Goodbye 2016: You Were a Roller Coaster

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

A new year is on the horizon. For some, it may mean the apocalypse with Trump’s reign as the new president. For others, it may be a chance to start anew or continue in growth as a person. 2016 has been a festering pile of garbage – bearing ghastly moments we never thought would occur such as the death of some iconic people, tragedies with no end in sight, and political debates as wayward as a curved road.

We are standing on a hazardous shore with rough tides, wondering what exactly 2017 will promise us. We can swim out to sea and brave the choppy waves and roll with them, becoming a stronger being. We can stay at the shore and bide our time before making a move. We can watch from afar and carry on our lives as best as we can. We have choices, but we can’t turn away from 2017.

Despite the harshness of 2016, this year was by far the best year of my life. Not because of any celebrity’s death or the ungodly tragedies that scattered our world or even the winning elector. Rather, it was a year of meeting Internet celebrities I’ve been following for years, for being more of myself and becoming empowered, for meeting someone who I want to spend the rest of my life with, and for broadening my mind and world more than what I’ve already known.

2017 for me will mean moving on with my life. Yes, I’m absolutely terrified of what Trump will do especially to people of my feminine gender. This fear, paired with my depression and anxiety cannot dominate me. I’ve allowed it to win too many times in the past and frankly, I’m done with them.

Here are the things I need to do in 2017:

1.       Live – 2016 flew by and the older you become, the faster time flies. I need to take time with my hands and do with it what I want. By that I plan to live – go out more and try Cuban food or go to that museum I’ve always wanted to see especially with the one I love by my side. Time can’t stop me anymore.

2.       Work out – Hey, did you know your metabolism slows as you get older? Want proof? In January 2016, I weighed 120 and now I weigh 134. I need to tone my body, shake off the extra weight, and continue my fight to cut soda from my diet. Albeit, I do accept who I am physically and mentally, I realize that I’m getting older and my body isn’t what it used to be. I need to take care of it now more than ever. 

3.       Write – This goes in hand with taking time into my hands and doing what I will. I have to utilize time to finish my original works and work on the blog. I have allowed time to get in my way of publishing my entries due to my social life, a relationship, the holidays, and going out into the world around me. Yes, I apologize, but now I understand what I need to do.

4.       Improve  - This also ties in with working out, but more so on a mental note. While I do already accept myself mentally and physically, I still want to improve my anxiety which seems to attack me most in my life. I need to find ways to quell it so that it doesn’t affect me as much.

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

So tell me, what are your New Year’s resolutions?

Never Lose Your Passion

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

A few days ago I witnessed something that absolutely broke my heart because it made me realize that no matter at what age it is said, it’s still diminishing to hear.

I was at the store waiting to pay for my groceries. There was a boy, no more than six years old who was trying to talk to his mother about something and she kept responding dully with ‘uh huhs’ and ‘yeahs’.  Her eyes were focused on her phone – I have no idea what she was looking at, but they were in the line next to me. From what I could tell, the boy was excited about “Captain America : Civil War” coming out soon and how awesome it was going to be (and let’s face it, it’s going to be amazing). At one point, he grabbed an action figure of Captain America that happened to be resting on a magazine rack (I guess someone put it there). He kept trying to get his mom’s attention, trying to show her the figure, and explain to her how cool Captain America will be in the movie. Finally, she looked over and stared at at the figure blankly before saying:

“Oh, I thought it was something important.”

It was as though someone told the kid that Santa didn’t exist. His crestfallen eyes gazed at the Captain America figure and he bit his lip. He put the action figure back and kept quiet for the remainder of their time in the store. His head was bowed and his mother kept prattling away on her phone until it was their turn in the checkout line.

For the record, I am not a parent nor do I intend on being one, but when you diminish someone’s passion it hurts them terribly. I’ve seen it in relationships where partners attempt to express something they’re passionate about to their significant other only to be shot down with that line, if not something similar to it. The awkward silence that follows that line is the listener realizing that that person may not care and the other one questioning: is what I feel so strongly about important?

Yes, yes it is because that something is a part of who you are. It’s something that makes you grin from ear to ear and want to shout it to the world because you find it wonderful.  It’s something that inspires you, gives you life, and makes you excited as a child on Christmas morning. It’s a part of you that has deeply affected you in some way. Never lose whatever that special something is.

Furthermore, never lose sight of what makes you feel alive because someone disapproves of it or simply doesn’t care. If that person doesn’t understand your passion or enthusiasm for something you love dearly and proceeds to diminish it and berate you about it, then you really have to wonder if they appreciate you.  When they tell you, “Oh I thought it was something important” you tell them, “Well it’s important to me.” If they brush that off, fight you about it, or refuse to understand why you love what you do, then forget them. Find someone else to vent your passions to, teach them about how wonderful it is, and why it makes you love it so.  There are tons of people in the world who share the same passions as you; you either haven’t met them yet or you will meet them in due time.

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

So tell me, what do you love so dearly and why?

Coming to Terms with Thirty

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

You know, there’s something I’ve realized anymore.

What is the ideal dream? Growing up, it was get married by thirty, establish yourself by thirty, and move out by thirty. Notice the word that keeps repeating there; ‘thirty’. Thirty is the dreadful number of society that signifies the halfway point of our lives.  Movies and shows have programmed it into our minds that thirty is the end all be all number to have our lives sorted out. If we don’t, we are doomed to be failures.

Yet I find anymore that that dream is just a built up societal trope. In our early to late twenties, we are doing everything: finding a job, having fun, living life, finishing school, starting school, finding ourselves, finding our future spouse. We are only human beings that can do so much. When we realize that we only have so many years before we hit thirty, we begin to panic. Some of us have already found a career, some of us may have already found a partner, some of us might even be out on their own; but what about those who aren’t any of these things?

Truth is, not everyone is established or happily married or moved out by thirty. In fact, there are still some single persons, some people who still live with their parents, and even some who are still working themselves to death for a job where they hope they can get a promotion. And you know what?

That’s okay.

It’s okay that some of us are thirty and still haven’t found our Mr./Mrs. Right. It’s okay that we’re still living with our parents because the housing market is ridiculously high and apartments have outrageous rent. It’s okay that we’re still trying to craft a career. We have time and by no means should that phrase intimidate us. Rather, it should inspire us because we still have time to do everything we’ve always wanted and take our time with love and life. We still have so many seconds to hold hands, chug a beer, take that Chinese class, and have fun. Yes, we can catch ourselves when we procrastinate because we’re intelligent and can differentiate between procrastination and relaxing from working ourselves to death.

So screw you society into making me dread ‘Thirty’ after all these years. ‘Thirty’ is nothing to fear at all, but rather embraced in knowing that we still have time on this Earth to find love, to work towards a career, and to be ourselves.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry.

If you enjoyed it, feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what are your thoughts on hitting thirty?

Friends or Lovers? You Decide.

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Dating is a dangerous road trip that could possibly lead to the ultimate destination of love. In life, most people to be loved and to love another.  Often we find people to connect with whether they are friends or lovers. Sometimes, we grow apart from our friends while other times we grow closer.  The closer we grow to our friends, the more they become best friends. From the initial friendship, some attraction may form and ultimately develop into a crush. You may then think of your best friend in a new light and contemplate pursuing them.

Here's some pros and cons to dating your best friend:

Pros:

-They know everything about you from the way you eat your apple to the way you work. They know every single secret you’ve ever told them and every dream you have ever had.

-They already accept and trust you.

-You can love them without pursuing a relationship. As close friends there is already the shared sense of platonic love. Platonic love is nothing romantic, but rather an admiration of their company, who they are, and your connection together.

-You are already comfortable with them on a multitude of levels.

Cons:

-Should the relationship fail, your friendship is permanently tarnished with little to no repair in sight. Some people do try to fix their friendships after the relationship. It’s a good thing to do, but it is rather awkward. At best, you can separate yourselves from each other until the tension has cleared and discuss what’s on your minds.

-You’ll also be left with unshakable heart ache.
 

-Intimacy is weird between you two.  Never before would you have imagined your best friend kissing you passionately or engaging in sexual activity with you. The idea of this and actually doing it, may push you away from ever being intimate with them.

-The relationship could feel forced at times because you may feel affection for them, but they do not.

I’ll admit I’ve known people to date their best friends. For some, it turned out for the better. Others are still haunted by the failed relationship that they tried to create with their best friend. I think at some point everyone dates their best friend because they are already accepted and loved by someone who they really trust. To venture outside this safe haven of a friendship would be risking everything and having to build everything with someone else. It’s a lesson to learn in life and it’s one that will definitely help you decide whether you should date your best friend or not.

Thanks for reading today’s entry. If you liked it, feel free to comment, share, and critique.

So tell me, have you ever dated your best friend?

An Entry for the Recently Deceased

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Spring is when life bursts from the deceased Winter world. From the dead leaves come flowers, from the snow comes fresh grass, and from the cold nights come breezy, warm evenings. The transition from Winter to Spring is a reflection of the circle of life: animals and people die and from their death comes new life.  In this way, death is given a positive view in which life emerges from the fallen.

However, death is always portrayed as inevitably dark, the final end of something wonderful. People grieve for those who leave this world so suddenly and it’s understandable; they are losing someone near and dear to them. People know that death will come unexpectedly and steal away someone we truly love. It’s portrayed as such in every form of media and appears in our lives.  We have many ideas of death: death of a loved one, a little death (how the French define an orgasm), casting off a part of ourselves and gaining something new, a grand adventure, honor, and many more. These ideas sprout from culture, language, media, and things we generally see or hear about almost every day.

Death is nearly everywhere in physical and mental sense.  It’s something that we have grown to hate and accept because of its unavoidable nature.

But maybe, we should stop viewing death as something so negative. Maybe we should view it as something positive. Not saying it is good to die nor that we should rush to the grave, but it is good that from something we lose, we gain something:  a new life, a new rebirth, a new view.

From the loss of a loved one comes acceptance that we will only see their face in memory, photograph, and/or video.  We can only talk of them and how we knew them and how they made us smile. These are things that we will always have of them that will never leave us.  It’s bittersweet, like tear inducing chocolate.

In a way it’s comforting to know that departed one is in a better place. A place where there’s no pain and they can do whatever they desire and meet some great people.  While they’re doing this, their body is returned to the Earth by means of burial, ash, or specifically designed caskets that are eco-friendly. It’s all a part of life’s grand design and the great circle that endlessly spins.

So yes, grieve those you’ve loved and lost. Don’t be shy to cry at their grave or whenever they pop into your mind. Don’t be worried to miss them, even if they passed on many years ago.  Just know that it’s all a part of life and that they’re somewhere safe, having a grand old time. It won’t be easy to accept at first, but just like death, it is something we must all embrace.

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

So tell me, what do you think the afterlife is like?

2/14: Just Another Day

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

With Valentine’s Day a few days away, some of you may or may not have someone special in your life. The media advertises this particular day as a day for lovers and targets gifts towards them. Husbands and boyfriends should buy their partners jewelry and in return, partners should purchase sexy lingerie to present themselves in. But I’ve learned with the passing years that this advertisement is nothing more than bologna.

First off, Valentine’s Day is a day commemorating the massacre of St.Valentine. St. Valentine was revered as the Saint of Love because he rebelled against Emperor Claudius’ edict prohibiting marriage among young people.  Claudius was against their marriage because he believed unmarried men made better soldiers and could easily focus on combat more as opposed to a wife or family. However, St. Valentine decided to wed young people behind Claudius’ back. Eventually he was captured and imprisoned, and later given a three part execution which entailed beating, stoning, and beheading. Sounds like fun, no? Just like Thanksgiving!

Secondly, you don’t need anyone but yourself on this holiday. If you do have someone, then celebrate your love with them. If you don’t have anyone, then don’t sweat it. The greatest love is not the love you receive from a partner, but rather, from yourself. You must love yourself before you can love any other. You can love yourself in any way you please, especially on Valentine’s Day.

Thirdly, don’t let the stereotypes depress you. Yes, you will probably see couples on Valentine’s Day. Yes, you will see endless ads for flowers, chocolates, and anything romantic. Yes, you will see slews of sentimental shows on television, but do not let any of these things bring you down. These stereotypes are a part of everyday life and will always be found on television and society. By taking these stereotypes to heart, depression and loneliness will overcome you easily (trust me on that). So instead of being saddened by just another day, go out. Have fun, hang out with a friend, go on a shopping spree. Do what makes you feel good and don’t let another overhyped holiday bring you down.

Thank you for reading today’s entry and if you enjoyed it, feel free to comment and reblog. As always, feedback is welcomed.

So tell me, what are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

Sayonara 2014

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Today is New Year’s Eve. A night of entertainment and reflecting waits as the clock begins to count down the last minutes of 2014. This year has had its ups and downs, its deaths and uprisings, and like any other year, has culminated into a unique time.

For me, it has been a year of new experiences. The rearing head of my depression hitting harder as an adult than I had ever expected, camping in the mountains (which is new for me since I’m a city girl), trying new foods, finally doing the things I want to do, gaining some sense of independence and becoming stronger, and finding myself more with every chance to do something new. While this is only the start of opportunities to come, I can smile knowing that I’ve made a sizeable dent in this past year.

So my advice to all you followers, friends, and foolish mortals is as such:

• Live life. This is your only chance to do so until you’re reincarnated as another human or an animal or a Dorito chip.
  
  
• Accept and love yourself. If people refuse to accept you for who you are, what you love, who you want to be, and what you want to do, smile and shrug them off. They are you and never
  will be.  Only you can be as awesome as you can be. Let no one steal your awesomeness.
  
  
• Always be open minded to everything (and I mean everything). New food, new destinations, new opportunities: be open to them. With every new experience you will find more of yourself and understand yourself better. You will also gain more independence which will help you greatly in life.
  
  
• Do not let fear dictate your life because it will ruin it. Paranoia and anxiety are horses of different breeds, but with time and experience they can slowly be remedied.
  
  
• Sometimes you have to abandon logic and think with your feelings and/or heart. Yes, this sounds completely foolish because logic is the ultimate guide to analyzing, understanding, and thinking. However, there are times in life (you will know them when you encounter them) when you have to abandon all sorts of reason and let go.
  
  
• Treat yo self. This concept is so true because you work endlessly and break your back for a job you may love or hate. Set up one day for yourself every day and work towards that day where you can use your hard earned cash to buy something that makes you smile.

As the new year approaches, keep my advice in mind, and remember it when times are tough or you’re uncertain of what to do. I’ve walked the roads before and always fell back on these helpful kernels and believe me, they have helped.

Happy New Years everyone and may you have a good year. 

Life: Cause Living is Fantastic

Howdy everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Apparently, this is not my fiftieth post as I originally stated in my last entry. I believed that this would be the big 5-0 of a post because I have multiple files for the blog entries. I have forty nine every day entries (this one being the fiftieth), nineteen holiday themed entries, and eleven summer of Disney entries. So really this is my seventy – fifth or eightieth entry.

….

Oh well, still let’s celebrate it with the most inspiring concept there is: life. Life is all around us and we are a part of people’s lives and we even have our own lives. How amazing is that, to do whatever we want to, be whoever we want to, and ride the roller coaster that is life. However, there are those who wish to throw their life away because they need an out, they can’t take it anymore, or other reasons.  Here are some reasons why you should never commit to death.

3. No matter what you believe you are loved. Even if your father is a jerk, he still loves you. If your siblings are mooching idiots, they love you. If your friends seem like pests, chances are, they love you. And there will come a day that you realize that you can even love yourself. It may seem lonely and depressing, but it’s by far one of the greatest loves you’ll ever have. You’ll always be with yourself regardless if you’re with 

someone or not. To throw away a life with traces of love, is like ending a symphony before the final note.

2. Life is a thousand journeys meant for traveling. Every day will not be like the day before. It will be new, different, and inviting. Each opportunity offered to you is another door opening, wanting you to step inside, and explore and grow. Go out there and be an adventurer, with every new thrill your confidence increases, your fears melt, and you blossom into a vibrant traveler. Throwing away your life is ending the tons of journeys you could take.

1. You are you. No one else can be you. You are a work of art, sculpted by the successes and downfalls of life and the many experiences they bring. You are your own person melded by your own memories, your  likes, and dislikes. For you to end your life is throwing away an original. Not only does it sadden many people, but it removes one unique piece of art from this wide world.

So the next thing you think about tying the noose or slitting your skin, please reconsider. Life is a beautiful, wondrous thing that we are lucky to be a part of.  Don’t throw it all away because you had a bad day or you discovered something terrible. Rather, punch the ground, stand tall, hold your head up, and kick some ass. 

It's Sexy to be Single

Good evening everyone and welcome to a sultry, sexy version of The Magical Mystery Blog.

Valentine’s Day has come and passed. Some people love it, others hate it. People enjoy this holiday with their beloved or their friends, while others might have spent it alone. Growing up, I always spent this holiday by myself, being the last resort or the ugly duckling of the class. But now that I have a boyfriend, it’s almost expected to celebrate the holiday in a stereotypical fashion of going out, and romancing it up. This is our second Valentine’s year to date, but yet, it has also made me realize why it’s perfectly okay to be alone on Valentine’s Day.

3) It’s Just like Christmas

Valentine’s Day is just like Christmas: you give gifts to show how much you love someone, but really don’t understand the purpose of the holiday. You can show your affection for someone any time or day of the year, which makes this holiday pointless. However, behind the heart shaped boxes of candy lies a bloody history to this specific day. Valentine’s Day was originally created to celebrate Saint Valentine who married young couples despite the law banning their marriage. This law was made because it was believed unmarried men would do better in battle than those who were wed. Saint Valentine was eventually caught for his crime and beaten, stoned, and decapitated. The term ‘Valentine’ derives from his name and a letter he wrote to a young lady in which he signed ‘from your Valentine’.

2) You Save Money

Chocolate is an iconic symbol of Valentine’s Day and in many cases, we see a heart shaped box of chocolate is the best way to show our love for another person.  While some of us buy the popular box on Valentine’s Day if not prior to, it would be best to not buy them until after the holiday has passed. That way you can purchase the same chocolates for a lower price and still have enough money to rent a heart wrenching movie.

1) You Don’t Always Need Someone

Growing up, we are exposed to tons of Valentine’s Day specials where it’s almost a requirement that you need a Valentine for this day. In life, you won’t always be with someone. You won’t always have a partner by your side to shower you with love or compliment you and that’s okay. While you might think otherwise, you will grow in time to see that being alone is fine. By being alone you get to learn more about yourself, have fun in ways only you can, and understand that being single isn’t the end of the world.

What do you think of Valentine’s Day? Feel free to comment and as always feedback and followers are welcomed.

Gaming in the New Year

Thank God it’s Friday here at The Magical Mystery Blog.

A new year is upon us to accomplish many things, do activities we always wanted to do, and make our lives as interesting as possible. Yesterday I managed to achieve something I've wanted to do since Christmas Day: defeat Pokemon Y. Pokemon Y is the latest game of the Pokemon franchise and hosts the sixth generation of Pokemon. This new generation includes Pokemon you grew up with as well as seventy new creatures which is a total of over 700 pocket monsters to capture, train, and play with.

I honestly wanted this game for nostalgia, the incredible graphics, the fantastic gameplay, and to see how my favorite childhood game has advanced over the years. This game did not disappoint me on any of those levels and I was satisfied through and through. Here are a few things I specifically love about Pokemon Y.

5) Music

At first, the music for this was all right. It was your typical battle jingle and victory music. But as you face the gym leaders, Team Flare, and the Elite Four, the themes transcend and evolve into excellent tunes. From what I’ve seen and heard, tons of fans seem to enjoy Lysandre’s battle theme the best. Frankly, I can see why: it’s a mix of wayward insanity, jarring evil, and badassery.  As for myself, I enjoy the Champion’s combat music because it pumps you up for the battle to end all battles, it beckons you to strive towards victory, and it fits the Champion’s character perfectly.

4) Mega Evolution

pokemondb.net

Behold the ultimate power of Blastoise with three cannons!

One of the most anticipated features of this game prior to its release was mega evolution. This concept is given to only a few select Pokemon in which they hold a stone that temporarily enhances them. In this advancement, they have the power of a t-rex tearing through an enormous cube made of titanium bricks and bacon (which is epically powerful). They also get a new look so Blastoise becomes Mega Blastoise, Gardevoir becomes Mega Gardevoir, and so on.  As a long awaited feature of the game, it made me feel like I had the power of the Pokeworld in my hands and nothing could stop it.

3) Pokemon Amie

In the Pokemon movies and shows we see trainers interacting with their Pokemon outside combat. As a child, we probably wished for something like this to happen to us. To be able to play with a Vulpix or surf on the back of a Lapras, it would have been excellent. Some of us to this day still wish for that fantasy to become a reality. In Pokemon X and Y, we are presented with Pokemon Amie, a program that allows us to play with our Pokemon. The more you play with your Pokemon, the more they will interact with you in combat. This is the closest we have ever gotten to fulfilling our childhood wishes and it’s heartwarming. We get to pet our Pokemon, feed them, and even play mini games with them.  We are given the opportunity to see our Pokemon smile and feed them as they cry in content.  What’s even better is if you have Lapras use Surf, you will actually ride a Lapras on the water, and not some cluster of pixels.

bulbapedia.net

Surfing on Lapras before....(Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire)

serebii.net

Surfing and fishing on Lapras after....(Pokemon X/Y)

2) The Graphics

These aren't your 1996 graphics where everything was one primary color in variant shades. Pokemon’s graphics changed with the years and for their new game, they took no chances. They spent hours creating 3D models for each Pokemon and making them move. On top of that, the settings they had to design for this game took days, hours, minutes, and nanoseconds. The results are utterly beautiful and by far, some of the best graphics I've seen. 

1) The Memories

As I've mentioned before, I bought this game for nostalgia. I’m a nostalgic and sentimental person even though I know it’s unhealthy to live in the past and that life only goes forward.  While I do move on with life, there are just some things that never leave me. One of those things happens to be Pokemon. The games always intrigued me because they drew me in, allowed me to combat without the sight of blood or be extremely violent, and gave me some wonderful memories. When I play Pokemon Y, I’m reminded of all the reasons why I fell in love with Pokemon.

How do you feel about the new Pokemon X/Y game? Love it? Hate it? Would never play it? Feel free to leave your thoughts below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.

Also if you like what you see here and want to get to know me better, check out my tumblr at #vannillafudge or this link: http://vannillafudge.tumblr.com/. 

Yuletide Carols Being Sung Through the Malls

Welcome everyone to The Magical Mystery Blog.

I apologize for the extremely late blog entry. For some reason my Internet is acting up and the only way I can repair it is to refresh and release the IP address. There’s just one problem: I have no idea how to do that. So until then, I’ll be getting on to the best of my ability, and creating some cheerful Christmas entries.

Christmas is next week and by now you've heard enough Christmas songs to break your sanity.  As you've shopped in department stores, Christmas music has been blasted on loop throughout this holly jolly month. Yet after a while, a few songs get to you. You swear that if you hear that specific tune one more time you’re going to punch in a display or beat a mannequin with another mannequin. Below are those top 3 irritating Christmas songs.

3.  Jingle Bells by Barbra Streisand

I swear to Kris Kringle’s bells, Barbra Streisand is on crack when singing this song. The only other song I’ve heard sung this fast is The Blues Brothers’ Rubber Biscuit. I heard this version of Jingle Bells this entire month at work and every time I listened to it, I was ready to chuck something across the room. It was annoying and personally, not one of Streisand’s best in my opinion.

2. Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer by Elmo and Patsy

Most people love their grandma. She’s the chef of culinary masterpieces, the spoiler of your children, and the best giver of hugs. If something terrible happened to her, it would probably break our heart. For her to be run over by Santa Claus is horrifying. It also raises the question of why was Santa Claus flying lower than an airplane. Was he targeting this unsuspecting grandma? Did her grandchildren forget to leave out cookies? What’s the deal, Santa? Are you resorting to hit and runs for some sick pleasure you chubby old bastard?

1. Christmas Don’t Be Late by Alvin and the Chipmunks

I’ll admit I wasn’t like other children who adored this song. Frankly, I hated it and to this day, I still find it annoying. Something about the melody, the singing, Dave, and even the Chipmunks are as irritating as an itch that won’t go away. The only way I could ever like this song is if it is Patton Oswalt’s demonic version because it makes me laugh so hard I forget to breathe.

But to easily remedy these irritating tunes of the holidays, I also present my top three uplifting Christmas songs.

3. The Nutrocker by Emerson Lake and Palmer

There have been many versions of The Nutrocker but this one takes the fruitcake. Every time I listen to it, it sends my heart beating like the fantastic drum solo in this song.  This tune not only gets you in the mood for Christmas with its glorious guitar instrumentals but it makes you want to wrap everything in sight. What makes this cover even better is that it’s done by a classic rock band who wrote other classic songs like the Karn Evil 9 and Lucky Man.

2.  We’re Walking in the Air by Peter Autry

This song is by far the most beautiful Christmas melody I've heard since anything that emerged from the graceful lips of the Celtic Women.  Even the animation that accompanies it is beautiful and adds to the calming effect this song has. This song is just what we need during this hectic time of the year. It’s a tune that allows us to escape the chaos of Christmas shopping and relax. You really have to listen to it to feel the warmth of Christmas flow into your heart, the mysticism calm you and erase any thought within your head, and the beauty pour into your ears.

1. Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano

Something about this song just makes you want to groove and scream out the lyrics. It’s a feel good song that encourages you to sing it, even if you don’t know a word of Spanish, or don’t understand the lyrics. This song has been around for countless years and always gets me in the Christmas mood and Taco Bell.

With irritating notes or pleasant lyrics, these songs help contribute to the holiday spirit of Christmas. They remind us of the lovable quirky and corny attributes the holiday has to offer. So the next time you’re Christmas shopping and hear any annoying or cheerful Christmas song, embrace the holiday spirit.

What’s your favorite/ most hated Christmas song? Feel free to comment below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

Welcome to another start of the week at The Magical Mystery Blog.

Yesterday New Jersey received the first snowfall of December 2013. Schools were closed, finals were halted, and people awoke to a white wonderland just outside their homes.  Some even tossed themselves into the wintry world and probably started a snowball fight or constructed snowmen from the freshly fallen snow.

I love snow but there are times when I would love to take a flamethrower to it.  Below are the reasons why I have a love/hate relationship for snow.

The Love

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• No school, no finals, no work. Who doesn't love to not work?

• Snowball fights, snow forts, snowmen, snow sculptures, and other excellent snow creations.  People can also partake in other snow related activities such as skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, tobogganing, ice skating, and many more fun things.

• It creates a beautiful sight. Many artists, writers, and photographers have been inspired by the falling flurries, the most beastly of blizzards, and even the simplest of snowfalls. Not too long ago a photographer was so influenced by the snow that he created a device that allowed him to take pictures of individual snowflakes; proving that no two snowflakes are alike.

• It gets you in the mood for the upcoming holidays, especially Christmas. Christmas is often associated with snow by way of songs, movies, and television specials. They have given us the idea of a perfect Christmas or anything December related is usually perfected with snow. Snow is meant to be seen as beautiful and festive, just like Christmas. Other holidays like Kwanzaa and Hanukkah are sometimes depicted with snowfall, also giving them a glorious glow.

The Hate

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• Driving in it is like piloting a plane on an uncontrollable slip ‘n slide. Because of this, chances are you won’t be able to hang with your friends at the mall, go Christmas shopping, or travel to anywhere of dire importance. Sometimes if the conditions are unbelievably terrible flights will be cancelled, certain roads will be closed off, and even establishments will be closed.

• It’s too cold, much like the rest of winter. You could say it’s cold as ice.

• If temperatures drop even after the snowfall, the snow could freeze, and change into ice or even sleet. Ice makes conditions even worse, freezing power lines, and sometimes breaking them. Ice also makes roads extremely slick to slide on and even runways for airplanes.  Snow can pile up on power lines and also cause them to collapse.

• Snow kills people by way of extreme cold temperatures or other means.  Recalling the fact that our nation is covered in a wintry white murderer, at least eleven people, if not more, have been killed by it. Some of these situations include people being killed by deep freezes, hypothermia, and slick roads, leading to fatal car crashes.  Other instances even include animals dying by the onslaught of snow. This past October, the winter storm Atlas tore through South Dakota, resulting in the multiple deaths of cattle.

So what are your thoughts on the white, wintry wonderland? Do you love snow, hate snow, or happen to fall in between? Feel free to leave your comments below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.