Talkie Tuesday: WCTH Home for Christmas

"Home is truly where the heart is."

Hello everyone!

And so with my final Christmas-themed movie review, we say farewell not only to December, but to 2019.

Hopefully the year has treated you well, and you've made all the plans you need for 2020. Fingers crossed they all work out for you!

In the meantime, it's time to make a Christmas pit-stop one last time with our movies.

Come January it's back to Hogwarts (or not Hogwarts, as may be the case with the final stages of Mr. Potter's journey), so let's try and soak up all that's left of this Christmas spirit, shall we? After all, it'll be a full year before we can get into it again.

What better way to say goodbye than with When Calls the Heart?

The show that captured hearts around the globe with its message and persevering spirit, and which keeps going despite every obstacle and hurdle thrown its way.

Because even and especially in When Calls the heart, it's time to come Home for Christmas.

Synopsis Saturday: The Mandalorian

"This is the Way."

Hello everyone!

Switching it up a little this Saturday, because really, how could I not?

I may be doing this a few upcoming Saturdays as well because there's been some really great things on television that I couldn't fit into my Talkie Tuesdays, but I just might be able to find them a place on Saturdays!

I am, of course, talking (among other things) about His Dark Materials, the first season of which concluded just before Christmas.

I'm undecided if I should do an episode by episode recap of those, or just a general Saturday one, so I'll figure it out eventually.

First, however, it's time to travel to a galaxy far, far away.

The Mandalorian raced out the gate as strong as it could possibly be, gained momentum around all the tight corners, and finished off with an explosive bang.

Tome Thursday: His Christmas Present

Hello everyone!

Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day if you celebrate it!

I hope you've had some fantastic days with family, friends and loved ones, and that the time spent together was full of joy and happy moments.

In the end, that's what it's all about, isn't it?

A lot of the times we convince ourselves it's about the presents we gift one another, and in recent years this capitalistic approach has certainly almost overpowered the simple message of just BEING, especially if you don't get to see the people closest to you that often.

Me, I've had way too much good food and even better laughs, and I'm still rolling around from both.

So to get back in shape just a little bit, here's my book blog post for this week, of course with another Christmas story since December isn't nearly over yet, and obviously it's going to be another Serenity Woods one.

When in doubt, turn to your favourite authors.

His Christmas Present is next.

Talkie Tuesday: A Homecoming for the Holidays

"If an opportunity presents itself and it's the one you want, you go towards, not away."

Hello everyone!

Merry Christmas!

I'm not taking a break this year because I feel like I'm in a pretty good rhythm at the moment, plus it really doesn't take all THAT long to write up a blog post like this, at least I don't think so. I tend to have them typed a little in advance and I just edit the whole thing later on, anyway.

With the Christmas season basically in FULL swing now, there's really nothing stopping us from putting up more Christmas-based reviews!

I'll admit though, that I'm starting to feel the burn out; I want to watch and read different things and themes after indulging in Christmas for a solid month.

I like to keep going throughout December, however, because it's pretty fun, not to mention there really isn't any other time you can safely indulge in movies like this. That weird June/July thing Hallmark does definitely doesn't count.

So enough dawdling, alright? Let's take a look at A Homecoming for the Holidays.

Saturday Snippet: Christmas trees, compassion, and beardless Jesse Metcalfe

xx

*video not mine

Tome Thursday: My Christmas Billionaire

Hello everyone!

Time really does fly when you're having fun. It seems like only yesterday that I started reading The Billionaire Kings by Serenity Woods, and yet somehow, we've reached the end.

Of course it may not REALLY be the end, as Ms Woods has indicated there might be a follow-up story, kind of like a wrap-up, to catch up with everyone in the King dynasty.

And it really IS a dynasty by this point, given how many of them there are and how they seem interconnected all over the place.

In the meantime though, we need to review the last of the actual books and love stories, because there's only two people left who remain single after all the others have found their happily ever afters.

What makes this particular book special is the fact that it takes place in Rovaniemi, Finland, which is an actual place up in the Arctic Circle. It's one of my bucket list destinations, because who DOESN'T want to go spy on Santa in his own village??

Ahem.

My Christmas Billionaire does just that.

Talkie Tuesday: Christmas at the Plaza

"Nothing unimportant ever happens at the Plaza."

Hello everyone!

Here we are with our third Christmas movie review since December started, where did the time go? I honestly feel as if it's zipping along like we're in some sort of race to the finish line. I'm probably going to blink and it's going to go from 2019 to 2020. 

Meanwhile, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

So here we go with another Hallmark Christmas movie because, well, why not?

They've certainly done much better this year than in several years past, although granted I also haven't watched every single movie they've churned out. There's bound to be weak links in the chain because of the quantity of them.

But the ones I HAVE watched, so far at least, have generally been very enjoyable. Sure there might have been one or two that could have done a bit better, but all that aside, as a general rule, this has been a pretty good Christmas countdown so far.

And since I'm all about the good vibes, why don't we head on to probably the most well-known holiday location in New York? Christmas at the Plaza is up next.

Saturday Snippet: Season Finale

xx

*video not mine

Tome Thursday: If Kisses Were Snowflakes

Hello everyone!

Today has been a rather busy day for me, but that said, I've been looking forward to sitting down and typing up this blog post, because it features one of my favourite books.

I think you may be sensing a trend here.

I don't believe I've ever run into more than one or two books written by Serenity Woods that I didn't like - and even then, it wasn't that I really didn't like them, I just didn't connect well enough with a character so I felt out of whack with the entire thing, and therefore missed the experience.

But ALL of her books are guaranteed to make you smile. Scout's honour!

I've been on a Woods reading binge ever since December began, going through her Three Wise Men series (I still have to read Matt's book one more time) and generally just picking up her Christmas-y titles.

This one is DEFINITELY one of those, because believe it or not, it's part of her Christmas Wishes book series, a set of standalone books that are all set in Christmas time.

As they say, If Kisses Were Snowflakes - I'd send you a snowstorm.

Talkie Tuesday: ACP The Royal Baby

"Next year will be even busier ..."

Hello everyone!

So we interrupt your regularly scheduled Hallmark Countdown to Christmas with a movie nobody actually expected but people were honestly pretty happy about.

Or, at least, they were sort of happy, I suppose?

Netflix is the streaming service that a lot of people consider as a saviour because they've often picked up series after they've been cancelled by other networks, or made movies that were really savory to watch.

They've also started punching out Christmas movies in the past couple of years.

This means that, yesterday, after I was finished with part one of Crisis on Infinite Earths (OMG!), I needed something to both cheer me up and to make me think about other things.

Naturally, I went to grab a Christmas movie, and I chose Netflix instead of Hallmark. I may be missing the bridging part of the trilogy, but A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby could easily be watched as a stand-alone, too!

Sunday Scrap: McDanno

xx

*image not mine

Tome Thursday: Holly's First Noel

Hello everyone!

Of course books won't be escaping the Christmas touch, either.

There's always a bunch of them that are offered for free at Kobo, which I'm honestly stoked about, and then there are also others that you can buy that won't empty your pockets and bankrupt you completely.

Tonight's choice was one of the latter.

Obviously, if you know me, you'll know there's no way in any universe that I won't be reviewing a Serenity Woods book when it comes to Christmas. There are far, FAR too many good ones to go around!

In about two weeks her newest one hits publishers, but until then we'll be taking a look at one of her earlier ones filled with Christmas spirit.

Because there are BOUND to be people who can relate to the storyline in Holly's First Noel. There's no way it's an anomaly.

Talkie Tuesday: Picture a Perfect Christmas

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse ..."

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to the blog, and welcome to this year's Christmas extravaganza!

I know, I know, Christmas is still weeks away, but on this blog it arrives early, aka it's hitting the ground running tonight with the first seasonal blog post that I'm starting right now.

As you probably all know I have this thing for Hallmark where I'll watch quite a few of their movies if I can get my hands on them - and since figuring out that there are good Samaritans out there who put up an actual list on Wikipedia, well, that just makes my life SO much easier!

That being said, I know not everyone enjoys these, and I do occasionally hit a snag myself when I'm expecting too much from one movie or the other.

Not this time, though.

No, for the start of my Christmas blogging this year, I picked a good one. Can you picture it snowing? I bet some of you in the US can. While you're at it, Picture a Perfect Christmas, too.