The December Watchlist

christmas
     



        My October watchlist didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted because I was so dumb-busy in October and I am still learning to organize my life.  It's an uphill battle, I swear.  So I decided to simplify things in my December watchlist.  I'm rating things (on a scale of how well I liked the film) but I'm not giving you descriptions or extra info because you have probably heard of everything on the list and almost everything is appropriate for the whole family, unlike my October watchlist that featured horror films.
     This list is intended to put you in the mood for Christmas (though not every film is necessarily a Christmas film), so if there's not your thing, check back soon for a post on winter skincare!



  1. The Santa Clause ★★★★★
    1. The Santa Clause 2 ★★★
    2. The Santa Clause 3 ★★
  2. The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow ★★★
  3. Catch Me If You Can ★★★★★ | Not a Christmas film but lots of Christmas scenes and it's a great film and great story.
  4. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians ★★ | Seriously, if you haven't seen this, you need to.  Two stars but it's really great to have on in the background for present wrapping or partying or whatever shenanigans you're getting up to this season.
  5. Home Alone ★★★★★
    1. Home Alone 2: Lost In New York ★★★
  6. Bad Santa ★★★½
  7. The Little Drummer Boy ★★★½
  8. Christmas With The Kranks ★★★½
  9. The Nightmare Before Christmas ★★★★
  10. Jingle All The Way ★★★½
  11. The Grinch Who Stole Christmas ★★★★★
  12. Nestor the Long Eared Donkey ★★★★½
  13. The Night Before ★★★★
  14. Elf ★★★½
  15. The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas ★★
  16. It’s a Wonderful Life ★★★½
  17. The Polar Express ★★★★
  18. Ernest Saves Christmas ★★★
  19. White Christmas ★★½
  20. Funny Farm ★★★
  21. Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas ★★½
  22. A Christmas Carol (1984) ★★★
  23. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town ★★½
  24. A Christmas Story ★★★★
  25. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation ★★★★★


Honorable Mentions

  1. A Very Murray Christmas
  2. Scrooged
  3. Jack Frost
  4. I Am Santa Claus
  5. Rudolph’s Shiny New Year
  6. A Charlie Brown Christmas
  7. Krampus


So snuggle in with a cup of hot cocoa or a hot toddy and turn on your favorite Christmas movie, tv special, or whatever.  Comment and let me know what your favorite is!

21 Movies To Watch In October [Part 1/2]

lifestyle



Halloween October is probably my favorite month of the year.  I've got a movie for every day leading up until Halloween to get you even more in the mood for the month of spoop.  I've rated them between 1-5 stars based on personal interest.  I'll include the MPA rating because useful info is useful.


  1.   Edward Scissorhands (1990) ★★★★ | drama, fantasy, romance |   A door-to-door saleswoman discovers a shy, gentle young man with scissors for hands living in isolation.  He is brought into a new community and the film takes you on his adventures as he adapts to his new life.  Rated PG-13: sexual references, strong language, alcohol use, some violence.
  2.   Hocus Pocus (1993) ★★★★★ | family, comedy | After three centuries, three witch sisters are resurrected in Salem, Massachusetts on Halloween night, and it is up to two teenagers, a young girl and an immortal cat to put an end to the witches' reign of terror once and for all.  Rated PG: some scary sequences and language. 
  3.   The Blair Witch Project  (1999) ★★★★ | horror, found footage |  Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind.  Rated R: language.    
  4.   The Craft  (1996) ★★★★★ | drama, fantasy, horror, thriller |  A newcomer to a Catholic prep high school falls in with a trio of outcast teenage girls who practice witchcraft and they all soon conjure up various spells and curses against those who even slightly anger them.  Rated R:  terror, violence, language.
  5.   Halloweentown  (1998) ★★★★ | adventure, comedy, fantasy, family |  After learning she is a witch, a girl (Kimberly J. Brown) helps save a town full of other supernatural creatures.   Rated G.
  6.   The Witch (2015) ★★★½ | horror, mystery |   A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession.  Rated R: disturbing violent content, graphic nudity.
  7.   Dark Shadows  (2012) ★★★★★ | comedy, fantasy, horror |  An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins, is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.  Rated PG-13:  comic horror violence, sexual content, some drug use, language, smoking.      
  8.   The Addams Family  (1991) ★★★ | comedy, fantasy |   Con artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.  Rated PG-13: language, smoking, sensuality, some bloody comic violence.
  9.   Beetlejuice  (1988) ★★★½ | comedy, fantasy | A couple of recently deceased ghosts contract the services of a "bio-exorcist" in order to remove the obnoxious new owners of their house.  Rated PG-13: comedic horror violence, alcohol use, some sexual humor, brief strong language.
  10.   Sleepy Hollow  (1999)  ★★★ | fantasy, horror, mystery |   Ichabod Crane is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of 3 people with the culprit being the legendary apparition, the Headless Horseman.  Rated R: graphic horror violence and gore, a scene of sexuality.
  11.   The Haunted Mansion (2003)  ★★★ | comedy, family, fantasy, horror, mystery | A realtor and his wife and children are summoned to a mansion, which they soon discover is haunted, and while they attempt to escape, he learns an important lesson about the family he has neglected.  Rated PG: frightening images, thematic elements, language.  
What's your favorite October or Halloween movie? Let me know below and your favorite film might be in part 2! 






Manly Monday Ep. 03 Ties: How to wear them better

manly monday


Ties have been the focal point of the outfits of men for decades.  Ever wonder how you could pull it off better?  I'm here to help.

Whether you're going to sport a regular neck tie or a bow tie, the first step is learning to tie it yourself.  Clip-ons appear tacky and lazy and you should skip them all together.  There are endless guides on how to tie it yourself, so with a little practice you'll be a pro in no time.  

Learn to dress your body type; the way you dress effects how you are perceived and dressing to suit your body type will make you appear more powerful and respectable.   If you are a bigger guy, with a bigger face, you should go with a wider tie, think 3-4 inches at the widest point.  Shirts with spread collars (collar points spread by 90 degrees or more) also make a wide face appear more balanced.  The chubby dude should also take advantage of his chance to sport a wider tie knot.  If you are a skinny man, wear a skinny tie! Think 2-2.5 inches at the widest point.   If you wear a wide tie, it often makes your shoulders appear slimmer and makes you look less powerful- and more like a twelve year old.  

When you're shopping for ties, you should think about your favorite pants and your favorite shirts.  That's what your tie should match.  If your tie doesn't coordinate with your shirt or your pants, you may appear goofy and mismatched, even if it matches small accessories.  Lots of men's accessories are too small to be seen from far away, so it's best to avoid them being the focal point of a look.  Your tie should be darker than your shirt.  If you're wearing a black shirt, look for a black tie with a pattern or a unique texture.  When choosing colors for your outfits, use a color wheel and think about color theory.    

Shiny shirt = shiny tie.  If your shirt is flat with no shine, you should be wearing a flat or textured tie.  Shiny ties with cotton, non-shiny shirts makes you look like a waiter and should be avoided at all costs, even if you are a waiter.  There are exceptions to this rule, of course.  If you are sure your tie looks awesome with your shirt, then rock it!

When wearing ties to work and you're doing anything other than an office job, you should either be wearing a bow tie or a tie clip with your neck tie.  Your tie should not get in the way of your work.  It should not get wet when you're going to the bathroom, washing your hands, it should not touch someone's food, it should not risk falling into machinery and it should not fall away from your body by more than a few inches.  Tie bars are a great opportunity to get a few new accessories.  Etsy is a deadly clickhole of wonderful fandom tie bars.  Your tie bar should be worn between the third and fourth buttons of a shirt, lower or higher, whatever works best for you.  Many people wear their tie bars too high which breaks up their appearance unevenly and also makes the tie bar useless. 


If you are wearing a long neck tie, the tip of the tie should hit your waistband when you're standing with natural posture.  The widest point of the tie should line up with the top line of your trousers.

Skip the bow tie if you have a very long beard.  People may not see it beneath your lush beard and you may seem more casual than you aimed for.  

If you cannot afford to spend much on ties, go vintage.  Your local thrift stores will almost always have nice ties available for very cheap.  

Socks showing?  Socks and ties being the most saturated color is a well liked look.  It's exciting to the eye.

Try to avoid busy patterned ties with busy patterned shirts.  You can mix patterns, but you need to balance everything out.


These were just a few ideas I had on how to wear ties better.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment!  If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear those too!  And if you ever have any ideas for something you'd like me to post about, whether it's for Manly Monday or anything else, I'd always love to hear them!  Don't forget to follow me on Bloglovin'!

Popular Posts