[Wrap-Up] December 2020

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Phew what a month December was! It was filled with a LOT of change and a LOT of work. I’m really looking forward to a more quiet and relaxed January!

For work this month, my day job was absolutely insane as we approached the big realignment we’ve been looking forward to for months. I worked a lot of very long days spilling well over the 8 hour day in order to get everything ready. On top of that, things were crazy for the first few weeks of the month as I prepared for my final day at my second job as well and I was putting in a lot of extra hours there. When the holidays hit, I was VERY ready to have a few extra days off!

December was also filled with some AMAZING surprises and events!

To kick off the month, I found out that Alex and I won “Golden Tickets” in a giveaway from I Prevail! I cannot wait to learn more about what this entails. It sounds like we can go to any show for free!

Another of the highlights was the episode of Dead Headspace going live that I joined for a second guest hosting, this time with the incredible Sonora Taylor! Click here to listen to the episode!

Another huge highlight was finding out that Aiden Merchant added my quote on the back of Horrific Holidays! I still can’t believe it!!

This month also marked my four year blogging anniversary! Thank you all for sticking with me over the years! 🙂

One more highlight was that Joe Hill commented on my Tweet about the graphic novel I had read!

For those of you that have been following my health related updates- I finally got to see an endocrinologist! I’m officially one week into taking my new meds to help get my thyroid working properly. They said it will take about 6 weeks for me to start feeling a difference. So keep your fingers crossed for me! I’ll be going back for bloodwork then to see how things are going. I’m so relieved to be finally taking steps to make me feel better!

To cap off 2020, I had something fun and something not so fun. The not so fun is that I stubbed my pinky toe on our coffee table and did a lot of damage. I won’t go into too much detail with that because it’s gross, but I’ll just say that can’t put on a sock or walk normally. We’ll see how long that takes to heal!

But for the fun, I colored my hair for the first time in over 7 years! There are streaks of blonde, a rosy pink, purple, and a color that’s kind of a blend of those two. Plus my natural hair color. I’m really digging it! It’s also pretty subtle in most lighting/angles. In the photos below you can just see the blonde in the top photo, but in the bottom you can see the colors.

It’s a great change up that will hold me over until we can do more later on after my hair recovers (hopefully!) thanks to the new meds I’m on! Next time I go in for a trim, I think I’ll ask her to add more of the purple!

Let’s dive in to the rest of my recap!

My Reading Breakdown for December:

• 5 Stars – 
  • The Best of Indie Horror presented by Kevin J. Kennedy
  • Clown In A Cornfield by Adam Cesare
  • Dead Meat: Day 6 by Nick Clausen
  • Merry Fuckin’ Christmas and Other Yuletide Shit by Kevin J. Kennedy
  • Our Final Halloween: The Other Days
  • Plunge by Joe Hill, artwork by Stuart Immonen
  • Ready Player One by Ernset Cline
  • Small Walt Spots Dot by Elizabeth Verdick, illustrated by Marc Rosenthal
  • We Are Wolves: An Anthology compiled by Gemma Amor, Laurel Hightower, and Cynthia Pelayo
• 4 Stars – 
  • Antioch by Jessica Leonard
  • Corona-Nation Street Anthology organized by Matthew Cash & Em Dehaney
  • Fanged Dandelion by Eric LaRocca
  • Halldark Holidays edited by Gabino Iglesias
  • Memory Hunters by Tony Moyle
  • Secret Santa by Andrew Shaffer
• 3 Stars –
  • The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson
  • Shadow Ridge by M.E. Browning
  • Standalone by Paul Michael Anderson
  • Wormwood by Chad Lutzke & Tim Meyer
• 2 Stars –
• 1 Star –
• DNF – 

Monthly Musings

Watching:

Dash & Lilly (2020 Series) | Netflix – 5/5
THIS WAS PERFECT!

Mulan (2020 Film) | Disney+ – 4/5
I really enjoyed this! I wish it wasn’t so CGI filled with the action and chi related things, but loved the overall storyline.

A Christmas Horror Story (2015 Film) | Shudder- 3/5
This was an extremely odd film, but those jump scares were perfect!

All The Creatures Were Stirring (2018 Film) | Shudder – 4/5
Another VERY odd one, but SO unsettling. I LOVED the first skit, it was like a perfect mix for fans of SAW and Christmas! Some of the skits were a bit meh for me, but overall, I really got spooked with this one! I loved that it was like watching a tale of short stories!

Better Watch Out (2016 Film) | Shudder – 3/5
PHEW. INCREDIBLY UNSETTLING. AND THAT ENDING. AH! I would personally NEVER watch this again, but it’s definitely worth a watch.

Black Christmas (1974 Film) | Shudder – 3/5
PHEW, this plot was terrifying. I’m so glad I finally watched this, but it’s definitely not one I would rewatch any time soon.

Christmas Evil (1980 Film) | Shudder – 1/5
Oh lordy, this one had a wicked slow build. When it finally picked up, I was pretty checked out so the church scene shocked me! After that, it slowed down again and I struggled to pay attention. I definitely won’t be watching this one again, especially considering how this storyline kicked off…

Christmas Presence (2018 Film) | Shudder – 4/5
This one was awesome! I loved the cast of interesting characters, the isolated lodging they were all staying at, and the creepiness of the being that was showing itself in different ways.

The Body (2015 Film) | Shudder – 5/5
Oh my gosh, this one kept throwing curveballs! What a terrifying situation these girls found themselves in. This is something that I could have seen happing to my friend group from high school at the very start, so it was extra unsettling. I loved the minor holiday bits included to make this a holiday horror film!

A Creepshow Holiday Special (2020) | Shudder – 5/5
When Robert Weston joins a group of shapeshifters for their weekly meeting, he learns that there’s much more going on than just a few blackouts… This 46 minute short was so much fun! I loved the characters.

A Creepshow Animated Special (2020) | Shudder – 4/5
Oh my gosh, how did I miss this one?! The first short was BRUTAL and horrifying. How far would you go to stay alive? In the second short, I was so excited to see the animation of another brutal story I had read before, Twittering from the Circus of the Dead by Joe Hill! I love the set up of this one so much!

The Holiday (2006 Film) – 5/5
Our usual Christmas re-watch. Alex and I both absolutely love this movie.

Love Actually (2003 Film) – 5/5
Oofh, not a good year for this rewatch… I can’t wait to be able to go see my family again after it’s safe to do so.

Playing:

On New Years Eve, we played Zeeple Dome from Jackbox Games. I am OBSESSED with this game!!

Drinking:

Lots of tea this month with caffeine to get me through!

Listening To:

Mainly podcasts to make sure I’m all caught up again. I just started listening to Ladies of the Fright Podcast and Horror Stacks podcast and I’m really enjoying both of them!

In the bookish community:

I finally got around to catching up on blog hopping this month! That was as far as I got unfortunately. I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone’s best of lists!

Monthly bookish related haul:

My favorite bookish photos this month:

In Case You Missed It:

• [Wrap-Up] November 2020
• Feature: Dead Headspace Guest Hosting Fr. Sonora Taylor
• December 2020 Night Worms Package
• 5 January 2021 Book Releases I Can’t Wait To Read
• My Fourth Year Blogiversary

Looking forward to: 

Things slowing WAYYYYYY down in January. I am in desperate need of a nice break. I’m hoping to take some time off at work to really have time to relax and recharge my batteries.

Thanks for reading!