Holiday Books & Products

Movie Buzz ~ Christmas Lodge {Giveaway}

Halloween is over, which means the holiday season is officially here! I’ve already got the DVR busy recording this weekend as the holiday movies kick off. This past weekend we watched the new Thomas Kinkade movie, Christmas Lodge.

Starring Erin Karpluk and Michael Shanks, Christmas Lodge is a movie to warm the heart this holiday season. Mary used to work as a contractor, but now she lives in the big city. Traveling home to see her family and take a break in the mountain air shines a light on an old lodge that Mary and her family used to stay at, Christmas Lodge. Only now the lodge is in utter disrepair, the owner having dealt with family tragedy, in need of a helping hand.

Mary’s determined to see Christmas Lodge restored back to its old self, mostly spurred on by the desire to have a Christmas celebration with her family like old times. Even more importantly, she wants her grandfather there. Mary’s always been close to her grandfather, but his health has gone completely downhill, and they’re not even sure he’ll make it to Christmas, it seems. Mary’s relationship with her grandfather brought back memories of my own grandparents, thus providing an emotional connection to the storyline, as I could honestly really relate.

God has other plans, though, and as Mary spends more and more time at the lodge, she also grows closer to owner and childhood friend, Jack, and his daughter. The restoration of the old lodge isn’t all that’s in the works….romance is in bloom, even in the snowy forest.

While we truly enjoyed this film, I thought it transitioned to the ending a bit abruptly. It went from Thanksgiving to Christmas in a quick flash, and it felt a bit awkward. However, the ending did not disappoint.

This film is rated G and has a runtime of 89 minutes. It’s definitely a great movie for the whole family.

The best part of all? One MamaBuzz reader will win a copy of Christmas Lodge. You can enter to win by doing one or more of the following; just be sure to leave a separate comment for each way that you enter. IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll draw the winner, via random.org, on Wednesday, November 23. This giveaway is open to U.S. only (void where prohibited). No purchase is necessary, and the odds of winning are based on a number of entries. Good luck, and have a wonderful day!

What is your favorite holiday movie? Share in the comments.

Other optional ways to enter:

Follow @flypropeller on Twitter.
Tweet about this giveaway, one time only.
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(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products orÃ‚Â services mentioned above for freeÃ‚Â in the hope that I would mention itÃ‚Â on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personallyÃ‚Â and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordanceÃ‚Â with the Federal Trade Commission’sÃ‚Â 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning theÃ‚Â Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.)

Halloween with The Trash Pack

Last night was the big night….the one night of the year that kids have permission to collect all the candy their pillow case or bucket will hold….

This year we went costume shopping a bit early, just to get ideas and figure out what everyone wanted to be. Jacob had decided that he wanted to be Frankenstein, but then he saw the fro wig. Then and there, he and Daddy came up with the idea of Frankenfro. And, of course, Jaden decided to be Thor, mainly because of the big hammer that goes along with being Thor. Rules were set in motion, from the beginning, that he could not hit any other person with that hammer (namely his brother).We did things a little differently in the candy department this year, as well. Yes, we still handed out candy, but we also handed out packets of The Trash Pack. The Trash Pack is a collection of grungy, nasty, squirmy trash characters straight from the garbage can. You’ll find characters like Mucky Maggot, Rankenstein, Smelly Sock, etc. there are more than 100 different Trashies to collect, and the little guys also function as pencil toppers. Not only that, but with enough Trashies, kids can also use them to play certain games.

The Trash Pack are geared toward ages 5 and up….even so, my youngest has still enjoyed playing with his Trashies, under careful supervision, of course. Trashies come with little trash cans for storage, and if you’re not careful, they could become quite addictive to collect. There is a whole line of Trash Pack collectibles/toys, including a garbage truck. You can find them at Toys”R”Us and Babies”R”Us. They’d definitely make the perfect stocking stuffers this Christmas.

We, however, handed out Trash Packs to trick-or-treaters last night. We don’t get a ton of trick-or-treaters, but last night we got more than we’ve ever had. I was pretty generous in my helpings of candy, but I also was trying to make sure that each kid got a Trash Pack. Some of the comments I received….

“Wow, that’s a lot! Thank you a lot!”…..”Wow, you guys really know how to live!”It was cracking me up. They were so excited to see not only an assortment of candy but special Trash Pack treats that’ll last longer than a simple candy bar. I had a blast handing them out. I still have a few left over, so I’m considering giving them to my cousin who happens to be a schoolteacher.