It's a few days after Christmas and most of the festivities are over. The extended family has gone back home, the Quality Streets are eaten, the family friends have gone off skiing, and the house is very quiet.

What can you do? Don't let the stalemate of boredom pull you in! You really don't want to spend your precious last week of holidays on Facebook all the time! So try to make the most of the Christmas break, and brush away any saddening thoughts you might be having.

• If all your friends are busy and can't meet up with you, try not to feel too disappointed or neglected. Loneliness is one of the emotions I most hate, but just keep in mind that you'll be seeing them soon, and use your time to focus on yourself.

• If a friend you're fond of is ignoring you online, you could either send them a message letting them know you miss them, or ignore them back, giving them some space. This takes strength, but it will be worth it if after a while the friendship takes up its rightful place in your life again.

• Go out to town! Almost anyone can do this as long as there is some sort of public transport service. If you're feeling really adventurous, take a bus or a train to a bigger, further-away town and make a day of it- go to the movies and have lunch. For last minute company choices... How about your brother or sister?

• If you've already been "Boxing Day Shopping" and don't need anything in town, a wander around the countryside in the fresh air might help clear your head if you've spent too much time indoors.

• I don't know about you, but in term time, I find myself constantly wanting to do things that I have no time for- read certain books, make cakes, watch entire seasons of favourite TV shows... Maybe now is the time! These have a good promise of keeping the boredom away once you get into them.

• For a feels journey, sit down with some crisps and watch your favourite film as of when you were 12 or 13. I did this a while ago, and woah, did I bawl!

• You'll probably be dreading the return of school. Prepare for this- don't let your heart sink when you look at the enormous pile of homework. It won't be that hard (well...), and it won't take you the rest of your free time, unless you don't get on with it. Start by just thinking about what you've got to do, so as to mentally prepare yourself; and then put a particular day aside for concentrating.

Above all, make sure you make the most of your holidays. They'll only last so long, and when they're over you'll miss them, so enjoy each day as fully as you can.


-Barista Sabita-

Images: Nash Long via Wikimedia, Barista Sabita Read more »

A Christmas in Glasgow is cold, I know
But I wish it cold enough for snow
We trek through rivers of water instead
And wish we were back home inside our beds

But I stay out in the cold for a while
to see pale and gold light up the Style Mile
Lights all shine bright on this cold afternoon
Reflecting on the street like an iridescent moon

I'm getting a chill as the rain it does pour
The coffee shop queue is near out of the door
Oh No! The rain has now turned to sleet
Let's go, find shelter down Buchanan Street

The Christmas market, it is a clamour
Of sounds, sights,smells, tastes. A joyous uproar!
My dogs on the trail on discarded food
He's found half a burger. Oh that's not good

This city of mine I both love and hate
But at Christmas time when we celebrate
I love the seasonal atmosphere
Apart from the horrendous rain I fear

And to all of friends in Le Teen Café
Have a Merry Christmas and Hogmanay


-Barista Ellen-

Image: Cyril Ayroles Read more »

Christmas Eve is only tomorrow. Can you believe it? Anyway. No one wants to do nothing on the day before Christmas, so what kind of things could you do?

Go shopping

I love to shop and going to the mall is a luxury for me. On Christmas Eve, I love to go shopping and the crowd of girls and women going Christmas shopping only excites me more. What's more fun than wrestling a pair of cute boots from another person?

Go to a party

A pretty classic thing to do the day before Christmas. Go join a party somewhere with a handful of your friends and have fun!

Do makeovers with your best friend

And on your brother too, for good measure. Slobber your face with makeup, wear the most outrageous clothes, make some awesome memories, and take embarrassing pictures for Facebook.

Make plans for Christmas

I tend to do everything last minute. If you're like me, then planning to do things on Christmas would be a great way to spend your time.

Hang out with your friends

There's a big chance you might be with your family on D-Day, so spend Christmas Eve with your friends. Go watch a movie, have dinner, pull pranks on the unsuspecting public, I don't know. Just do something fun and worth remembering.

Be nice to people

Go outside and look for someone to help out. Christmas and the spirit of giving is synonymous. Help a grandma with her groceries, help a young child find his way back home, or give a homeless man a nice meal and have a little chat with him. Be someone's superhero for the day.

D-2


-Barista Mia-

Image: Javcon117* Read more »

Christmas isn't complete until you're all dressed up for the special day! So what kind of stuff should you wear?

Dress up in red and green

Pretty obvious, right? Dress from head to toe (even your nails!) in Christmas colors and people will know right away that you're dressed up specifically for the awesome holiday.

Wear a reindeer headband

Do you even understand how cute these look? OMG. Go on. Go to the mall, buy a reindeer headband, and try them on! Ooh! They'll look especially adorable with curled hair.

If not, you can put on the classic Santa hat

I'm tired of seeing people wear Santa hats everywhere, which is why I suggested the reindeer headband, BUT if you aren't sick of them like I am... Santa hats are cute too.

Put on Christmas makeup

This is the fun part. I love to put on green eyeshadow and red lipstick! It looks so ooh-la-la and so Christmas-y.

SPARKLES!

I'm a huge fan of sparkles. Sprinkle sparkles, sparkles everywhere! If your clothes already have sparkles on them, that's cool too. Christmas equals a lot of lights and, well, in case of getting electrocuted, sparkles is a GREAT alternative.

And voila! There you have it. An outfit perfect for Christmas.


-Barista Mia-

Image: Eleazar Read more »

 

I don't know about you, but getting into the Christmas spirit is a little hard to do where I am living. I guess it's because there are no Christmas decorations whatsoever wherever you go. Okay. Maybe I'm exaggerating a teensy bit, but compared to most other countries, South Korea is not as into Christmas as it could be. Sucks. But it's not like I can change an entire culture, right? Now I know there are others out there who have a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit, whether it's because of stress or culture things like me. So how do you get into the Christmas spirit when it seems impossible to do?

Decorate Your House and Room

Clicky here for some tips on how to decorate your room. Putting Christmas lights everywhere, putting up front yard decorations for the whole world to see... It's fun and super Christmas-y. You definitely will feel like Christmas is near when you're done.

Say "Merry Christmas" to strangers on the street

If you aren't brave enough, well, you don't have to do it. But spreading the Christmas love to people you don't know is hecka fun and makes you feel all warm inside. Definitely try it out! It's very nice to see random people smile when you greet them with a "Merry Christmas". If this is too difficult to do, a "Merry Christmas" to anybody you know will suffice.

Sing Carols

I've been singing carols to myself and with my friends for the past week or two to get into the Christmas spirit. And something about the tune of the songs really turns the Christmas side of me on.

Make Someone's Day

Is there any other time in the year when you spend so much of your money on presents and give so much of your time to other people? Make your parents breakfast, get a friend that watch she wanted... I don't know. Just do something to make people happy!

And speaking of...

Be Kind

Go volunteer at the soup kitchen, help a grandma out with her baggage, help your mom with the groceries... Do stuff that you never would have done. Do stuff to even help your arch nemesis. Gasp. After all, giving and serving is what Christmas spirit is about, no?

D-4


-Barista Mia-

Image: D. Sharon Pruitt Read more »

You go outside and there are Christmas lights and decorations everywhere, but once you come back inside to the warmth of your bed... well, things don't look so Christmas-y anymore. Wow. You really need to teach your bedroom a little something about Christmas spirit. So what can you do to up the Christmas feel of your, uh, y'know, not-so-Christmasy bedroom?

Get a mini Christmas tree

You don't need a full Christmas tree that reaches all the way up to the ceiling. A small one to leave on the corner of your desk will suffice. Anyway, it'll look soooo adorable and it'll make you go all "awwww".

Hang Christmas lights

I personally love doing this even though it's not Christmas. It ups the festiveness of the room and looks super pretty. I especially love to hang these lights over my bed to make my bed area look cosy and cute.

Play Christmas music

Ah. Christmas music. What's a better sound to the air than that? Play some soft Christmas music in the background in your room and it'll automatically feel like Christmas is near. (Oh, and FYI, it is)

Get a Santa or Rudolph doll for your bed

Eek! Can you imagine how adorable these dolls would look sitting on your bed as you (not so) patiently wait for Christmas to come already? Besides, I bet Santa would be really happy to see you have a doll of him and might give you an extra good present. *wink*

Candles!

I don't know how candles are associated with Christmas but I like it. Something about candles make everything look so, I don't know, winter-y and Christmas-y. Ooh! For an even better Christmas effect, get candles that smell like the smell of wood burning in the fireplace.

Put a plate of cookies in your room

Not only are they delicious, they make great Christmas decorations. Well, before you eat them all up anyway.

Now those are my Christmas room decorating tips only for you. So you better get crackin' and go decorate your room and not waste my tips, yo! Get your room and butt ready for Christmas. FIVE DAYS LEFT!


-Barista Mia-

Image: elisasizzle Read more »

Christmas is less than a week away y'all! I can't believe it! Christmas has been my favorite holiday for a long time and for good reason... The presents, the community-spirit, and THE MOVIES! There are so many great movies out there to watch on Christmas and I cannot wait until I pick them up to watch on Christmas. Sure, they're all good movies to watch whether it is Christmas day or not, but it doesn't feel the same. Watching Christmas movies on Christmas has some kind of magic that just makes everyone feel so happy and fuzzy inside.

So what are the best Christmas movies to watch this year?

A Christmas Story



What? Too tired of this movie being played every Christmas? Well, to be honest, me too. Moving on.

The Nightmare Before Christmas



Halloween meets Christmas. Ah. What's a better combination that that?

The Polar Express



Beautiful graphics for Christmas. What's not to like? Okay. Maybe this movie's a teensy bit boring compared to the other movies, but it's a good movie to watch.

Home Alone



Sigh. Home Alone. My entire childhood is contained in this 100 minute long movie. Who doesn't want to watch a kid beat up two burglars, huh?!

Love Actually



In you are in the mood for a more romantic movie, Love Actually is the way to go.
 
How The Grinch Stole Christmas



I don't know why, but although I barely remember the other movies, I remember this one pretty clearly. Maybe I rewatched it one too many times because it was fun?

The Santa Clause



If you haven't watched The Santa Clause yet, you have not lived. It's one of the best Christmas movies ever. In fact, if you watch this, you should also watch The Santa Clause 2 and 3!

Arthur Christmas



I believe this is the newest movie on this list. I personally have not watched it yet, but my sister swears it's the best Christmas movie ever. I'm plannning to watch it on the 25th with my family this year.

Have you chosen what to watch for Christmas yet?


-Barista Mia-

Image: Kevin Dooley Read more »