2025 - Movies of the Year

 I've never done this before...

There have been quite a few great movie recaps in the blogosphere, and I thought it would be fun to do my own because my mom and I have watched so many good and great movies this year.  I do wish there were a way to track the movies I've watched, like GoodReads is for books.  (IMDb is too intimidating to me, though.)

So without further ado, here are the ones that I remember and I would recommend!  

An asterisk (*) denotes that I watched more than once.

1.  The Inheritance *

Based on Louisa May Alcott's debut novel, this movie is such a beautiful and captivating romance.  My sister's mother-in-law showed this one to me while I was staying with her, and I'm so glad she did!  I read the book after watching the movie and have to say the book is even better, but I enjoyed the movie so much that I had my parents watch it too.

2.  This Beautiful Fantastic

One of my roommates showed me this one, and it was quirky, whimsical, and delightful.  I've been meaning to show it to my family, too.  I wonder if it has a novel version because the plot felt like a cute, well-written romance/academia novel rather than a Hallmark movie.  (Which it wasn't, but I guess I was expecting it to be.)

3.  Good Morning, Miss Dove

My mom found the novel on which this movie is based at a garage sale while on our summer vacation.  We only read the first couple of pages before we watched the film, but based on comparing the two, I believe the movie is extremely close to the book, even sharing exact quotes.  This movie was beautiful, thought-provoking, and delightful all around.  Be prepared to have your heartstrings tugged upon. 

4.  Goodbye, Mr. Chips

Similar to the reflective movie above, "Goodbye Mr. Chips" is a delightful, heartwrenching, and timeless film.  The acting is superb, and the storyline is endearing.  Both of these movies are dear to me too, as a school teacher, as the main characters of each are talented and impactful on their pupils.  There's also something to these films that start at the end and take you back as the main character reflects on how far they've come and how much they've witnessed over the course of their life.

5. Ball of Fire

Any movie starring Garry Cooper is of interest to me.  He's such a great actor. 🫠  This film was both funny and exhilarating.  Imagine a bunch of musty old scholars, plus their one not-so-old, English-obsessed colleague, thrown together with a worldly-wise dancer, and you have the zany movie, "Ball of Fire."  

6.  Pennies from Heaven

This. Movie. Is. The. Best!!!  I actually just watched this movie in February, but I had to include it here because it is sooo good!!  One of my childhood crushes of the silver screen was good ol' Bing Crosby in "White Christmas", probably because I was the older of two sisters and I related to the character of Betty Haynes.  Now, in this film, I see myself once again as the little girl, admiring Bing's persona.  This film is delightful, heartwarming, and mischievous for lots of fun!  It would be a great movie for October with its dinner show and song "The Skeleton in the Closet." 💀  And please, do yourself a favor and listen to Bing's "Pennies from Heaven" from this film.  I've only ever heard the version by Louis Prima, which is performed in a swinging jazz style, but Bing's lullaby rendition is *chef's kiss*. 

7.  East Side of Heaven

Bing Crosby and a baby... need I say more?  This movie, too, is filled with beautiful songs, an excitingly funny plot, and all around a good time.

8. Father is a Bachelor *

Such a fun and sweet movie with catchy songs too.  "Big Rock Candy Mountain" has been one of those songs that gets stuck in my head (in the best way possible), and as I sing it, I imagine I'm strolling by a creek with Feb or May.  Also, I want an Uncle Johnny.  (:

9. Apartment for Peggy

Another good William Holden one, although he's not exactly the main character.  And maybe it's a teeny bit feminist, but the relationship between Jean Crain's character and the beloved Edmund Gwen is endearing.  It's hard to watch at some parts because it's not a warm and fuzzy movie; it deals with a very serious matter (viewer discretion advised just a little bit).  But it will inspire you with hope and know that no matter how bleak things seem, there's always a purpose for each one of us.

10. Three Blind Mice

I love David Niven, and this movie with Joel McCrea is just too fun.  Three sisters take their inheritance and go to find husbands in glamorous California.  This was fun to watch as I had been living and teaching in SoCal.  Unfortunately, I did not find a millionaire husband while out there. XD

11.  The More the Merrier *

A hilarious romcom with Joel McCrae once again, as well as the amusing Charles Coburn.  Scoot over and shove in!  We're getting nice and cozy in this one with three very individual characters and following them through the chaos that ensues.  My mom and I watched this twice because it was such a feel-good movie.

There were probably lots of other movies my mom and I thoroughly enjoyed, but alas, I didn't save them to a specific place to find them again.  If I come across any more excellent old movies, I will try to file them away for future sharing. ;) 

Have you seen any of these or watched any good black-and-white movies lately?  Bonus points if they're on YouTube.  Feel free to share them below!  Thanks so much for being here and reading!  <3

Drifting Leaves: Autumn Tag Challenge

🎵 "La-di-dah-di-dah-di-dum, 'tis autumn!" 🎵

I'm so excited to *ahem* steal this tag from Lizzie at Starlight and Saucepans because who wouldn't want to bask in the glory of autumn in blogger style?! 😊🍁🍂  Here are the rules!

1. Download the cover photo and use it for your post
2. Acknowledge the person who tagged you
3. Tag others and comment on their blog to let them know!
4. Slip into autumn vibes

 Now without further adieu, let's jump into this proverbial pile of leaves that are questions! 

1. If autumn isn't your favourite season, what is? And if autumn is your favourite season, why?

Back in 2017, it was my second favorite season, but I go back and forth between spring and autumn being my #1 favorite.  I love the cooling temperatures, the changing colors, and the anticipation of the holidays that it brings.  Of course there will be Thanksgiving and the beginning of Advent, but there are some other feasts such as Christ the King, All Saints, and the octave of All Souls that I dearly love as well.

2. What is your favourite thing that you do each autumn?

My most regular favorite thing I do each autumn would be celebrate Thanksgiving.  I know that's for a later question though.  I look forward to listening to my autumn playlist and possibly adding to it as well!  (You can find it below!)  So many people rush into Christmas music only to wear out the same five songs by mid December, so I love savoring the season with cozy autumnal music.  I also very much enjoy praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory every November when we visit the local cemeteries.

3. What are a couple of your favourite autumn memories?

I have quite a few!  My mom's birthday, which is in October, is a highlight for two different years.  One year, friends of ours threw her a huge surprise party at their house and it was a jolly autumn bash!  Another year, my family took her up to the mountains to enjoy the cooler temperatures, the falling leaves, and a little picnic!  That was a delightful time.

Trips to the nearby orchard also come to mind.  There's not much like getting outdoors, roaming the orchards and fields, harvesting apples or potatoes, and enjoying delicious apple cider donuts.

Of course, times with family and friends at Thanksgiving have to be my all-time favorite autumn memories.

4. What book most reminds you of the autumn? Movie?

The first book that comes to mind is, of course, Anne of Windy Popplars.  This cover is the ideal autumn afternoon for me!  As for a movie, I *love* watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving each year around Thanksgiving.  I recenly discovered The Inheritance, based on the novel by L. M. Alcott.  While this movie is not expressly autumnal, there is something about the colors, characters, and settings that give a very fall-ish feeling.

*swoons*

          

5. What is your favourite drink for the season?

Chai tea is my go-to all year 'round, but at this time of year, I love pumkin chai; not the artificiall kind, but one from little coffee shops that use whole ingredients so that the latte tastes of pumpkin puree and fall goodness!! 

6. What is one new thing you want to do this autumn?

I want to travel to an area that has real fall foliage.  I live in the Southwest of the US, so we don't get much, if any, change in leaves.  We're surrounded mostly by pine and palm trees.  To be in a place that truly requires a fall overcoat, a scarf, and a warm drink in your hand would be lovely!

credit: Getty Images

7. Do you decorate for the autumn? If so, how soon? If not, why?

Why, yes, we do!  Not half as much as they do for fall Hallmark movies (that is next to craziness), but we have a tote or two of autumn decor that we usually bring out sometime in November, especially for Thanksgiving.  It's so nostalgic because we've had a lot of the decorations since I was little.

8. What is your favourite way to celebrate Thanksgiving?

Each year is pretty much the same for my family, and I wouldn't really change it.  I absolutely love spending time with dear family and friends.  It's usually a modest size gathering, not too fancy, but with plenty of charm.  When my sister and I were growing up, we would often make Thanksgiving crafts to decorate, personalize place cards, or even cook up a skit or two to perform between dinner and dessert!  

A couple of years ago, I really loved the way we began cooking the turkey the day before Thanksgiving because you know that smell just makes Thanksgiving official, so it really felt like we had two Thanksgiving days!

9. What colour makes you think most of autumn?

I suppose a warm, almost burt orrange.  But I do have to agree with Lizzie and Olivia @MeanwhileinRivendelle that all the autumn colors of orranges, yellows, reds, and browns together are quintessential autumn.

credit: Pinterest

10. Type up a list of ten words or names that encapsulate the season of autumn for you.

• thankful

• pumpkin

• cozy

• family

• warmth

• crisp

• nourish

• wind down

• recollection

• glory

Wow!  What a fun tag!  Thank you again, Lizzie for letting me steal it from you! 😉 How about you?  What are your autumn favorites?  Feel free to answer the tag questions on your own blog and share your answers with me in the comments below!  I really would like to read them!  

I hope you have a wonderful rest of autumn!

credit: Pinterest

What happened to "Let Every Heart PREPARE Him Room?"

 I will probably get mixed reactions on this.  We are entitled to our own reactions.  I, however, want to address the holiday jumble that is the end of October to the beginning of November.  Even before Halloween arrives, social media, stores, and television are all aglow with the longing for Christmas festivity.  The content creators tell you they just can't wait for the clock to strike midnight on Halloween night because then, "It's CHrIstMAsS!!!" It seems this year, even more than previous years, the push for Christmas is even harder and earlier than it's ever been.  Why is this?  Also, isn't this a good thing?

The reasoning that seems to be growing in intensity this year is that people just need more cheer, some peace on earth, joy, and general goodwill towards men.  Basically, if it makes me happy, can't I just have it and you leave me alone?  Well, there are two glaring problems with this.  The biggest concern is that we are putting our happiness, our own euphoria, above everything else.  Who cares what is normal, proper, or how it affects others?  "My life, my choice."  Sound familiar?  

(credit: Pinterest)

This desire to be fulfilled, happy, and do what brings us pleasure pervades our culture and our lives.  People are constantly on the hunt for pleasure and satisfaction, and the world tries to deliver at every turn, from instant gratification to self-affirmation.  We can pick whatever music or movie we want to fit our mood whenever we want it with streaming services.  We order delivery of whatever we're craving right to our doors without moving a muscle, and now, we want to have holiday cheer on tap to be turned on (and presumably off) when it pleases us.  It's as if Christmas only exists to bring us pleasure. Yet somehow, with all this instant gratification, we still feel so miserably discontented and are usually worn out by the third week of December.

We were not made to be satisfied by the pleasures of this world, even the ones so seemingly innocent as Hallmark movies and hot chocolate.  As Christians, we know this life is a journey, a valley of tears, a battle against sin, a climb to Heaven.  It is not easy, and we can only be satisfied fully by God Himself.  No amount of Christmas carols can cure us completely.  When we look for our next dopamine pacification in the upcoming holiday and its festivities, we can often still feel drained and dissatisfied even in the midst of it.  As humans and God's creatures, we were made for cycles and seasons.  It's not our business to rush these.  If we try to harvest happiness out of season, it will not be ripe.  Instead, it will be bitter and leave us hungry, even if it satisfies for a minute.  Instead, God, as the wonderful Creator that He is, knows what's best for us, and He has designed the seasons and the Church calendar for a purpose.  According to the natural seasons, it is most definitely autumn everywhere in the U.S.  Leaves are continuing to change color and fall, temperatures are finally dipping down, and harvest is in full swing.  We long for the coziness of autumn long enough at the end of summer, but don't seem to enjoy it past October 31st.  

October 31st is a holiday because it is the eve of All Saints.  That means that the feast of All Saints is just beginning on the day everyone says, "It's ChRiiSTmASs!!!"  But what actually happens to Hallowtide and the octave in which we can gain indulgences for the poor souls in Purgatory?  In a month which the Church, in Her wisdom, has set aside to help the holy souls with prayer in sacrifice, we are all too eager to indulge ourselves in winter festivities just because we need some joy in our humdrum lives.  But what about the fulfillment that comes from the rhythms and cycle of the Church year?  We have finished the month of the Holy Rosary and are entering a new devotion.  We have something new to focus on.  It may not be as warm and fuzzy as we'd like it to be, but that's not what we're made for.  Our Lady told St. Bernadette,

"I do not promise you happiness in this life, but in the next."

We need to order our lives after the true happiness of Heaven and do everything we can to get there.  The road is indeed steep and narrow, but God, in His goodness, does give us joys along the way.  It's important not to snatch them out of His hands before He intends to give them to us, though.

But one may object that there is no harm in celebrating Christmas early because it's about the birth of Christ!  That may be true in origin, but binge-listening to Mariah Carrey, and buying all new on-trend holiday decor hardly constitutes celebrating Christ.  Again, people are clamoring for this holiday because they desire the feelings it brings, not because they love their Redeemer so much that they celebrate His birthday a whole two months in advance.  If we really wanted to honor Christ in our homes, we would spend time in prayer, at church, reading about His Incarnation, and following His Church in its celebrations.  We must prepare our sinful hearts to receive Him at Christmas so we can more fully experience the true and lasting joy of His gift.  

All year long, we speak of finding contentedness, living in the moment, being present, until this time when we rush ahead of the season, only to be more tired and drained when it is over.  The world tells you you need Christmas joy now, but don't be afraid to put down the phone, turn off the TV, look around and see the fall colors outside, feel the crisp air, and do what God calls us to do this day.  Christmas will be here before you know it; don't worry.  Holy Mother Chruch gives us a whole season to celebrate it until the feast of the Presentation on February 2nd.  She knows our needs, we just must be Her patient children drawing on the strength She gives us now in the Rosary, the festivities of Hallowtide, and the gratitude of Thanksgiving.  

Don't lose heart.  Soldier on bravely for Christ the King, and soon enough, Christ will be able to find room in your heart when Christmas is truly here to pierce the darkness and freezing cold of winter.

There is so much more I could say in favor of following the seasons of the Church instead of the commercialization, but I want to encourage you to slow down and discover your own traditions for this time of year.  Pray for the holy souls in Purgatory, prepare for Thanksgiving, and enjoy all that autumn has to offer.  Then, dig into Advent, try to really prepare and grow in holiness during that season of waiting when it comes, and in doing so, you'll indeed be preparing Him room.  The joy of Christmas will truly be all the more glorious.

Pierced with the Wounds of Christ

Holy Mother, pierce me through;
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Saviour crucified.

This verse of the Stabat Mater invokes Mary to renew in us the sufferings of Christ.  On the first Friday of Lent, while praying the Stations, it struck me that this is not just a general plea to remember the sufferings of Christ and to feel some slight pang in our hearts at this remembrance.  No, we are asking for much more.  This is a cry to be pierced by each wound with the pain Our Lord suffered.  These were excruciating pains and we are asking Our Lady to renew them in us throughout our lives.  Singing this verse again is an excellent reminder that every pain and every suffering, physical, mental, as well as spiritual, are graces to unite us to Christ.  We ask for this grace in our prayers and songs, but when the everyday sufferings come, we complain and try our very best to get out of them or at least seek human sympathy.  Instead, let us embrace the cross fully this Lent.  Seek to feel every suffering keenly in union with Our Lord and offer it to Him.  The pain we ask for in the song is not just a little remembrance of His pain once on Calvary but is an invitation for us to join Him in the pain He suffers every day at the hands of sinners.  Let us do this all in love for Our Lord. 

Make me feel as you have felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ our Lord.