-good candle is Bath and Body's Cinnamon Sugared Donut. It actually
      smells like heaven.
14.What tops your tree?
      For the longest time it was an angel, but she melted and we could only find stars. So
     it's a star, but it's a cool wire one so the lights reflect off of it. Very pretty.
15. As a kid, what was the one gift you always asked for but never received?
      Like every other kid, a puppy. I finally got one in the summer about seven years ago,
      but he wasn't a puppy. I just want a cute, wiggly little furball.

I wish you all the best,
Erin

Sense of Self

Hello friends! This week's post was inspired by a series I watch on YouTube called "Sense of Self." If you're not familiar, it's a series Ingrid Nilsen does where she goes to people's houses and asks them to share something that evokes each of their five senses. I love learning about people and I think the things they pick are interesting ways to get to know them, so I thought I'd do my own "Sense of Self."

Sight - For sight, I'm choosing my scrapbooks. I love making something that is exactly how
          I want it, and of course, I love looking back at the memories made. This picture is
          of the scrapbook I'm working on at the moment, which is a whole book dedicated to
          my Colorado trip, which has been my favorite trip I've ever taken.

Smell - For smell, I have to share my Bath & Body Works Cinnamon Sugared Donut candle.
           I'm the kind of person who associates smells with memories, and to me, this candle
           smells like fall days spent at pumpkin patches with my family, where we would
           stop at the little stand with the cinnamon roasted almonds before we went home.

Sound - My sound object is not the typical pick for this category; most people would pick
            a song or a record player, maybe a music box, but I'm picking the floors of my
            house. I've lived in this house my whole life, and the creaks the floors make are
            the most familiar sounds I know. I can walk through this house with my eyes
            closed and still know exactly where I am by what the sound of the floor is.

Taste - Thanksgiving at my house is a big deal; we go all-out with more food than you can
           imagine, and some of the dishes aren't your typical Thanksgiving food. My favorite
           of these is "Thanksgiving rice," with is rice with bacon and onions. It's the most
           simple thing, but it tastes like home, and I think everyone should have a food that
           takes them back home, no matter how far they may be.

Touch - My touch object is more of a collection of things. I'm choosing my Christmas tree
            and all of its decorations, from garland to skirt to ornaments. We have a fake tree
            because some of us have allergies, so the feeling of the fake needles of the tree
            is so familiar, as are the textures of the ornaments and the cushiness of the tree
            skirt. Christmas is my favorite holiday, and I love that I have things that are so
            familiar that make that time of year feel really nostalgic and homey.

I wish you all the best,
Erin

Fail-Proof Gift Ideas

Hello friends! With the holidays officially upon us, I wanted to share my tried and true, fail-proof gift ideas with you. These are my go-tos when it comes to buying for people I don't know that well, and perfect for things like grab bags, Secret Santas, or even fun little gifts for people close to you, and you can adjust them to any budget. I hope you can find inspiration within some of these, so let's jump right in!

• The Traditional Movie Bucket - This is probably the most generic of all the gifts, but it's a classic. I like to go to Target's $5 movie section, pick a few classics, then put them in a big popcorn bucket (you can find them at party stores and dollar stores). I stuff tissue in the bottom to lift everything up, then I fill in the space with boxes of candy, bags of microwave popcorn, etc. It's adorable and everyone loves it.
• The Amped Up Movie Bucket - In high school, I was in a small choir that had an overnight trip every Christmas, and we always did Secret Santas. My last year, I had absolutely no idea what to get my person, and then it struck me: the Amped Up Movie Bucket. I took my absolute favorite Christmas classic - Elf - and went with that as my theme. I bought the DVD and ordered a mug with the saying about the elves' main food groups, and then bought one of each of those things (candy [any kind will work], candy canes, candy corn, and syrup [I found a tiny bottle at Target]), and that was the box. It was a hit.
• The Sundae Kit - This is great for anyone who loves ice cream (most people) and is super easy, one-stop shopping. I went to the grocery store and picked up things to make sundaes, such as caramel and fudge sauces, maraschino cherries, sprinkles, brownie bites from the bakery, etc. Of course, you can't really gift ice cream, so I also threw in a gift card to an ice cream place.
• The Warm & Cozy Kit - This was another creation that came out of the Secret Santas I've done. I figured that I couldn't go wrong with a cozy theme, so I picked up a fleece blanket (it was super cheap at Old Navy the day after Black Friday), fuzzy socks, a travel mug, some fancy hot chocolate mix, and peppermint lotion and lip balm. My person loved it, and I think she used everything I gave her on that one overnight trip.
• The Spa Basket - Another traditional gift, but so much fun and you can get so creative with it. I like to choose my favorite things to put in it so I know it's a good basket - a face mask, a sugar scrub, lip balm, hand lotion, nail polish, tea, magazines, etc. There really are no rules with this one.
• The Man Box - For me, the difficulty of buying a gift like these doubles when it's for a guy. I like to make it fun and stereotypically "manly" - the guy always gets a kick out of it. I like to put in things like sports magazines, bacon-flavored snacks, pocket-sized tools or desk games (Kohl's and Target have great selections of these every year) - all practical but fun things.
• The Non-Foodie Box - We all know someone who can't cook to save a life, and this is the perfect box for those people. I like to start with a takeout menu organizer, fill it with menus of places around where they live, and then I'll throw in a few non-perishables like a packet of Ramen noodles and some crackers, and I finish it with some small gift cards to different places like coffee shops, sandwich places, etc. They always love it.
• The Emergency Kit - We all know someone else who is always a mess and isn't prepared for a whole lot. This is a funny take on helping them out, while still being a good gift idea. I like to stock up on essentials (Tide-to-Go, Band-Aids, Kleenex), and then some funnier items (for a new mom: surgical masks for changing diapers, for someone who has a hard time saying "no": a voice recorder with my voice recorded saying "no", etc.), and I like to label each thing with funny descriptions. This gives everything some entertainment value, which is always a bonus.

I wish you all the best,
Erin

Stuff I Love Fall 2016

Hello friends! As it is currently snowing outside and I am freezing, even under four layers of clothes and blankets, I figured it's about time to put these fall favorites away and start up a new round for winter. These are the things I've been loving throughout fall:

• Blankets - I recently ordered a new blanket my bed, because the one I had and loved so much was falling apart and I was holding it together with duct tape. I'll link the one I found below, because everyone needs a warm, cozy blanket for winter.
• Sugar Cookie Coffee Creamer - We all know how much I love my coffee, and one of the seasonal creamers that's out right now is sugar cookie flavored, and it's amazing.
• Worst Bakers in America - This is a show on Food Network, and, being a baker, I found it to be the cringiest, but funniest, food show. Those people were so bad, but I couldn't watching it.
• Christmas Music - Honesty hour: I've been listening to Christmas music since August. And I have no shame. My favorite albums at the moment are all the Pentatonix albums, Peter Hollens, Damian McGinty (especially if you like Michael Buble), and Home Free. They're all amazing.
• Target Tumbler Cups - Around September, Target had tumbler cups in their dollar section (technically the cups were $3 each, but still), and I love them for my iced coffee. They're a good size, and didn't cost me an arm and a leg like any other cup would.
• Singing - When I'm not listening to Christmas music, I'm listening to showtunes, and more than likely singing along, loudly. I've been singing and in choirs since I was little, but haven't done it in a while, so it feels great to be back at it again.
• Christmas Shopping - Guess whose Christmas shopping is done! I went hardcore this year, and I love that I don't have to fight crowds or worry about shipments coming in time. I can just enjoy December now.
• Nameberry.com - I recently made an account there, and the forums are just so much fun. I like the advice giving, but I really love it for the tags and games.
• Chestnut Praline Lattes & Hot Chocolate - 'TIS THE SEASON!!! Starbucks' Chestnut Praline flavor is my absolute favorite, and it's back. I love it.
• Christmas Decorations - And of course, I can't do this post without talking about Christmas decorating. My family does it the Friday after Thanksgiving every year, and now my house is festive and I live for it.

My fluffy blanket: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KFZ4GS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

*Sorry for the lack of pictures this time, I only have a few tangible favorites that aren't very exciting to look at.

I wish you all the best,
Erin