Tag: film

5 simple pleasures

A more cheerful post, following yesterday’s gloom and doom fest!

It’s very easy to get caught up in the need to own things, do things, go places, eat out, see stuff and do stuff. I’m terrible for it. But I’m currently feeling the need to strip it all back and do simple (and cheap!) things that will make me happy.

Simple pleasures

Here’s what I have in mind:

Reading
I got through a couple of books on holiday and really enjoyed them. I want to devote more time to reading again. Curling up on the sofa for a couple of hours and burying my head in a book.

Clearing out old clothes, make up and nail varnishes
This probably won’t make me happy at the time, as I find tidying so dull! But I’ve probably been having some sort of clear out constantly now for about, ooh, 5 years! I need to finally nail it, get rid of all the crap and get my wardrobe/floordrobe in order. Plus I have so much out of date makeup. I was looking for a nail polish last night and found one in my box that I know has to be around 8 years old. Urgh. It’s taking up valuable space so I need to declutter and downsize.

Clearing out my car
I’ve always been one for keeping my car relatively tidy, but in the last couple of months it seems to have descended into a junk skip, with empty crisp packets, water bottles and even wallpaper samples just discarded on the backseat. The husband got in at the weekend and called me out on being a tramp! So this is something I can easily tick off the list and feel good about.

Going out for a walk
There are lots of nice parks and streets where I live, with woodland paths to follow and fancy houses to fantasise over. Just getting out and about, looking at the spring flowers and breathing in the fresh air is good for the soul, and I don’t do enough of it.

Watching films
I always say I haven’t got time to watch a film, or I’m not interested, but invariably I enjoy it. Last night we watched Practical Magic, which was on TV. I’d never have chosen to watch it but I really enjoyed it. Neither me or the husband have seen any of the Harry Potter films, so maybe that could be a plan.

What simple pleasures do you indulge in when you need to kick back and take it easy?

Thanks, as always, for reading! x

Favourite Christmas films

Christmas films.jpg

There are traditions in our home around Christmas films. One is that we (or, more accurately, the husband) start watching them at the end of October, when Movies 24 switches to Christmas 24 at weekends. We love a made for TV Christmas film. There are some shockers, but we’ve seen some great ones. If I was an actor I’d insist on making a Christmas film. So much fun. Although some of them are pretty tenuous – just a storyline that’s set at Christmas. No! We need Santa!

Another is that we watch National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (the husband’s favourite Christmas film) on December 1st. Plans were scuppered this year when he couldn’t find the remote for the BluRay player. He took it well.

Another one that has to be watched is Home Alone. I always wondered how come the Mom and Dad didn’t realise there was a spare ticket for Kevin when they get to the airport. Then last year I saw this clip of things you may have missed in the film, and it turns out that when Kevin spills the milk the evening before (the incident that gets him sent to the attic room) his ticket gets swept into the bin as the mess gets cleared up. So now it makes much more sense!

(check it out – 1 min to 1.15)

We haven’t watched it yet this year, it’s a Christmas Eve tradition (I’m usually wrapped up in sellotape, swearing and half drunk on wine by this point, bemoaning that I should have started my Christmas wrapping earlier and cursing the husband every time he tells me to shush).

We did, however, watch Home Alone 2, which I’ve decided I prefer out of the two.

On the subject of Home Alone, have you seen this very dark sketch of Macauley Culkin playing Kevin in the future? Well worth a watch and very funny/weird/creepy!

One of the presents I got for my birthday was The Holiday. Which, oddly, I only saw for the first time a couple of years ago when it was on TV in January. A Christmas film in January? It was either a bit late or very early for the following Christmas! Anyway, it’s a new favourite! So we’ll be watching that over the next few days too.

Oh, and The Santa Clause was one of the first ones we watched this year, and is a new entry into the list of “films we must watch every year”.

Controversially, one of husband’s work colleagues said you’re not allowed to watch Christmas films after Christmas Day. Say what? I disagree wholeheartedly. As far as I’m concerned it’s Christmas right up until I go back to work on 4th January, as my eating, drinking and watching habits will demonstrate!

Are there any other films that should be on my list? What are your favourites?

Thanks, as always, for reading! x