BLOGMAS DAY 3: Christmas Shopping

Blogmas Day 3! 

Time to do some Christmas shopping! I love shopping at Christmas. As we know, all the stores are always so festive and fun. Plus, I love buying presents for my friends and family. It's so wonderful to see how happy they are when they get a gift. That is what Christmas is all about... Giving! 

I have a very special Christmas gift for my mother...

How pretty!

I got this cute toy for my dog... From Santa, of course!

My mother is obsessed with snowmen... I think these two may find their into her collection.

Ohh... Well, here is a special gift of my chummy... Shh, don't let her know!

Of course, as a fashionista I had to do some shopping for myself. 

Jumper: H&M

Dress: H&M

Jumper: Forever21

And, this super cute scarf from Love Culture. 

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BLOGMAS DAY 2: Decorating the Tree

Blogmas Day 2!

Today is tree decorating day! The Christmas tree is my favorite part of Christmas; it's always the first thing to go up! I love decorating the tree, and having it's gorgeous glow surrounding the house.

I've go my little Christmas Elf helping me with the sorting of the branches.

Aw, look at plump and pretty it is!

Putting the star right on top!

We have a lot of homemade decorations on our tree. Homemade decorations make the tree feel warm and homely. We still have decorations I made when I was four years old! A classic example of our home-made decorations... A reindeer candy cane! 

This is my absolute favorite bulb! It's so pretty! 

A new addition to our tree this year. I got this one for my mother to represent our trip to London last Christmas. 

Oh yeah! Harry Potter ornament! Right in the front, obviously!  

Aw, how pretty!

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Blogmas: 25 Days of Christmas Blogging!

Christmas Time is Here!

I love Christmas; it’s the most wonderful time of the year! For my first year blogging, I really wanted to do something special for Christmas. So, I’m taking on the huge task of Blogmas! Blogmas is like Vlogmas, a craze among YouTube vloggers who record all their Christmas happenings, but it's happening on a blog instead of YouTube. So, more pictures, less videos. I am a huge fan of Tanya Burr’s and Jim Chapman’s Vlogmas, so I thought I would do the same! And they're doing it again this year, so make sure to go check them out!

Blogmas will go on for 25 days, and will include so much Christmas fun. During Blogmas I will be giving gift ideas, exploring my favorite Christmas movies, and, of course, describing my day-to-day Christmas adventures. 

Day 1 of Blogmas begins with my December Watch List. This list is complied of my top five favorite Christmas films, but do not fear, I have many more favorite holiday movies to come! 

I am super excited for Blogmas, and I hope you are too! Make sure to check back here every day for more fun adventures! 

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December Watch List

Pinch Punch First of the Month!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas time is here! I just love the festive holiday season, and Christmas movies are my sweet spot (even the terrible ones… I can’t help but to watch them). In honor of Christmas, here are my top five favorite Christmas movies!

1. The Santa Clause

Scott Calvin tries to reconnect with his estranged son during the Christmas season. When he accidentally causes Santa Claus to fall to his death off the roof, Scott must become the new St. Nick. Scott and Charlie finish Santa’s Christmas Eve delivery, and then are taken to the North Pole where Scott learns he has no choice but to become the permanent Santa Claus. Will he be able to convince this estranged family that he is, in fact, Father Christmas?

Why It’s A Must Watch: The Story

The Santa Clause has to be one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time! The story is a cute tale of how one man must change his ways, and become the most joyous man of all. But underneath the quirky fun tale of Santa, there is story about family. Scott’s former wife has torn his only son away from, which makes Charlie not so keen about his father. When Scott becomes Santa, he and Charlie become closer than ever before. The Santa Clause is a fantastic story of a reuniting family, and the bond between father and son. This movie is perfect for the whole family, and a fun watch on Christmas Eve.      

2. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

Christmas Vacation follows the Griswold family as they get ready for the Christmas season. Like the rest of Clark’s adventures, nothing goes right. Things continually get worse for the Griswold’s when his argumentative family cause mayhem in his house, his barbaric cousin-in-law Eddie ruins all his perfect plans, and his 20,000 Christmas lights won’t work. Christmas Vacation is a holiday classic that will give you chest pains from laughing so hard.

Why It’s A Must Watch: The Humor

Unlike The Santa Clause, Christmas Vacation is a Christmas movie for the adults of the house. Anyone who has had to deal with a, not so cooperative, family during the Christmas holiday will find this movie an absolute riot! The Griswold family hosts a household full of bickering family members on a Christmas where everything just seems to go wrong. Chevy Chase is just perfect as Clark Griswold, and, trust me, you’ll be cracking up within the first ten minutes!  

3. Home Alone

Kevin McCallister is eight years old and left home alone. His family, who are on holiday in Paris, accidentally forget their son at home during Christmas. Kevin’s fun-filled independence is soon ruined when two burglars, known as the Wet Bandits, target the McCallister house. Kevin must protect his home from harm, and stop the infamous Wet Bandits. But all Kevin really wants for Christmas is family back.

Why It’s A Must Watch: The Tale

This movie depicts the tales of an eight-year old perfect. Kevin is a witty young boy who thinks that being home alone is the best thing ever. He soon comes to find that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Kevin is faced with many obstacles, like grocery shopping and washing clothes, in the absence of his family. Not to mention, the cartoon burglars are up to no good. This film is a right laugh that will please both the children and adults

4. Arthur Christmas

After Santa forgets to deliver a little girl's present, his clumsy son Arthur Christmas sets out to right Santa’s wrong. Arthur is on a mission to save her Christmas, and to make sure everyone is joyful on Christmas day. Arthur is accompanied by his aging grandfather, the former Santa, an enthusiastic wrapping Christmas Elf, and a team of eight crazy reindeer. Will Arthur be able to deliver his present before Christmas day?

Why It’s A Must Watch: The Wit

I remember when I first saw this movie in theaters I couldn’t breath from laughing so hard. The writing is an absolute charmer that will keep you entertained the whole way through. The characters are fantastic; Grandpa Claus steals the show. The humor is perfect for all ages, and the animation is fantastic. Arthur Christmas is an all around wonderful holiday movie.

5. Love Actually

Set in London, this story begins five weeks till Christmas, and depicts the lives of ten separate people. Each story represents the different aspects of love and life. From a marriage in disaster to the woes of your first love, Love Actually grasps at the heart and never let go. Make sure you have your tissues ready for this one.   

Why It’s A Must Watch: The Characters

I love character movies, and this one definitely delivers on that front. There are so many different characters; you’ll never get bored with one. Love Actually is also graced with a fantastic cast. These great characters are in safe hands with actors like Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, and Laura Linney. These characters aren’t your typical “happy-go-lucky” people, but are real and relatable. Your heart breaks for some, but rejoices for others. You will definitely experience a wide range of emotions in watching this film.

Have you seen the exciting news for December?! I’m doing Blogmas! It’s sorta like Vlogmas, only on a blog instead. Make sure to come back every day in December to take part in fun Christmas celebration!  

Photo Credit: wikipedia.com, imdb.com

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Television Review | Doctor Who's 50th Birthday Celebration!

Happy Birthday Doctor Who!

So sorry I didn’t get this out on Sunday; I’ve been having a bit of computer problems. Even so, it’s probably for the best that I didn’t get this out right away… You need time to process and rewatch a show like Doctor Who in order to fully grasp it.

This past week has been Doctor Who week around the world. On the 23rd of November, exactly 50 years to the day, was the celebration of 50 years of sci-fi adventures with the Doctor. Multiple events and shows were put together to celebrate this monumental occasion. There were many one-off shows dedicated to revisiting the classic era and the older Doctors, which I found very helpful seeing as I have only seen one or two classic episodes. I thought they were well made and very informative. It helped to give us new viewers a better understanding of the past incarnations.

I have to say before we get too far into this… I haven’t watched much Classic Who. I know, I know, I just haven’t found the time to sit down and watch over 20 years of episodes. So, my viewing experience with Who beings in 2005 with the 9th Doctor. My favorite Doctor is 11, and my favorite companions are Amy and Rory… But Donna Noble comes in a close second.

The BBC produced a wonderful movie about the creation of Doctor Who in 1963. Written by Mark Gatiss, An Adventure in Time and Space showed a dramatization of the original concept of the show, the early production days, and the explosive impact the show had on the British nation. This movie was extremely well made, and David Bradley was amazing as the original Doctor, William Hartnell.

 

Next came the prequel to the 50th Anniversary Special, The Night of the Doctor. Doctor number 8, Paul McGann, returns to show his regeneration into the War Doctor, John Hurt. We meet him trying to save a space traveler from perishing in a falling ship. She refuses to accepted his help because he is a Time Lord, and has seen the evil of the Time Lords through the Time War (let’s say Time one more time…). The ship crashes, and the Doctor finds himself a captive on the brink of death. He is faced with the option of who he wants to be when he regenerates, and his choice is to become a warrior. This prequel was a perfect set up to the ultimate episode, and further confirmation when John Hurt’s Doctor came into play.  

Now into the meat of the events, the 50th Anniversary Special.

SPOILERS!

I’m not going to waste our time here by giving a summary; it's just too complex. We'll be here till Friday trying to explain it all. If you haven’t seen the episode, stop reading now, and go watch it!

Of course the biggest thing that happened in this episode was the return of Gallifrey. I thought this was an extremely clever idea penned by Steven Moffat. Tom Baker, the longest-running Doctor and the majority favorite from the classic era, makes a return to tell the Doctor that the real name of the Gallifrey’s painting is “Gallifrey Falls No More,” proving to the Doctor that his plan worked, and Gallifrey is still out there. This sets up Peter Capaldi’s Doctor’s storyline perfectly. We know he will be spending his first (maybe longer) season searching for Gallifrey and reuniting with the Time Lords. That will be an exciting storyline to see. Plus, Capaldi’s eyes was probably the most exciting thing that happened the whole episode! What an awesome surprise!

There are still many questions that haven’t been answered. Who was the women in the shop that gave Clara the number to the TARDIS in Bells of Saint Johns? It had to have been someone who knows/ knew/ going to know (timey-wimey) the Doctor… Not everyone has the number to the TARDIS, nor do they just hand it out willy-nilly. What is the significance of the book written by Amelia Williams? Once again, not a conscience. That was clearly a reference to Amy… Otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen her name. 

Most importantly, what happened at the end of The Name of the Doctor? I feel like that episode just dropped off, and there are still a lot of questions unanswered about it. Like, how did Clara and the Doctor get out of his timestream? This makes me question whether the events of The Name of the Doctor have even happened yet. It seems too disjointed for the episode to just begin several months later, and not on the cliffhanger of the previous episode. Plus, the preview to the Christmas episode (Matt Smith’s finale episode. Wah!) mentioned that he goes back to Trenzalore. Why would he return to Trenzalore. Also, there was no reference at all to what had happened at Trenzalore; only, 11 telling 10 he was headed to Trenzalore. So, what’s going on?!

What really baffled me was Tom Baker’s (4th Doctor) appearance at the end of the episode. Who was he? 11 says that he always remembers a face, so is he saying he knew him once before or that he remembers his incarnation? Plus, that ambiguous mention of returning to former faces. Are new regenerations going to begin to take the form of former Doctor? Steven Moffat has released new information saying that Matt Smith’s Doctor is really the 13 incarnation of the Doctor. According to Time Lord lore, a Time Lord can only regenerate 12 time and have 13 forms. So, what does this mean for Capaldi? Is Tom Baker’s appearance confirmation that the Doctor is regenerating backwards? Degeneration, if you will.

After the episode aired, the BBC released the mockumentary The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, starring Peter Davison (5th Doctor), Colin Baker (6th Doctor), and Sylvester McCoy (7th Doctor). This program was just absolutely charming! I think I enjoyed watching this more than the actual anniversary special! The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot follows the former actors of the Doctor as they try to land a part in the 50th Anniversary Special. Written and Directed by Peter Davison, this short included all the people who were snubbed from being a part of the anniversary episode. Although I haven’t seen much of the classic Doctor’s in action, I can still appreciate what they have contributed to the show over the years. So, I was a little taken aback when I heard that none of the former Doctors, aside from David Tennant (10th Doctor), was going to appear in the 50th episode. I understand why they couldn’t have been it; it wouldn’t have made sense with the story, but they could have still made a little cameo.

Instead, they got this super cute, quirky, hilarious one-off episode of their own. With their own show, they get more than just a cameo. They get to interact and have fun, and even bring a little of their Doctor back into action. A lot of people made cameos in this episode: Matt Smith, Jenna Colman, David Tennant, John Barrowman (who’s little stunt was hilarious), Russell T. Davies, and Steven Moffat (as the evil show runner who won’t allow the former Doctor’s in). We see the three Doctors protest outside the BBC Studios, visit the Doctor Who experience in Cardiff (and steal their costumes!), break into the sets, and become Dalek operators all just to be a part of the episode. There is a super nice treat at the end, giving you a new perspective on the former Doctor’s involvements.  

   

Overall, I thought the dedication the BBC put into Doctor Who’s 50th birthday was well worth it. I got to experience all the best of the Doctor with informative documentaries, a glorious biopic, an epic adventure, and a comedic mockumentary. Let’s hope for another 50 years with the Doctor filled with adventures through time and space!  



Photo Credit: popwrapped.wordpress.com, telegraph.co.uk, bbc.co.uk, metro.co.uk, sfx.co.uk, kasterborous.com, blogtorwho.blogspot.com, doctorwhotv.co.uk, blog.zap2it.com, nerdist.com

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