A key part of our holidays every year is watching specials and movies, but while sometimes the tropes are old and the themes cheesy, it’s still fun to view them.

Last year, I made us bingo cards for the seasonal viewing we were doing and my mom and I had a lot of fun filling them in. So I made us new new boards for this year for this year.

Click through and you’ll be given a playing board. You can either play online or print it out. (If you hate the board you get, instructions for getting a different one are under “Help.” There are 30 different versions and over 50 categories, so don’t take one that you know you’ve got no shot at filling.)

I’d think back to what you’ve already seen so far this season, rather than moving forward from today, but YMMV. And if you’re a reader, rather than a viewer, most of these will work with your holiday-themed books, as well.

Let us know in the comments when you hit bingo! And have fun!

Today brings us to the halfway point in our Virtual Advent Tour, and to celebrate, I’m sending you right back on the road!

My very best friend in the whole world, who writes at Blue-Footed Musings, has taken on the task of composing today’s post. She’s written a bit about time and then given us a fun tie-in, so make sure you head over there now!

I’ll see you back here tomorrow!

First off, Happy Gaudete, the third Sunday of Advent:

When Rudi and I went to Iceland a number of years ago now, one of the fun things we pre-scheduled was to attend a “bedtime story,” in which we were read a Christmas picture book (and sated with cocoa and Christmas cookies).

We came home with copies of that book, which focused on the Yule Lads and which we’ve shared with friends over the years. But the real magic is in being read to, so I thought I’d share a few options with you.

First, while this isn’t the exact book we were read, it’s based on the same folklore: Christmas Is Coming by Jóhannes úr Kötlum with illustrations by Tryggvi Magnusson:

Next up, we have Sutton Foster reading us Memoirs of an Elf by Devin Scillian with illustrations by Tim Bowers:

Finally, a classic, The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, read by the classic Liam Neeson:

Do you have a favorite holiday picture book you revisit every year?

While I enjoy a good holiday commercial, mostly I see commercials because I’m watching holiday specials.

Today I thought I’d share three of my favorite songs from Christmas cartoons:

From ‘Twas the Night before Christmas, “Even a Miracle Needs a Hand”:

“We’re a Couple of Misfits” from Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer:

And, finally, “When Christmas Comes Around” from The Polar Express:

Do you have a favorite song from a holiday special?

A wise blogger would have remembered the outdated phone she uses as a camera these days when she went out, but tonight I was not that person. So, I’ll show you some of the holiday sights of D.C. another day.

I am absolutely a sucker for commercials that tug at the heartstrings, particularly near the holidays. I mean, I won’t necessarily buy your stuff (or, in fact, stop criticizing your company if you’re on my naughty list), but I’ll at least stop and pay attention to your commercial for 30 seconds.

You’ve probably seen the short version of this commercial from an online retailer. Watch the long version:

Kroger and Coca Cola both had similar thoughts this year:

I haven’t seen even an abridged version of this one from Chevy on tv, but it’s a tearjerker:

U.K. businesses are the best at Christmas commercials. Here are a couple of my favorites from this year.

John Lewis steps it up every year:

I really appreciate when a commercial is just in it for the holiday spirit and has nothing to do with what they actually sell, like this British clothing company:

And I’ll leave you with the National Trust’s Christmas shop for my knitters:

If you’re also a sucker for this kind of commercial, you can see a whole playlist of them from around the world here or just the U.K. ones. I might be inclined to set the playlists running while I was wrapping gifts, as something festive in the background, but not so distracting that I’d get sucked in for long periods of time.

Have you seen any Christmas commercials that you’ve loved so far this year?

Rudi at Random Duck likes to balance my bonhomie-filled belief in the transformative power of Christmas with the power of laughter and parody (although it should be pointed out that the first dvd he picked for this season was The Holiday).

Today, he’s got a series of laugh-out-loud, skewering holiday skits and performances to start off your Thursday.

Thanks, hon!