Christmas Day Fun for Homebodies, from Mel Brooks Movies to Decadent Desserts

What are you doing for Christmas? My husband and I plan to be homebodies and take it easy. Watch movies. Read. Eat Christmas Eve leftovers (that's our big holiday blow-out meal). I have a book due February 1, so I'll probably spend a few hours writing, too.

For any fellow homebodies, below are some fun things to watch/read/bake on Christmas Day

Mel Brooks Movie Marathon

TCM is throwing a Mel Brooks movie party on Christmas evening and will be showing five of his movies in a row, starting with High Anxiety (1977), which starred Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman and Harvey Korman. Check out the movies at the below link:

Mel Brooks movie schedule

Ever Wonder Who First Realized that No Two Snowflakes are Alike?

The GIF on the right side of this screen is comprised of hundreds of snowflakes that were photographed by a self-educated farmer named Wilson Bentley who combined his camera with a microscope to take the first picture of a snowflake in 1885.

Ever hear the comment that no two snowflakes are alike? That stems from a report by Bentley who noted that "Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated. When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost." Scientists of his time didn't take Bentley seriously, and his father thought his study of snowflakes was silly, but today he is recognized as breaking new ground in meteorology and microscopic photography.

Story link: The Snowflake Man of Vermont

Radio Detective Story Hour

This old-time radio show podcast is the Christmas-themed "Broadway Is My Beat."  Click here to download the podcast.

Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

Christmas is a time for festive meals...and decadent, delicious desserts. The creator of this dessert, Ashton, is the owner/author of Something Swanky Desserts and Designs, and swears that this recipe is phenomenal (italics are hers). Check it out here: Pecan Pie Bread Pudding.

Sarah Millican Hosts Twitter #joinin on Xmas Day

For the fourth year, writer/comedian Sarah Millican is hosting an all-day drop-in chat-a-thon on Christmas for those in need of company. She was tweeting and retweeting so many messages last year at her #joinin, that Twitter blocked her account (they thought it was some kind of spam, but this year they're aware that she's hosting a Christmas Twitter party,and are wholeheartedly supporting it). Click here to read an article about how she started #joinin.

Merry Christmas, everyone! Colleen



I love this GIF, which I call "Deadline Dog." Lillie Le Dorre, who hails from Wellington, New Zealand, created the GIF from a 1919 postcard. 

Six Christmas Tips and Tricks

It's almost Christmas...have you finished your shopping? Are you baking goodies for family and friends?  Hitting the party circuit?

I have to admit, I've made this holiday season very low-key. Mostly because I was finishing revisions on a book and needed to focus on that, but also because my husband and I like to make our holidays as stress-free as possible. However, I did get stuck in a very long line at the post office yesterday -- probably should've gone early in the day, not at the end when people were leaving work early to mail packages. That's my theory, anyway.

Below are some tips and tricks that can help you save time, cut corners or are just plain fun. Happy Holidays!

wreath line.gif

Frozen Grapes to Chill Wine and Champagne

Freeze green grapes, then plop them into a glass of vino or champagne to keep it chilled without watering it down.

Cut Up Old Christmas Cards for Gift Tags

I've done this a lot--it's a great way to reuse old Christmas cards.

Make Granola, Listen to Tunes & Send Cards Without Leaving Your Kitchen

Red Stamp offers all three in this fun holiday blog: A link to their playlist (you'll need to set up an account on Spotify), a Granola recipe with step-by-step instructions, and a link to their online holiday cards that you can personalize and if you want, they'll address and mail for you! To check it out, click link below:

Granola Recipe, Tunes and Cards

Free Ebooks App

I love reading ebooks on my iPad, but finding free ebooks is hit and miss for me. Sometimes I see an author offering their ebook free on Twitter, or I troll Amazon seeing what ebooks are free. This app, eBook Search Pro, looks like a great way to automate downloading free ebooks. I haven't tried it, but as it's only 99 cents, looks like a cheap investment for a lot of free books.  Available for iPhones and iPads.

Click link below to read more:

eBook Search Pro

Free Christmas Game App

Like playing Hangman? Here's a free Christmas-theme Hangman app, available on iPhone and iPad.  Click link below:

Christmas Hangman Deluxe App

Easy One-Pan Breakfast for Christmas Morning

An easy, no-need-to-chop anything one-pan breakfast that takes 15 minutes to make. That's my idea of cooking! Click on link for recipe:

One-Pan English Breakfast

Happy Holidays!