Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, Solstice, or Wednesday, I hope you're having a wonderful one. It'll be business as usual here on Saturday, but today I'm taking the day off to enjoy family, friends, and food.

I hope your Winter/December/Holidays are awesome!

Have a Harry Christmas

With December almost over, the holidays are upon us. This is a crazy busy month for me, because Christmas, my birthday, and several great events that I enjoy. This is a pretty Potter-centric time and I'd love to share pics with you.

Each year I choose a theme for my birthday. This is generally Harry Potter, because my house gets turned into Hogwarts for our big party in July and then transitions to fall, Halloween, Christmas, and then taken down after the 1st. These all seem like the most Hogwartsy seasons/holidays, so then we take a breather and be "normal" for 6-7 months before we begin again.

see how sparkly this is

Well, since each July party has a different theme, so does Halloween (though we skipped that party this year) and my birthday. Last year my birthday was a Yule Ball and this year I wanted to really do something cool and different, so I chose Slughorn's Christmas Party and invited the "Slug Club" to this exclusive party in his office. 

I redid our Common Room wall with potions posters and made a new, bigger mantel/fireplace to replace my old cardboard one. Our fireplace doesn't work and doesn't have a surround, so I use a fake one in front of it. This had quite a bit larger mantel, where I was able to stage Slughorn's celebrity photographs. 

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A post shared by Shereen Travels Cheap (@srayle) on Dec 14, 2019 at 10:52am PST

Our tree had the addition of bubble lights and mini cauldrons to really bring in the potions elements. 

I also wanted to recreate his fabric tent feel without spending $95,000 and came up with a way to use lightweight gossamer instead of super expensive velvet, that made a statement piece with the "golden chandelier lit with fairies" I crafted with things I already had. Everyone was really impressed with it, so I guess I accomplished that feeling...and it didn't feel oppressive in my smallish living room. 

We don't have House Elves to carry around trays of food and drinks, but I slaved a bit to come up with a fun menu that had a Slughorn vibe to it. It included lamb chops, dragon balls (as a cheeky nod to the movie), bacon balsamic Brussell sprouts, mince pies, brandy beans, pumpkin juice, and mead. There was more than that, but you get the idea. Pretty much, all my food is a finger food, making it easy to mingle and play games.

We played Four On The Couch, pulled Christmas crackers that I made, had a mini potions class, had an owl counting challenge, and everyone went home with a Felix Felicis ornament that I also made, because that's my new tradition. Last year I made ornaments with chocolate frog cards with my face on it. It was a blast.

Eric channeling Slughorn and me Luna

The next night, I dressed up in different wizard attire to attend the third annual Yule Ball put on by our local chapter of the Harry Potter Alliance, PDXpelliarmus (see what they did there?). It's always above and beyond, and this year was no exception. 

Eric and I spring for the Feast, so we get there at 5:30, make the rounds for photo ops, raffle table, and say hello to everyone, then sit down with new friends to an amazing dinner. Afterward, we dance!

The past two years they've had a live band, but just went with a DJ this time (DJ Switch has done the two previous balls as well). It was fantastic. He plays just the right mix of nerdy and old school dance music, as well as a few new songs that everyone loves. 

This year there was also an amazing group there called the PDX Dancing Witches who graced us with two unique performances. A Dementor showed up as well, but luckily there were Aurors in the building to fix that situation. LOL!

The whole Yule Ball is put on to raise money for charity. Since the HPA works towards literacy and equality, this year went to a charity called KIND, Kids In Need of Defense, that helps kids trapped at the border and separated from their parents with no help. Ticket proceeds go to that, as well as raffle proceeds. The HPA is run by volunteers and donations, so if you love Harry Potter, or just want to help those in need, consider helping out your local chapter, or donating online. Even your purchases on the web store help support charities and other great programs.

That's how my December is going. We're going to Die Hard: The Musical Parody after Christmas (another tradition for us) and I'm looking ahead to a different local Harry Potter event at a restaurant downtown in February. The 25th will see me, Eric, and my mom at the casino buffet, because no one wants to cook for 5 hours, followed by cleaning all the dishes.

How's your December going?

Last-Minute Holiday Travel Tips

The holidays are almost upon us and that means many people will be flying or driving to destinations to see friends and family. Luckily, all our immediate family lives in town, so we don't have to go anywhere to get our jolly on. We do skip the making of a big holiday dinner in favor of going to the local-ish casino buffet on Christmas day and we do a potluck for the get together on Christmas Eve, so we have a pretty laid back couple of days to look forward to.

If you're traveling, you probably want a few tips to make sure you don't lose your mind, either on the way there or once you've arrived.

Pack light

Your family knows what you look like. Pack only the essentials and mix and match if you can. That way you don't have to pay baggage fees and potentially have your luggage get lost. Here's how to do it, even for winter. 

If you're trying to also pack gifts, I'd suggest small ones that aren't wrapped that you can wrap or bag when you arrive (paper and bags are easy to stash in the bottom of your carry-on or in a side pocket). TSA won't always let wrapped gifts through, and you'll be mad if you spent all your time on wrapping and they rip it open. If you don't mind paying, shipping them ahead works too, and is still probably cheaper than baggage fees. 

Bring a back-up bag

When coming back from the holidays, you're probably going to have more than you started with. Throw a back-up bag in your carry-on that you can then bring those back with you on the plane. I have several different ones that work to carry purchases I've made when traveling. I love this full-size bag (which will fit under the airplane seat) and also this bright tote bag. Both can be packed away and are sturdy enough to hold a large load of goodies.

Pack electronic and tangible entertainment

Whether that be books, magazines, card games or whatever. Bring a small selection of things that aren't digital, because you never know what can happen on your travels and batteries don't last forever. That said, don't forget your chargers and a small power strip. A portable back-up battery is also a lifesaver. 

Be chill

Count to 10. Go to your happy place. Get to the airport 3 hours early and have a drink at the bar. Whatever you need to do, but please don't take out your stress and crankiness on everyone else. These times are hard on everyone. The security and flight crew don't need to get yelled at for no reason. There's only such much within their control too, so chill out and sit down and try to ask yourself if it's really that important. Smile at others and maybe the holiday spirit will spread.

Also bring snacks

I get cranky and mean if I don't eat. It's not often, because I get to the airport early and eat there and am prepared for my flight. I always have snacks though, because you never know. Being hangry can be avoided, which is why I bring more food than shoes when I travel. Snag a bottle of water once you're through security too, because being dehydrated can lead to getting sick, and that sucks worse than being hungry.

Look for Lyft/Uber promo codes

If you've not used either of these car sharing services before, then you can probably sign up with a hefty promo added to your account. Make those I-gotta-get-out-of-this-house-and-away-from-family trips a little cheaper and less guilt inducing.

When you simply need to release your cabin fever, splurge on a city scavenger hunt like Stray Boots or Urban Adventure Quest. This is great for kids that have all that pent up energy too.

photo credit

Get a tune up

Are you driving to your destination? Millions of people are. If you'll be driving your own car, then make sure it's safe for the road before you go. Right now, many mechanics are running specials for road-worthiness. It's very important. 

The holidays can be stressful, but that doesn't mean you can't make the best of it. If you want to be even more prepared, download some of these great apps to your phone and then plan, plan, plan, but assume things may not go as you expect.

Are you all set for your holiday travels?