Category: Monthly Muses

I think because stores and radio stations start playing Christmas music the day after Halloween, I don’t get into the jolly holly mood until I watch a Christmas movie.

The holiday just doesn’t feel complete without watching movies. I watch Harry Potter at Christmas, but they don’t have the same comfort as traditional holiday movies. 

Here’s a list of my favorite holiday movies in no particular order. 

• The Shop Around The Corner 

I love romantic fluff and meet-cute moments. It’s a charming 1940s romance. A man and woman unknowingly exchange letters with each other while working in the same shop.

• Babes in Toyland (1961 version)

Annette Funicello is adorable. I love the outfits, the songs. It is a little dated for some people, but it did come out in the 60s.

• The Santa Clause

Tim Allen as Santa, need I say more?

• Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas

I think there should be a retelling of every classic short story with Disney characters. The gift of the magi with Mickey and Minnie is super cute.

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Where are you, Christmas? It is a bop and is on all of my Christmas playlists.

• Narnia The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

I always watched this in Sunday school and never understood that we watched it because it’s a Christian allegory. I just thought it was a Christmas movie.

• A Year without a Santa Claus

Mrs. Claus is the absolute best character. Santa decides he wants to stop being Santa because he doesn’t feel people believe in him anymore. Also, I’m glad it’s getting more recognition from TikTok.

• Noelle

It’s a Disney plus original, and it’s super cute. The story follows brother and sister Nick and Noelle’s first Christmas after their father passed away. 

• A Christmas Carol (1999)

Patrick Stewart is iconic. This version is a little different from the other versions. It is a made for tv movie, and it focuses more on the man at the center of the tale. 

• Santa Clause is Coming to Town.

A good Santa origin story. I don’t know what I love more about the movie the 1970s stop-motion, Fred Astaire, the cheesy/overly 70s moments. Put one foot in front of the other is the cutest song.

Well, now, when anything
bothers me and I’m feeling unhappy,
I just try and think of nice things.

I always love the thunder scene before Julie Andrew actually sings my favorite things.

Usually, people share their favorite products of the year. And at first, I was going to. Being an avid shopper, I realized this year I didn’t really buy many cool things that I would love to show off.

Instead, I wish to share my favorite moments of the year.

Because I had an outstanding year. I’m not going to let today, this week, or this month, no matter how bad it gets, take away from all the good that has happened this year.

I love my friends and family and all of you readers for keeping my spirits lifted when things seem down. Please enjoy these random moments of my 2021.

So it’s the beginning of the month, and some of my December plans have already started to fall apart.

A few days ago, my family said spending Christmas together would feel wrong since my grandmother passed away. Honestly, I wholeheartedly disagree with that statement, but what’s done is done.

I also was supposed to celebrate Christmas early with my boyfriend, just the two of us. The plan was to go on a fancy date and exchange gifts, wear matching Christmas pajamas. I had hotel and dinner reservations that have since been canceled.

If I’m being honest, I’m starting to feel like this month isn’t going to be fun or festive. And it is making me worry I will spend the holiday alone.

My family never had many holiday traditions growing up, but spending time together was always a big deal. Whether we were looking at Christmas lights, singing horribly off-key Christmas carols, or fighting, we did it as a family.

I knew this year would be different without my grandmother, but I didn’t think it meant we wouldn’t gather together at all.

I know I say I’m going to be alone, but if I don’t work, I’ll probably go to my boyfriend’s house. And while that should be ideal, it’s going to be awkward. His family dynamic is entirely different from mine. My family is loud and boisterous, and sure we are not as tight-knit as we used to be, but we still have a good relationship.

My boyfriend’s family is very awkward, and his relationships with his sisters can best be described as strained. They all act like strangers and know the bare minimum about each other. I’ve been over a handful of times, and it’s a cold environment. Until recently, one of his sisters didn’t even acknowledge my existence. But she’s an entirely different story. Family is not their priority, which confuses me as a family-oriented person.

Their strained relationships aren’t even the worst part of spending time with his family. It is the language barrier. I don’t speak Spanish, and sometimes I feel lost in the mix. I’m actually teaching myself Spanish to surprise his parents with a conversation. It’s hard sometimes to have my boyfriend translate, and many things get lost in translation.

The more I think of this Christmas, the more I miss the Christmas from my past. Grandma will not “force” me to read, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. I remember one year I was being a pain in the butt and didn’t want to read the poem. I kept saying “‘‘twas the nuzzle before christmizzle, and all through the hizzle”.

For the younger gen, about 10 years ago Snoop Dogg did a Pepsi commercial and Tumblr made it into a whole thing of its own.

I remeber thinking I was so hilarious for saying that and my grandma was ready to beat me. I still say it now and every time my mom just looks at me she rolls her eyes.

I did realize how I took spending time together for granted. Here I am an adult and I don’t see why I complained so much about reading a poem that took a few minutes. In fact, I’m going to miss doing it this year.

Sorry, this post was as cheery and bright as a blogmas post should be.

 I love love. I always wanted someone to text me, bring me my favorite food on my bad days, take me on creative dates, and enjoy life with me. Here I am with this fantastic partner, and while this should and could be another long love letter to my partner. It’s not.

Recently, I started thinking about when I was single. 

 More specifically, when I decided to write to my maybe someday person. I wished life was a novel, so I could write a cute meet story and stop feeling bad for myself. But this is not Stranger Than Fiction. 

I can’t tell if writing these letters is a good or bad idea. To old me, it sounded romantic. To see my heart before we ever met. Something out of a Jane Austen novel. In reality, they are probably going to be pathetic.

 I was initially going to open up some of them and post them here since I overshare everything else. But even now, I like the idea that only me and my future spouse will have been the ones to see them. If I’m honest, these letters will probably get lost or thrown away before I ever open them. Or maybe it will just be me, and I’ll read them to my dog. For a while my future beginning to look more and more like the Saturday Night Live skit- Joan Song.

I wrote these letters as if talking to my best friend. It’s not about having the right words, romantic thoughts. This is not the perfect love letter. I wrote about simple struggles, day-to-day life, and my passions. Giving them a glimpse of my life before them. My significant other may enjoy seeing this character, but I would like to see the old me. I doubt my ideas and beliefs in some things are going to stay the same. It’s raw emotion and a true representation of who I am. Actually, I might start writing these letters again.

I am not saying this is for you. 

But if you want to try using this creative outlet to pour out your heart in a healthy way, give it a try. 

Need some ideas of what to write to get you started? Here are 20 prompts!

1. Why I wish he was already in my life.
2. Why I have hope that God will bring my soulmate.
3. My biggest current struggle.
4. Why I’m content with waiting for him.
5. What I want my future spouse to know about my present self.
6. How I’m preparing for marriage.
7. My dreams about my wedding day.
8. What romance looks like to me.
9. My challenges with love.
10. What do I find rewarding about love?
11. What does the term family mean to me?
12. Why is it so hard for me to ask for help when I need it?
13. How my childhood impacted my future relationships.
14. What I am too proud to ask for in a relationship.
15. What a healthy relationship looks like to me.
16. What relationship habits do I want to develop?
17.  What qualities do I believe are most important in a spouse/partner/friend?
18. What does good communication look like to me?
19. Do I hold onto a grudge? Why or why not?
20. Describe the last piece of advice I received that was meaningful.