Things to Love this December

Things to Love this December

Guys, the winter is coming. This time for real.

It’s one thing to have white Christmas, but it’s a whole other thing when there’s no snow, but it gets so cold that even your dog refuses to go outside. I’m ready though. I have a bunch of books to read through, I have my warm socks, firewood, a bunch of blog projects to work on and keep me busy, so I’m all set.

Few weeks ago, we talked about a bunch of things that we can all still get done and accomplish before 2016 comes to an end. I added one more to my list: I’m finally getting rid of Cable TV.

It’s something I’ve been planning to do for years, but Football and TWD made me think twice about it, every single time I considered it. Well, I’m finally getting rid of it next week. We don’t watch TV too much and if we do, it’s usually Netflix.

Movies.

We love to watch movies but do you know what it’s like to watch the Breakfast Club on TBS? It sucks. Which is why I don’t watch cable and mainly use it as a “noise maker” while I cook or clean. Well, I also put Animal Planet on for my dog when I need to run to the store or something. You know, just because I don’t want him to feel too lonely. And I know that bastard always sleeps on the living room couch when I’m not home even though he’s not allowed to. And what’s a couch potato without some cable TV?

The censorship and the commercials that turn a 120 minute movie to a 260 minute one, is why I never watch cable.

We usually use PS4, Apple TV or Google TV (which is already so outdated it doesn’t support a lot of updates) for streaming movies and TV shows, but I’ve also been loving Amazon Fire Stick. You just plug it in, register with your Amazon account and it syncs everything up for you. Cool thing is that you can also use the Alexa Voice remote and say “launch Netflix” or “find holiday movies”, “play music” or “order pizza” and it does those things for you. We’ve gotten so lazy, as human beings, don’t you think? I think that so far, it’s one of my favorite streaming devices. Definitely something to love on a cozy winter night.

What else is there to love?

Scented candles, because they always set the mood. I mean, let’s be honest, if you’re anything like me, then you obsess over them all year long. During this time of year, I love anything that reminds of winter, firewood or Christmas. For many years, I’ve been a huge fan of BBW candles, Winter being one of my favorites. These days I’m more of a DW Homes, Village Candles (Black Bamboo is my favorite!) and Diptyque kind of girl. I did pick up a few BBW candles during a recent sale though. Man, are they strong. I bought about six and I’m seriously considering giving them away to my sister. The few that I picked up seem to have a very strong throw that gives me a headache. I mean, I never “met” a scented candle I didn’t like at least a little bit, but I’m starting to wonder if they did something different to their candles over the last couple of years?

Then, of course, there are comfy PJs. I have a few pairs of these from Victoria’s Secret and I’m pretty sure I mentioned them on the blog last winter as well. They’re super comfy and kind of my secret bad-day weapon. If it’s really cold and I’m having a crappy day, I throw them in the dryer until they can nice and toasty, take a shower, grab a glass of wine cup of tea and continue with whatever I was doing. Plus, let’s face it. Comfy, warm PJs make everything better.

A good face and hand cream are definitely must-haves. Even if you don’t have naturally dry skin, if it’s 19 degrees outside (like it was here in Jersey this morning) your skin will get very dry, very quickly. Cetaphil in a tub is my well-trusted favorite that won’t irritate even the most sensitive skin and you can use it all over, not just your face. Clinique’s Moisture Surge is sort of a much lighter version but still provides hella moisture and brings instant relief. I talked about my few favorites from Lano in this post, including the amazing, intense Rose hand cream.

Cute mugs, because I swear they make my tea and hot carob taste even better. I kind of have the same problem with mugs as I do with candles: I should probably stop buying both. Do you also pick your mugs for your morning tea or hot lemon water, depending on your mood? No? Just me? Ah, come on now.

Socks. My feet are cold 24/7, even if it’s 100 degrees outside. So, as you can imagine I live in those long, warm socks all throughout winter. Sometimes I wear my snowboarding socks around the house. No joke.  I usually put a pair of long socks on my nightstand, next to my alarm clock and it’s the first thing I do as I wake up: put them on. I swear it’s something super small but it really helps me get up in the morning, because I’m always so freaking cold!

Ever since I stopped watching TV before bed, I fall asleep faster and I get more rest. You know what happens if I fall asleep while watching TV? I’m a very light sleeper, so if I fall asleep while watching a TV show or something, I’ll wake up once the episode ends, put another one on, turn around and go back to sleep. I can’t explain why that happens, but unless the timer is set, I could be doing that all night long. Nowadays I’m all about reading a book or listening to an audiobook before sleep. I used to hate falling asleep in complete silence, once I put the book down. It was almost as if my brain couldn’t turn off. Once you come up with a routine that helps you unwind and let your brain know that it’s bed time, you fall asleep faster and really get that quality rest.

What are you guys loving this December? Any good books to cozy up with?