Five Friday Faves for December 2019

Last Friday Faves of this year (strike that) this decade! What?! That's insane! I'm getting this post up right before I go lose more of my sanity while trying to get everything done and ready for the holidays. This post and a short and sweet one on Christmas are the only ones I have planned until I return from holiday break in the new year. I just want a true break this year to the point where I'm even taking the week off from my Instagram (but will probably have a few Stories here and there). I very rarely do this and I'm looking forward to it!

I love doing these Friday Faves because it allows me to talk a little more about my life favorites and not just my beauty ones. I'll have my beauty faves as one of my first posts when I get back! Beauty faves, yearly faves, and all of that jazz. I'm hoping to come back refreshed and ready for take off!

We leave this weekend! I'm really looking forward to being home for the holidays. While I was home in May for the first time since 2012, I haven't been home for Christmas since 2011. Spending Christmas morning with my brother is something I'm truly excited for. Being home is the absolute best gift! I don't know that I'll be able to fit everyone and everything into our agenda, but I sure am going to try.

I shared a playlist recently and linked to one of my longer Christmas playlists on Spotify. While this month has been an overdose on holiday music and I'm not complaining one bit because I live for it, I've also been listening to Camila Cabello's Romance album. My Oh My, Cry For Me, and This Love are three standouts for me. I wish artists only put out holiday albums in December because it's a war within myself to want to listen to a regular album when Christmas is so short-lived.


I got two this year and they are both Harry Potter themed. I haven't shown the other one yet, but I think it will when it's completely done. It's a book format with a pop-up tree and each door gives you ornaments to decorate the tree. I love that it'll be easy enough to use each year and it came with a booklet all about Christmas in Hogwarts, which makes it all the more special. The one above is the mini Funko Pops version. I love that it is Yule Ball themed this year. All of these little figurines are going right on my HP bookcase! It's been a nice change from my usual beauty or skincare calendars.

I'm basically reading everything that I can get my hands on that has a holiday theme this month. Can't stop, won't stop. At the moment, I'm finishing up Holiday Spice by Samantha Chase. It's a cute romance read. It reads like a Hallmark movie, as most Christmas romance novels do. I did finish The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. While I had perhaps too high expectations, it was still quite a thrilling read. I can't wait to start my new book challenge for 2020 on GoodReads. Right now, I've finished 109 books in my 2019 challenge!

Is there anything better? I'm not so sure! I don't normally crave sweets and they are more of a rarity during the rest of the year, but there's something about December. Maybe it's because it is a once a year thing and it's like "go big or go home". This year I'm doing both! Haha! Live your best life during the holidays. If that means having a cookie, have a dang cookie! And that cinnamon loaf (in the picture) that I made was delicious, especially with cranberry jam.