Christmas 2017

25 Days of Christmas: Day 4- Mental Health During the Holidays

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As you probably know, mental health is something I struggle with, anxiety specifically. That’s part of the reason I’m behind on my 25 days of Christmas.

In general, this week was very busy for me. Aka I started going to the gym and I’m tired. Other than that, I’ve just been very anxious and a little depressed so I don’t really want to fake a smile for my blog writing. That’s why I should’ve gotten ahead like I originally planned, but hey life got in the way.

I’m sure it’s not just me that struggles with mental health during the holiday season. It’s when a lot of people’s seasonal affective disorders strike. For me, I think it’s combined with my period like it is every month, and then just the general idea that I’m supposed to be happy and cheery for the holiday season. This time of year I think is stressful for a lot of people, but that’s not why I’m anxious. I think it’s important to note that anxiety isn’t always tied to stress, sometimes it’s not tied to anything. Right now I think it’s really hormonal mixed with some stuff I don’t really overshare.

Hopefully, this ends with my period, and I can pick up with 25 Days of Christmas. If it doesn’t I’ll try my best but right now, I’m just going with the flow (lol). If you’re dealing with mental illness struggles during this season, just know you aren’t alone.

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25 Days of Christmas: Day 3

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Last weekend when I was home wrapping Christmas presents I needed a Christmas movie to go along with it, I decided to go with the Netflix Original: “A Christmas Prince.”

This review may contain spoilers.

I am a firm believer that everyone loves a good Hallmark/Lifetime movie this year. It’s a great time of year to remember you’re alone and no prince is going to fall in love with you. Well, that’s exactly what happened in this movie. It was very much “The Prince and Me” but with the classic Christmas twist. They’re not in college, and of course, the lead is a struggling journalist. If you aren’t a struggling student, you have to be a struggling writer, that’s the classic plot of a cheesy romantic movie.

The new twist to this movie is that the prince’s sister is disabled. Unsurprisingly, the lead woman befriends the princess as she’s posing as her tutor. The princess is the first to figure it out, and the prince never really does.

As always, the relationship progresses relatively quickly and it ends happily. This is a perfect cheesy and romantic Christmas movie. On my scale, for good Christmas movie, I would give this a solid 7/10, if you’re a movie critic I’d give it a solid 4/10.

Let me know what you think!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 2

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If you know me, you know I’m cheap. Spending money on things I (or someone I love) won’t use drives me crazy. Like yes, I make crazy impulse purchases, but I do use most of them. This is my first year that I’m really on my own, so I decided to make a Christmas card for Leslie and me. Rather than the traditional printed card you have to mail, that I’m assuming most people would just throw away after the holidays, why not save the money and put it on the internet? No one’s forgotten, everyone has it, it’s free and simple.

I decided to use Canva because it’s easy to use, especially since I already frequent the site. If you don’t use Canva (@Bloggers) use it. It’s how I make 99% of the covers for my blog posts. To edit the pictures I used Fotor, a Windows app that makes editing photos very quick and easy. The nice thing about Canva is that you have the option to scroll through their templates, some are free, some cost money. I decided to start with a blank slate.

I added grids which I could then just drag my pictures into.

We took about 30 pictures to come up with three.

This is what the final looks like in Cavna. To find the background and words, I simply typed “Christmas” into the search bar and both turned up, I thought they fit my brand.

So here’s my final card:

Enjoy :) Merry Christmas from Leslie and me.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 1

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Merry 25 Days of Christmas! I know it’s a day late, but December snuck up on me. That just means that one day will have two posts! (Not today).

Today, let’s get into the holiday spirit with my holiday playlist. It’s based on nostalgia and iconic songs from my childhood.

https://music.amazon.com/embed/83d02467583342b4906b8a1dc2efd9b8sune/?id=hY34KVFLCV&marketplaceId=ATVPDKIKX0DER&musicTerritory=US

So these are the songs I would pick. Share yours with me- I’ll add them to the playlist! The ultimate collaborative holiday songs playlist!

Gift Guide: Gal Pals

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I know, it seems early for Christmas/the holiday season but this is the first of the series I am doing leading up to Black Friday so you can make your gift lists before you go out shopping or spend a cozy cyber Monday in. I figure, why not start easy and simple: your gal pals.

I don’t know about you, but for my friends, I’ve always found it easiest to buy in sets and divide up the stuff and make a little gift set. In years past I’ve made mugs with their favorite quotes filled with winter goodies. Here’s what you’ll need:

All you need to do after that is write your bestie’s favorite quote on the mug, bake it (this site has a slightly different approach but also a great idea!), make sure to stick a little note in it that they can’t put it in the dishwasher, put on a ribbon and you’re done!

Now if you’re a planner, Etsy is a great resource. This year I’ve planned and been able to get a few things from there, however, a lot of the time if you want to get something personalized it’s going to take a few days for them to make, and shipping can be pricey. It’s not Amazon, no two-day free shipping. The quality is typically pretty good. Here are a few things I would recommend:

If you don’t have time to prep an Etsy order you can find so many great things on Amazon.

Let me know what you’re getting your bestie for Christmas! I left out my actual presents because I’d like it to be a surprise. There are a few hints though!

*DISCLAIMER: MARY’S AVERAGE ADVENTURES MAY BE COMPENSATED THROUGH YOUR CLICKING OF SPONSORED LINKS.