Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas to All!!

It’s now become tradition on this blog to do a post like this every Christmas day to honor the holiday on Zezee with Books.

Christmas is my favorite holiday, and I always get excited when it comes around. No matter what has happened in the year or if I’ve been sad and angry for the majority of December, I always get happy and excited by Christmas. I love the holiday because it carries with it a sense of unity and community, and there’s always a touch of magic in the air.

Each year I celebrate the holiday on here by featuring a bit of artwork that I think captures the spirit of Christmas. This year, I chose “Christmas in Color,” which features a scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling:

Advertisement

Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas to All!!

It’s my favorite holiday of the year: Christmas! 😀

This year, I’m celebrating the holiday on here by featuring this cool illustration that I found on Deviant Art. It was created by Sandara, who does some really cool fantasy pieces (you can see more of her work here).

This one is entitled “Cosfest Christmas.” It seems that she entered it for an art contest. Though it doesn’t say Christmas outright, I think it contains the Christmas spirit: the feeling of unity and sense of enchantment in the air. It also calls to the child within us all, which I think tends to come out when Christmas comes around. Everything is lighter and happier at Christmas. 🙂 Such a wonderful holiday and this illustration does a great job of capturing how I feel about it.

Winter Wonderland and the Jingle Bell Book Tags

I’m in a book tag mood so I thought I’d double up and do two in this post. First up:

Winter Wonderland Book Tag

Christmas is almost here, which means winter has already arrived. I know everyone loves a white Christmas, but I hope it doesn’t snow. Sure it would make the day seem magical, but I’d really rather not worry about snow on Christmas. I want a carefree Christmas.

I found this tag on the Book Window last month and decided to do it now because it fits the season. It was created by booktuber JackEatsLife.

What book is so happy and sweet that it warms your heart?

Winter Is Coming Book Tag

Really, winter is coming. I just got an alert on my phone saying that winter storm Decima is heading my way and I should expect snow and freezing rain. I live in such an awesome place, don’t I? 😐 Fingers crossed that it passes by and doesn’t affect me much.

Well since it is winter and a storm is on the way, I thought it best to do a book tag for the change in season. The Winter Is Coming book tag was created by booktuber Katherine Barka.

Snow: It is beautiful when it first falls, but then it starts to melt.

A book/book series that you loved at the beginning, but then, at the middle of it, you realized you don’t like it any longer.

I don’t like snow. I love looking at it from the warmth and comfort of my home and I love how it blankets everything and smothers the noise, but I hate shoveling it, touching it, walking in it, or having it fall on me. I think snow is deceiving. Anyway, for this question I choose

Exploring My Bookshelves: Book Haul #16

Exploring My Bookshelves is a weekly meme created by Victoria at Addlepates and Book Nerds and co-hosted with Shannon at For the Love of Words. Visit either blog for the list of topics.

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts. First I got busy, then I couldn’t find a book that applies to the two prompts I missed:

A winter story

A Christmas story

I don’t think I own a book that I would classify as a winter or Christmas story. If I do, I either haven’t seen it or haven’t yet read it to know if it is.

This week’s topic:

A Christmas present (from any year)

Weekend Reads #32: Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas to all

It’s Christmas again!!! 😀

This year I’m highlighting the holiday with this beautiful piece I found on DeviantArt. It’s called “Christmas” and it was created by Gem (gemlovesyou). On the website, it’s listed under photomanipulation. Isn’t it beautiful?

It doesn’t say Christmas outright, but I think it captures the mystical feeling of the holiday. Just look at those trees with the twinkling lights! They seem so mysterious as they beckon at us to come closer and see what’s hidden in the forest (maybe Santa’s house that the lone reindeer escaped from). I also like that the only pops of color we see are those in the aurora borealis above, which adds to the magical feeling of the picture.

It’s such a beautiful creation. If you like it, you can click on the link on Gem’s name to visit her profile and see more of her work.

I wish you all a wonderful, merry, and magical Christmas this year.

Merry Christmas everyone! 🙂

---

Oh! And since this is a Weekend Reads post as well, I’ll just quickly say that I doubt I’ll get much reading done this Christmas weekend since I have family visiting. It will be busy, busy.

Anyways, have a happy holiday! 😀

Joy of Christmas Book Tag

It’s Christmas Eve!! 😀 Christmas is my favorite time of year though I haven’t shown much enthusiasm for it this year due to being busy but, as it’s just a few hours away, my excitement is beginning to build.

To celebrate Christmas Eve, I’ve decided to do the Joy of Christmas Book Tag, which was created by Sam, a booktuber on the YouTube channel, Novels and Nonsense. I love her videos. Hers was one of the first channels I followed when I started to tune in to booktube.

Well, here we go with the tag! 😛

Anticipation: The Christmas excitement is real, what book release(s) are you most anticipating?

You was such a good book that I can’t wait to read the second in this thriller series. It’s expected to be published on February 23, 2016.

Reflecting on 2014: Life

Is it just me or does it seem as if 2014 has rushed by? Maybe time passes slower in my mind, but it seems as if it was the beginning of summer a few days ago and now it’s Christmas and New Year’s Eve all at once. They say time flies when you’re having fun but it also flies when all you’re focused on is work. For me, 2014 was about progress. Whatever I did or attempted was meant to push myself and my goals forward. This intention paid off at work, and even on this blog, but not so much in my personal life.

I had neglected my personal life. Sure, there were some fun moments with family and friends but my overall attempt at improving my personal life was a 4 on a 10-point scale. The reason for this is that I, like many others, believe that improvements at work will better all aspects of one’s life. If you have a good job, then life must be great.

But that’s not true. A good job doesn’t lead to a great life despite all the comforts it can provide. I was focused on my job because I want to advance my career and work enough to rid myself of my student loans. I was laser focused on this. But I think such a focus was a tad unhealthy. Such focus helped, though. It got me kudos at work for my great work ethic, which led to a promotion; and it helped me shave off a bit of debt and learn how to better manage my finances. But other than those, I haven’t progressed much, or even budged, in my personal life—living situation, relationships, health, and all the other stuff.

I didn’t realize this, though, because I wasn’t paying attention. Improvements in one area led me to falsely believe that all areas were also being improved. And it’s not surprising, really, that I thought so since the positives at work and in my finances made me happier and more confident. Though I am proud of myself for what I’ve accomplished in 2014, it’s time for me to work on improving my personal life. I’m shooting for a well-balanced life, if such a thing is possible. So for 2015 I plan to continue with the progress made in 2014 so I can acquire a more balanced life by 2016. I guess the word for 2015 will be Improve since I use it quite a lot in this post.

So here’s to a great 2015.

Cheers! Have a wonderful New Year.

Other 2014 reflections

• Reflecting (followingisa.wordpress.com)
• 2014 Reflection, Digging Deep (runningphierce.wordpress.com)
• ode to a joyous 2014 (runningovercoffee.wordpress.com)
• Lessons 2014 Taught Me (samanthawittek.wordpress.com)

Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas to All!!

Christmas, my favorite holiday, has rolled around again. I am late with my well wishes but I do hope that everyone had a wonderful and magical Christmas day filled with lots of joy, laughter, and love.

This year I’m highlighting the holiday with this awesome piece by Alexander Jansson, a Swedish illustrator. I’m in love with his work, which is often whimsical and surrealistic. The one above is a mixed-media illustration called “Doctor Blumenauer and His Magical Flying Table.”

I selected this one not for its relation to the holiday but for the story it seems to tell. All the characters are in awe as they watch Doctor Blumenauer’s table fly into air. They all believe it’s a real magic table but there’s a guy in the shadows behind Doctor Blumenauer’s caravan with a control, programming the table. The illustration makes me wonder at Doctor Blumenauer’s back story. He’s obviously a charlatan here but how did he get started and was he chased out of the last town he visited? What are his Christmas plans? Will he spend it alone? And is that his assistant in the shadows?

My mind is already jumping to conclusions, forming a story about Doctor Blumenauer. I hope the illustration tickles your imagination too.

Here’s to a Happy Holiday.

Merry Christmas!

More on Alexander Jansson

• The Most Fun Creepy Dreamland (steampunkopera.wordpress.com)
• Alexander Jansson . Creative imaginings (fishinkblog.wordpress.com)
• Highly Imaginative Surreal Digital Illustrations (mymodernmet.com)

Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas to All!!

Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year so I am spreading my joy for it by sharing this piece by Thomas Kinkade called “Spirit of Christmas.”

This painting captures how I feel about the holiday. The cottages emit warm light, seeming to signify the love of the families within. And there is chimney-smoke from every roof so you know that there’s major cooking going on. Children are outside sledding and skating and having a swell time with each other while others decorate the town’s Christmas tree. Everyone is working together, thus depicting the strong sense of community that I love about Christmas. Even the snowman in the corner seems to be cheering everyone on. 

Yes, for me, this portrays the spirit of Christmas. Merry Christmas! 🙂