Since Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, I am normally pretty prepared for it by this time of the month but 2015 has been challenging for me in many ways and this month I am not ready. Yet.
I have the week off though and need to get my butt in gear in order to get it all purchased and prepped by Thursday. As you know, we stay at home, typically in jammies and do nothing but eat and watch movies all day long. But this year I have some other things to consider which is throwing me off my game a bit.
I just have to remind myself that it will all be okay.
Right Now:
I am pouring coffee into my body at an alarming rate. Then, we’ll head to church and then later I am doing a fun event with my small group which involves Target, purchasing a toy for a toy drive, a scavenger hunt and hot chocolate!
This Week:
I’m off Thanksgiving week and the Monday following Thanksgiving. Yay! I plan to get all of my food shopping done this Monday so that I can relax a little.
The Girl wants us to hit some Black Friday sales but I don’t know. I haven’t ventured out on Black Friday in many years. It may not happen.
However, we are in need of a little road trip so we may drive somewhere for the day. I feel the ocean calling my name.
Reading:
I am about 40% into Irving’s Avenue of Mysteries and it’s growing on me. It is a really strange story and took me forever to get into it. I mean, I almost gave up on it. But, I think it’s beginning to get pretty good.
Re-reading Kafka on the Shore and loving it (again). Murakami’s writing is exactly what I need this time of year. It energizes me and gets me all geared up for more reading.
Watching:
I watched an old Doris Day movie, The Tunnel of Love. It was pretty good but also very slow. I love the theme song which is actually sung by Day. Check it out if you want to be taken back in time.
I watched Serendipity again and realized that I want to buy myself a copy just to have it around. It’s a sweet Rom Com starring John Cusack. It’s a good Christmas movie, too.
Last week I saw Spectre. I love Daniel Craig and thought he did well with what he had, but the story was too long and drawn out. No real villain. It lacked in those areas but was still enjoyable. Or would have been had the guy behind me not been talking the entire time! This is why I do not go to the theater to see movies these days. He was a Bond enthusiast and talking about Bond and all but still.
I am going through my Christmas movies and lining them up for viewing! What’s your favorite Christmas movie? I have so many.
Just a few that I love:
The Family Stone (love!)
Christmas Vacation (not Christmas without it)
Christmas with the Kranks (could be me in a year or two)
Home for the Holidays (Holly Hunter version)
Miracle on 34th Street (adore)
Love Actually (love, but wish my version did not have the nudity in it)
Elf (smiling is my favorite!)
I have way more. What are some of your faves?
Making:
I have no idea what I’ll make for the week besides the traditional Thanksgiving meal. Today? Not even sure about that.
Grateful for:
So grateful for this time off. Also grateful to be able to spend some extra time with the family.
The Girl took my laptop so I am posting this from my phone. Hope the formatting is okay.
Book Chatter 
So much to comment on. I’m not even sure where to start, but I’ll try to keep it brief and not comment on everything. Week off? Same here, yay! Black Friday? Um, no, just no. Christmas Vacation? Check. The Family Stone? Check. Love Actually? Check. We skip the nudity but it is part of the story. Elf? Oh, yeah. Probably watch this week. Thanksgiving meal? Check, but probably just a turkey breast for my wife and me (who are celebrating our 19th wedding anniversary tomorrow – and today, really, since she’s off from work tonight), since she only has off on Thursday and no time to travel. Hope the rest of your week is awesome and you are able to chill some.
I saw all your posts on FB and it looks like you made the most of the holiday! I hope you enjoyed it. I watched many, many movies but I am still very behind on my movie watching. Since Sunday’s post I’ve watched Wild (much better than the book), Oblivion (which was a DNF, I just could not get into it), Mask (the one with Cher, which I had never seen but stumbled upon and boy was it good).
I know that these days off will help you unwind and relax! You do so much! We are staying put…I think I might have told you that already…I just dislike holiday travel…we have done it too much. Once you get your shopping done…you will feel better…we ease Thanksgiving by having our turkey cooked already… I think I told you that, too. We will shop on Tuesday…but even though it’s just us two humans…we still have our own traditions. I am in the mood for lots of fantasy this week…in books…witches and magic and distressed damsels. Movies…we rarely watch holiday movies but seriously? You make me want to!
I saw the pic of Den carving the turkey. He needs an electric carving knife. Makes carving a breeze.
I love Home for the Holidays too, but it’s a Thanksgiving movie. Got to watch it then! For Christmas for me, it has always been It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Add The Nightmare Before Christmas if we missed it at Halloween.
I love Elf too! The twins adore Home Alone which I had forgotten is a Christmas movie!
I saw Home Alone over the weekend and had forgotten how violent the movie is. LOL. Violent in a slapstick way but man, so many falls and blows to the head. I have the sequel recorded which I think I like a little more since it’s set in New York.
I haven’t watched Love Actually in years. I may need to squeeze that in this year. Elf and Christmas Vacation are mandatory as well.
I do hope you enjoy your week off. More importantly, find some ways to relax! You deserve it!
I feel as if I lose the entire week. The only day that I actually recall is Saturday. I was feeling too crappy before that. So I guess you could say I got the ultimate relaxation.
Enjoy your time off! I hope you can recharge. You hit on most of my fave Christmas movies! I hate that I don’t own a copy of The Family Stone. I think I will before this year is out. 🙂 I also lump the HP movies in there. They always remind me of the holidays because I read the first several books on Christmas break from college.
HP always reminds me of Christmas too. My kids have never seen the movies but they’ve never read the books either. They don’t seem to be into them even though I’ve tried to get them to read the series numerous times.
I finished Avenue of Mysteries, but almost quit as well. It did get better I agree, but ultimately just wasn’t my thing (no review yet).
Favorite XMAS movies – Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street (Original Version), It’s a Wonderful Life, (Original version), The Bells of St. Mary, and Home Alone.
Have a great Thanksgiving – I don’t leave the house on Black Friday.
I am still plugging away with the Irving book. It’s interesting and very strange. I hope to finish it this week even though this week is incredibly busy for me.
Share your movie and pjs love but nothing would motivate me to go shopping this Friday. Can’t you tell her that Cyber Monday is much more fun? 🙂 I am saving the new John Irving for the holiday weekend so glad to hear it is growing on you. I have always liked hid oddness.
I wasn’t feeling all that great and she was feeling like a couch potato so she didn’t even mention Black Friday once the day arrived. Yay! We drove to the beach on Saturday and did some shopping in Santa Barbara. She got a pea coat for $25 and seemed happy as a clam with just that one purchase. I got off easy. I, of course, hit the Indie bookstore to buy a book for my book club’s book exchange but didn’t buy anything for myself.
I ventured out to our main commercial street today and it was a madhouse. They’ve already changed the traffic pattern for the holidays but it was no help. There is no way you’ll find me up that way on Black Friday.
I saw Love the Coopers last week and really liked it.
As soon as Black Friday hits the mall becomes this hideous place. It’s sad really because I love the decor and the music and all that but the stores are usually a mad house even after the sale stuff has died down. I plan to go at night! Seems rather pleasant at night.
We plan to stay home on Black Friday and get caught up on our DVR’d shows. Have not desire to fight crowds for stuff we don’t really need. I love The Family Stone too! Hope your week comes together without too much stress. Happy Thanksgiving.
I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving! I skipped Brown Thursday, Black Friday and did manage to make a small purchase to support small business Saturday but that’s it!
Glad you have the whole week off and am sure you’ll be ready to go by Thursday. I’m always a little envious of your Thanksgiving tradition… sounds blissful! The Family Stone is one of our favorites, too – we watched it last weekend! Happy Thanksgiving!
Didn’t this Thanksgiving come a little too soon? I am glad you have the whole week available to get the ball rolling and to get some downtime to rest, etc. I LOVE Serendipity, which reminds me that it has been a while since I watched that movie, so I need to find it.
I am back at work today and grumpy, but trying to make the best of it. When is Winter break again? How was your holiday?
I hope you have a great week off from work. You need it and deserve it. I don’t do Black Friday anymore. Too many crazy people looking crazed and acting more crazy than usual.
I love The Holiday movie and Wonderful Life, etc. I do love Christmas with the Kranks. Another good one.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
I envy you your time off. It was hard coming in to work today. I think even my daughter is ready for the long weekend. I hope you have a nice one.
My favorite Christmas movie is While You Were Sleeping. I also really like the original Miracle on 34th Street and The Santa Clause. For some reason, I’ve been watching a lot of Hallmark Christmas movies as of late–this has never happened to me before! I’ve gone crazy.
I can’t bring myself to watch the Hallmark channel although I know their programming at this time of the year is supposed to be really good.
I have never seen While You Were Sleeping. I’ve seen some of it but not all of it so it doesn’t count. LOL. I guess my fave Christmas movies are either comedies or classics.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving with your family Ti. Did you see Glen on WD this past Sunday? All hell breaks loose this coming Sunday when apparently the wall falls down. (I hate when that happens, ha.) the WD mid-season finale will be intense. As for Christmas flicks : Elf and Love Actually are faves. But I usually can’t resist seeing the “dentist” on Rudolph. Or the sad Christmas tree of Charlie Brown’s. or maybe the little people of Whoville.
I did see the actor who plays Glenn on The Talking Dead. That actor is so low key, isn’t he? The mid-season finale was sort of slow for me. I thought it would have a lot more action. I watched the sneak preview for Feb’s episode and thought it was a lot more dramatic with Daryl running into Negan’s group.
Also, I have my copy of Tender is the Night. I have a concert to go to tonight but I am going to start reading a little bit at lunch today.
It’s a Wonderful Life and Rudolph are probably my two favorite Christmas movies. But I’m also fond of Love Actually. The Family Stone reminds me of my own family, if my own family were like viciously unkind. :p
We’ve had some Christmases where the family stuff got a little dramatic, sort of like The Family Stone but thankfully for the most part, I can watch that movie and just laugh about it.
I love Rudolph! I am trying to work all the holiday movies in early because I never got around to watching my Halloween playlist. It came up too fast for me.
I hope you have had a great Thanksgiving week and weekend. It’s been so nice to have some extra time off here, so I’m hoping you have enjoyed it as well.