Merry Blogmas- Blogmas Day 25

December 25th 2017

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight…or rest of your day…I don’t know what time zone you live in…

IT’S CHRISTMAS! It is so weird that a whole month has built up to this one day, but the day is finally here and I am going to savor it until the very last minute then it’s full on “new year, new me” mode until the end of January!

I want to take a little moment to reflect on this Christmas season. I will be completely candid and admit that this season had a bit of a rocky start and I began to wonder if I could find my spirit this year. However, I am thrilled to say that Blogmas helped me not only find my spirit, but thrive to celebrate the season even more than I’ve done in past years.

I think today would be a good day to talk about a few things I learned from Blogmas and top the post off with a few happy little announcements as my gift to anyone who actually cares about my posts and content!

1. Planning ahead is everything- I’ve gotten pretty good at planning my blogs ahead, but this took things to a new level. Not only did I have to plan what to write like I normally do, I had to plan events and pictures and other things I do less frequently. This challenge was definitely super valuable experience for the future of my blog and I am inspired to get back into heavy pre-planning so that next year’s content is even better than this year’s!
2. Blogging has added value to my life- I never truly realized how much blogging impacted me until I did this challenge. I have been blogging 2-3 days a week for this entire year, but doing Blogmas made me realize how that has improved me as a person. I think that blogging inspires me to get out and do more. I try new things with the intention of blogging about them. I go places I wouldn’t normally go and spend more time taking everything in while I’m there so that I could write good content for whoever chooses to read it. Blogging helps me find the excitement in my every day life.
3. Not everything will go according to plan- And that is perfectly okay! Blogmas is totally a roll with the punches kind of deal. You can’t half ass this kind of thing but sometimes my plans didn’t work out. I had to think on my feet and create new content that was still in line with what I wanted but accommodating to my new situation (like when my concert got canceled but I turned my charity post into a valuable post about charity and giving).
4. I have an awesome support system- This lesson is also an open thank you to everyone who has helped me with Blogmas. I put so much work into this but it honestly would have been a mess without the help of my friends and family taking pictures for me that I couldn’t take myself. I feel so lucky to have amazing supporters.

This brings me to a few announcements that I am doing in order to thank everyone who read most, if not all, of Blogmas so far!

1. I am finishing out the month- I was going to stop Blogmas at Christmas but I really want to continue blogging until the New Year. One reason is because I am having fun and have a lot of content to share. Another reason is because New Years is a super fun holiday and the end of a chapter of my life that I want to document.
2. I am blogging more- Starting in January, I think I am going to try blogging 3-4 days a week and eventually stick to 4.  I really love creating content and I am inspired now more than ever to create even more to cater to tons of different audiences! I have a year of fun trips to plan, meals to cook, books to read, and outfits to think up and I can’t wait to share that with everyone! I’m hoping this change will bring some growth to my blog and I can start interacting with my reader base more often to create interactive content that everyone wants to see!
3. I’m making a January series- I am not going to be blogging every single day in January, but I want to start a new little series because I found that themes really make me inspired. So January’s theme is “New Year, New You” and I plan to do a lot of self care, self help, yoga and meditation, and personal growth content to welcome in the new year!

I am looking forward for what the new year has to bring and I am excited to go into this new year blogging and proud of my content!

I hope everyone has an amazing Christmas and even if you don’t celebrate, I hope you enjoy some time with friends and family regardless. Love and light to you and yours!

Merry Christmas!

Jess~

Here is my Blogmas and I hope you enjoy the rest of Blogcember!

Day 1- Introduction
Day 2- Reason for the Season
Day 3- Winter Bucket List
Day 4- Wishlist
Day 5- Holiday Playlist
Day 6 – Finals Prep
Day 7- Ugly Sweater Lookbook
Day 8- Layering Lookbook
Day 9- December Bops
Day 10- Charity 
Day 11- 18 Things for 2018
Day 12- Night-in Routine
Day 13- Holiday Snack Guide
Day 14- Top Holiday Movies
Day 15- Blanket Scarf Appreciation Post
Day 16- Exploring Home: Holiday Light Show
Day 17- Hot Chocolate 2 Ways
Day 18- Last Minute Gift Guide
Day 19- Immediate Gratification
Day 20- Christmas in NYC
Day 21- New Traditions
Day 22- Exploring Home: Ice Skating and Christmas Village
Day 23- What I’m Wearing- Christmas Eve
Day 24- Ultimate Winter Bucket List (Part 2)