Blogmas: Holiday Reads & TV

Hello!

This Christmas, I wanted to go all out on my celebrations, which really means absorbing as many books, films and TV specials as possible that relate to the holiday season. In this post, I am going to tell you about my reasons over this decision, plus give you some ideas if you’re in the mindset to basically do anything (or everything) I’m doing this December, so I really hope everyone enjoys this little thing.

Books:

Since I finished my reading challenge very early, it has allowed me to devote a chunk of my time to finding some wholesome and maybe not-so-wholesome reads about the holiday season. All but three of the books I’m reading this month are available on Kindle Unlimited, so they were free! So I have three full-length novels and the rest were novellas.

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Title: Unwrapping His Package
Author: Fiona Davenport
Genre: Erotica/romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was amazing start to the holiday season! I always have a rough time with novellas because they can lack organization, but I didn’t have any problems with this one. It was a very steamy read, but exactly what I wanted to read at that moment of time. 


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Title: A Christmas Carol
Author: Charles Dickens
Genre: Classics/contemporary fiction
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have always wanted to read this book. I’ve seen two or three film adaptions but have never actually made to read it, and this has always surprised me because it is the ideal Christmas story, but then again, when I was in school, I only read a handful of classics!

Anywho, I found the audiobook on YouTube and I thought I could listen to it while working on my Christmas cards this past weekend. I don’t know who the narrator was, but he definitely brought the characters to life with his deep, but welcoming voice! If you have about three hours to yourself, you should listen to it as well, and if you want, click here to start reading the book.


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Title: On His Naughty List
Author: Kat Baxter
Genre: Erotica/Romance
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Despite the fact that these two books are in the same series, I did not follow the order, because there were some that sounded cheesy, so I ignored them and found this bad boy! This one definitely had a lot of things missing from the storyline but obviously I didn’t care as much since I gave it a higher score…


The other books I have on my TBR (to be read) list are: Secret Santa by Mayra Stratham, (which is another book in the Filthy, Dirty Christmas series.) A Very Bossy Christmas by Alexis Winter, How to Ruin the Holidays by Becky Monsoon, Christmas in the Scottish Highlands by Donna Ashcroft, and finally Finding Love at the Christmas Market by Jo Thomas. Technically I am (as I write this post) reading A Very Bossy Christmas and it is absolutely hilarious, which is exactly what I want right now, so I see myself enjoying this and the one by Becky Monsoon the most, but we’ll see how things turn out in the end.

TV

I am not one to have my television locked on the Hallmark channel this month–honestly, it is one station I have locked out until the second of January when they turn The Golden Girls back on!

Last year, there was a film premiering on Lifetime called, Christmas Ever After and it starred Ali Stroker. Ali is a wheelchair user like moi, but most importantly she won a Tony away for her performance in “Oklahoma” in 2019. Honestly, the overall concept of seeing someone in an overwhelming holiday romance on my television that I was thoroughly exciting! Unfortunately, I never got a chance to finish watching it, that I feel like I need to find it again and give it another chance before Christmas is over.

I already have a small selection of films in my movie folder, and I am still stunned by my reasonings for wanting to watch them. There is Christmas in Tahoe that apparently was inspired by a Train song or album, and the band itself or just the lead vocalist Pat Monahan is in the actual film too! I adore the band’s music, I’ve been a casual fan over the years, but I thought the concept of this movie was interesting, so this was the first. The second was, A Christmas Dance Reunion, and it has Corbin Bleu and Monique Coleman, who played “Chad” and “Taylor” in the original High School Musical films. And finally, I am recording Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday which has real sister Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Ashley Williams. It honestly looks really fun and hilarious, so it is on my list as well!

Now I am this selection says “TV” but of course, I’m enjoying all of my other favorites like National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Annabelle’s Wish and Home Alone. Speaking on that film, I am also looking forward to checking out the newest Home Alone on Disney+ too! I really enjoy the sequels of these films, so this is just natural for me! Now that I have everything done, I can do everything that I love doing in this festive season.

What are you looking forward to the most? Do you have a new favorite holiday book or movie yet?

Blogmas: Gift Ideas for Readers

Hello!

For this year, I will be discussing for the reader(s) in your life, because we can be somewhat tricky to buy for on Christmas. I hope to give you some ideas below and this week on Got Meghan’s Blog is full of festive vibes, so I also hope you enjoy what I have for you because I had a lot of fun creating them!

A couple of years ago, I wrote a post discussing interesting topics for my fellow disabled and chronic illness bloggers out there. I thought it would be a great idea to create one of my own and there was awesome feedback from people with and without disabilities! Anyways, I still adore the way I set up that post and wanted to do it again to hopefully give you some ideas into what a reader would REALLY love under their Christmas tree or stocking this year!


Before we get too into this, I need to make a point and say, if you decide to do any of the ideas below, you should know the person treasures the most. Despite the fact I included Harry Potter, it doesn’t mean EVERYONE enjoys that series! There are thousands of fandoms and products out there so hopefully you’ll be able to find something they love, but also be honest with yourself as well. If you can’t get something because you can’t afford it at this moment, find something else and hopefully they will understand your struggle and move on from it.

Speaking of money, I arranged everything below into their own category as far as price goes, so we have a somewhat cheaper collection of items that don’t go over $25. The middle will have a selection that could change depending on the various qualities and websites; I’d say they might start at $30 and stop around $60 and then the final box is everything I feel can go into the $100+ and those would be things that you would expect in that range too.

Easy on the Budget

Bookmarks
Stickers
Candles
Fairy lights
Coffee Mugs
Teabags/Instant Coffee Cups
Cat Inspired Gifts (or any other animal!)
Earbuds/Headphones

The Prices Can Change

Book Ends
Throw Blankets
Journals
Calendars
Bluetooth Speakers
Harry Potter Items
E-Readers (like NOOK, Kindle, and Audible)

Get Your Checkbooks Out

Book Subscription Boxes (like Book Of The Month, OwlCrate, etc.)
Limited Edition Books
Boxed Sets
Childhood Favorites
Bookshelves

Last summer, I was able to work with a company that specialty is making unique bookmarks and holders, and they are TILIMSA and I really love their products. They are reasonably priced since all of the items are handmade. I’m still so happy they were nice enough to work with someone like me who doesn’t exactly hold a book in the way everybody else does, so they customized their regular items to fit my needs, however, I’m not sure if everyone will be able to get the same treatment. If you are trying to find something for someone with a disability who loves to read, you could try to get into contact with them but again, I’m not sure if it will happen, so please keep this possibility in mind beforehand.

Are there any other ‘bookish’ products I should add to this post? Comment below with your suggestions, plus which money category I need to list it too!

Royal Baby | 32 Romantically Royal Names!

Hello!

EDITED: I wrote this post last month and was curious whether or not I would be able to get this out before Her Royal Highness gave birth, but I put out a poll on my name account on Instagram the evening when the news broke that they had welcomed a son, and I had a large amount of people who said they would like the post to go out as it was suppose to, so thanks to them, I am sharing with you all of the names and pairings I’ve had in my head for the past several months.

Well, 2021 will be a HUGE year for the British and Swedish royal families, as there are four different families (not counting Pippa Matthews because she is the sister to The Duchess of Cambridge!) who are expecting new additions in the spring. You know how much I love guessing and creating combinations for the royals, so I am so pumped to be doing this again!

For this post, I am focusing on Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack Brooksbank first child. Of course, like the majority of the English royals, they don’t say what the gender is to the public until the birth so I am using the same format as I have with both Prince Louis of Cambridge and Archie Mountbatton-Windsor. There will be four sections of names but in the aesthetic I think The Brooksbank’s will look into for their child.

I was really excited to hear that Princess Eugenie was pregnant. I follow her on Instagram so when the picture of her holding a pair of Koala booties was absolutely adorable! It actually didn’t take me very long to create a list of names that I thought could appear in the child’s name, but I wanted to look beyond my usual assumptions and focus on what this young couple could be thinking about, so I began to look into them a little more and we’ll have to see how right or wrong I was in the end.

Princess Eugenie went to Newcastle University in 2009, studying Art History and English Literature, which is how I came up with the idea of putting together a romantically-pleasing list of names that could be a winner. However, I still wanted to look to what Jack could enjoy as well, so I felt really good including vintage names into the mix. The way I have created this, is that the literacy type names are on the left side of each sex, while the more aristocratic/royalty names are on the right side. I tried to my best to include well-used family names and switched some spellings around too! I will list four names that I think will look really cute and fun and give you some information about each other, So, in total, there will be eight names and pairings for both genders.


Jane Margaret

I think the name Jane is a very unused name in the royals; it was only used once with Jane Seymour, the third wife of King Henry VIII. She was the one who gave the king what he’s always wanted, a son but sadly she passed away a week after giving birth to the future Edward VI. The King was very saddened to hear that she had died, but considering how he treated his wives at all, it is unsure what her future would have been like if she had lived and how the Tudor dynasty would have unfolded.

Jane is somewhat in the middle of popular lists, but since it is a one syllable and feminine type of name, I feel like it is really nice for a first daughter. I find it very cute but strong as far as talking about literature: you have Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and the author Jane Austen who bridges the gap between romance in the aristocratic world of the 18th Century and the feminist mindset too. I really think if at least one royal couple gave it a shot, their daughter would really appreciate it!

The reason why I decided to pair it up with Margaret, is because it is her mother’s middle name. It would be a subtle way to keep her close and I also believe, like Jane, is underrated with the royals. There isn’t anybody in the immediate line of succession with the name so it could be a nice way of bringing it back home within the York family tree too.

Mabel Alexandra

The name Mabel has been growing in popularity in the last couple of years, so if the couple wanted to do a more “in” type of name as a first, then I think it is not only a lovely name but winner overall.

For me personally, I have always have an love/hate relationship with Mabel. I have known about it for several years now, mainly because of a sitcom my family and I used to watch all the time called Mad About You. The main couple: Jamie and Paul Buchman name their own daughter Mabel because of an old saying Jamie’s mother use to say to her daughters, the anagram is “Mother Always Bring Extra Love” but unfortunately, I have never liked it enough to put it on my list. I do love how it is short and sweet, but with it’s growing fanbase, I’ve sort of had to put it at the lowest placement.

I am a HUGE lover of combining both small with long, almost regel like names together, so, pairing it with Alexandra is both beautiful but gives the little girl a strong, masculine type of name. The nearest royal with the name is Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogvily. It is also one of the Queen’s middle names, and of course, we have to look at Alexandra of Denmark, Princess of Wales, and eventual Queen to her husband King Edward VII.

Beatrix Victoria

Okay, I think out of all the names in the banner, I feel like this one has a better chance of being used out of any other name. Princess Eugenie is the younger sister to Princess Beatrice, and I feel like they are incredibly close and it would only be right to say that this variation would be high on their list. The “rix” at the end gives it a more literacy type of style, because of the children’s author Beatrix Potter, and I also think this way has a lot of moxie compared to the other spelling. I actually have an old friend who is also using this way, for her second daughter so it is definitely a trend at the moment.

Now I think placing two powerhouse names together is very interesting and also honors the Victorian era to a T! It actually rolls off your tongue pretty well, but the main reason why I decided to combine it is because Victoria is the last middle for the Princess. I think it would be a nice way of keeping a tradition but mainly because it is easier to say than her own name: Eugenie. I mean, I have a difficult time saying her name, and I think it would be interesting to switch it with Victoria or maybe Helena too.

Elizabeth Ophelia

Princess Eugenie has a very close bond with her paternal grandparents, I think it is fair to keep the name Elizabeth on a higher spot because of this, but mostly because it is pretty low on almost all of the name charts. There is the fact that it is used more as a middle name than a first, so if they were to use it as a first with this generation it would probably have the same effect that Princess Charlotte had when she was born in 2013. If they didn’t want such a robust type of name, maybe Isabel/Isabelle/Isabella could be a nice variation too. It would still work with the classic trend going on in Great Britain too.

Speaking of trends, it was slightly easier to picture the name Ophelia for Eugenie and Jack’s baby than any other couple, mostly for the fact that it was created by William Shakespeare. It comes from Hamlet, and I think it’s gorgeous and fun for a distant royal; that is one thing that Eugenie and Jack have going for them, they don’t have to basically use popular and traditional royal names, but since she did study art and literature, I think it is far to say that this than any other Shakespearian name is contender.

If they do indeed have a boy, I believe they could use one or the other of its grandfather’s names, but it probably wouldn’t be as a first. The reason why is because of the obvious scandal with the Duke of York, The name Andrew is still a family name that has ties to the Duke of Edinburgh’s line, but again I just don’t see it coming up as a first, but with a different way of spelling could make it work without drawing that uneasy comparison to Prince Andrew.

After the birth of Prince Louis in 2018, a lot of people were surprised by the fact that Louis is one of their eldest son’s middle names. The public was shocked by this, but it actually didn’t necessarily freak me out because it has been done over many generations with the royals, for example, all of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s sons (including one of their daughters’) have the name Albert. The first boy was named Albert Edward, but the other three all had the name towards the end. Their fourth daughter Princess Louise had a feminine variation: Alberta as part of her whole name too! So, naming their son George could be used but having it in the front could be interesting because they could be accused of basically stealing although I’ve just explained how this has happened before and is a beloved way of giving back so to speak.

Asa Nicholas

It was very difficult narrowing two male names from the left side of the banner, mainly because there are so many interesting choices that resemble the type of aesthetic I’m going for in the post, but the name Asa was actually kind of natural, mainly because it is very different compared to all of the other names. Asa has grown in popularity in the last few years, but it is original and I think it would be cool to see a name like this, grow within the royal families.

For the middle, Nicholas was just the first one to pop into my head. I wouldn’t normally combine two names that feature an “s” so close but as soon as it came together, I started to realize how angelic and adorable the names are together. The name itself has strong ties to the Saxe, Coburg and Gotha bloodline and the former Russian royal family: Romanovs. Tsar Nicholas II and his British wife, Tsarina Alexandra (born as Princess Alix of Hesse, daughter of Princess Alice of the United Kingdom and Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse).

Valentine Ferguson

Every part of me really wanted to chose a totally different name but the name Valentine is probably one of the most romantic names you could give a child. I have only started to enjoy it less than a year ago, because I’ve never been a huge fan of the “holiday” of sorts, but I really enjoy it for boys rather than girls. I think it does something, almost radiates everything the beginning of the February tries to bring out amongst the general public. However, I think it’s one of those names that work for all stages in a person’s life; it’s adorable on babies and is handsome on grumpy old men too.

My only issue with it was figuring out what to pair it up with, and I was really drawn to use the surname Ferguson because I feel like we always forget about spousal’s family names. In this case, Ferguson is Princess Eugenie’s mother’s maiden name. When the Duchess of Cambridge announced she’s pregnant, we all hoped that maybe we’ll see “Spencer” is featured in the child’s full name, but so far it’s not going to happen, so, I thought it would be interesting to see this one pop up as an unexpected surprise for everyone!

Henry Thomas

This one was inspired by the strong relationship the Princess has with her cousin, Prince Harry. They have always had a close bond and when I heard that she and Jack were going to move to Frogmore Cottage, in Windsor, I truly thought it was a sweet gesture because there are a large amount of royals who are living at Kensington Palace, including the Cambridge family, so it was easy enough to understand how much the young couple need their own place to live while adjusting to becoming a family of three.

Now there is another name that I think is an equal company as the Duke of Sussex. Thomas Brockbank is the elder brother of Jack. Of course, we don’t exactly know how good of a relationship they have since the wedding but I still think that the name could be used as well. The name isn’t as popular among the royals, so it would be really neat to see the classic pop in as a newcomer!

Philip Edmund

Princess Eugenie is very fond of her paternal grandfather: The Duke of Edinburgh. She speaks really lovingly towards him in a documentary directed towards The Queen’s 90th birthday a few years ago. So, I have really high hopes that maybe we all see Philip come back around with the great-grandchildren. and if it turns out that it is a girl, then Philippa would be a special way of keeping him close to her heart too.

I always hope that this name comes back into the royal family and it is Edmund. This is such a classic and very old name as the last royal who had it as a first was Prince Edmund, Duke of Somerset in 1499, the sixth child of King Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. I do consider this name as romantic because it has grown out of favor over the years but is still included in the annual name charts for England and Wales. It is also a nice alternative to the ever popular Edward too, so I genuinely hope that maybe it will come back around some day.


Whenever I do these types of posts, I always feel bad that I hadn’t included a lot of the father’s interests, but with the royals, especially if they are lower on the list of succession like Princess Eugenie, figuring out they hobbies and style isn’t as easy to pin point and that was the main reason for looking at the Princess a little closer and using what she does outside of being the granddaughter of The Queen!

Another thing I have to remind myself is that I purely do this for fun. I don’t get paid to do this and honestly, I wouldn’t want to because that’s just really odd and I feel like I would lose interest into the whole thing because it does look way more complicated to create the entire post, and that includes the banner too! I don’t mind being wrong or right–although it does feel good sometimes!–but as a lover of names, you always wonder what everybody has on their lists and sometimes you get lucky and are asked to help the parents-to-be too, which can be intimidating at times too, So yeah, that’s why I continue to come up with these type of posts.

Do you have any guesses on what Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack are going to new their little bear? What kind of style do you believe could make an appearance?