Holiday Media Magic

My husband and I are big fans of movies, music and books. We have hundreds of Blu-rays and DVD’s, CDs and since my hubby doesn’t like to read (*gasp* I know. Tell me about it.) I have hundreds of books. At Christmas time, we have our favorite movies, music and authors. I wanted to share a few of our favorites, even though everyone has probably seen, heard or read them all.

Movies:

from youtube

The hubby and I started a tradition a few years ago to watch Christmas Vacation every Christmas Eve while we get things ready for the morning. It makes things a bit less hectic through humor. ;) And although I’ve seen this movie a million times, I STILL laugh at it. Still.  “Are you serious Clark?”

A few others movies my kids love and recommend are Arthur Christmas, Home Alone 1 and 2 (These ones come with a really good lesson about NOT being naughty like Kevin is to his parents at times. Yeah. I’m THAT mom…), Elf, The Grinch (not cartoon), The Polar Express (I’m the only person I know that thinks this show is creepy, but everyone else loves it…) and Prep and Landing. This year we’re introducing my kids to The Santa Claus movies.

Music:

One of my very favorite Christmas CD’s is Pentatonix: That’s Christmas To Me. They have two other ones out, which we have all three and listen to them regularly, but That’s Christmas To Me is hands down, my favorite. My kids are obsessed with Pentatonix and my hubby and I love them too. Which is funny, since my hubby’s favorite band is Pearl Jam.

A few other albums we love and recommend are The Piano Guys: A Family Christmas, Kelly Clarkson: Wrapped in Red, Josh Groban: Noel, Tran Siberian Orchestra and Mannheim Steamroller. I’m obsessed with the Tran Siberian Orchestra’s Carol of the Bells. It’s my ringtone… Hahaha

Books:

Oh, books. My favorite things in the entire world. Besides my family of course. ;) While I usually prefer reading YA and MG books, for some reason I crave romantic reads around Christmas time. They don’t necessarily have to be Christmas reads, but it has to have a romance. I love the Timeless Romance Anthologies around this time of year because they are quick and romantic novellas that I can read for a moment during a busy day, Julianne Donaldson’s books, Sarah Eden’s books and Michele Paige Holmes has some lovely romantic reads as well.

I also love re-reading my favorite MG/YA books around Christmas time too, like the Harry Potter series and Percy Jackson series. I’ll listen to them on CD with my kids and they love it.

If you have any recs for any Christmas movies or music or your favorite books, comment below! I'd love to hear them.

Thank you SO much for having me! I’ve had such a blast! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Chantele Sedgwick is a YA author, harpist, wife to one and mom to four. She loves fairy tales, happy endings, Kit Kats and (judging by her bookshelves), buying way too many books. She lives in Utah with her family and can usually be found reading, or talking her husband’s ear off with her endless supply of book ideas. She’s the author of Not Your Average Fairy Tale, Not Your Average Happy Ending, Love, Lucas, Switching Gears (Feb 2017) and Interlude (2018).

How to have a happy marriage - the RETRO Way!

And for Free-for-all Friday, SK takes us back, way, way back to the good old days...


As a wife, I've naturally looked up to those who've had long successful happy marriages. Don't get me wrong. My sweetheart is a wonderful man . . . when, umm,  he's not acting up having a rough day, but just the same, it never hurts to seek expert advice . . . 

So I thought, where better to look than to those given in the past? Like, wayyyy in the past. And I'm honestly not sure what that did for me . . . except laugh my butt off. Because, personally? Well, my thoughts on these are simply: NO!  o_O And if you wanna laugh with me, read on!

Here are some RETRO advice on How to Have a Happy Marriage:

(From 1950's “The Good Wife’s Guide”)

***DON'T TALK***

1- Be a good listener. Let him tell you his troubles; yours will seem trivial in comparison. Don’t bother your husband with petty troubles and complaints when he comes home from work.

2- Remember your most important job is to build up and maintain his ego (which gets bruised plenty in business). Morale is a woman’s business.

3- Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

4- Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him. Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first—remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

5- Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

6- Don't be a bad cook! Bad cooking has been responsible for driving the husband to the saloon, and to other places. And when she does cook, she should cook, and not be, as somebody said, a mere can opener.

7- Don't be sentimental! 

AND IF THINGS COULDN'T GET "FUNNIER" . . .

What if your man strays after marriage?

8- In case of an occasional lapse on the part of the husband—there a bit of advice may prove acceptable. And my advice would be: forgive and forget. Or still better—make believe that you know nothing. An occasional lapse from the straight path does not mean that he has ceased to love you. He may love you as much; he may love you a good deal more.

This one speaks to my soul so much better than the advice up there:

So there you have it!

Don't forget that a good wife always knows her place . . . 

*snort*

* * * 

To my dear hosts:

Thanks so much for having me over at The Really Real Housewives of America!

I had fun! Let's do it again sometime ;)

xoxox,

S. Katherine Anthony

S. K. Anthony is a writer, a reader and a make-stuff-up-er who lives in New York with her husband and toddler twins. She is a wine connoisseur, which just really means she knows she loves it, and a caffeine addict. When she isn’t busy with her family, she finds herself being transported into the world of imagination. Well, either that or running away from spiders . . . she is convinced they are out to get her!



We really enjoyed having SK guest post for us! We laughed, we cried, we learned! Now go have a good weekend, you guys!