Christmas is over and with the end of the festive holiday comes the abrupt finish to the local radio stations playing non-stop holiday music and then eventually, the Christmas lights come down and everything seems to go back to normal. I typically get a case of the "blah's" after Christmas, but it was such a good experience this year that I'm left with happy memories, lots of pictures, and my tummy is still full from overeating. I've decided that I'm going to salvage the Christmas spirit that I have left inside and do a blog dedicated to a special Christmas Tradition that takes place in my family with the hope that maybe you will share some of your favorite holiday traditions with me in return! Our tradition began about three or four years ago and began after my cousin was assigned a school paper that talks about the different traditions his family does during Christmas. The sad realization is that he had to lie about traditions because our family really didn't have anything special that we did other than open presents and eat lots of food. Though he did fine on the project, our family decided that it may be time for us to come up with a special tradition. → read more…

I have a very love/hate relationship with Christmas music. After December 1st, I begin to listen to it even though the radio stations will start to play it in the beginning of November. If I started to listen to it at the beginning of November, I would be pulling out my hair and going mad by the time Christmas came around, so...I play it safe and make sure to start at an appropriate time. Secondly, if Christmas music is bad and it's overplayed, it can put me in a sour mood and let me tell you, there isn't a lot of Christmas-related stuff that can do that! I began my Christmas music blog by listing out all of my favorite Christmas songs which soon reminded me of all of my least favorite Christmas songs and unfortunately...this list far outweighed the favorites. → read more…

Infusing cuteness into every aspect of my life is sort of my thing, thus the nature of my website: "A cute but mature outlook on life". Christmas happens to be one of the very best times to add a little cuteness into your life because let's face it; there is so much adorable stuff to be found during this time of the year! There are so many outlets available for you to show off your cuteness, too, from wrapping paper to the decor you decide to put around your house. I'm still in the early stages of acquiring Christmas knick-knacks to put around the house, but that hasn't stopped me from starting my collection! I find it interesting that there are so many different "styles" of Christmas decor available from the traditional to the whimsical and a little bit of everything in between. In fact, I just found "geek inspired" wrapping paper complete with binary print and emoticons, available at ThinkGeek.com. So really, there is something out there for everyone. I have swept the internet to bring to you some of the cutest Christmas items that I could find and that I felt needed to be showcased to everyone! :-) → read more…

We are officially in the T-minus x number of days until Christmas and I'm sure you will all agree with me that this is the period of the year where time seems to bend beyond it's limits and zoom by in what seems like a moment! It's as if one second you're Christmas shopping, the next you're wrapping presents, and then whoosh-- you wake up and it's Christmas! I began my Christmas shopping in the middle of October and had this game plan that I'd have 75% of the bulk of my shopping done by the middle of December. Well...I do! For those of you that are still in the beginning period of holiday shopping, I have searched around the internet to extend the original 20 Unique Gifts for 20 Unique Lifestyles from the 20 Unique Gifts for 20 Unique Lifestyles: Part 2 and Brand New into the latest addition, 20 Unique Gifts for 20 Unique Lifestyles: Part 3 and Christmasy; just in time for the holiday season! As I always have said and will continue to say, it's not about the amount of money that you've spent on a gift or the quantity of presents that you give-- rather it is the basis of the spirit of giving and spreading some holiday cheer by letting someone know that you put a lot of thought into giving them something that they will have for the years (and of course, it will remind the recipient of you!). → read more…

Yay! December is here and that of course means that Christmas is well on it's way! I have been preparing for Christmas for well over two months and I am pleased to report to you that I am more than halfway done with my holiday shopping! I wanted to save a little bit of the shopping so I could experience the joyous event of Christmas shopping in the mall as you juggle your bags and your Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha and check your list (yes, I carry a list) every so often to make sure that you're right on track! My kicks for this month are 100%, purely and totally devoted to the holiday season and I'd have it no other way. We just had our first big snow here in Columbus and while the weathermen stated that it'd be a, "light snow, possibly up to half an inch to one inch". Well...looking outside right now, it's been snowing all day and it's more like we're closing in on three inches. Crazy... but not as crazy as the local drivers. I almost want the local news channels to do a segment on how to properly drive in this weather, I think that it would do nothing but good for the community and would be a nice refresher for everyone. Even though I've dedicated the majority of this month into buying presents to satisfy the kicks of my family and friends (in the form of presents, of course), I have picked out a few things that I feel need to be shown some lovin' in my December Kick List! → read more…

It's the most wonderful time of the year, everyone, and I truly do believe that! Well, maybe not in terms of today as it's snowing outside and the City of Columbus seems to not pay attention to the weather forecasts because there isn't a salt truck in sight! I'm one of those individuals who doesn't have that much confidence in the weather predictions (which is really what it is), but it's all due to where I live-- and where you may live, too, especially if you are a fellow resident of Columbus, OH! Here's my issue with the weathermen of the city; first and foremost, you'd think that living in an area that has all four seasons that the weathermen would be used to inclement conditions...at least enough to not make it sound like the end of days if we have a little snow or rain. A perfect example of this is the new "tornado watch to warning" siren system which used to be sounded only if there was a tornado warning which basically means that there has been a sighting and to take immediate cover. Now...this siren blares for a tornado watch which only means that the conditions are favorable. Because of this, the sirens go off during nearly every summer storm and if you've lived here long enough you're conditioned to take that as the ultimate warning...but now, who knows! My boyfriend, who is from Cleveland, gets a kick out of how freaked out Columbusians get over a few inches of snow compared to what accumulates up north! That's really my only complaint about the weathermen and other than that they do a good job of letting us know what is/might be going on and trying to keep people as safe as possible. → read more…

Even though we're well into November, I'm a little bit in shock that October went by so fast and we're currently on the fast track towards the holiday season. Aside from being in shock, I'm actually experiencing a swarm of emotions from the shock to a bit of disappointment in myself that I wasn't able to do as many blogs as I wanted to for Halloween and October! It's been a really crazy couple of months as I've been trying to balance everything, but my hope is that I will be able to share some of my ideas for November and December and at least get out some of my creativity before I burst! As far as my current kicks are concerned, I've pretty much been concentrating on fulfilling the kicks of others while Christmas shopping this month that I haven't really dedicated a lot of time into looking around for my own, personal kicks! Fortunately, I've taken some time to consider the items that I am absolutely loving this month and am proud to present them to you right here and now in my kick list for November! → read more…

It's not like I really need to be telling you this, but the holidays are even more around the corner than they were the last time I wrote the original 20 Unique Gifts for 20 Unique Lifestyles back in August! I am pleased to report that I just started my early Christmas shopping this month and I've been pretty successful in finding those perfect gifts! There are three main reasons why I start my Christmas shopping early. The first being that I have a lot of people to buy for, so I spread the cost by taking a little bit from each paycheck up until Christmas and then being done (hopefully) the week before. Secondly, I hate shopping the closer it gets to Christmas because people are in bad moods due to the hectic traffic in the stores and on the roads and everything seems so picked over by the time Christmas finally rolls around. Thirdly, I like taking the week before Christmas to do holiday-inspired things like going to the Columbus Zoo to see the Christmas lights, seeing The Nutcracker, ice skating, and taking horse-drawn carriage rides! If you are like me and have somewhat started Christmas shopping, or at least Christmas planning-- well done for thinking ahead of the game! I know some people make a tradition out of going out Christmas shopping the week before Christmas and kudos to them, too! You are far more patient than I am. :-) → read more…

I am a lover and a hater of Halloween parties. On the one hand, I love dressing up and seeing everyone else in their costumes, taking pictures, laughing, drinking a little bit...and all of the positives that come up with a festive shindig. On the other hand, I hate people who get too drunk too soon and ruin the fun for everyone by creating a "hilarious" wardrobe malfunction and then scooting around the dance floor in a drunken stupor. Another item on my list of Halloween party annoyances is hearing "Monster Mash" over and over again, complimented with some bursts of "Thriller" which is like a cooler version of a line dance that even the worst dancers can stumble along to in an attempt to fit in and make people believe that they actually can dance, or at least follow directions. The reason for the popularity of "Monster Mash" at Halloween parties is that a lot of people don't really know any other options for a festive playlist and those "Spooky Halloween Sounds" CD's don't really provide music that you can dance to; if you don't believe me, just try to get your groove on to that one classic song that's often played by Frankenstein on the organ. → read more…

I have to admit...one of my favorite blogs to write on here is my current kick list and it's a blog that I only get to do once a month, so I really try to put a lot of thought into what I put on here. I particularly enjoy doing my kick list because it allows me to share a bit of my personality with you, as well as highlight some things that I'm currently digging. It also gives me the opportunity to give well-deserved shoutouts to great products and companies that I hope you check out. I especially like to receive feedback from all of you on what you're absolutely loving right now, so make sure that you do share it all with me! October is a month that is truly and purely related to my love for all things autumn such as carving pumpkins, eating caramel apples and candy apples, drinking apple cider, planting hardy mums, shopping for harvest smelling candles, making fall leaf wreathes...etc. There are, however, things that I'm already loving this month that aren't purely fall related...even though I may throw in one or two (just like I did last month). In September, I got reacquainted with my fall love interests and this month I have managed to incorporate them back into my life. → read more…