What FOUR looks like...

...in December

Finding the perfect tree!

"What do you want for Christmas?"

Christmas Eve Beauty

Eating up the snow

Technically a January picture but Happy New Year!!

Holiday Hairstyle Inspiration

The holidays are here and I know that means we're all going to be getting all dressed up and spiffy ...and it is at that time that we start to wonder, "What am I going to do with my hair?" So I am sharing some of my favorite holiday styles I have found from some lovely naturalistas and I hope this will inspire your holiday flyness ;)

Holiday Bow by the beautiful Cassandre Beccai

From Curlbox's holiday photoshoot, the lovely Ebony Clark

 

Holiday loc love from Essence Magazine's Holiday Hairstyles

  A beautifully elegant bantu knot out by TraNaturally  

Perfectly romantic fluffy curls from Naptural85

How will your hair compliment your look this holiday season?

Mysteries of History: A Christmas Carol

I looove history! Probably shouldn't have changed my major to it unless I was going to teach but after majoring in art, culinary arts (which I finished), and business (the worst!), I figured the only way I was going to finish was to love what I was doing ...and I did!  

Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it. 

Edmund Burke 

So now I'm brining my geek love for the past to all of you!! I introduce to you Mysteries of History, a series on Catastrophe where I share my passion by giving you a history lesson ;)

******

"Marley was dead: to begin with."

Source

I love Dickens. Yes, I am kind of a book geek. I never get much of chance to read the way I would like, but I still love to!  ...back to Dickens. I love A Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield but most of all I love A Christmas Carol.  Everything about that story puts me in the holiday spirit.  Not only have I read it but I don't think I have missed one version of the story ...from the Patrick Stewart version to the Muppets (my favorite!) to Scrooged with Bill Murray. I love them all! I know the lines... oh don't even get me started.

With Christmas right around the corner, what better way to launch this series than with the history of a Christmas ghost story.


Published in 1843, A Christmas Carol is a novella written by the great Charles Dickens. 

Did you know that Ebenezer Scrooge was very roughly based off Dicken's own father?? Well, Dickens had a rough relationship with his father. Very love/hate. He shows this in Scrooge's character by demonstrating the drastic change between the harsh cold-hearted Scrooge in the beginning of the story in comparison to the kind-hearted, Christmas-loving Scrooge at the stories end. 

Industrial Capitalism... ok, did I just lose you? Wait...wait...I'm going somewhere with this. It's gonna be good. Industrial capitalism is the idea that the only way one state (or person) could do well is that the expense of another. Does this sound familiar?? SCROOGE!  The Victorian ideals were starting to lean more towards the idea of consumerism and people were starting to abandon the idea of goodwill towards men. A Christmas Carol is in essence speaking against this concept. It is bringing back the ideals of Christmas charity and all things merry!! The true Christmas spirit.

Dickens was influenced to write his lovely tale because of the state of the poor in England at the time.  The Industrial Revolution had put many people out of work and in doing so, the government had implemented the Poor Laws, which basically opened the doors for many workhouses with horrible conditions and practically no fair labor laws for everyone including children.  Dickens started out writing this story as a pamphlet against unfair labor laws and it turned into this wonderful story.

Dickens is famous for bringing back the true meaning of Christmas.  He showed that even a home that was poor could be rich in love and that was all that was needed. Christmas isn't about the gifts but about family, values, traditions, and goodwill towards all.

Dickens uses this story to tell a tale of humanity.  To show the goodness that exists in the hearts of men and the love that can live within us.  For this, A Christmas Carol is one of my all time favorite Christmas stories.  

To you and all of yours, Merry Christmas and "God bless us, every one."

Work Cited:
"A Christmas Carol" Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2 November 2012. Web. 7 November 2012.
Austin, Rose. "History of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens." Yahoo! Voices. 8 December 2009. December 2012  http://voices.yahoo.com/history-christmas-carol-charles-dickens-5032900.html
Wertz, Jay. "A Christmas Carol" Great History.com. Pop Culture History. 22 December 2009. December 2012. http://greathistory.com/a-christmas-carol.htm

Holiday Lanterns: $1 Edition

I love mason jars ...and I love mason jar lanterns.  I shared with you last year's Snowflake Lanterns but this year, I decided to make these simple dollar store treats.

Every year my friends and I do an ornament exchange in place of buying each other gifts.  This year I accompanied their ornaments with these little lanterns for the holiday season.

I got the idea for these lanterns on Pinterest (of course!) and pretty much everything it takes to make them costs $1.  $1 cranberries, $1 ribbon, $1 christmas tree greens.  The little mason jars were $2 and the big bag of snow was $6 but there is sooo much left for other projects. 

I simply hot glued the ribbon on, then the greens, and then the cranberries which I cut from $1 branches from Dollar Tree.

I filled them with snow and put a tealight inside. The picture shows a battery operated light but I used real tealights when I gave them as gifts.

When I gave them to my friends, I just placed the ornament string under the top and hung them from the lantern and had the perfect Christmas double gift. 

I love how easy (and quick!) these were and they turned out to be a nice festive holiday present!

Aren't Christmas crafties just your favorite kind?!! ;)

We've been Elf'd!!

It has begun!!

You guys, it is hilarious. The first day of this adventure, Zee was pretending to be excited but I could tell on her little face that she was slightly terrified. LOL!! Seriously, she just kept talking about the elf over and over again and putting her hands on her face and shaking her head and saying, "I'm just... I'm just so nervous."  SO FUNNY.  It wasn't until later when I talked to my sister and friends that I realized how terrifying the idea really is ...a toy coming to life at night and messing with things.  My friends think I am crazy for doing it but she is starting to get used to it now.  The one thing I have decided to stay away from is having our elf ...Woody... interact with any other toys.  I was going to have him play a card game with Woody the Cowboy, Buzz, and Jessie, but then I realized, if the elf freaks her out,  I don't want her to now be afraid of her other toys as well.  So Woody is on his own.

Here are some of the shenanigans Woody has found himself in so far...

I am looking forward to putting Woody in all kinds of new predicaments.  There are so many fun ideas on the Internet and I have 19 more days of adventures to plan!!

I would love to see some of your elf's fun happenings. Share your links below!! :)  

Happy Elfmas!!!

Snowflake Lanterns Revisited

Last year on my previous blog, Everything Under the Moon, I came up with this little Christmasy treat that I wanted to reshare here with everyone!!

I wanted something wintery to light up my home and accentuate some of my Christmas decor. I had seen a few lanterns done with lace that I loved but I wanted to give something a little bit different a try.  That's when I came up with this.

First I went to Michael's in search of a perfect snowflake stencil and I came across this snowflake scrapbook paper. Perfect!!

I taped it around the jar to get it to hold and then...

...out to the yard to spray paint in the cold!

...and Tada!

So SUPER simple! ...and pretty :)

They glow beautifully and after lighting them a few times, the stencil actually got even more pronounced.

It's Christmas Time!!!

Source

I am so excited! I L.O.V.E this time of year.  Ask anyone!  My desk is already partially decorated at work, even Catastrophe is all decked out, and anyone who knows me knows that ONLY Christmas carols may be played in my car from now through December 25^th.  Everyone hates it …but it must be done. 

I get so excited when the malls and the town squares put up their decorations …which is now happening before Thanksgiving but I’m not about that life. I like Christmas to have its own time. I won’t some much as peep a Christmas carol until the Friday after Thanksgiving …but then it’s on!

This year Zee and I already started out holiday festivities with a tree lighting.  It was SUPER fun but it was coooold!  …still had a blast, though.

Besides all of the Christmas cheer, Christmas crafts and decorations, and the holiday celebrations, my favorite things about the holidays are the traditions.  Some of our traditions include…

1. Christmas carols in the car, of course!  (…and at work ;))
2. Winter Wonderland – A Boston College Christmas celebration complete with sleigh rides and Santa
3. Shopping for our holiday moon ornament we buy every year. I’ll tell you guys all about it soon ;)
4. Brand new Christmas Eve Christmas PJs.
5. Holiday Specials! Our #1 is The Santa Clause …but some of our favorites include ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas (the one with the mice), A Year Without a A Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman (Zee’s fav), A Christmas Carol (my personal fav), The Christmas Toy (a shared SUPER favorite), and this isn’t a particular favorite but we can’t have Christmas without “Ears, Nestor.” (Nestor the Christmas Donkey)
6. Leaving Christmas milk and cookies for Santa and reading ‘Twas the Night before Christmas on Christmas Eve

This year I’m adding a new tradition. Elf on the Shelf!! I’m so excited. It’ll be our first year with our little mischievous friend.  I can’t wait to start!

Those are a couple of our holiday traditions?  What are yours?  Are there any special things you do with your loved ones for the holidays??

Catastrophe Launch Event!!! ~Day Three~

Welcome back to the third day of the Catastrophe Launch Event!!

Whether you're a photographer, a crafter, a mommy, a naturalista, or a foodie, this giveaway is for you!!!

Etsy has something to fit all of your needs and right in time for Christmas, this could be the answer to that perfect Christmas gift!!!

To enter,  you must be a follower of Catastrophe but that is the only mandatory entry. Other entries are available but optional!  Giveaway is open to US residents only  ...sorry :(  Future giveaways may be international.  This giveaway will be open for one week and the winner for all the giveaways will be chosen at random and announced on December 3rd!

Thank you all for stopping by this blog launch event and I look forward to sharing so many new things with you all in the days to come!!!

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