Welcome to Day 20 of the Virtual Advent Tour!

Today the Virtual Advent Tour heads to Molly at my cozy book nook. Molly has written a post about her Christmas stocking tradition.

Thank, Molly, for the post and for taking part again in the Virtual Advent Tour!

In addition, I have a second treat for you: My awesome dad (who comments here as DOD) has written a guest post for us featuring a Christmas trivia game to challenge you. Put your holiday thinking caps on!:

You can hardly celebrate Christmas without music, but how much do we know about the songs we hear and love to sing? Here are iTunes’ top 20 downloaded songs of 2016 and the artists whose versions are currently the most popular. All you have to do is guess when they were written and whose versions brought the songs to our attention.

iTunes’ Top 20 downloaded songs of 2016

1. “Hallelujah” — Pentatonix
2. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — Mariah Carey
3. “Mary, Did You Know?” — Pentatonix
4. “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” — Trans-Siberian Orchestra
5. “Christmas Canon” — Trans-Siberian Orchestra
6. “Jingle Bell Rock” — Bobby Helms
7. “Last Christmas” — Wham!
8. “Feliz Navidad” — José Feliciano
9. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” — Brenda Lee
10. “Little Drummer Boy” — Pentatonix
11. “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” — Bruce Springsteen
12. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” — Pentatonix
13. “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” — Andy Williams
14. “Noel” — Chris Tomlin featuring Lauren Daigle
15. “Santa Tell Me” — Ariana Grande
16. “The Christmas Song” — Nat King Cole
17. “Underneath the Tree” — Kelly Clarkson
18. “O Come All Ye Faithful” — Pentatonix
19. “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” — Michael Bublé
20. “Silent Night” — Pentatonix

[Find the answers after the jump. -ed.] (more…)

Welcome to Day 19 of the Virtual Advent Tour!

It’s the final Monday before Christmas. I hope you’re winding down with your to-do lists. I seem to keep adding to mine, which do not include enough “veg out while listening to Christmas music” items and instead seem to either involve my being in different places at the same time or using my hands in vastly incompatible tasks. (Knitting and baking really don’t vie well for the same space and time).

Today the Virtual Advent Tour returns to Day 5 host, Kat, at As Kat Knits. Kat posts early in the morning, so I’ll update this post after I log back in. In the meantime, enjoy the mystery! Update: Kat shares some thoughts on seeking light at this dark time of the year.

Thank you once again, Kat, for helping out with the Virtual Advent Tour this year!

Check back here tomorrow for the next stop on the Virtual Advent Tour.

Welcome to Day 18 of the Virtual Advent Tour!

Today’s post comes from Tasha B (aka heidenkind) over at Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books. Tasha has some of her favorite Christmas albums to share, including a couple that are favorites of my family’s as well.

Thanks, Tasha, for taking part the Virtual Advent Tour again this year. It was great having you back!

Check back here tomorrow for the next stop on the Virtual Advent Tour. And if you’re interested in taking part in the tour, badges, details, and sign-up info can be found here. We’d love to have you participate.

Welcome to Day 17 of the Virtual Advent Tour!

Today’s post comes from Tami at Just One More Thing, who shares how her Christmas has changed the past few years and why that’s okay.

Thanks once again for taking part in the Virtual Advent Tour, Tami!

Check back here tomorrow for the next stop on the Virtual Advent Tour. And if you’re interested in taking part in the tour, badges, details, and sign-up info can be found here. We’d love to have you participate.

My weekend is looking very full, but I think that’s okay. I have a lot I’d like/need to get done, and Rudi is off in Pennsylvania for the first week of his team’s ski training. (He’s there right now, in fact, since winter weather was predicted to make the roads slick come morning.)

Here’s the to-do list:

• Go to the post office, the grocery store, and the library.
• Do laundry. (Most of the hand-knit socks are done; on to the stuff that needs to go into the washing machine!)
• Write Christmas cards.
• Complete a knitting project.
• Poach quince.
• Work on my holiday mix.
• Drink egg nog. (We polished off the light stuff from Trader Joes; but I’ve got a full-octane version from my local dairy. I expect it to be a sipping beverage.)
• Paint my nails.
• Wrap some gifts.
• Watch cheesy, made-for-tv Christmas movies. (Two down; more to go!)
• Hang up the Christmas cards we’ve received.
• Finish my shopping.
• Sleep.

I think it’s doable, but the amount of time I just sit idle watching those cheesy Christmas movies is going to have to be limited. Time to multi-task!

How about you? What are you hoping to accomplish this weekend?

Welcome to Day 16 of the Virtual Advent Tour!

Today on the tour, we head back to Beyond Strange New Words and Jo Kay, who has some beloved Christmas carols for us to listen to to help get in the holiday spirit.

Thanks once again, Jo!

Check back here tomorrow for the next stop on the Virtual Advent Tour. And if you’re interested in taking part in the tour, badges, details, and sign-up info can be found here. We’d love to have you participate.