Christmas Cinema.

With 5 days left until Christmas, I thought I would share my top 5 favorite Holiday films. A roaring fire, cozy blanket, hot chocolate and Christmas movie is a sure fire way to fill you with holiday spirit. So from top to bottom, here are some of the greats....

#5- How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (animated version)....What's Christmas without the Grinch? There is a little Grinch in all of us, who get stressed out during all the holiday hoopla, but at least we don't flip out and steal people's trees. Best part of this holiday staple....the timeless song..."Your a mean one, Mr. Grinch"

#4- Love Actually...a wonderful display of the different types of love as shown through several interlinking characters. This movie really proves how connected we all are, and we really don't know the circumstances in other people's lives. And who doesn't melt when Mark silently professes his love via posters to Juliet?!

#3- Home Alone.....Kevin Mcallister- master of allusion. What other 10 year old could beat the living hell out of 2 thief's with household items? Almost every kid dreams about what they would do if they were left alone in the house, and Kevin's junk food binge and sledding down the stairs isn't too far-fetched. To sum it up....."Merry Christmas, you filthy animal."

#2- A Christmas Story... a true classic. The Bumpkiss' dogs stealing the turkey, The infamous leg lamp, Red Ryder Bebe gun, Schwartz's tongue stuck to the flagpole, washing Ralphie's mouth out with soap, and of course the pink bunny suit. You can catch this one all Christmas day on TBS...Fa ra ra ra ra, Ra ra ra ra....

.....and the #1 Christmas movie of all time (at least in my mind)...... It's A Wonderful Life. Every year my family and I watch this movie before heading off to Midnight Mass. This film carries such a beautiful message, reminding us that the Holidays aren't really about trees, presents and lights....but about spending time with our family and friends. My favorite quote of all time comes from this movie- check it out in the book inscription in the last few minutes. It says, "Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends." Truer words were never spoken.

So that's my list, what are your favorite holiday movies???

Tis the season....

.....to booze. Big ups to Emeril Lagasse for making a holiday cocktail that doesn't involve milk.

Poinsettia Cocktail

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1/4 cup vodka
• 1/4 cup Champagne
• 1/2 cup cranberry juice
• Crushed ice
• 2 strips orange zest, each about 1/4-inch wide and 2 inches long

Directions

Combine the vodka, Champagne and juice in a large-stemmed red wine glass. Add crushed ice and stir until the mixture is well chilled. Twist the orange strips over the glass, drop them in, and serve.

*Be careful, a few of these and you will be stumbling towards the mistletoe......

Guy Gift Guide Vol. 1

My friends tend to come to me loaded with questions on what to get the men in their life for Christmas. One of the best gifts I've ever given was a monogrammed money clip from Tiffany's. The sterling silver is streamlined and classic. Adding your guy's initials to it really makes it one of a kind. Plus he will always be reminded of you when pulling out money, which could inadvertently lead to unexpected gifts......a girl can dream right?

*It takes about a week to get the engraving done (you can personalize your message and font)....so make sure to allow enough time for that in addition to shipping.

BRILLIANCE.

Like previously mentioned, I am truly cracking down on my eating habits in preparation for the eating overload known as Christmas and Christmas Eve. My family is Italian and therefore takes eating and tradition very seriously.....and Christmas Eve is no exception. For as long as I remember we go to my Grandma's house and FEAST on her world famous Lasagna. (It is truly other-worldly, I have never had anything better...even in Italy). So in recent weeks I have been cooking out of Kathy Freston's Quantum Wellness Cleanse book, and the recipes are surprisingly delicious. Many of them involve herbs, which tend to wither rather quickly. Prepara to the rescue....this Herb Savor is a water filled base/plastic shell combo that keeps herbs fresh for up to 3 weeks! Herb fans rejoice!

The Gift that Gives.

I love giving personal and unusual gifts to people, but sometimes you have to find things for co-workers or people you only know on a semi-surface level. And lets be honest, nothing screams I don't really know you that well more than scented lotion. So if you are in that situation, why not give a gift that gives back, that way it can take on a more personal meaning. This necklace by On U Jewelry is just that. The pendant says 'Hugs and Kisses' in braille, with 10% of proceeds going to the Virginia Association of the Blind. Obviously you wouldn't give this to a stranger, that would be creepy, but this would be perfect for a cousin or girlfriend. According to the website, this is an extremely limited piece, so grab yours soon. Here is the link.

King of Hearts.

Is it weird that I love Doug Heffernan? Nighttime TV is the best part of my day, and the 1-2 punch of King of Queens and Family Guy cannot be beat. Carrie and Doug kind of remind me of my parents....a huge sports fan who loves food and his east coast wife who loves shopping and speaking her mind. Obviously my parents arent exactly like them but trust me there are some parallels....and please believe my p's are more hilarious than any sitcom. But back to Doug....I can't help but notice my obsession has manifested into my life....I find myself being overly friendly to UPS delivery guys. Not normal, people. Just not normal.

Paperless Paperback.

So when thinking of things to ask for this Holiday season, for some reason I can't seem to eliminate the thoughts of a Kindle. I love love love that it is paperless, therefore eliminating the need to cut down trees, but there is just something about e-books that I'm not crazy about. Reading from a screen kind of takes away the romance of a book in my opinion. I love holding a book, the action of flipping a page, and looking at the cover. And think about the satisfaction you feel once you finish a book and finally close it shut and flip it over.....what happens when you finish a book on the Kindle....you turn it off? Not as satisfying. But the Kindle is a thin as a #2 pencil, therefore not weighing down my work tote, and holds over 1,500 books. The pro-con list here is pretty even and I'm stuck at a deadlock. Regardless of my thoughts, this is a very thoughtful and functional gift for any avid reader. And you could really up your game by uploading some of the receiver's favorite books onto it pre-gifting.....trust me this is a baller move.

*Amazon Kindle- $259

Sole Mates.

Winter always signals a huge switch in footwear. Boots, pumps that are versatile with tights and shooties are on my radar this season. I just got an unreal pair of mauve tights and these shoes would be the perfect ying to their yang. The closed toe allows them to look great under dress pants for work but the modern structure of the heel adds an unexpected twist when shown off with dresses and skinny jeans.

Dolce Vita Suede 'April' Pumps.

Berry Beautiful.

One of my favorites, Natalie Portman, was seen rocking a beautifully rich fruit inspired lip at her Love and Other Impossible Pursuits premiere in Toronto. Your skin tone will ultimately choose the depth of your berry shade, but most of the colors work on everyone! If you're unsure, can start out with a light raspberry shade and gradually progress to more of a blackberry. The exact color Miss Portman is rocking is Forbidden Burgundy #12 Rouge Volupte from YSL, and it looks like the perfect extra to add to your winter makeup routine.

Other great shades:
Lancome L'Absolu Rogue Lip color in Berry Noir
Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey
Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry

*Photo from Life.com

Bumble Ball.

I'm constantly losing hair ties or stretching them out and having to throw them away. This ingenious band-ball from Bumble and Bumble put a cute and creative spin on the rubber band ball and keeps all your hair ties in one place. Another positive, the bands are the perfect mixture of stretchy and tight (an oxy-moron, I know) and are great for throwing your hair up anytime, anywhere.

Mixed Reviews.

I am Italian. My family is from New Jersey. Naturally I heard all the hype about MTV's newest 'reality' show Jersey Shore and I had to check it out. Before the show aired, there was tons of controversy surrounding the show. The Italian American community, more specifically the group UNICO, thought the show perpetuated negative stereotypes and glorified the word "Guido" which is considered by many to be a negative term. Politics aside, I go to Jersey at least once or twice a year and those stereotypes exist for a reason.....Jersey is pretty much everything you expect it to be, but with better food. So of course I watched the show.....it walks a very thin line between hilarious and douchey, so obviously I loved it. Jersey Shore has some very important ingredients that help it to be trashy reality TV at it's finest....these include copious amounts of hair gel, people so tan they look dirty, tons and tons of booze, blaring techno, raging hormones, and fist pumping to the max. This will totally give me and my friends something to laugh about during the break from Real Housewives (OC doesn't count, they are the WORST). Case in point: the pilot had perhaps one of the dumbest girls I have ever seen say one of the dumbest things I have ever heard...."I'm a bartender, I do like GREAT things"...says the girl who showed up with her stuff in garbage bags. Check out this train wreck for yourselves and try not to laugh at Snookie who they all call Snickers. Jersey Shore airs at 9pm Central time on MTV.

*If you and the show are like totally vibing, you might want to check out this Jersey Glossary to understand what the hell any of them are saying.

Wrap It Up.

No, not like that....get your mind out of the gutter. I'm talking about the most essential winter accessory....the pashmina. Some people collect shot glasses or weird little spoons but I on the other hand, am a pseudo-pashmina collector. After living in Italy, my compulsion reached a peak when I bought no less than 10 in 5 months. They go with everything, add pizazz to your dreary winter layers and keep you warm....it's a truly functional purchase. Only problem here is that all of my pash's are solid colors. I never really jumped on the printed scarf bandwagon....until I spotted this gem from Yarnz. I love the black and pink colors, the pretty paisley print and the length. This is definitely going on my Christmas wish list.

Literary Ladies.

My girlfriends and I took a page out of Oprah's book, literally, and started a book club. After many times of 'paying it forward' with different books we enjoyed, we finally developed the genius idea to read the same book at the same time. Our first selection was 'Her Fearful Symmetry' by Audrey Niffenegger (also wrote The Time Traveler's Wife). So after a month of reading we met at a local coffeehouse and got our discussion on...... no seriously, we actually had discussion questions printed out (Nerd alert I know). For anyone who reads, I absolutely recommend forming a book club or just reading a book simultaneously with someone you know. It keeps you motivated to read and the book takes on a whole new level once you hear the way others viewed the story. Even though we dipped into our loser side, we all had a really good time. The book however, was kind of creepy. I enjoyed it, but didn't LOVE it. But that's the point of book club, to help you step outside of your literary box. If your into death, ghosts and cemeteries, you're kind of a Debbie Downer, but Her Fearful Symmetry is perfect for you....buy it here.

Mad Menswear.

Menswear shoes have really peaked my interest lately. I love the dapper, old school feel oxfords and loafers exude, and now girls have tons of fabulous options to decorate their feet with. I particularly love Repetto's 'Jackson" patent leather loafers. Kate Moss really pulled off the trend (naturally) with an all black ensemble and black skinny pants which really let the shoes shine. This is a really fun and edgy trend but beware....you could end up inadvertently looking like this.