The 24th Was Sacred! (One Minute Memoir)

A Memoir of Feral Toddlers, Chocolate Heists, and Holiday Betrayal

Setting:  December 2020 — When holiday spirit met pure chaos.

Picture it: Christmas season, 2020. Holden, freshly two and completely feral, had discovered the thrill of unearned reward. His chocolate advent calendar became less a countdown and more a personal buffet. While I was in the shower one morning, unbeknownst to me, he was elbows-deep in future December, popping doors open like it was a game show. Caleb, dutiful and rule-following, tattled every time... but the chocolates were already gone.

He didn’t even pretend to care. The kid had tasted power, and there was no going back.

Weeks later, having already decimated his own calendar, he escalated. Day 24. The sacred final square. Not his calendar, mind you. Caleb’s.

Reader, he ate it.

No remorse. No shame. Just one toddler, one chocolate, and one broken-hearted big brother.

He didn’t feel guilty, not even for a second. And maybe that’s the thing I envy most about Holden — his unshakable belief that joy is meant to be taken, one chocolate at a time. He’s older now, but that same spark’s still there: a little wilder, a little wiser, and still chasing sweetness wherever he finds it.

This post is part of my One-Minute Memoir series — short reflections on small moments that still manage to say something big.

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The Bedtime Bargain

On the sacred quiet of being unneeded for a while

Bedtime always turns into a negotiation. It's the same dance, every night.

Holden says he’s thirsty. Then he asks if he can go on his tablet, watch YouTube, finish just one more round of his game. “Just a few minutes,” he says, and somehow, I always agree.

And even then, even after his five more stolen minutes, he resists sleep with all the determination of someone who believes he’s missing out on life by closing his eyes. But when he finally gives in, it’s instant, soft snores drifting through the room. If I look close enough, I can see his thumb still tucked in his mouth, his small hand gripping the corner of his yellow blanket.

There’s a quiet peace in that surrender... his, then mine. The noise settles, the air steadies, and the night finally stretches wide enough for both of us to rest.

When the boys finally go quiet, the house exhales. The lights dim, the noise dissolves, and everything softens. My brain knows I should follow them to bed, but I never do.

Because this — the stillness after the storm — is the only time that’s mine. No one asking, no one needing. Just me, the hum of the house, and the quiet I crave all day long.

So I stay up too late. I read a few pages, scroll through stupid videos, eat snacks I don’t need. I waste time, deliberately and deliciously. Because I haven’t done nothing all day, and I need to.

That’s the real bedtime bargain: he buys a few more minutes of childhood, and I trade a few hours of sleep for the illusion of freedom. We’re both holding onto something fleeting: him to the wonder of being small, me to remembering who I am when no one needs me.

Maybe that’s what rest really looks like in this season: not sleep, but stillness. Not escape, but a few stolen minutes where I finally belong only to me.

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Christmas Movie Reviews 2025 (6)

Here's round six of my 2025 Christmas movie reviews. This batch was all over the map, which made it an interesting one. Some worked better for me than others, but there were a few real highlights here.

31. An Alpine Holiday ★★☆☆☆

Hallmark ◦ 2025 ◦ Watched: Dec 12

An Alpine Holiday follows two estranged sisters who reunite to honor their grandmother’s final wish by traveling to the French Alps for Christmas. As they retrace a meaningful trip from her past, they work through old tensions, reconnect as sisters, and make space for unexpected romance along the way.

This movie was fine, but it didn’t really hold my interest. The setting was beautiful and different, but I’ve realized that travel-adventure Christmas movies don’t quite work for me. They tend to lose some of the warmth and cozy charm I look for during the holidays.

I did like the core idea — two sisters coming together to honor their grandmother’s final wish — and there were some genuinely sweet moments as they learned to better understand one another. Still, despite those highlights, the movie never fully pulled me in and ultimately felt forgettable, and it also didn’t feel especially festive.

32. A Grand Ole Opry Christmas ★★★★☆

Hallmark ◦ 2025 ◦ Watched: Dec 13

A Grand Ole Opry Christmas centers on Gentry Wade, who gave up her music career dreams decades ago after her father’s death. When the Grand Ole Opry invites her to honor her late country star dad at their Christmas celebration, Gentry is forced to confront her past. A bit of holiday magic sends her and her longtime friend Mac back to Christmas 1995, giving Gentry the chance to reconnect with her father, revisit unfinished dreams, and discover a romance she never expected.

This movie really worked for me. I love country music, and being immersed in the Grand Ole Opry setting — along with the cameos from country music stars — immediately brought the story to life. The two leads (Nikki DeLoach and Kristoffer Polaha) are also some of Hallmark’s strongest, and their chemistry felt natural and easy.

I especially enjoyed the time-travel element and watching Gentry reconnect with her dad. Those moments were genuinely touching without feeling overly heavy. The romance was believable, the country-music storyline was engaging, and the movie struck a nice balance between heartfelt and fun. All in all, this was a memorable one that I thoroughly enjoyed!

33. The Christmas Cup ★★★☆☆

Hallmark ◦ 2025 ◦ Watched: Dec 14

The Christmas Cup follows Kelly, a Marine sidelined by a knee injury who returns home for the holidays uncertain about her future. At her family’s urging, she agrees to coach her hometown team in their annual Christmas Cup competition against a rival town. With help from the local fire captain, Kelly reconnects with her community, rediscovers her love of leadership, and begins to rethink what it really means to serve.

This was a fun movie overall. I really enjoyed the festive Christmas competition and the warring neighboring towns. It had a strong small-town feel and focused heavily on family, friends, and community.

There was also more depth here than I expected. Kelly’s struggle with her injury and the possibility of leaving the Marines added weight to the story, especially as she wrestled with what that loss would mean for her identity. The lead actress was quite good and carried that emotional arc well. The lead actor was a little less strong but still decent, and I enjoyed the romance between them.

The training scenes and buildup to competition day were humorous and entertaining, and the movie struck a nice balance between lighthearted holiday fun and a more meaningful storyline.

34. Christmas at the Catnip Cafe ★★★☆☆

Hallmark ◦ 2025 ◦ Watched: Dec 15

Christmas at the Catnip Cafe follows Olivia, a marketing executive who inherits half of a small-town cat café just before the holidays and plans to sell it to fund her dream condo. Her plans are complicated when she meets Ben, the veterinarian who owns the other half and is deeply committed to the café’s role in the community. As they work together to plan Christmas fundraisers, Olivia begins to see the café, the town, and her priorities in a new light.

I liked this movie. Even though I’m much more of a dog person, the cat café setting was fun and unique. I also really like Paul Campbell, and it was nice to see him in a slightly more serious role than the more comedic ones I usually associate him with.

The enemies-to-lovers dynamic was enjoyable to watch unfold, and the chemistry between the leads felt natural. The acting was solid overall, and I stayed engaged watching Olivia’s character arc and gradual shift in priorities. I also appreciated the community-focused storyline, which added warmth and depth to the movie.

35. She's Making a List ★★☆☆☆

Hallmark ◦ 2025 ◦ Watched: Dec 16

She’s Making a List imagines a modern twist on Santa’s Naughty or Nice system, now run by a consulting firm that uses data and formulas to make the calls. Isabel, one of the firm’s top inspectors, is assigned to evaluate an 11-year-old girl just before Christmas. When she grows close to the girl’s widowed father, Isabel begins to question the rigid rules of her job and whether holiday magic can really be reduced to an algorithm.

This movie had a cute and unique premise, but it didn’t really come together for me. The chemistry between the romantic leads was lacking, which was disappointing given that they’re both Hallmark regulars I usually enjoy. Lacey Chabert was pretty good, and Andrew Walker wasn’t bad, but his character came off as oddly oblivious and a bit doofy, and I didn’t fully buy him in the dad role in this one.

The movie also leaned into magical realism, which isn’t really my preference, and I didn’t love the fourth-wall-breaking narration where Isabel occasionally talked directly to the camera. There were also some plot inconsistencies that pulled me out of the story, like how Charlie seemed to know she was being evaluated without a clear explanation.

That said, the cast was solid overall, and even the child actor was surprisingly good. Still, despite the strong lineup and a clever idea, the movie lacked a cozy, festive feel and never fully clicked for me.

35. Single on the 25th ★★★★☆

Hallmark ◦ 2025 ◦ Watched: Dec 17

Single on the 25th follows Nell, who finds herself unexpectedly spending Christmas alone after her family cancels their holiday plans. Determined to make the most of it, she embraces a solo Christmas while teaming up with her neighbor Cooper, a happily unattached single. As they help each other navigate the season, their friendly partnership begins to turn into something more, forcing both of them to confront what they really want from love, connection, and themselves.

What a fun movie with a great cast! I’ve seen both leads (Lyndsy Fonseca and Daniel Lissig) before and really enjoy them, and they were well matched here. I liked watching their relationship evolve naturally from slightly annoyed neighbors, to tentative friends, to something deeper. The progression felt natural and earned.

I also enjoyed the supporting cast, the Christmas bucket list–style activities Nell plans, and the soft humor woven throughout. The movie did a nice job highlighting strong friendships and family connections, along with meaningful character growth. At its core, it’s about learning to be okay with where you are in life — including being single at Christmas — and that message landed well for me.

The movie managed to be warm, light, and fun while still feeling genuinely sweet. As a nice bonus, the story was inspired by the song “Single on the 25th” by Lauren Spencer Smith, who also makes a cameo performing it, which felt like a thoughtful touch rather than a gimmick. I've been a fan of hers for quite some time, so that was pretty cool. All in all, this was a really solid movie!

Round six done! Not every movie has to be a favorite, but this round had a few that made watching really worthwhile.

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Rough Draft (New Chapters)

On relearning how to write — and how to live. 🖋️

When my life fell apart, the blog went quiet too.

I didn’t make a dramatic decision about it. I just stopped. Closed the laptop. Let the drafts sit. For a long time, nearly three years, I didn't write a single word. It wasn’t intentional so much as inevitable. Everything in my life had narrowed to survival, and writing didn’t fit inside that version of living.

Instead, I read.

I devoured other people’s stories: novels, essays, lives that weren’t mine. It was easier to step into someone else’s world than to sit inside my own. Reading kept me occupied. Distracted. Moving just enough to avoid standing still, without actually going anywhere. I stayed alive inside other narratives while my own remained unwritten.

So when I finally decided to try again, I wasn’t trying to write something good. I was just trying to see if I still could.

I wondered if I’d forgotten how. If the part of me that knew how to shape sentences had gone dormant. I hoped writing might be like riding a bike — that my muscles would remember even if my mind hesitated. That I’d wobble at first, maybe feel unsteady, maybe even risk falling on my face, but that once I started moving, something familiar would take over.

Some days it did. Other days it didn’t.

There were moments the words felt stiff, like they didn’t belong to me anymore. Days I reread what I’d written and wondered if it made any sense at all. But I kept going, not because it was good, but because it was happening. Because trying felt different from hiding.

This is what a rough draft looks like. It isn’t graceful. It doesn’t know where it’s headed yet. It just shows up and starts, trusting that clarity comes later.

My life has felt the same way.

Some days I move through it cleanly. Other days I trip over my own sentences. I make plans and cancel them. I say yes and then second-guess myself. I try things that don’t quite work and keep them anyway, just to see what they might become.

There’s no polished version yet. Just attempts.

I used to think rebuilding meant getting it right quickly. Saying the right things. Making the right choices. Having something finished to point to. But this season has taught me that rebuilding is slower than that. It’s made up of revisions you don’t announce and changes no one sees.

Writing became the place where I let that be enough. A space where I didn’t have to know the ending to keep going. Where I could leave things unfinished and trust that I’d come back to them later.

That’s the gift of a rough draft. It doesn’t ask for certainty. It only asks that you stay.

You write. You pause. You cross things out. You come back the next day and try again. Not to perfect it, but to keep it alive.

My life still feels like a rough draft, but I’m finally okay with that. It’s still taking shape. I’m still taking shape. And maybe that’s what matters — that I’m still here, still revising, still writing my way forward.

I don’t have the ending figured out yet. But I’m writing again. And I’m living again. And for now... that’s enough.

This post is part of my New Chapters series — reflections on rebuilding, resilience, and writing new parts of my story.

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Christmas Movie Reviews 2025 (5)

Round five is here! This batch had a little bit of everything: one standout, a few solid watches, and a couple that just weren't for me.

25. Christmas North of Nashville ★☆☆☆☆

Great American Family ◦ 2025 ◦ Watched: Dec 6

Christmas North of Nashville follows Jules, who returns home after losing her high-powered city job and discovers her family’s Christmas carnival is close to shutting down. Reconnecting with her childhood friend Nick, now a local business owner, she rediscovers community, love, and the courage to start over.

This one sounded intriguing with the Christmas carnival angle and the Nashville tie-in (I love country music), but it ultimately didn’t live up to that for me. Several things just felt off. There’s a lawsuit that didn’t make much sense, and a character who is supposedly in a coma but looks completely fine in the hospital bed with no machines or anything. The carnival’s finances and the cost of running it also felt exaggerated and hard to buy into.

Overall, the movie didn’t keep my attention, lacked charm, and didn’t feel realistic in a lot of ways. This one just didn’t work for me.

26. Melt My Heart This Christmas ★★☆☆☆

Hallmark ◦ 2025 ◦ Watched: Dec 7

Melt My Heart This Christmas follows Holly, a talented glassblower who, after being rejected from the town’s Christmas fair, takes a job as the temporary assistant to a legendary artist while secretly displaying her own work under a pseudonym. As her anonymous pieces gain attention, Holly must navigate rising tension in the art tent, her complicated history with fair manager Jack, and the challenge of finally stepping into her own identity.

This was a unique Christmas movie with a storyline I haven’t really seen before, and I liked the lead actress (Laura Vandervoort) — she carried the role well. I also enjoyed the “mean” character’s redemption arc and watching her soften as the movie went on.

But some things didn’t quite connect for me. The two leads seemed to have some kind of history, though the movie never fully explained it. Jack had previously rejected her fair application, yet we never really learn why, and that made some parts of their dynamic feel unclear. The romance overall didn’t feel believable; there wasn’t much chemistry until the very end.

The glassblowing angle was interesting but not really my thing, and the movie focused so heavily on the fair that it lacked the Christmas charm I usually enjoy. There just was not much holiday warmth, family presence, or cozy atmosphere. The ending was touching, but the middle felt flat.

A creative idea, a decent cast, but ultimately not one that fully worked for me. It was worth the watch, though.

27. The Snow Must Go On ★★★☆☆

Hallmark ◦ 2025 ◦ Watched: Dec 7–8

The Snow Must Go On follows Isaiah, a struggling Broadway actor who escapes to upstate New York to reassess his life. When his niece’s high school Christmas musical loses its director, Isaiah steps in, partly to help, partly to impress a visiting Broadway producer. As rehearsals unfold, he bonds with the students, finds unexpected romance with guidance counselor Lilly-Anne, and begins to rethink what success and fulfillment really mean.

Right off the bat, I had a feeling I’d like this one. I’m a big musical theatre fan and have seen hundreds of shows, so a movie centered on a Broadway actor seemed like an automatic win for me, and I was right. This was a good one.

It felt unique for a Hallmark movie, with the Broadway angle and a male lead driving the story. It also had a nice touch of humor that kept things light and fun. I’ve seen the lead actress before (Heather Hemmens) and think she’s really good, and the rest of the cast held up well too.

All in all, it was a sweet movie with a solid cast and a nice message at the end. I wouldn’t call it a favorite of the season, but it was pretty strong and I genuinely enjoyed watching it.

28. We Met in December ★★★☆☆

Hallmark ◦ 2025 

We Met in December follows Annie and Dave, two strangers who meet during an unexpected mid-December layover and share an instant connection at their hotel. After parting ways without exchanging contact information, they return home and rely on the clues they shared about their holiday plans to try to find each other again, leading both of them on separate searches during the Christmas season.

This was a fun missed-connection movie with a strong cast. While the insta-love wasn’t entirely believable, I still enjoyed the romance overall. It was fun watching all the near-misses and creative attempts to track each other down, with even their families and friends getting involved along the way.

I also enjoyed the Christmas activities they participated in while searching for each other, which gave the movie a festive feel. While it won’t be a favorite for me, it was solid, enjoyable, and a good holiday watch.

29. The More the Merrier ★★★★☆

Hallmark ◦ 2025 ◦ Watched: Dec 10–11

The More the Merrier follows an ER doctor and a newly arrived cardiologist who get snowed in at a rural hospital on Christmas Eve. As a major storm hits, they work together to handle a string of unexpected baby deliveries, forming a connection amid the chaos, stress, and holiday spirit.

Grey’s Anatomy is my comfort show, so anything set in a hospital already has my attention, which is why this movie totally worked for me. It was sweet, fun, and had a solid cast. I especially liked the lead actress (Rachel Boston), who was very likeable and charming.

There was some pretty obvious product placement that felt a little pushy, but it didn’t take away too much from my enjoyment. Overall, this one really stood out to me. It was warm, engaging, and easy to root for, and I had a really good time watching it.

30. The Christmas Spark ★☆☆☆☆

Great American Family ◦ 2025 ◦ Watched: Dec 12

The Christmas Spark follows a corporate lawyer living in a small town who, during the Christmas season, joins the local fire department. As he clashes with the son of a fallen firefighter, he unexpectedly forms a connection with the young man’s widowed mother.

This movie just didn’t work for me. I’ve realized I’m not a Mario Lopez fan, and he was distracting here — he looks like he’s wearing makeup and has had work done in a way that pulled me out of the story rather than drawing me in.

Beyond that, the movie barely felt like a Christmas movie at all. It played more like a weak romance that just happened to take place in December, with very little holiday atmosphere or warmth. There was no real humor, no believable chemistry, and nothing particularly touching or memorable about it. Overall, it felt flat and uninspired.

That wraps up round five. Some fun watches, some easy skips, and plenty more still on my list.

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47 Movies and a Blanket (One Minute Memoir)

A Memoir of Soft Lights, Quiet Escapes, and the Hope That Life Might Feel Lighter Again

Setting: December 2024 — The year I let Hallmark hold me together.

Last Christmas season, I watched 47 made-for-TV Christmas movies, including every single Hallmark premiere and a few from other channels, just for good measure.

Each summer, I start scouring the internet for the upcoming season’s lineup. Several channels release schedules, and I make checklists by network. I log and rate each movie as I finish. It’s a whole process, one I take embarrassingly seriously.

But 47. That was last year.

It was a hard year.

Maybe I just needed the little comforts. A predictable plot. A snow-covered town. A big city girl who learns to slow down and bake cookies. Every night, after the rest of the house was asleep, I’d crawl into bed, press play, and let the soft glow of Christmas wash over me. On weekends, I could sometimes watch as many as five in a row.

It wasn’t really about the movies. It was about needing something gentle, something where everything turns out okay in the end.

Because my own life didn’t feel like that. I felt lost. Lonely. Like I was just surviving.

But under a blanket, with the lights low and the snow softly falling on the screen, I could pretend — just for a while — that love was on its way, that peace was possible, that joy might still show up for me, too.

And maybe it still will. Maybe that’s why I kept watching: to remind myself that happy endings start with believing in one.

This post is part of my One-Minute Memoir series — short reflections on small moments that still manage to say something big.

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