Today I am doing my annual What I Got For Christmas blog post, insert usual not bragging disclaimer here lol.
This year I was quiet spoiled on what I received, which is so funny because I actually told my family not to get me anything, as I prefer to give gifts, but it was so nice to receive some gifts as well.
I also received this AMAZING laptop case, unfortunately it won't actually be delivered until Tuesday, but how georgeous is this? It's from Etsy and they have so many different kinds to choose from, they also have matching iPhone & iPad cases, so I know what I want for Valentines day lol.
And that is everything I got this year, if you'd like to watch the video for this I will add it below.
I also want to say thank you to all of you who have supported me this year. It means so much to me, and never be afraid to comment or tweet any questions or chitchats you want, I try to make a point of responding to everyone I can, and love hearing form you all.
I'll be taking this week off but I will be back in full swing next week or next year lol.
My husband and I both grew up in lower income families, which is why giving back is so important to us. We give year round, and we have two sponsored children overseas, but I always feel we should do more, especially at Christmas time. So this year I have decided that rather than donating 3 or 4 toys to Toys For Tots, I want to donate $600. That's enough money to bring a gift to over 40 children, who will otherwise go without on Christmas morning.
I chose Toys For Tots for exactly 1 reason, I was that child, my siblings were that child. Had it not been for the wonderful generosity of so many there would have been a few Christmases without a gift under the tree.
I am raising the money through YouCaring as they don't take a percentage, like so many other sites do. So please if you have $100, $20, $5, or even $1, please take a moment to donate. I can tell you from personal experience how amazing it is to wake up to something, when you were expecting nothing.
Nothing in life beats slipping into a hot bath infused with sweet smelling almond, fizzing with a bit of citrus, and bubbling over with a bit of lavender, which is why one the best best parts of Christmas is seeing all the wonderful bath items Lush comes out with.
Sadly Lush items don't ship as well as one would hope so today's Lush Haul video has quite a bit of powder being flung about, however it smelt lovely as it was covering my hands and floor.
On Matthew's last night here we stayed up late talking and building Starbucks gingerbread houses. We happened to stumble upon these kits at our local Starbucks and thought it was a fun twist on the traditional gingerbread house.
This one here is mine, it looks a little shanty, not nearly as good as on the box, but one thing I learned whilst building this, is it never comes out as good as the box. The people that that build the stock image ones must use tweezers and spend days perfecting it.
This one here is Matthew's, he worked so hard on his, and had so much trouble with his cover, but he still had a ton of fun, and it was great bonding time for us. Sadly after this picture was taken the cover over the door fell off, it was top heavy with snow lol.
If you want to see a quick video of us building these and find out who won the Clinique Le Look Trio click here. You can also watch Vlogmas Day 2 here.
The other day Matthew and I sat down and filmed our top 5 favorite Christmas films. It was fitting that I would sit down to edit that video today, as he left late last night, and it's the first time in a month that I woke up without him here.
Matthew's:
The Grinch
The Polar Express
Elf
A Christmas Carole
Katie's:
The Santa Clause
The Family Stone
Little Woman
Love Actually
To find out our 5th movie, and to see who won the GlamGlow Giveaway click here, and here is today's Vlogmas.
One of my favorite things to do this time of year is watch gift guides on YouTube, however I have noticed lately that some of the bigger YouTubers are recommending a few items that would literally feed a family for a month. I missed the days of the budget gift guides, but I also understand each person has a different budget, so I decided to do a combo gift guide, some cheaper items, and some expensive items.
These are amazing they look like little mini candles, they keep your car smelling great (I also use them in my bathrooms), and they don't actually melt, which was a pleasant surprise.
This is the Balsam & Cedar which is hanging in my fake Christmas tree to make it smell real lol.
Bath & Body Works has always had the cutest candle holders, this one is a fall pumpkin and leaf holder, but they have a ton of holiday and winter ones available now.
Of course if you buy a holder you will be in need of a candle, which Bath & Body Works is famous for, if you do buy a candle first look in their offer sections, they tend to do 2 for $22 or buy 2 get 3.
I personally use this bag as my "everyday" bag, it's so nice to run to the store with something that holds my phone, keys, and card holder, rather than a giant handbag, that after awhile can get in the way.
This kit is an amazing gift for the beauty lover in your life, it will give them everything they need to do their "face" makeup, it has two foundations (one with SPF), a transparent powder, a bronzer, a primer, and a brush. It also comes in this awesome zip case so nothing gets flung around and lost.
This is the one thing in my house that I would grab incase of fire, (my dogs would be in my husbands hands of course), it contains all of my family photos, blogging photos, blog templets, and youtube videos. I also love that it's gold, though I would have loved it more if it was rose-gold lol. Also for any of you that has the new MacBook Pro, it is USB-C! They also have a 1 TB and a 4TB in silver.
The wireless beats are always a trusted gift, no matter who you hand these to, they will love them. I especially love that they can be corded if you want them to be, so if you're in the middle of a movie, or on a plane and they die, just plug in the cord and keep going.
The Dyson Hair Dryer is probably the hottest thing on the market right now, and for good reason, it cuts your dry time in half, it can be completely heatless, and the design is pretty awesome. It is a bit pricy, but I can attest it is well worth it.
If you want to see the video for this and the winners of the Coach Handbag, Tanya Burr Advent Calendar, and the Tangle Teezer you can watch it here. You can also watch the vlog here.
