Holiday 2022 Bucket List Results

Happy Sunday Everyone!  After a few busy days, I'm looking forward to having a lazy afternoon with Eliot watching football and relaxing on the couch.  Now that things have settled down a bit, I thought it was time to recap my 2022 Holiday Bucket List.  

As usual, things were absolutely insane for Eliot and me during most of the month of December due to our business and our busy season.  Add in lost electricity on top of Hell Week, and you've got an extra spicy mix of not to festive fun.  Add in some family stuff: Mom, Dad, and Nana were in a bad car accident, then they all got sick, Mom and Nana were in the hospital, and Nana's health was quickly declining... and you've got an extra difficult emotional holiday season on top of that.

Needless to say, this holiday season was quite a rollercoaster.  Now that it's over, I'm pretty impressed that Eliot and I still found some time to enjoy the season.  Christmas Day was not my favorite, but the rest of the season definitely made up for it.  So let's take a look at the positive parts of our 2022 holiday season!

Melissa's Holiday 2022 Bucket List

FOOD

1.) Drink Hot Cocoa

I wasn't able to accomplish this... it wasn't super important in the scheme of things.

2.) Bake Cookies

I wasn't able to do this, but that's ok.  I make cookies a lot anyways!

3.) Drink a Holiday Cocktail

I'm a little bummed out about this one... but oh well.

4.) Make Peppermint Bark

I had planned to make some of this for our neighbors... 

5.) Make Treats for our Neighbors

We decided to postpone our holiday party until sometime in the new year.

6.) Decorate Gingerbread Cookies

I didn't even give this one thought.  We simply didn't have the time to do it.

7.) Peppermint Frosty from Wendy’s

I'm a little sad about this... maybe next year!

8.) Cookie Butter Donut from Dunkin Donuts

This were delicious... I really enjoyed them!

9.) Dairy Queen Peppermint Blizzard

I didn't get one of these either, although I probably would have just tried Eliot's though!

10.) Friendly’s Peppermint Ice Cream Sundae

Again, this is too much peppermint for me, but Eliot and I might have split one.

TV & MOVIES

1.) Watch New Hallmark Christmas Movies

I was very careful with my wording on this one.  I wanted to watch all of the new movies, but I knew that a would never happen in the holiday rush.  I think I watched like 5 movies out of the new 30-40 movies Hallmark premiered.  Eliot and I have a lot on the DVR so I'll watch them at some point when I have time to actually enjoy them!

2.) Watch Our Favorite Hallmark Christmas Movies

Sadly, I didn't really watch many of my favorites... but we did record a bunch of them!

3.) Watch The Santa Clause

I didn't get to watch this, but I'm hoping to next year!

4.) Watch The Santa Clause 2

I didn't get to watch this, but I'm hoping to next year!

5.) Watch The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause

I didn't get to watch this, but I'm hoping to next year!

6.) Watch the New Santa Clause Series on Disney+

I did watch the new series on Disney+.  I really enjoyed it and I'm glad that they are going to be making another season of it!  I'll have to watch it and the movies next year!

7.) Watch Elf

"Santa, I know him!!!"  I love this movie and I was sure to make time to watch it!

8.) Watch Frosty the Snowman

This is a classic and I was sure to watch it.

9.) Watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

This is my favorite Christmas movie... Rudolph was my childhood.

10.) Watch Noelle

I love this movie as well and I made sure to make time to watch it!

11.) Watch Same Time Next Christmas

I didn't get to watch this; I couldn't get our Hulu account to log me in.

12.) Watch The Grinch

I didn't get to watch this... although I did record it!

13.) Watch A Muppet Christmas Carol

I'm not sure if I've ever seen this before, but I watched it and really enjoyed it!

14.) Watch Midnight at the Magnolia

This is a favorite to watch between Christmas and New Years.

15.) Watch the Disney Christmas "Parade" Christmas Morning

We didn't catch the morning release, but we did watch the replay on Freeform!

16.) Watch A Christmas Prince

I didn't get to watch this, but I have seen it before.

17.) Watch A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding

I didn't get to watch this, but I have seen it before.

18.) Watch A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby

I didn't get to watch this, but I have seen it before.

19.) Watch Falling for Christmas

Eliot and I did watch this together.

20.) Watch Holidate

I didn't get to watch this.

21.) Watch The Princess Switch Movies

I didn't get to watch this.

22.) Watch Beauty and the Beast Enchanted Christmas

I haven't seen this in years and I really enjoyed watching it again!

23.) Watch Mickey’s Christmas Carol

I didn't get to watch this.

24.) Watch Prep & Landing

We watched this while we were home over Thanksgiving with my family.

25.) Watch Prep & Landing: Naughty vs Nice

We also watched this while we were home over Thanksgiving with my family.

26.) Watch The Nightmare Before Christmas

I didn't get to watch this, but I'm determined for Eliot to see it sometime!

27.) Watch The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

I didn't get to watch this.

CRAFTS

1.) Make a Hanukkah Craft

In all of the rush, I didn't have time to craft anything.

2.) Make a Christmas Craft

In all of the rush, I didn't have time to craft anything.

3.) Take Christmas Photo(s) for Our Christmas Cards

Eliot and I didn't take formal photos, but I had planned to use our photo with Slugger for our Christmas Cards.  But I never ended up sending any this year.

4.) Make Christmas Accessories

In all of the rush, I didn't have time to craft anything.

5.) Make a Wreath

In all of the rush, I didn't have time to craft anything.

6.) Make Christmas Decorations

In all of the rush, I didn't have time to craft anything.

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

1.) Play the Dreidel Game

We were not able to do this.

2.) Donate to Toy's for Tots

Eliot bought toys for the Holiday at Hadlock event and then we forgot to bring them with us.  Oh well, we've got a head start on next year!

3.) Read a Christmas Book

I was not able to do this.

4.) Wear Christmas Pajamas

Eliot and I did wear matching Christmas pajamas, but I didn't take any photos of us. 

5.) Send Christmas Cards

I really wanted to do this, but in the end, it just wasn't as important to me as being present in the moment with my family and trying to enjoy the holiday.

6.) Listen to Christmas Music

Eliot and I did listen to a lot of Christmas music while we worked on Etsy orders.

7.) Light all Eight Candles for Hanukkah

We weren't able to do this.  Our menorah is back in storage.

8.) Wear an Ugly Sweater

Eliot and I did wear our "ugly" sweaters to the Holiday at Hadlock event.

9.) Have a Family Game Night

Eliot and I had a game night with my cousin Luke and his wife Rachel.

10.) Hallmark Movie Writing Class

I took an online class on how to write Hallmark Christmas movies.

11.) Play Hallmark Christmas Monopoly

We weren't able to do this.

12.) See a Special Event (Theater, Show or Concert)

Eliot and I went to see Disney On Ice when it was in Portland.

13.) Watch/Attend a Christmas Tree Lighting

We weren't able to do this.

14.) Attend Holiday at Hadlock

Eliot and I had a great time at Holiday at Hadlock!  We can't wait for next year!

15.) Ring in the New Year at Walt Disney World

We ended 2022 and started 2023 off at the Magic Kingdom.

16.) Make New Year’s Disney & Blog Goals for 2023

I did make my goals for 2023!

17.) Make Personal Goals for 2023

I don't post these goals publicly, but I made 23 personal goals for 2023!

DECORATIONS

1.) Hang a Wreath on the Front Door

Eliot's Mom bought us a wreath for Christmas.

2.) Drive Around to Look at Christmas Lights

Eliot and I did this pretty much anytime we were out after dark.  I love Christmas lights!

3.) Decorate Outside with Inflatables

We got plenty of our inflatables up this year!

4.) Go See a Christmas Light Display

Eliot and I visited the L.L. Bean Northern Lights Christmas display on my birthday!

5.) Buy New Decorations for Our Collection 

Eliot and I picked up a bunch of new items this year... inflatables, door greeters, etc.

We also got to do a few things that weren't on my bucket list... 

Things Not On Our Bucket List

1.) Watched Olaf’s Frozen Adventure

I didn't have this on my Christmas list, but it's one of my favorite Disney shorts!

2.) Watched Prep & Landing- Secret Santa

This is new, and I watched it as well.

3.) Watched Winnie the Pooh A Very Merry Pooh Year

I've never seen this before, but it was really cute!

4.) Have Jelly Donuts (for Hanukkah)

Eliot bought me a few rounds of jelly donuts over Hanukkah.

5.) Watched Hometown Holiday

I watched this during the day and I watched it again with Eliot a few nights later.

And there you have it!  We were able to do 31 of my original 65 goals... and I also got those five extra things in.  So that's a grand total of 36 out of 70 things... or just over 50%.  Honestly, that's not bad considering everything that was going on.  It's also not bad considering I didn't really utilize the month of November when I usually do.

I'll definitely be ready to rock and roll once the calendar flips to November this year.  I'll have to get a head start on my holiday goals if I'm going to have so many!  °o°

Fun Find: Puppy for Hanukkah Video

Happy Hanukkah and Happy Friday friends!!!  The nights keep passing and the lights keep glowing.  Today, I thought I'd share another fun music video post for my Fun Find Friday.  I went through a DIY wreath video phase earlier this month and now it appears that I'm on a rap music video kick... but I digress.  Let's just roll (the dreidel) with it!

I want to start by saying that it's not always that easy to find fun Hanukkah music.  Eliot and I have a humungous list of Christmas favorites, but Hanukkah songs are harder to come by.  When I first found out about this song, and the accompanying music video, I was so excited!  It debuted two years ago and features Daveed Diggs.  If you're a fan of Hamilton, you'll recognize him as Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson.

Photo Source

Of course, at the time I had just been introduced to Hamilton a few months earlier, so I absolutely had to watch the music video for the new Hanukkah song.  At first, I was a little bit disappointed that Daveed wasn't in it, but then I realized it made more sense to show kids since the song was geared towards them.  Plus, it was great to see people of color and different ethnicities being portrayed as Jewish.

The song and video is definitely geared towards kids, but Eliot and I listen to it every once in a while.  (And it's so catchy that I usually get it stuck in my head afterwards.)  I actually played it earlier this week on the first night of Hanukkah when I gave Eliot his Hanukkah present that I bought both of us- matching Mickey Mouse Hanukkah shirts!

I hope you enjoyed this little nugget of a fun find.  I'm sorry for getting it stuck in your head now.  But you have to agree that it was worth it because the puppy is so cute!

Happy Hanukkah!!!  °o°

Magical Merchandise: 2022 Disney Parks Hanukkah Collection

Happy Monday and Happy First Day of Hanukkah!  While the Festival of Lights officially started last night at sundown, today is the first day!  I originally had another Christmas merchandise post planned for today, but since it was Hanukkah, I thought that I'd take a break.  Plus, I actually had something I could share with you!

Photo Source

In the past, I've been pretty critical about Disney and their lack of new Hanukkah products.  Usually, they create a collection and then they sell it at their theme parks for a few years.  Thus, you can't get anything new until they decide to create a new collection.  Last year, we were blessed with a new Hanukkah collection and I was so excited to write about it.  However, I was so not-optimistic about getting another collection in the next year or two that I literally called that post "Hanukkah Magic" and not Hanukkah 2021 like I usually do for other holidays.  I really didn't think we'd get a new Hanukkah collection again for another year or two.

Apparently, I need to eat my words.  I was honestly completely shocked when I logged into Shop Disney to find an entirely new Hanukkah collection with a different motif and design than last year!  (Wait, what?!?!)  There isn't a lot of it, but it is something so I'll definitely give them credit for that!  Anyways, let's check everything out!

I think the most practical thing in the entire collection is this new Hanukkah Shirt.  I had to have one, so naturally it was the first thing to sell out.  They restocked it online, and I missed it again.  However, Eliot's mom was able to get one for me at Disneyland the other day, and she had already bought one for Eliot!

I like how they made a Disney Hanukkah Gift Tag Set with 16 tags for two each of the nights of Hanukkah.  We don't do eight nights of gifts, but it's great for families who do.

Next, we're moving into the dining part of the collection.  My personal favorite addition was the Disney Hanukkah Salad Plate Set.  I'm not sure why they made salad plates and not full sized dinner plates, but these would make cute plates to serve stuff.

Next, there's also a Disney Hanukkah Serving Tray.  Plenty of serving options!

They made a Disney Hanukkah Wine Glass Set.  You can't really see much of the Hanukkah motif on it, but there's a little bit if you look closely at the top edge.

The Disney Hanukkah Table Runner is reversible and has the same design throughout.

The last part of dinner decor is the Disney Hanukkah Napkin Holder Set.  It's way too much for us to invest in for napkins, but the design and the napkin ring is really cute!

Finally, this year Disney also made a new Mickey Hanukkah Plush.  I really wish that they'd make a matching Minnie Mouse, but this one is really cute!  I might get a few of these to display and then use one of the to make a Hanukkah wreath!

Overall, I think this collection is really elegant and classy.  Plus, I'm very excited about more Disney Hanukkah products since Eliot and I are definitely still lacking compared to Christmas.  Maybe this means that Disney will continue to release new merchandise each year as part of their Keys to Inclusion?  I don't know, but a girl can hope!

Happy Hanukkah!!!  °o°

Hanukkah 2022 Begins

Happy First Night of Hanukkah!  

I can't believe it's already time for Hanukkah.  This time of the year always flies by for us since Eliot and I are so busy with our Etsy shops.  Sometimes, I feel like I blink and we miss it due to our crazy schedules.  We're both still very much off of a normal body clock, but we're trying to enjoy as much of the holiday season as we can.

Tonight, we're heading over to Windham to check out the Lowes and Marshall's.  Eliot went on a bit of a Lowes Christmas decoration shopping spree the other day.  All of the merchandise is discounted, and he already got a bunch of great deals at the stores in Sanford, Portland and Scarborough.  So now we're headed to the last store that's local!

I figure this is a great way to kick off Hanukkah.  It is the Festival of Lights, and we are on our way to buy some more lights for our own house.  Eliot always says that he loves the lights because it's dark so early this time of year.  Coming home from work each night to our house completely lit up always makes him smile, and I really enjoy seeing all of the lights too.  It's our very own Christmukkah spectacular in our front yard!

We have seven more nights ahead of us, and I'm hoping we find a way to celebrate all this week, and the last night of Hanukkah is Christmas this year!  For now, we'll be enjoying night one with Eliot opening the Hanukkah presents that I bought us, and then driving to Windham and enjoying everyone's Christmas lights along the way.

Happy Hanukkah!!!  °o°

Holiday 2021 Bucket List Results

The holiday season is winding down for another year.  We just have New Years Eve and New Years Day and things will settle back down once the calendar flips.  Of course, that also means it's time to check in on my holiday bucket list.

I wasn't able to do as much as I wanted to.  But more importantly, I was able to take some time to enjoy the holiday season... and that was the whole point of this anyways. 

So, without further ado, let's see exactly how I did with my Holiday 2021 Bucket List:

1.) Drink Hot Cocoa

I didn't get a chance to drink hot cocoa this season.  I've been having some stomach problems though, so that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

2.) Read a Christmas Book

I really wanted to take time to read a Christmas romance novel or something... but I wasn't even able to buy one.  I'll have to do this next year!

3.) Watch all 3 Santa Clause Movies

I didn't watch these this year.  I usually do, but this year I couldn't squeeze them in.

4.) Wear Christmas Pajamas

I wore my Mickey and Minnie Gingerbread pajamas on Christmas Day!

5.) Play the Dreidel Game

This is the second year in a row that I've insisted Mom and Dad get Hershey's Kisses and we still haven't played the Dreidel game.  Next year... I'm determined!

6.) Drive Around to Look at Christmas Lights

Eliot and I did this a few times during our travels.  It's such a simple thing to go out and do, but it brings me so much joy to see all of the decorations and houses lit up.

7.) Make a Christmas Craft

I didn't have time for this, but I made a bunch of mouse ears and desk accessories!

8.) Bake Cookies

Our oven has been out of commission so this did not happen.

9.) Hang a Wreath on the Front Door

Eliot and I did hang a wreath!  We actually have two so when we get home, we need to find a place to put the second one up!

10.) Donate to Toy's for Tots

I didn't know where to donate toys... and apparently Eliot's work has been a drop off place for years.  (I found out when I went to check the locations on the website.)  Next year, I'll do it earlier so we catch the box before it's picked up!

11.) Send Christmas Cards

This is a work in progress.  (I'm literally doing this in between working on this post.)  It's after Christmas and they're late, but since this is the first year I've ordered cards since we moved into our house in 2015, it's progress and I'm happy about it!

12.) Watch All of the New Hallmark Christmas Movies

Ok, this technically isn't officially finished yet, but all of them are on the DVR and Eliot and I will be finishing the last few movies once we get home from our trip!

13.) Listen to Christmas Music

Eliot and I started listening to Christmas music as soon as we flipped the calendar to November. We've listened to the classics, pop, Glee, Disney and country.  I love it!

14.) Take Christmas Photo

We took a family photo over Christmas weekend!  Our new ring light works really well!

15.) Light all Eight Candles for Hanukkah (electric or flame)

Eliot and I did light our electric menorah each night of Hanukkah.

16.) Wear an "Ugly" Sweater

Eliot and I wore our new Disney sweaters a few times this holiday season!

17.) Watch the Disney Christmas "Parade" Christmas Morning

We tried to do this as I wrote about in my Christmas 2021 post.  We did DVR it, so Eliot and I will watch the rest of it once we're back from our trip.

18.) Do an Advent Calendar

Eliot and I opened our Wishables advent calendar early, but it was an advent calendar so I'm still counting it.  Next year, I'll have to get one that we can open each day.

19.) Go See a Christmas Light Display 

I really wanted to go see a special Christmas Light display and not just driving by houses.  We were able to do this when we went to Gardens Aglow over my birthday.

20.) Have a Family Game Night

We weren't home long enough to play games.  Maybe next year.

21.) Decorate Gingerbread Cookies

We weren't home long enough to do this either.  Boo... 

22.) Make a Hanukkah Craft

I wish I had enough time for this!  I do have an idea I can do next year though.

23.) Decorate our Yard with Inflatables

Eliot and I never put our inflatables up, but we really enjoyed seeing all of my Dad's up!

24.) Make Treats for our Neighbors

We didn't make treats for our neighbors since our oven was messed up, but we did prepare cookies for our First Annual Neighborhood Christmas Cookie Exchange Party!

25.) Watch Favorite Christmas Movies (Elf, Grinch, Rudolph, Frosty, etc.)

I totally crushed this last goal!  I watched so many of my favorite classic Christmas movies.  (That's why I wasn't really that worried about the Santa Clause movies.  I watch those all the time.)  This year, I watched Frosty, Elf, The Grinch (the 2018 one), Noelle, Same Time Next Christmas, Little Drummer Boy, and all of the Christmas Prince movies.  I loved the new animated Grinch movie.  That's the only one I'll watch going forward.  I haven't watched Elf in a few years.  I've only seen the first Christmas Prince movie and that was back in 2017 when it came out on Netflix.  I really enjoyed binge watching those last week.  Plus, I enjoyed seeing Same Time Next Christmas again.  I also have Rudolph on the DVR to watch when I have some time!

And there you have it!  Overall, 14 out of 25 isn't bad!  Considering how busy Eliot and I have been the past few weeks, I'd say it's actually a small miracle!  While I wasn't able to check everything off of this list, I am very happy with what we were able to do.  

At the end of the day, the only thing I wanted to do was to spend Christmas at home with my family and to be able to hug my family.  That's all the holiday magic I need.  °o°

Small Shop Saturday: Hanukkah

Happy Small Shop Saturday!  Today, I thought I'd share some of my small shop finds of Hanukkah merchandise!  I've mentioned how hard it is to find Hanukkah items in most stores, and small shops also don't usually have many items available.  However, I have found a few things that I really love and I had to share them with you! 

Starting off with home decor, I think this sign from Dawn's Door Decor is perfect for our house!  It has both Hanukkah and Christmas which is perfect!

Dawn's Door Decor also has a Hanukkah only version!

I love these Happy Hanukkah cards from Karma and Kismet.  Sorcerer Mickey and all of his broomsticks are adorable atop this menorah!

I also like these Hanukkah tumblers by Grin and Giggles.  They're perfect for adult beverages or for keeping your water or iced coffee nearby!

Switching gears to shirts, I like this Festival of Lightsabers shirt by Alef Designs. They have a ton of Jewish shirt designs and they're also based in Israel!

Star Wars fans will also like this Keep the Han in Hanukkah shirt by Rock Salt Shirts.

These Mickey Head shirts with small illustrations inside are super popular.  This Hanukkah version by Groovy Days Vintage is really fun!

I love this Spirit Jersey by EHTM Designs.  We need Hanukkah Spirit Jerseys!!! 

This Mickey Menorahs and Miracles Shirt by Childless Millennial Pretzel Company is adorable and simple.  I've had this in my cart for a while and I really need to get one!

Another shirt sitting in my shopping cart is this Festival of Loating Lanterns shirt by The Adventure Effect.  As you know, I love Tangled and this design is perfect for Hanukkah!

Another shirt that has been sitting in my cart are these Magical Menorah Shirts by Customized By Cristina.  I just love her shirt designs so much!!! 

Plus, you can get Cristina's designs on a bunch of things!  She also has Magical Menorah coffee mugs, a blanket, stickers, posters and prints in her shop!

I'm also loving this Mickey Headband by Sew Tangled.  (Ok, so it's in my cart right now too.)  The colors in it will work for Hanukkah as well as winter!

I also like this Mickey and Minnie Headband by Caibriza Creates.  This is made with the same fabric from Joann that I mentioned on Monday!

I'm also loving these beaded bracelets from Say Like Yay.  I have a few other bracelets from her and these are all super cute.  There are tons of words to pick from, as well as larger bracelets to pair with them so you can mix and match!

Of course, I have to end this with a shameless plug for our own Hanukkah mouse ears designs from Happily Ever Hatter.  Eliot and I have made creating Hanukkah ears a priority since it is so hard to find stuff for the Festival of Lights.  Thus, our Hanukkah designs are always popular this time of the year!

My favorite addition to our collection so far are these dreidel mouse ears!

While it's not alway to find fun Hanukkah merchandise, each year it gets easier!  These small shops are paving the way for more items in the future!  °o° 

Please Note: Eliot and I are not affiliated with any of these shops (except Happily Ever Hatter) and we won't earn anything if you purchase something from this post (unless you buy ears from our shop).  I just wanted to spread a little bit of magical good will by sharing some stuff that I love from Etsy!  I know how much it means to small shops for their stuff to be shared.  All of these items are literally things that I picked off of my own Etsy favorites list!  

All of these photos belong to the shop in which I've shared them from.  If you link them from this post, please attach them to their corresponding Etsy shop!

Happy Hanukkah!!!  °o°