Holiday Favorites

With the semester finally coming to an end, I am ecstatic to start writing for my blog again! This semester was the hardest one yet but I am so happy to be finished and to be home for the holidays. To help me get in the Christmas spirit I thought I would share some of my holiday favorites!

Food

Food is definitely my favorite part of any holiday. So here are a few of my favorite sweet treats…

• Gingerbread Lattes~ My all-time favorite flavor of coffee. It’s truly a must. Very few local coffee shops offer gingerbread as a seasonal flavor but Starbucks always comes through this time of year.
• Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies~ Anyone who knows me knows that peanut butter is my favorite food. Put it in a cookie, coat it with sugar, and plop a Hershey kiss on top and there you go: the best cookie.
• Cherry Cordial Hershey Kisses~ I’ve never been a fan of milk chocolate or cherries, but these are ADDICTING.

Movies

Christmas movies automatically put me in the Christmas spirit! Here are some of my favorites…

• Elf~ I can probably watch this movie a million times (each year) and NEVER get sick of it. In fact, I can probably quote every single word. There’s just something so loveable about Buddy the Elf that makes me so excited for Christmas.
• White Christmas~ Well if you didn’t know this already, I am obsessed with musicals. This movie is the combination of two of my favorite things: Christmas AND musicals. There truly is nothing better than an Irving Berlin score and Bing Crosby.
• Love Actually~ I’ve actually just recently added this to my list of favorites. I just love the way it shows how small our world can be and to cherish the people around us. This movie makes me laugh and it makes me cry, it makes me feel thankful for the people I have in life.

Things to Do

• Winterfest at King’s Island~ Last year King’s Island brought back their Winterfest and it’s becoming a new tradition for me. I have always been a fan of Kings Island and I think they do an excellent job with Winterfest. Beautiful light displays, talented actors, and delicious hot chocolate make for a fun night!
• Festival of Lights~ I absolutely love the Cincinnati Zoo and the Festival of Lights is something I look forward to going to every year. Their light displays are breathtaking and it’s always fun to grab a hot chocolate while walking around and enjoying the animals on a cold winter night.
• the Nutcracker~ Every Christmas for 11 years I was lucky enough to fill my head with visions of sugarplums. Dancing in the Nutcracker was something I looked forward to every single year and now that I am no longer dancing, I continue to keep this tradition alive. Whether its Cincinnati Ballet or a local production of the Nutcracker, I highly recommend making this a tradition of your own. A huge shout out to SDA Studios as they perform this weekend!

I hope you enjoyed my list of Holiday favorites! Wishing each and every one of you a wonderful winter season!