So yesterday me, my husband and my twin sister went to the cinema to see ‘Violent Night’.
It’s a new Christmas film featuring David Harbour (Hopper in ST) as Santa Claus.
Now don’t let the title put you off (because it almost did put me off) I am not a violence fan but it is more action film style violence than anything too uncomfortable. It’s also hilarious.
I really enjoyed the film. I was genuinely suprised at how much I enjoyed it as action is one of my least favourite Genresbut, as I said, it’s so funny with great characters, a good story and enough festive feels to get you into the spirit.
David Harbour is brilliant as Santa, he brings the perfect amounts of festivity, hilarity, menace and sweetness to the role.
I would definitely recommend going to see it as an alternative Christmas film to the conventional rom com ones.
The decorations are up! A little later than I would have liked but they are up now.
I especially love getting out our tree decorations, it’s so cool to see them again and all of the ones you’ve picked and the memories from over the years.
I thought I would share with you some of our special/significant decorations that go on our tree.
This is our souvenir decoration from our 2018 Holiday of a lifetime to Orlando, Florida. DisneyWorld was incredible.
From the same holiday, this is our Universal Studios souvenir decoration.
These decorations have been handmade by my Nephews and Niece so these are really special.
This one is a little homage to my childhood, of NEVER being able to find my name on any decoration/magnet/keyring – it was always ‘Rosie’ never ‘Roseanne’.
This pretty ‘Mr & Mrs’ decoration was given to us as a wedding gift, the year that we gor married (2016) so this is a nice momento of that significant year. Plus, the box was cute and had ‘Bestfriends for life, husband and wife’ written on it.
I bought this cute, personalised decoration at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, London, in 2019. I got this as a suprise gift for my husband. It also reminds me of the day out. Me and my Uni friends were celebrating having met 10 years previously.
It was a strange time but also pretty standout in terms of years of our life, so I got these personalised ‘COVID’ decos because you’ve gotta make the best of a bad thing.
We are on Day Three already! Here are my favourite Christmss films to get you started for December.
It’s the weekend too so what better way to spend a cold (well here in the UK anyway) evening than watching a Christmss film.
So, here are some of my favourites…
Deck the Halls
A traditional, old school, slightly (& by slightly I mean very) tacky Christmas film, I love it.
Elf
I am elf, he is me. My spirit animal in all its festive glory – what’s not to love! It will make the child in you very happy.
The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
One of the best Christmas characters ever – the film is hilarious and Jim Carrey plays the Grinch so well. Classic.
Nativity
I just find this hilarious because I am a TA in a primary school and its just pure, British Christmas chaos. Great songs too.
The Snowman
The top classic Christmas film of all time. Is it even Christmas if you don’t watch this film!?!
Last Christmas
A much newer addition but it’s a brilliant story and I LOVE that it’s all based around my favourite Christmas song ‘Last Christmas By Wham!’. It’s a very clever story and Emilia Clarke is brilliant.
Love Actually
This is such an easy to watch Christmas film, with lots going on (I still haven’t forgiven you Alan Rickman!!) Lots of great characters too.
Blogmas Day Two is here, December is under way! So let’s talk Advent Calendars.
Mines varies from year to year and I am a bit partial to a regular chocolate calendar – that scrunchy metal sound as you pop through the foil to get to the chocolatey goodness is just nostalgic happiness.
As a younger child I did also have a Material Santa Advent Calendar with pockets that my Mum would fill and those kinds are super cute too and perfect for picking exactly what you want in it.
Last year I picked up my own Material Advent Calendar… and its not just any Calendar, no! It’s a Harry Potter one – Amazing.
Epic!
I love the little Hogwarts Letter Pouches with Hedwig at the top, it’s like he is delivering me a little festive treat everyday!
My husband very kindly bought me some Dairy Milk (the elite chocolate) Heroes (the elite tubs of chocolate) to go inside it, so it was nice to come home to see it filled with treats.
And now we have 25 days of waking up and eating chocolate firsr things- what a dream!
So this weekend me and my husband went to the Stranger Things Experience.
I bought us tickets for Tim’s birthday in July and we have really been looking forward to it since.
We decided to dress up for the experience.
I dressed as Eddie Munson…
And Tim dressed as Dustin Henderson…
The experience was really cool and really well done. It genuinely felt like we took a little trip to Hawkins, Indiana and snuck around the lab.
The actors and everyone involved were really good and very authentic – some of them were a little too good at staying in character.
Once we had finished the experience we were free to go around the merch/eating/drinks area. The themeing was really cool and very well done. They had recreated lots of iconic Stranger Things ‘Sets’ and rooms to make your experience really immersive.
There was the Surfer Boys Pizza Van, Family Video, Scoops Ahoy and they even recreated the iconic living room of the Byers house, fairy lights and all.
As well as these there were smaller themed areas and sets that were themed around Hawkins high and the Roller Rink from Season 4.
I had to do a little Eddie Munson Redemption Photo…. 86′ baby!
There was some cool merch on offer too (although not as much as I thought there would be) and a Hellfire Club themed Merch area which was amazing.
Hellfire Club Merch AreaTim at the Surfer Boy pizza van Family VideoScoops Ahoy!Dustin at the AV Club doorSurfer Boy pizza vanMeeting Vecna!‘We’re not in Hawkins anymore’
There were lots of cool photo opportunities with sets and props as well as retro photobooths.
Photo bioth snaps
It’s a brilliant experience for any Stranger Things fans and I would definitely recommend it.
The only negative I can think of is that maybe the actual experience could have been a little longer. It’s a 45 minute experience but I think an hour would make it more worth the money.
And prehaps a little more specific merch for some of the main characters like Dustin, Steve and Eddie.
I did pick up some cool bits though, Inc some Hellfire bits and a cool poster for our picture wall.
Eddie & Dustin’s Day Out
My fave!
Like I said, I would definitely recommend it, it was a really fun afternoon out.
Here is another book review from my monthly Book Club meeting.
I haven’t done one of these in a while as our meetings have been a bit different. Our July meeting was a trip to see ‘Where the crawdads sing’ as the book had been read at Book Club previously, and I have read it and loved it.
August/some of September was devoted to out next read, the one I will be talking about – ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest’.
We decided to go for a classic for August as we all expressed a wish to read more of them! So someone chose One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest.
If you have ever read it (or indeed any classics tbf) they are a bit harder to get into so we gave ourselves longer to read it, seeing us through August and most of September, meeting last week.
So, let’s get into it!
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest
SYNOPSIS
‘In order to escape the prison labour, McMurphy, a Prisoner, fakes insanity and is shifted to the special ward for the mentally unstable. In this ward he must rise up against a cruel nurse, Ratched.’
THEMES
β’Stigma and Mental Health
β’Power
β’Masculinity/Feminity
β’Human Dignity
PROS
It’s a classic and it is always nice to add a few of them to your repertoire.
I really enjoyed the characters and found them to be very interesting, likable, endearing and charismatic – for me, they are one of the best bits of the book.
I also really like how thought provoking it is, in its themes and the way it conveys them through plot devices, imagery and the characters themselves.
CONS
It’s quite a slow burner, a slightly arduous start to the story and a story where ultimately not alot happens (considering the book is over 300 pages.)
It is also written in a very confusing way, sort of disjointed with A LOT of dialogue.
Also, the font is tiny. You feel as if you have read alot but haven’t got very far at all.
I also much prefer a book when there are short, clearly defined chapters – this one didn’t which was a shame!
Rating out of 5:
βββββ (2.5)
Would you recommend it?
Y / N
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? π
As we all know unfortunately our Queen died on the 8th September 2022.
I was completely and utterly shocked – we all knew at the impressive age of 96 that it was an unfortunate inevitability… but somehow it just seemed like she would always be there, like she always has been.
It still seems unbelievable to write that even now, on the 21st September, 3 days after her state funeral.
How can someone who is such an intrinsic and integral part of Great Britain be gone?!
She was a constant throughout all the hardships and dramas (The COVID Pandemic being a particularly poignant one) as an unwavering source of comfort and support to the nation, to her people.
She served with such honour, pride and distinction, and alot of us held her with great affection, I know that I did, so it is a sad time now that she has passed away.
Grief is the price we pay for Love’ – Queen Elizabeth 2nd
I was heading down to London the weekend after The Queen had died, for a pre organised event and I was actually really pleased to be able to take the opportunity to pay my respects to her, at Buckingham Palace, the Queens London Residence.
It was a wonderful show of shared grief and respect and I’m sure she would have been deeply touched by the affection shown to her.
London really did pay tribute to her and it was lovely to see that happening around the country and the world too.
Me, My Husband and My Father in Law watched the funeral together on the Bank Holiday Monday.
It was a beautiful occasion for a thoroughly well deserving Monarch- 70 years in any job is unbelievable really.
Our longest reigning Monarch. I will remember her fondly, in particular her kind smile, her wicked sense of humour, her colourful attire, her Corgis and her care for this country.
Roseanne Byford 