Blogmas Day 10: Christmas Party Playlist

If you're having a few friends over during the holidays or spending some quality time with family you may want to have a solid Christmas music playlist going on in the background.

I have made a playlist over on my Spotify account which you can reach through the link.
It consists of some typical Mariah Carey and usual Christmas songs. However, I have also added some music I would normally listen to with my family that just makes the house feel so much more like Christmas time.

I hope you enjoy the playlist. Do you have a Christmas playlist made? Link me your Spotify Christmas Playlists down below!

I hope you are all having a magical time and I will see you again tomorrow.

Jessie xoxo

Blogmas Day 9: Family Christmas Photos

Every single year my family sends out a Christmas card or email for our family Christmas photo. This happens every year in front of the Christmas tree.

It is almost an annoying tradition since there is always some form of arguing, the tripod goes missing, the camera ends up slanted, or someone has their eyes closed. However, I wouldn't trade that for the world.

As I reflect on this traditional photo I am realising that this may be my last Christmas actually living at home. Which is somewhat terrifying to think about. Of course, I should still be around for the photo, but thinking about it makes me excited and scared for what the future has in store.
Had to get a little deep there of course.

However, the Christmas photo is a great time with my family. It's time together that I know that will happen which happens more and more rarely now.

Anyway, does your family get together for a Christmas photo every year? Let me know in the comments down below!

Thank you so much for stopping by and I will see you again tomorrow for Blogmas day 10!

Jessie xoxo

Blogmas Day 8: Newfoundland Christmas Traditions

So, Newfoundland has some pretty interesting Christmas traditions. I thought I would share with you all today just so you have a little bit more background on the place I call home.

1. Mummering
If you search Newfoundland Christmas traditions the first thing that will come up is probably Mummering. Mummering is the act of men and women dressing up in weird costumes, covering up their faces, bringing music, and ugly sticks with them and going around to people's houses dancing and carrying on. Sometimes they'll make people guess who they are as well. There is also the very Newfoundland Christmas song known as "The Mummer's Song". The link leads you to a YouTube video of the song. It's kind of interesting and gives you an idea of what Mummering is all about.

2. Tibb's Eve
I spoke about Tibb's Eve last year in this post. It is essentially when you get together with friends and family on December 23rd. It's a great bit of fun.

3. Throwing a Flaming Log
Some people bring yule logs into their home. Other people back in the day in Newfoundland used to throw flaming logs over their house. Why you may ask? To protect their homes in the coming year from fire. This one isn't done too often anymore maybe because it was almost defeating the purpose. However, a little Newfoundland Christmas tibit none the less.

4. Midnight Mass
This is probably done in a lot of places, but if you're catholic many people will head to Christmas Eve midnight mass. Sometimes there will be additional singing and people occassionally have big family parties before the mass. Nice little family time.

5. Christmas Jigs Dinner
I don't know what it is, but Christmas Jigs Dinner is so much better than weekly Jigs Dinner. Maybe it's because of the turkey? However, it is so good. You have your turkey, salt meat, potatoes, turnip, carrots, cabbage, stuffing, peas pudding, and gravy. It is so good.

So, that's all five Newfoundland Christmas Traditions I'm sharing with you. Have you heard of any of these before or what is your hometown's Christmas Traditions? Let me know in the comments down below!

I hope you are all having a wonderful day and I will see you again tomorrow!

Jessie xoxo

Blogmas Day 7: Things I love about Christmas

Today I bring you a list of some of my favourite things about Christmas time. Let's get right to it!

1. Family Time
Family time is my favourite. I love spending time with my family and doing our usual family traditions.
2. Anniversary Time
Christmas time is also around mine and Jake's anniversary and we always do something sweet together.
3. Christmas Movies
Who doesn't love Christmas movies?
4. Starbucks Holiday Drinks
I love me some Peppermint Mocha.
5. Mom's Slush
Mom makes thes best slush during christmas. It tastes so good.
6. Relax Time
I normall have a bit more of relaxing time at Christmas. This year I may not, but I will be off Christmas & Boxing Day so that will be two days of relaxing and Christmas family time.
7. Christmas Dinners
Christmas jigs dinner is the best.
8. Friendmas
If you have followed me for a while you will know that my friends and I get together for an evening during Christmas. We bake a brie, enjoy a few glasses of wine, and exchange gifts. It is always a lovely time and I love it.
9. Gift Wrapping
I actually love gift wrapping. I am actually doing a post on gift wrapping ideas so be ready for that.
10. Gift Giving
I love seeing people's faces when I give them gifts and it is so lovely.
11. Christmas Cookies
Again probably everyone's fave.
12. Christmas Lights viewing with Jake
Me and Jake always have a drive around looking at all the Christmas lights.
13. Making cookies with Nan
I'm not sure if me and Nan will be baking this year, but normally we spend a day making so many Christmas cookies and just having a fun time.
14. Nostalgia Feeling
I don't know about you, but I feel so nostalgic during Christmas. It's probably because of all the traditions and I just feel like a little kid again.
15. Christmas Music
Lastly, I love all the Christmas Music. Which again get ready for a Christmas Music Playlist I will be posting in the coming days!

What do you guys love about Christmas? Let me know in the comments below!

Thank you so much for stopping by and I will see you again tomorrow!

Jessie xoxo

Blogmas Day 6: Christmas Decorating in a Day

Everyone is busy this time of the year. Work piles up, free time is spent shopping, and decorating for the holidays seems like a massive task. This year for Christmas I have actually been working full time and have very little time to decorate. Which is why I have developed a plan to keep myself motivated for an entire day to get all my house decorations complete.

I don't know about you, but my family has so many decorations, say seven giant totes filled with decorations. So, it can be a bit time consuming and occasionally it has taken us a few days to complete.

Now I would advise for doing this you should have everything prepared and ready to go the night before. If you are wondering how to prep for decorating I would suggest organising every box into the room it should be in. If you can make sure to have anything that gets switched is down and packed away. We have a lot of frames that get replaced with Christmas themed paintings. Now the other main things to keep you going is to have an awesome Christmas playlist set up and some snacks ready to go for the decorating day.

When it is the actual day for decorating which may be your only day off from work the week (I know it will be mine), you're going to want to get up early. You're then going to make an awesome breakfast and crank up the Christmas music. Once you're functioning, it'll be time to get into decorating.

You should then tackle each room at a time. Completely finish the room before you start on the next. And have all the boxes tidied up as well. That way when everything is done you can put the boxes back into storage. Take a break if you need during the day with the snacks you have ready. You could also invite a friend over or have you siblings or parents help you decorate. If you make it a party time and dance around it's going to take no time at all to finish all the decorating.

I hope this helps with your decorating day. Have you already started decorating? Comment down below links to pictures of your Christmas decorating! I would love to see them!

Thank you so much for stopping by and I will see you again tomorrow!

Jessie
xoxo

Blogmas Day 5: Gift Ideas for a Difficult Friend

Sometimes even with all the examples, a friend can be so hard to shop for. I have a friend I struggle with every single year with getting the right gift. She is very quiet and doesn't talk about herself much so it's hard to tell what she's hoping to get for Christmas.
So, if you also have a difficult friend to shop for here is my list of possible gifts!

• scarf
• Jewellery
• Nice Dressy Shirt
• Cook Book
• Novel
• Gift Card to one of their favourite stores
• Lipstick kit
• Christmas Apron 
• Homemade gift

Sometimes homemade gifts are the best gifts. Especially when you're on a budget they can be super helpful and I find they are way more personal. 

If you have any other ideas to add to the list comment them down below! 

Thank you so much for stopping by and I will see you all again tomorrow! 

Jessie 

xoxo

Blogmas Day 4: Christmas Gifts for Him

The men in my life are probably the hardest to shop for, especially, my dad. He doesn't golf, fish, hunt, or drink. His one major activity besides going to the cabin is motorcycles and this time of the year there are always fewer items out for both. So, we normally get him something that speaks to his inner child or his love of Star Wars. Last year we got him the Millennium Falcon drone and I've never seen his eyes light up so much. He was so pumped about it.
Anyway, today I was bringing you a guide to some gifts to give the men in your life if they actually like the things I mentioned above. Here are some gift giving ideas I have for you.

Dad:
Beer making kit, golf accessories, fly fishing rod, new camo hunting gear, man cave item, weekend trip hunting. Novelty items like a "best dad" mug, ties, or a coffee maker. Or if your dad is difficult like mine is, get him a toy he would have enjoyed as a kid.

Brother:
The only one who is not hard to shop for is my brother. He is probably the easiest of the bunch. For your brother, you could get them a video game, book, Xbox or PS4 gift card, new controller, T-shirt, Pop figure, remote control vehicle or drone.

Boyfriend or friend that is a boy:
The type of gift will vary for this although I find it somewhat similar to what you could get your brother. You could also throw in a nice dress shirt or a shaving kit. However, presents you would get for you brother could also work for a guy friend.

I hope these examples have helped. If you have any other ideas comment them down below!

Thank you so much for stopping by and I will see you all again tomorrow!

Jessie
xoxo

Blogmas Day 3: Gift Ideas for Her

I always find my mother, sisters, and girlfriends super easy to shop for. However, there will be the odd occasion when I have a little bit of trouble finding the right gift. So, today on Blogmas I bring you some gift ideas for a woman in your life.

Mother:
For my mom, I usually go for jewellery, throw blankets, teas, or a gift card for a new e-book. My mom loves to read and curl up on the couch so I find these gifts perfect for her. Last year we got her a beautiful jewellery box with rose gold details on the front.

Sister:
Out of the women in my life, my sister may be the hardest person to shop for. We have slightly different tastes so something I think is nice, she will most likely not have the same view. So, some ideas for a sister, preferably, a younger sister you could get them some pop figures from their favourite show or movie. You could also get her something to decorate her room like a tapestry, or new bedding. Some years I have also gotten my sister a statement necklace or nice earrings as well.

Girlfriends:
I always end up getting a gift card to Sephora for many of my girlfriends, or to Starbucks. I also tend to make up little boxes of things, like necklaces, gifts related to their favourite TV show or movie, or a pair of mittens or a scarf. You can make these gifts personal or more generic. I even will normally make up a box of generic gifts if someone gets me a gift unexpectedly. It's always good to be prepared.

What gift ideas do you have for a woman in your life that I might not have listed here? Let me know in the comments down below!

Thank you so much for stopping by and I will see you tomorrow!

Jessie xoxo

Blogmas Day 2: Christmas Wishlist

I am so thankful that I am fortunate enough to actually struggle with making my wishlist for this year. There are actually only a few things I really would like to receive this year. Let's get right into it, shall we?

1. Teal Kitchen Aid Hand Mixer

 If you have been following me for a while, you know I ask for a kitchen themed gift every year. This year I really want my own hand mixer. Especially, from the kitchen aid line and I love all the colours their products come in.

2. Metallic Pleated Midi Skirt

The amount of skirts I own is shocking. However, even if I have plenty, I really am loving the pleated metallic skirt look that has been floating around recently.

3. Urban Decay Naked3

I am a gold and pink type of eyeshadow girl. I've been wanting the Naked3 palette for a while and have actually been saving up my Shoppers points for it. However, I think this will be staying on my Christmas Wishlist.

4. Boscia Illuminating Black Mask

This is really my favourite face mask of all time. My face is always the best when I'm using this and I need a new one very badly. 

5. Brigus is always a good idea Shirt

This shirt is from the Newfoundland company Figgy Duff Dory. It's currently sold out, but I want one of these shirts so bad.

6. Pug Puppy

 I have been wanting a pug puppy for years now. It's the perfect type of dog for me in terms of exercise and the amount of love and cuddles they want to give.


And that is all for my 2016 Christmas Wishlist! What do you have on your Christmas Wishlist? Let me know in the comments down below!

Thank you so much for stopping by and see you all again tomorrow!

Jessie xoxo

Blogmas Day 1: First Day of Blogmas

The day is finally here, December 1st, a.k.a the beginning of Blogmas!

If you're into Christmas or celebrate it get ready for Christmas themed posts every day leading up to the big day. My apologies if you do not celebrate Christmas. 

I am so excited to be doing Blogmas this year. It's been a crazy 2016 with a lot of changes and after taking my almost month off of blogging, I thought to myself that there is no better way to end 2016 than with Blogmas. Ending this crazy emotional year off on a lighter note. 

This past November has been a bit hard of a month for me and I haven't been feeling well physically or mentally. However, I have been feeling a bit more like myself recently and am getting back into the swing of things. Which is also why I think Blogmas is now perfect for me to do. 

Anyway, I hope you are all ready for Christmas traditions, gift giving ideas, recipes, and so much more over here on Paper Crane Girl!

I shall see you every day as we gear up for the big day!

Jessie xoxo