Day 8 of the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge

Day 8: Least Favorite Part of the Holidays
I love, love, love the holidays. It is the best time of the year, (most) people are in a good mood. The music/decorations are fantastic! I don't have much that I do not like, but working in retail, I do have a couple of least favorites to share!
1. Last minute shoppers that blame ME for not having what they are looking for because early shoppers already bought it.
2. Grumpy shoppers - shop online if you can't be nice to people.
3. Coupon hoarders that want to use all coupons at once, when it CLEARLY says "one coupon per transaction" on the back. If they come together, then they will say "May only be combined with so and so coupon".
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm sometimes a last minute shopper, but I have an appreciation for fellow retail employees. I have been in their shoes and will never disrespect them because of my tardy Christmas shopping.
Honestly, I am a big Amazon.com shopper myself, I like that I get free shipping and receive everything within 2 days. It takes away the stress of having to go out. Of course, I still love going to stores though :)

Giveaway over at "A Step into my Life"

Kit from "A Step into my Life" is hosting a giveaway that ends tomorrow (technically today).

It is such a cool giveaway for a $35 gift certificate to CSN stores!

Go enter before it is too late!!!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER

On the 7th Day of Christmas...

Day 7: Holiday Craft/DIY
I really want to make this wreath:

The how-to is here: Felt Wreath

I love that it is so simple (looking). It is so pretty to me. I like that you could use any color felt and add to it for different holidays. I haven't made it, but I do hope to some day :)

12 Days of Christmas Challenge - Day 6

Day 6: Gift Ideas

The biggest thing I wanted this year was an HDTV. I bought that for myself Black Friday (online, NOT in stores) because I'd never expect someone to buy me that!

What I'm wishing for...

1. A DSLR Camera

2. A snuggie - for me... not a dog... the picture was too cute! :)

3. All of the Sex and the City TV DVDS

I could go on, but then I feel greedy. I always have a hard time figuring out what I want for my birthday/Christmas, so I keep an ongoing list and add/subtract when necessary :)

12 Days of Christmas Challenge - Day 5

Day 5: Favorite Holiday Movie/TV Special

Most of all I loveeee Miracle of 34th Street!

Classic

and modern

I am going to be very predictable and say that of course I love It's a Wonderful Life.

Every year my mom and I watch this at least once, sometimes mores.

I am also a fan of Hallmark Christmas movies. The cheesier/sappier the better. Every weekend, if I get off at a decent hour, I'll watch at least one or two :)

Some of my favorites are:

Fallen Angel

The Christmas Card

and more more more :)

I also love classic cartoons.

Along with The Grinch, Santa Clause, Christmas Story, White Christmas and so much more. I <3 Christmas!

Happy Saturday everyone! I am off to work another crazy day in retail :)

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me....

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

I did! I ran my first 5K. I actually thought I'd walk a lot more than I did, but I guess the adrenaline rush with everyone around you running keeps you going. It was a lot of fun! I have a picture of me, but it is on my camera somewhere. I'll add it later!

On to day 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge :)

Day 4: Tips/Tricks to a Budget Friendly holiday season

I think some of the most fun things that cuts down on spending is Secret Santa or White Elephant. Both are a lot of fun and require you to just purchase one gift. You set a price range that works for everyone so that everyone is able to participate and then have a lot of fun.

When I was in the youth group at church we do white elephant gives and it was so much fun. There was one expected gift every year and everyone wanted it. One of the dads worked for the county and was able to get old street signs and they'd give them as a gift. So everyone wanted their turn to be just right to where the gift was stolen 3 times and nobody else could get it. Definitely a blast :)

Another thing you could do is make homemade gifts. You can find things on sale and make something great if you want to save money.

12 Days of Christmas Challenge Day 3

Day 3: Most meaningful gift/best gift you've received
Every present I receive, either big or small, is meaningful to me. If someone feels that I am special enough to get a present for, then it means the world. 
One present that means a lot to me is a necklace my mom got me last year. She is not a fan of jewelry and therefore has never really bought me any other than maybe watches. Last Christmas she bought me a necklace with a star pendant that says "shine like a star". Not only is my favorite thing or shape a star, but the saying itself made me smile. She's always supported me with whatever crazy plan or non-plan I've had. When she gave it to me she said that she wanted me to have a piece of jewelry that she gave me :)
Also, my Opa (grandfather) always sends the best cards for my birthday, I look forward to them every year. There is always a handwritten poem or a Bible verse along with a nice note to me. It makes me smile every year :)
I look forward to reading other people's responses!
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I hope tomorrow is a funfilled day spent with family and/or friends. I will be going to my Oma's where my aunt's family and my Opa will be joining us. It will be a lot of people, stress, and food, but it will be a blast.

...participating in my first ever blog Challenge!

I am a day behind, so forgive me! I will do day 1 and day 2 today to catch up.

DAY 1: Christmas/Holiday traditions
My holiday traditions consist of a couple of things. Being that my family is German and I grew up in Germany until I was 6, we do things the German way. We celebrate Nickolaus Tag on December 6 in my family. Basically this is when you'd find out if you've been a good girl or boy. If you get coal, you have some time to straighten up before Christmas!
Then we celebrate on Christmas Eve. When I was younger, this would be when all of the kids and adults (except 1) would go for a walk and when the porch light was on, you could know that Santa had come and left the presents. My uncle (who is my age) used to try and hide to get away from having to go for a walk so we could see Santa, but it never worked (we were the only kids!).
DAY 2: Black Friday/Gender Shopping Tips & Tricks
Working in retail I do nothing but work. However last year, I learned a little trick. Have my boyfriend and his little brother, who already plan to stand in line at Best Buy, purchase my items for me. Last year I wanted this NICE computer, but I had to work and so they stood in line and bought both my boyfriend and I one.
This year will be no different. I work 2 pm to midnight, leaving no time to shop if I want to get sleep. I am really eying this TV they have for 700 on Friday at Best Buy. I don't think I'll ask him to pick one up for me though. Last year I was awake every 10 minutes worried about weather or not there were enough computers in the store for both of us to get one!
I wish I had useful tips and tricks. My biggest one would be: HAVE PATIENCE. Also, go into the experience in a good mood. I do not like working and having grumpy people shopping in the store. Just come in with a smile or stay home and enjoy left over turkey :)
I look forward to reading everyone's posts!