Christmas Traditions Get Better With Age

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Christmas is usually a time for children, but who’s to say it isn’t for the young at heart? I’m a child at heart especially when those jingle bells start jingling and trees are beautifully adorned with decor. Even so, my inner child still doesn’t derive from the fact that I am an adult now and that some Christmas traditions have fallen to the way side due to time. Yet there are some holiday related events that still are just as wonderful to me as an adults as when I was a child.

Here are some Christmas traditions that get better with age:

5. Christmas Apparel

Don we now our gay apparel – especially for the holiday season. Since I was a  child I have had Christmas outfits: Christmas dresses when I was a baby and from childhood onward, Christmas pajamas that could only be worn on Christmas Eve and into Christmas Day. New pajamas are a treat because they’re warm and hopefully adorned with some awesome design (like Darth Vader), but Christmas pajamas are special. They’re pajamas ringing in yet another Christmas, a Christmas full of merriment, wonder, and elation.

4. Holiday Baking

Most children helped their parents bake during the holidays for some party or for leaving cookies out for Santa. In teen years and onward, holiday baking falls onto our shoulders by means of tradition or merely wanting to whip up a batch of cookies. I find that I love holiday baking because it allows me to further my creativity and I get to give people I care for something sweet just in time for Christmas.

3. Advent Calendars

Advent calendars are little sneak peeks of what’s to come for the big day. Days marked from December 1^st to the 25^th (24^th for some advent calendars), hide little gifts beneath their numbers. There are even different types of advent calendars from beard conditioning to tea. These calendars in particular get better with every year because our interests tend to change overtime and variety should always be welcomed. One year someone may get a chocolate themed advent calendar, another year they may get an anime themed calendar – the possibilities are endless. 


2. Giving

Speaking of giving, as children we often receive presents from everyone. Albeit, we do give whatever gifts we can to others as children, but we do more receiving. As an adult, the role is most often reversed. We give now to children, to close friends, to coworkers, to parents, to relatives, and even to charity. This year I feel as though I’ll be giving more which is wonderful. Tis the season to be jolly and giving, so why embrace it? Besides, there’s just some wonderful feeling that comes from giving a gift to someone. It’s that warm feeling like popcorn is being made in your stomach and explodes into thousands of fuzzy warm puffs. I’ll be gift giving not only to my family, friends, and coworkers, but also to Toys for Tots –a personal tradition I’ve performed every year at every possible chance I can.

1. The Lights

As kids our eyes widen at the glimmer and glow of Christmas trees and shimmering houses. The amazement still strikes us as adults, but only now we can create that magic. We can deck our halls, doll up our trees, and adorn our lawns and homes with enough lights to be seen from the Curiosity rover. We are now the providers of those smiles, those widened eyes, those slacked jaws; we are doing what we only dreamed we could as kids. With the use of technology and lights we can create the magic of those wondrous decorations we saw many years ago as children.

Thanks for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what are some of your Christmas traditions?

You Really Shouldn't Have. Really.

Welcome readers to another December entry of The Magical Mystery Blog.

With Christmas only twelve days away, Friday the 13^th has fallen upon us once more. Friday the 13^th has some negative superstition about it, in which it is supposed to be a day of bad luck. My fellow readers, I hope none of this bad luck doesn't carry into the Christmas spirit, and possibly lie under your tree waiting for Christmas morning. This bad luck often turns into an unfortunate experience of receiving a terrible Christmas gift.  Below are my top twelve worse gifts to buy someone.

12. Garden Gnome

Yes, because nothing says Merry Christmas like “I want to freak out my neighbors with this hideous garden gnome” or “God this corny and it’s going on my lawn.”

11. Decapitated Teddy Lamp

esquire.com

Remember that teddy bear you wanted for Christmas...?

Most of us love teddy bears. They’re cuddly, cute, and look fantastic when decapitated. That’s right, on the Internet you can purchase a severed head teddy bear lamp. You know, for telling others that you really don’t want to babysit their kids anymore. Or you know, to give children nightmares.

10. The Gifts of Change

Ah change, the one thing that we must do at some point or another to adapt to the surrounding world. But for those who need a little push or don’t want to change any further, there are those who will give them things to help remedy that. For example, if you’re comfortable with your gorgeous body, someone might think otherwise, and might give you exercise equipment or a diet book.

9. Jersey Shore Ornaments

incrediblethings.com

And three losers in a pear tree.....

So you want your tree to look like a wannabe Italian that’s actually a douche. Look no further than eBay or just the Internet in general. There you will find ornaments of Snooki (both in slutty and Christmas clothes), Pauly D, and other lovable losers from the show, the Jersey Shore. Not only will the receiver be able to use them once a year but when they do so, it’ll turn their Christmas tree into a crap tree.

8. Grooming Gifts

Make up is fine to receive as a present because you can find some way to match nail polish with your outfits. But gifts like toothbrushes and hair trimmers are a big no no.  These items are things we would buy for ourselves because we are able to judge if we need them or not. If someone gives us a hair trimmer it’s like them saying, ”Hey….I notice there’s hair coming out of your ears…here’s something to fix that.” Insulting? Yes. This is just like the gifts of change where the present tends to insult the receiver by telling them, “Hey you need to fix this.”

7. A Caricature

Perhaps some of you know of a talented artist who happens to do these comedic sketches. If not, then there are artists out there on streets and boardwalks willing to do a caricature of you. With every passing moment, they analyze and draw your most noticeable features (ex.: if you have a large schnoze, it’s going to be drawn). This would be a rather unwise gift to give because some people tend to be a bit self conscious. When someone draws them in a new light, it may alert them. Do I really have a large nose? Is my hair really that frizzy? Is my cat really about to rip my cheeks off?

6. The Star Wars Christmas Special

If you know a geek or happen to be one yourself, you’ve probably heard of or are madly in love with the movie franchise Star Wars. Mostly everything that’s Star Wars is utterly glorious from the Battle on Endor to the light sabers. However its Christmas special is far from beautiful. If you manage to somehow find a DVD of the Star Wars Christmas Special and give it to someone, you really have no idea what you’re giving them. You’re bestowing onto them a special where wookies look at stimulated porn and other visual tortures. Do you really want to give your geek that holiday Hell?

5. Knives

Giving a knife or even a set of knives is considered to be bad luck to the gift receiver. In order to avoid the bad luck, the receiver must give the giver a penny or there must be a penny attached to the blades. But even so, sometimes the penny may fail and you are doomed to suffer the wrath of bad luck.

4. A Used Gift

This is for the gifter who is too lazy to go out and buy a present. Instead they wander over to their refrigerator, poke their head instead for a beer, and see a half eaten cake. Huzzah, a gift has been found! Why people would give anyone a used gift (like a half eaten cake) is beyond me. These already used presents shouldn't be distributed at all because not only do they make you look like a bad gifter but a procrastinator as well.

3. Fruitcake

Ah yes, the food that no one eats because it’s just so gosh darned awful. Giving this as a gift is basically telling your receiver: I have nothing else to give you, so here, have this.  The best thing they can do with it is put in the freezer, wait until it hardens, and possibly kill you or someone with it. Or use the hardened dessert to break in an entry.

2.  Something They Already Have

It’s always good to check with your giftee if they have the thing you’re about to buy them. If you don’t, it will result in one of the most awkward moments you will ever encounter. But be subtle when asking them, don’t just come flat out with the gift you wish to give them. Be clever, use less words, and take note of what your receiver has.

1. Nothing

everydayminimalist.com

Seems like people are buying a whole lotta Nothin..

In the world there is a product you can buy called ‘Nothing’.  ‘Nothing’ is a literal bubble of air that can shows that you really don’t care to go out and look for something for your particular giftee. Instead you just buy them one of these to not only show that they can care less about you but that there’s nothing you can do with this gift.

What’s the worst Christmas gift you’ve ever received? Feel free to tell us in the comments section below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.

All I Want for Christmas...

Welcome one and all holiday shoppers to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Christmas time is upon us with seasonal songs, the mysteries of Santa Claus, and of course, Christmas lists. Every child has a Christmas list consisting of the latest and greatest in toys and electronics. I've kept a Christmas list for many years and with every year, I've seen the world release something new into the toy market. Nowadays I find some of the toys amazing because they’re interactive objects I never dreamed of owning as a kid. We have technology that allows us to have a tiger and pet it, items that allow us to reenact some of our favorite movies down to the tiniest detail and have fun with it, toys that enable us to physically get involved with our game and even help us to work out, learn, and do other things. It’s always fascinating to see what people come up with these days for entertainment. Below are my top five modern toys I wish I got for Christmas as a kid.

5) Tetris Link

Most of you are aware of the popular, retro game known as Tetris where you had to stock shape ontop of shape to clear a line. Nowadays it’s been done to death in different formats by means of tablets, ipods, and other pieces of technology that house apps. There’s been tons of reboots of the classic game, including a board game.

amazon.com

This game is a real life version of the video game where you try to clear your board before the timer goes off and you’re left with unwanted empty gaps. Not only does it transition well from one medium to another but it introduces kids to a classic game they can play with their friends.

4) Pillow Fight Weaponry

As a kid, who didn’t love starting a pillow fight? Whether it was at a sleep over or just to get your mom to play with you while she made your bed, pillow fights were always fun. Back then, we grabbed whatever pillows we could and had at it. But nowadays, there’s pillows designed to look like weaponry for these fluffy onslaughts of war. 

classybuzz.com

Prepare yourself for the pillow war of the century.

This just transforms a pillow fight into an all out warfare. Pick your weapon and charge at your opponent, whacking them into victory with laughter and smiles. This isn’t your kid’s pillow fight anymore; this is an all out brawl. There are many pillow weapons out there like a pillow katana and even a pillow lightsaber.

3) Wii/Wii U

The Wii is a system built for interacting with games by means of physical communication. Wii Sports and many other games, encourage you to work out, get your groove on, or simply have fun. As a child, I was curious about everything and loved to dance, so this would have been perfect. Plus with the Wii U out in time for Christmas, classic games from the past are being restored to their full potential.  So old favorites like The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and many others will be playable with better graphics and sound.

2) Star Wars Force FX Lighstabers

Growing up, Star Wars was a staple of movie night at my house. I recall my dad showing me the movies and I instantly enjoyed the idea of intergalactic wars, tied in with some memorable characters. While his intent was to get me to like Han and Luke, I wound up liking Darth Vader because he is an epic character. How he’s introduced, the theme music, his powers, his overall appearance, and voice won me over like a cat to catnip.

imgur.com

The nip is strong with this one....

At the time, lightsabers were available for purchase but none of them compare to the Force FX Lightsabers. When you hold a Force FX Lightsaber in your hands, it’s like holding the real deal. It powers down, powers up, aids you in combat, and does it all with the actual movie noises. If that doesn’t win your geeky heart, then its effects will. 

1) Rebelle – The Crossbow for Girls

When I was a little girl, I was introduced to Barbie dolls, tea sets, dollhouses, and many other toys catered to the young, female audience. Boys at the time were playing with trucks, super soakers, and toy crossbows. But over the years, the classification of boy toys and girl toys began to fade. Nowadays, some boys play with dolls while girls aren’t afraid to play with NERF guns. There are even some boy toys designed for girls, like the Rebelle crossbow for girls.

nerdywithchildren.com

The Rebelle is a bow and arrow toy that encourages you to practice your archery skills. This toy is basically turning young girls into Merida from Brave and preparing them for high school archery class. This item breaks the mold on stereotypical girls toys and gets them to play outside with this hot toy of the year.

What toys do you see now that you wish you had when you were a kid? Feel free to leave your thoughts below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.

Black Friday Be Gone!

For those of you who survived Black Friday and many others who chose not to venture out into the chaos, welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Black Friday is a yearly tradition where people camp outside stores just to trample others to get that perfect Christmas gift at a seemingly lower price. Over the years, I only marched out into the hostile crowds twice. During those times, I would often hear myths about Black Friday where people would murder each other or break down doors just to get what they need. Well today the myth has become reality. In Long Island, New York a Walmart worker was trampled to death. Apparently, the crowd burst through the doors, and stampeded the associate into the ground. Along with his demise, a pregnant woman was taken in for observation and a few other shoppers were treated for minor injuries. What’s even more terrifying than these tragic instances is the fact that there’s a Black Friday death count website, calculating all of those who have died just because people wanted to save on a Tickle Me Elmo.  

While Black Friday often falls on a Friday, it was pushed back this year to Thanksgiving. Other stores like Walmart pushed their Black Friday prices back to this previous Sunday so that people could attempt to avoid the madness. This was done to give the masses a time to shop before preparing for the biggest day of this week: Thanksgiving. However, most stores opened their doors on Thanksgiving at various times. Some welcomed the chaotic crowd in at midnight, others were up and running all day, and other stores invited everyone in at 6 pm; the perfect time when everyone would sit down to eat.  But for states like Massachusetts, they have created the Blue Laws which entail that Black Friday will begin on Friday, and not a day sooner.

These Blue Laws have also appeared in Rhode Island and were created with the intent of families celebrating Thanksgiving and not crowding at the doors of many stores.  It’s a great event for these specific rules to be formed and enforced upon society because it reminds them to do the following things:

1. Chill Out

Christmas will be here and gone but there’s still time to get all your holiday shopping done. If all else fails, then cyber shop. You will save money, gas, and time. Plus if you order as soon as possible, your stuff will arrive just in time for Christmas, and it’ll look like Santa delivered them to your house.

2. Thanksgiving

That holiday that comes before Christmas where you eat with friends and family. It’s also a time of reminiscing about that Black Friday when you didn't kill your neighbor for that Hot Wheels set your son or daughter wanted. Also, don’t forget the mountain of food. The tantalizing turkey, the crantastic cranberry sauce, the sublime sweet potatoes; they’re all waiting for you. Do not deny them by shopping and trampling others. Devour them.

3. It’s Not About Gifts

In this material infested world we often forget that sometimes money and gifts aren't everything.  Presents don’t always make Christmas but rather, the time you spend with people makes Christmas much more magical. Last year I didn't get that many presents but I was content with them. What made that Christmas special though was busting out the Wii and playing Pictionary for hours on end after a wonderful dinner with a great group of people.

Maybe those who were injured and killed in Long Island’s Walmart would still be with us today if they remembered these things. But now is the start of the holiday season where everyone must keep in mind that gifts aren't everything and relaxing is needed to ease the lunacy of society.

What was your worst Black Friday moment? Feel free to comment below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.