It has been a while since I have updated Musings, and for that I want to apologize. The semester got crazy with exams, papers and other homework so I unfortunately had to put Musings on hold. Now that the semester has officially ended and I am on break, there’s no better time for more musings, and what better time to do it than at Christmas? So, I compiled a list of my favorite Christmas movies and some ideas for  desserts this Christmas. I’m excited to share my list with you, and hopefully give you ideas for this holiday season. Also, I would love to hear readers’ own Christmas favorites, so feel free to leave me a comment and share your own!

Movies

Home Alone

My favorite of the series are the first two, the original starring Macaulay Culkin. To me, this is a classic, must-watch movie at Christmas. I’m sure the majority of people are familiar with the plot of home alone, but just in case, a brief summary. When Kevin and his family are preparing to go on vacation to Paris over Christmas, two convicts are preparing to burglarize several houses on their block. But when Kevin’s parents sleep in and are in a rush to leave for the airport, they leave little Kevin behind and he is forced to take on these criminals by himself. Little do they know, he has some of his own tricks up his sleeve.

A similar situation ensues in the second movie, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. This time Kevin’s family is going to Florida for the holiday, and due to a mix up at the airport Kevin gets on a plane to New York, separated from his parents yet again. He runs into the two criminals again who are now planning on robbing a toy store on Christmas Eve. Can Kevin put a stop to it?

There’s a special kind of feeling the Home Alone movies bring. For me and a lot of people my age, it is a reminder of Christmas during childhood. Not only will it have you laughing like a child and reminiscing about Christmases past, you’ll love the family feel the movie brings–and it is perfect for all ages.

A Diva’s Christmas Carol

This one is less common, obviously, than Home Alone. It is the story of “A Christmas Carol” with a bit of a different take. The main character of this story is Ebony (played by Vanessa Williams). Ebony is a money-hungry, famous singer. Spoiled rotten with her fame and wealth, Ebony launches a Christmas concert tour, allowing her staff barely any time off for the holiday and making unfair demands of everyone in her path. She is, a diva, and is unhappy if those demands are not met. She has little Christmas spirit, except for the money that she hopes to rake in with her Christmas tour. At an overnight stay in her hotel the day before her Christmas day show, she is visited by ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, not to mention that of her dead ex-bandmate before she selfishly abandoned the group to become a solo artist. These visits allow Ebony to realize her selfishness and just may open her heart up to some Christmas spirit.

This movie is a fun and clever take on a classic Christmas story. It’s funny and will put you in a feel-good mood for Christmas. There’s also a lot of good music in this movie too. I definitely recommend it.

I’ll Be Home For Christmas

This movie stars Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Jessica Biel, and Gary Cole. Jake (JTT) goes to college across the country from his home and this Christmas, his father makes him a tempting offer. If Jake can make it home for Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, he gets the car. Jake is also pursuing Allie (Jessica Biel), and risks losing her if he can’t make it home. The movie is basically Jake’s hilarious struggle to get home through setback after setback.

Christmas Treats

It wouldn’t be a complete Christmas favorites list without a section on food, which I love. These are not ideas that I came up with originally, only ideas that I have seen and loved, and want to pass on to readers who may want to try them.

Oreo Balls

For this sweet treat, you’ll need oreo cookies, cream cheese, and chocolate. You can be creative if you want, concerning what kind of oreos and what kind of chocolate, but one tasty way is with regular oreos and white chocolate.

Crush the oreos in a bowl until you have oreo cookie crums. Then, add in the cream cheese and mix it all up. You will basically have a really thick mixture of oreo crums sticking to cream cheese. Melt your chocolate into a liquid. Make balls out of the oreo/cream cheese mix, and use a spoon to dunk the balls onto the melted chocolate.

You’re going to want to put the balls onto a sheet of wax paper or a cookie sheet and put them in the refrigerator so the chocolate dries. Better yet, you can put them in the freezer for better results. Your end result should be an oreo, cream cheese ball coated in chocolate.

Chocolate covered Espresso beans

Again, this is an idea that I got when I saw a friend making it. Not only is this simple, it’s delicious and great for coffee lovers. Buy any kind of espresso beans you wish to use, decaf or regular. Melt any kind of chocolate of your choosing and cover the beans with chocolate. The kind that I sampled were mint, decaf espresso beans covered in chocolate. You can use any kind of bean or chocolate you want. Even if you don’t enjoy the bitter taste of coffee, the sweetness of the cholate counteracts it. This has to be one of the easiest treats to make and is very tasty.

 So, there is is, some of my favorite Christmas things. I encourage you all to share recipes or movies you love around this time of year as well!