Magical Merchandise: Hallmark Holiday Ever After ✨❤️🎅🏻🏰🎄🐭💚✨

Happy Hallo-mas on this beautiful Monday!!!  'Tis the season for holidays colliding...

It's mid-October, so we're deep into the Halloween season, but Christmas is suddenly popping up everywhere... sound familiar?  I know some of you are crying "it's too soon", but as a Disney adult who runs a few small shops, I'm here for it.  As Disney fans, we aggressively celebrate every holiday way too early.  And as small shop owners... well, Eliot and I have to stay ahead of the holidays so we don't fall behind.  And all that's to tell you that I've held off on writing this particular post long enough... so I have finally allowed myself to go wild.  Disney has officially started to release their Christmas merchandise and I am 100% already obsessed.  Bring on the holly jolly!!!

Today, we're combining a few of my favorite things- Disney, Christmas and Hallmark.

As you know, Eliot and I are also huge Hallmark Channel fans.  We love watching a cozy movie... and their Christmas movies are always a highlight on our calendar.  We're super excited because Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas starts this Friday!!!  And you may recall that three months ago, I told you about Disney and Hallmark's new movie coming out this season, Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True.

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At the time, I also told you about Disney and Hallmark releasing a ton of merchandise themed for this movie.  Back in July, the October release date felt like forever away... but here we are!  Today, I'm here to share some of that merchandise collection with you.

Before we dive in to the items, I wanted to share the overall motif and pattern.  The collection features lots of Walt Disney World inspired graphics including Cinderella Castle, the Jungle Cruise, the carousel, the Wishing Well, a shop on Main Street USA, the train, the tea cups, and Mickey's house.  It also features images of Mickey & Minnie on a bench, Mickey & Minnie enjoying a pasta (like Lady & the Tramp) while Donald plays an accordion, Mickey holding some balloons, Pluto with a letter at the mailbox and Daisy holding gifts by a Mickey light post.  (The only character I didn't see was Goofy.)  This overall design is the framework for the entire collection of items.  So let's dive in!

First, we've got this Mickey Recordable Ornament that is supposed to play a part in the actual Holiday Ever After movie.  It doesn't debut on Hallmark Channel until November 28th, so tune in with the rest of us Disney fans to find out what it's all about!

Now that we're curled up and ready to watch the movie, we might as well dress the part- and Hallmark has everything you'll need to get ready for Holiday Ever After.  First, we've got pajamas for the entire family.  They come in adult, kid and toddler sizes.

It's cold here in Maine, so I'll need these Red Castle Socks to keep my feet warm.

And then these Red Castle Slippers will be the finishing touch!

Get all cuddly on the couch with this adorable Throw Blanket.

You can sip something sweet from your Corkcicle Stainless Steel Mug.

Or take it on the go with this Corkcicle Stainless Steel Cold Cup.

If you enjoy baking, this Zrike Mixing Bowl & Spatula is perfect!

There's also a matching Zrike Baking Dish...

As well as this Zrike Pie Dish.

And you've even got a Zrike Canister to put your finished goodies in!

Or you could use this adorable Zrike Cookie Jar. 

Kitchen clean up is even magical with a Zrike Tea Towel.

Then you can settle back in for the movie with some hot cocoa in your Zrike Mug.

Or if hitting the theme parks is more your vibe, then you can park hop at Walt Disney World sporting some Hallmark Holiday Ever After Disney style.  First, we've got the absolute must-have, a Loungefly Minnie Mouse Backpack.

Naturally there are matching Loungefly Minnie Mouse Ears.

And of course there's also a Loungefly Minnie Mouse Bag Charm!

If pin trading is your jam, you'll love these Loungefly Mystery Pins.

And you've got two Spirit Jerseys to pick from, this fluffy ivory one... 

Or this sparkly Red Spirit Jersey.

You can also add a touch of magic with a Vera Bradley Backpack.

Or pack for your weekend trip using the Vera Bradley Duffle Bag.

There's also a Vera Bradley Sling Backpack for those park-hopping days.

But the Vera Bradley Tote Bag is personally my favorite option.

There is also this cute Vera Bradley Earbud Bag Charm for smaller items.

And finally, there's also a tiny Vera Bradley Zip ID Case!

So what do you think?  Isn't it merry and magical?!?!?  This isn't even everything that's included in the Holiday Ever After collection.  There are also greeting cards, more ornaments, a gift bag and wrapping paper!  Find the full collection here.

And if you're visiting Walt Disney World this holiday season, you can visit the pop-up Hallmark store in Disney Springs that's filled with this merchandise!  I'm really hoping that it will still be fully stocked by the time Eliot and I are there in a few weeks!!!  

Bring on the holidays, the Christmas movies and the Disney magic!!! ✨❤️🎅🏻🏰🎄🐭💚✨

All photos from this post are taken from the Hallmark's website.

Our 2026 Baseball Season ⚾️

Our baseball season ended four weeks ago... and I'm just finally getting caught up with this recap now.  Eliot and I have been super crazy busy, but before Mariners hockey begins, I wanted to share a few of our memories from the 2026 baseball season!!! ⚾️ 

Boston Red Sox ❤️⚾️💙

This year, Eliot and I were able to make it down to Boston for five Red Sox games!!!  Going down to Boston for a baseball game definitely takes a chunk of time out of our schedule, so we don't do it often.  But over the past few seasons, we've gotten our entire game day timing down to a science such that we're able to choose a few select games.  This year, Eliot and I looked at the promotional schedule at the beginning of the season and picked out which games we really wanted to make it to.

Our first Red Sox game of the season was the Peanuts game in early April.  This year, they were doing a really good giveaway with a Woodstock shoulder buddy and Joe Cool shirt, so Eliot and I knew we had to go.  We mentioned it to our friends Tabbi & Brad, and they wanted to come as well so we all carpooled down to Boston together!

Before the game, we picked up our VIP Packages and took a quick photo with Snoopy.  Eliot and I even brought two of my Snoopy plush keychains with us... my Boston Red Sox Snoopy and the Joe Cool Snoopy I got off Amazon- specifically for this game!

The Peanuts game also happened to fall on Easter Sunday, so Wally and Tessie were wearing inflatable bunny costumes and looking adorable.

We all had so much fun at the game!!!  It was a great way to start of baseball season!!!

The next game Eliot and I went to was the Harry Potter game at the beginning of May.  We also had VIP Packages for this game, so we got there really early to pick up our items.  (VIPs can enter the stadium an hour before everyone else, so 2.5 hours before first pitch.)  We stood in line to pick up our Harry Potter Red Sox 25 Years of Magic jackets, as well as our Gryffindor and Hufflepuff soccer jerseys.

After that, we still had plenty of time to kill before the game even started, so we decided to try to track down some of the cooler cups.  We had gotten the yellow one at the Peanuts game, and this time we were able to find the red ones (and later the blue at my great suggestion).  I took a photo with my Snoopy keychain sitting next to it.

Eliot and I also waited for the food stand that had the special Harry Potter cupcakes to open.  He got us each one... chocolate for me and vanilla for him.  Then we were sorted into our Hogwarts houses... 

According to our cupcakes, I'm a Slytherin and he's a Gryffindor!

The game itself was pretty sad, pathetic and boring.  The Red Sox got annihilated, but we still had a ton of fun.  Wally actually walked by our section a few times, and he stopped to take a photo with me!  We both had on our Red Sox Gryffindor jerseys from last year, and he loved that we were both matching!

Eliot was also able to track down Wally for a quick photo outside the elevator. 

Even though the game was awful, this was one of the most fun games we've been to at Fenway!  And before leaving Boston, we said a quick goodbye to the original Citgo sign.

In mid-August, Eliot and I went down to Boston for the Wally & Tessie game.  The Red Sox always do a good giveaway for the kids game- and this year it was Wally and Tessie shoulder plush keychains!  Eliot and I were sold at shoulder buddies... but when I found out that you could also use them as a bag charms, I was totally there.

Eliot got us great seats in a section that we hadn't tried before, but we really liked the view from up above the field.  It was also convenient to have a table to sit our food and the donkeys on.  They were adorable in their Red Sox jerseys.

We ended up losing in spectacular fashion, but we still had a great time.  And when we left the game, Eliot and I took the media elevator and I recognized the guy who does the play-by-play on NESN... literally from his voice! 

In late August, we went to the Heated Rivalry game.  Eliot bought 8 VIP Package tickets back when they first went on sale.  We had no idea who would be joining us, but we wanted to have enough tickets so Sara and Elissa could come if they wanted to.

Elissa couldn't make it since she was in London, but Sara flew out for the game.

It was actually two days after the Banana Ball game in Gillette Stadium, so it worked out perfectly for Eliot's parents Nori and Rick to join us for it.

The VIP Package included jerseys for both Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov and a baseball hat that said "I'm Coming to the Cottage Fenway".  The best part of the VIP Package was that you got to choose your jersey color and size, so Sara, Elissa and I were all able to get both Hollander and Rozanov jerseys in our sizes.

They had a ton of special things for the Heated Rivalry game.  There were posters for photo ops, special cakes with the colors of the jerseys... 

So naturally, Sara and I took advantage of all that.

But what we didn't know, was that there were special cooler cups that said Heated Rivalry on them.  Those were "the" item to get... and we all stood in line for over an hour to get those stupid cups... but we got them!  (Eliot and I are now only missing green!)

We shared a lot of laughs that evening.  We sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and "Sweet Caroline" at the top of our lungs.  And the game itself was absolutely wild.  We ended up winning in extra innings and the crowd went wild.  Eliot and I told his parents and Sara that they picked a great first Red Sox game to go to!

Our final Red Sox game of the season was actually one that we added on fairly last minute.  Eliot saw an ad for "Strike Endo Out Night" at Fenway on Instagram, and after doing a little bit of research, I knew we had to go.  I purchased shirts from the website for us to wear, and Eliot even made me a matching pair of mouse ears. ✨🌻✨

We missed the group ticket sales through the Strike Endo Out website, but Eliot was able to get us tickets with a great view.  We had a fence in front of us, so the donkeys were even able to get propped up for a perfect view of the field.

We could still see the Strike Endo out group in the bleacher section though.  Their bright yellow t-shirts gave them away. 🎗

During the game, Eliot surprised me with a giant chocolate chip cookie.  Yum!!!

Before the game ended, we made sure to get one more Fenway family photo.  It's a little bit blurry, but I still love it.

Eliot and I had a wonderful season at Fenway!!! 💛🎗🌻

Portland Sea Dogs ❤️⚾️💙

This was our second season as group pass ticket members.  Basically with our tickets we can take up to four people to as many or as few games as we wanted to all season long.  We've been incredibly busy this summer, so we didn't get to as many games as we did last year.  Still, Eliot and I were able to attend eight Portland Sea Dogs games.

Our first game of this season was for Slugger's Birthday in May.  It was still really cold after the sun set, but Eliot and I braved the cold to wear our "In My Slugger Era" shirts, our Slugger plush mascot hats and our Shoulder Sluggers with birthday party hats.  We nearly froze waiting for an opportunity to take a photo with Slugger, but it was totally worth it!  He loved our outfits and our Shoulder Sluggers.

In June, we went to the Pride Night game and they handed our these flags.

We also went on both the 3rd of July and the 4th of July.  The Sea Dogs had fireworks shows both nights, so we got to celebrate our nation's 250th birthday in style.

On the 4th of July, Jeremy and Mom joined us.  (They hadn't been to a Sea Dogs game since their first one on 4th of July back in 2023 went Daddy was with us.)  Thankfully, they had a great time and really enjoyed both the game and the fireworks.

Eliot and I also had guests with us for Bean Suppah Night.  Tabbi and Brad came down to join us for the game.  We had a blast laughing at all of the food antics that evening.

Finally, one of my favorite games of every season is Harry Potter Night.  This year, the Sea Dogs were giving out Portland Sea Dogs Harry Potter socks.  Eliot and I got there really early and we were able to get Gryffindor and Hufflepuff socks!!! 

Eliot and I wore our new Harry Potter mouse ears (fresh off the new 3D printer) with Slugger dressed in his wizarding best.  We made sure to get a photo with Slugger, especially since he and I were matching in our Portland Sea Dogs Harry Potter jerseys!

Banana Ball 🥥🌴⚾️💛💙🍌 

If you follow me on social media, then you already know that Eliot and I were super lucky to be able to attend not one, but two Banana Ball games this summer!!!  Our friends Tabbi and Brad were selected for our local game in Portland, Maine.  Eliot and I went with them and had a blast at our first Banana Ball game!

Eliot made Loco Beach Coconut & Texas Tailgaters mouse ears for the occasion.

Then I got selected for Gillette Stadium in the Banana Ball lottery!!!  Eliot's mother also got selected, so it ended up being us, my brother Jeremy, our friends Tabbi & Brad and Eliot’s parents that attended the game!

This was a totally different experience from the small town game up in Portland.  There were thousands of people at the sold out Gillette Stadium.

They are also a lot stricter about their bag policies, so Eliot bought new bags for the donkeys to go in.  Thankfully, they passed inspection and were able to join us!

Our seats were in the top section of the stadium, but thankfully we were in the front row so there was a concrete "shelf" where we could sit the donkeys and our food. 

Naturally, Eliot also brought some mouse ears for both of the teams playing... 

In the 8th inning, they lit the stadium up in teal during the Loco Beach Coconuts song break for "Three Little Birds."  It was cool to see so many phones lit up with everyone singing "Don't worry about a thing, because every little thing is gonna to be alright."

I'm so glad that Jeremy was able to join us for the game.  We all had a ton of fun and I swear I’ve never laughed so hard in my life (baby race, #iykyk). 🤣 

Also, I don't think Eliot and I have been down to Gillette Stadium since we still lived down in Massachusetts.  (So it's probably been well over 10-15 years.)  It was nice to visit again and to be surrounded by so much New England Patriots history. 

And there was plenty of New England Patriots love- from the skits, to Pat Patriot, to the New England Cheerleaders to four former Patriots players- and even one former Red Sox player!  Banana Ball was definitely an experience that we’ll remember!!! ✨⚾️🍌

As you can see, Eliot and I had a wonderful baseball season and we made a lot of fun memories... and now the baton goes over to hockey!  The San Jose Sharks first game of the season was on Thursday 10/1 and the Maine Mariners season starts on 10/17! 💕