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Month: December 2020

Christmas Decorations you didn’t know Existed

Christmas is one of those times of years where many people get to show off their decorative talents for just a few weeks. In some neighborhoods it has become a competition and in other places the lights come out as early as possible and can be seen glowing far into January of the next year. Most of these decorations are your standard lights, blow up yard decorations, roof top Santa accompanied by his reindeer and of course your manger scenes. Sometimes you may see someone step out of the box a little and put Santa on a Harley-Davidson or add some Charlie Brown flare to the yard decorations but there are some Christmas decorations that are so far out there, we decided to make a list of the craziest ones we could find.

10-foot Frosty the Snowman projector

Sure, everyone no-a-days are putting inflatable decorations in their yards, but who has a 10-foot Frosty the Snowman? Not many I am sure and even if they do have one, I wonder if it would play different scenes from the 1969 classic! Available at hammacher.com, this amazing decoration doesn’t need a magic hat to come to life, just plug it in and watch the fun begin. Might want to keep any rabbits away from it however, I mean, it is very durable, but a rabbit may be able to chew right through this thing. Just a suggestion.

Christmas Vacation Inflatable “Family Truckster”

From one classic to another, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation is a movie that deserves an 8-foot inflatable lawn decoration. This family truckster comes complete with everything you need minus the Jelly of the Month Club and chainsaw! Just think about the neighbors getting out of their car and seeing you put this beautiful decoration up. Where are you going to put a decoration that big?

5-foot Tall Stocking

When you have been extra bad and Santa is bringing in a dump truck load of coal, you’ll need an extra-large stocking to hold it all. That’s where Walmart has you covered! This 5-foot-tall stocking can be yours for only $24.62 on the Walmart website! The great news is, it can also double as a sleeping bag if you lock yourself in the attic by accident while the family is out doing some shopping!

4-Foot-High Major Award

It is time you are the envy of the neighborhood with this major award! Place this beautiful peace of art in your window for all to see for the low price of $199.99 on redriderleglamps.com. Think of how many dads across the country have always wanted a major award like this one! You could be the talk of the town, I know the Bumpuses dogs would be howling with jealousy. Hopefully you will not shoot your eye out before getting a good look at this lamp!

6.5 Ft Animatronic Krampus

Nothing screams Christmas like this 6.5 Ft half-goat, half-demon with glowing eyes, howling sounds and movement from side to side just waiting to snatch up any bad little kids and throw them in his bag. Why would you go the traditional route with old saint nick, when you can crank things up a few notches with old Krampus here. There will not be a single car that drives by that does not notice what you have in your front yard, I guarantee it! It’s not Christmas until the fat man screams.

Sh*ters Full Santa

When you have to go, you have to go. Think about all of the millions of houses that saint nick goes to every Christmas, has a single one of them left the bathroom open and ready for Santa to possibly leave his coal? I think not! When nature calls Santa has to do what he can to relive himself and that is why this inflatable outhouse is a great buy. Don’t do it for you, do it for Santa. Available on Walmart for $99, it’s a small price to pay for one’s comfort.

Hippie Santa

“Make Nice, Not Naughty” is this laid-back dude’s motto. Who wouldn’t want some Jerry Garcia Santa sneaking in your house at night leaving you little presents? For this Santa, you may want to leave a little something extra in with his cookies when he stops by if you know what I mean. Naughty or Nice, this Santa will abide.

So, there you have it folks, a list made up of some of the weirdest (but honestly best) Christmas decorations you can get today. Of course, we could not fit all of the crazy and absurd decorations on this list, you may have noticed we left off any dinosaur inflatables which seem to be a big hit now for some reason. In our research for these decorations, we came across some completely outlandish Christmas decorations however if you are just putting Santa on top of your roof and having some yellow Christmas lights shower down from him in an inappropriate manner, that doesn’t count. We hope everyone has a happy and safe Christmas this year, thanks for stopping by and don’t forget your Jelly of the Month club certificate on the way out, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.

Written exclusively for our company by Jacob Ruble

Source – CoolMambo.com

December 28, 2020
Most Overrated Christmas Movies

One of the greatest joys of Christmas is cuddling up on the couch with someone you love and letting the time slip by while enjoying a Christmas themed movie. There are many so many classics it is not always easy to choose which one to watch, there is National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Home Alone and even Die Hard for those looking to stretch the boundaries of what classifies a Christmas movie. Going over the list of what makes up “the best” Christmas movies there are in fact many that we feel do not belong. This is our list of the most overrated Christmas movies that you could skip this holiday and still be okay.

Jingle All the Way

In 1996 the one thing everyone wanted for Christmas was to see the world’s biggest action hero play the role of…clueless father. Oh, did I get that wrong? Jingle All the Way had all ingredients to make a hit movie, hit stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rita Wilson, Sinbad and Phil Hartman, producer Chris Columbus and director Brian Levant (well, maybe not Levant so much) unfortunately even with all of this behind it, what we end up with is a loud Christmas movie that is trying way too hard to become a classic. The entire film is about how a workaholic father (Schwarzenegger) is doing his best to win over the love of his son with the most sought-after toy of the holiday season, Turbo-Man. Unfortunately, he is in a fight to the finish to find the last toy against a mailman (Sinbad) and the two come to blows in some of the strangest ways. Even though many have come to think of this as a Christmas classic, I feel it is mostly due to a nostalgic love for the film.

The Polar Express

Considered by some to be the end all be all Christmas movie, The Polar Express is one of the most overrated Christmas movies of all time. At the time of the film’s release (2004) not many movies had the CGI approach that Robert Zemeckis was shooting for. The film, based off of a children’s book from the 80s with the same name, ends up having some very strange and soulless scenes that makes it difficult for the viewers to relate to. Even with Tom Hanks playing multiple roles (in a creepy way to be honest) this movie could not be saved. The fact that so many people flock to this film every December is perhaps the strangest part. We understand that the film took some amazing leaps for its time and there are some pretty heart felt scenes however, this does not mean it deserves to be on the “best of” list for Christmas movies.

The Santa Clause 3

The Santa Clause movies with Tim Allen are on all accounts, good movies, well the first two are at least. The first film in the series was clever and had some really great writing, not to mention Tim Allen’s acting was spot on for the role. One would think then if you add the legendary actor Martin Short the film has to be a success. Unfortunately, what we end up with is a grab bag of overdone jokes and poorly executed comedy. Martin Shorts character Jack Frost is supposed to be this criminal mastermind however it is not only unconvincing but over written and the slapstick style clashes with the rest of the film. The fact that this film is said to be a great Christmas movie is solely because it is part of the Santa Clause trilogy. Some films should stick with what works and not try adding too many components to what is already working.

Christmas with the Kranks

It may seem like we are just picking on Tim Allen at this point but that’s not the case, we love Tim Allen, it’s just that sometimes even actors we love take roles in rough movies. Christmas with the Kranks should have been one of the best Christmas movies ever made with the stars like Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, Cheech Marin and M. Emmet Walsh steering the ship, not to mention Chris Columbus being the screen writer! However, what we end up with is a stale movie trying its hardest to be a cult classic and falling way short. This is a movie that I really want to like, I actually feel for Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis in their roles as a couple who just wants to skip the Christmas traditions and have a sunny vacation against the wishes of their friends and neighbors who want to hold onto the neighborhood traditions.

Fred Claus

The premise of Fred Claus is as ridiculous as casting Paul Giamatti as the jolly fat man himself. Vince Vaughn stars as the older brother of Santa himself who has made a few bad bets and needs to come up with some major cash to get his life back on track. When he calls to ask his brother, you know Santa, for a loan, Santa says he will give him the money if he comes and helps out at the North Pole. The movie has a decent cast with even Ludacris making a weird appearance, but not even Elizabeth Banks could keep the movie afloat. One of the hardest things to get past in this movie is Paul Giamatti playing Santa, or the fact that Santa has the kind of cash where he can loan out 50k to his older brother. The writing is extremally forgettable and some of the acting seems phoned in. This movie should be a big pass on your holiday watch list, no matter how much you love Vince Vaughn and Christmas.

Written exclusively for our company by Jacob Ruble

Source – CoolMambo.com

December 28, 2020
7 Board Games to Play with Your Family This Holiday

The holiday season has many perks and one of the best ones is spending time with your family. Family traditions and activities should be something we all look forward to all year long. Maybe your favorite thing is to cuddle up on the couch and watch your favorite Christmas movies or sit around a fire with hot chocolate and tell stories. One of my favorite traditions is to get the entire family together and break out the boardgames. We are always collecting board games throughout the year and sometimes it is hard to find the time to play them so when our winter break comes along it is the perfect time to get into some of our favorite ones and maybe learn a few new ones. If this sounds like the perfect tradition for you and your family take a look at 7 board games, we think you should play this holiday season.

Tis The Season

What is better than watching your favorite Christmas movies together as a family? How about playing a trivia game about your favorite Christmas movies to show your family you have more knowledge than they do! Tis The Season has sold MILLIONS of copies and covers movies like It’s a Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Elf, A Christmas Story, The Grinch, Nightmare Before Christmas and many more. Each card has different Christmas trivia not only about movies but also Christmas songs, Christmas traditions and even some Christmas carol trivia.

Sequence

Not all games that are gun to play around Christmas is going to be themed around Christmas, if that was the case this would be a shorter list because there are only so many GOOD Christmas themed games. All a game really has to be in order for it to be fun around the holidays is, well be fun of course. Some of the most fun you can have playing a board game can be had playing the game Sequence. This game can be played with 2-12 players and is a fantastic strategy game that is fun for all ages. The box says 7 and up but we have played this with our son who is 5 and he loved it, he just needed a little help in some areas. There is a variant however that is strictly for kids, but I feel if you are wanting to have fun with the entire family it is easier to just show the kids how to play the original. Easy to learn and hours of fun this is our go to yearlong but especially when everyone is over for the holidays.

Ticket To Ride: Nordic Countries

Ticket to Ride has been a go to family game since its original release in 2004 and with many different expansions it continues to grow as a favorite. We suggest if you are going to play a Ticket to Ride this holiday, you should check out Nordic Countries! This expansion has a beautiful board and will make you feel like drinking some hot coco and relaxing by a fire. This version of the game was released in 2007 and can be played by 2-3 players.

Disney’s Villainous

If you love Disney movies this is going to be your new favorite game! Disney’s Villainous is a 2-6 player game where each person controls a villain from a different Disney movie. Each villain has their own villain deck, fate deck, a player board and a small character to move across the player board. The wonderful thing about this game is the replay value of it. Each villain has its own way of winning so if you change your character each game, it will be completely different. Disney is still coming out with expansion packs so at the moment there are around 18-20 different villains you can choose from, including the marvel movies. I for one am hoping there is a Star Wars expansion coming soon!

Betrayal at House on the Hill

So, this may not be on any other Christmas lists, but Betrayal at House on the Hill is one of the best board games I have ever played, and I will push it as much as I can! This game can be played with 3-6 players (or even 2 players if you get creative) and is an adventure horror game that can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to play. Each player will journey through a mansion and reveal room tiles as they go. The mansion will be different each time since the tiles are randomly chosen. Players start out playing co-op however eventually the “Haunt” will begin, and everything changes with one player turning traitor against the others. This is such a fun game and if it is a little intimidating for first time gamers or a younger crowd, check out the Scooby Doo variant!

Truth or Dare Jenga

Jenga is already a super fun party game and truth or dare is a game we have all played so what happens when you marry the two together? You get a laugh filled party game that is fun for everyone. This can be played with 2-8 players and takes about 20 minutes per game. The gameplay is the same as the original game but with 2/3 of the blocks colored with truth or dare questions on it. The remaining blocks can be written on with a washable marker so players can make up their own.

Christmas-opoly

No family game night would be complete without monopoly. This is typically the last game the family plays because it will end in a fight where you curse your Grandma and swear to never talk to your cousins again. We felt we would end our game list with the game to end all game nights, but with a twist. Perhaps adding some Christmas cheer to the game will keep your family from going at each other’s throats, or maybe this will be the game to push you over the edge and finally move to Arizona like you’ve been wanting, either way this 2-6 player game is perfect for you and your family!

Written exclusively for our company by Jacob Ruble

Source – CoolMambo.com

December 28, 2020
How to Find Peace When Alone

For a lot of people, the holidays are the most special time of the year. It is a time to escape the regular day-to-day life and relax with friends and family. It can be a very relaxing time and bring happiness sharing gifts and love. However, for some of us it is a reminder that we do not have friends and family. We do not have that escape or joy of giving and receiving gifts. We don’t know what it is like to kiss the one we love at the stroke of midnight, we are alone.

The word alone itself cuts like a knife when we read it. There is little joy in the word and even less peace to some. How can we have any peace when we are alone? Solitude is a form of punishment in many prisons the world over, so it is safe to say that being with one’s self in an isolated situation has to be anything but peaceful. But what if we were able to find peace in everything, especially when we are alone. In those moments of complete self-isolation when our only companion is our thoughts. What if those moments where some of our most peaceful?

There must be something to spending time alone to find peace seeing how for centuries mankind has had trials and retreats searching for that inner peace. Many Native American tribes will send a young man out on his own to see what kind of man he will be when he returns. It is said that in those moments alone, he will find who he truly is What can be more peaceful than that?

Traditions unfortunately are a dying art these days. Maybe that is part of the issue, that we do not have a road map for our lives. Regardless what the issue is, there must be a way of being alone without being lonely.

Loneliness is that feeling we get when we are alone and think that no one is thinking or cares about us in that moment. It is a mental state because we can honestly be in a room full of people and still feel that tug of loneliness, that feeling that no one in this room is even thinking or caring about me in this moment. Where is the peace in those moments?

Let’s start breaking these situations down. For the most part, when we feel this loneliness creep in, especially around the holidays, it is when we are at home alone when everyone else is with loved ones. It is hard not to think about what others have and we lack. The thing we want to do the most is stay in bed and dwell on the depression. This is a trap! Staying in bed will only make things worse. It is best to get out and have an experience. Plan ahead! If we know we are going to be alone on the holidays, lets plan a trip and go someplace we have always wanted to go. Better yet, lets pick a place that we feel connected to and do some inner searching. For me, I would choose the mountains of Tennessee. I would rent a cabin for the weekend and do some hiking and soul searching, peace will not come to us, we need to go out and search for it! Perhaps your peace lives on the beach listening to the waves crash against the shore. Nothing can keep you from the peace you seek so go out and get it!

Another situation we find ourselves feeling lonely is when we are at gatherings and notice or FEEL no one cares about me in the moment. Not a single person is even thinking about me or would notice if I just left. In a lot of these situations, it is untrue, we are isolating ourselves due to inner conflict that we are projecting out to those around us. In these situations, it is best to find the person you feel most connected to there and for yourself to have a conversation with them. In doing so, most of the time, we will find that forcing this connection immediately fixes our issue with loneliness.

But we are talking about getting this peace when we are alone, totally alone. How do we find this peace? To be completely honest, your peace is going to be found in a different area than my peace. For me, when I am alone and feeling the loneliness creep in on me, I will put on an album, light some candles or incense and get lost in my mind. I will think about the things I have accomplished and dream about those I wish to accomplish. I make my thoughts, my dreams and aspirations my company. This may not be your trail to peace, but I did not find my peace on the first try. I tried lots of things when I was alone to silence the screams of loneliness. I tried hobbies, exercise, writing and even video games. These all helped a little, but I still wasn’t finding an over whelming peace.

When it comes down to it, you will find your peace when you start to search yourself. Just like a young man going on his vision quest, so you too must search for who you are and where your peace lives. Is it on a beach or in the mountains? Is it next to a creek or even on a park bench watching strangers pass you by? You have to search for it, make an effort and when you find it, keep the trail of how you got there close by.

Written exclusively for our company by Jacob Ruble

Source – CoolMambo.com

December 28, 2020
3 Essential Bushcraft Skills Everyone Should Know

The game of “What If” is a game most people do not want to play. It is never fun to play out worst case scenarios in your mind, but the fact of the matter is, it could save your life one day. Do you have a spare tire, a jack and set of jumper cables in the trunk of your car? Hopefully you do and if so, that is a step in the right direction for being prepared. Everyone should have these things with them but there are some other tools and skills you should know in order to prepare for a worst-case scenario situation. There are many different situations you can find yourself in where these skills will come in handy and in the end, it feels good knowing that your life is in your control at all times. There are many books available on the market today that can teach you bushcraft skills (the one I recommend for beginners is “Bushcraft 101: A Field Guide to the Art of Wilderness Survival” By Dave Canterbury and also “How To Stay Alive In The Woods” By Bradford Angier) and you can also glean a lot of wisdom from YouTube videos but I suggest, if you are wanting to learn the most about bushcraft, finding a local class where you can get hands on training. Until you get into that class however here are three skills, we think are essential to get you started in bushcraft survival.

How to Start a Fire

Fire is one of the most essential things you will need if you are in a survival situation. With fire you are able to keep your core temperature where it needs to be, boil water to ensure it is safe to drink, cook any meat you are able to harvest and also help keep out predators and pest such as mosquitos. I think it goes without saying that the best way to ensure this is something you are always able to do is have some sort of “fire starter kit” with you EDC (every day carry or essentials for survival you have on you every day). A kit could be anything from a book of matches, a lighter or for more seasoned survivalist perhaps some flint and steel with some cotton balls, but not everyone will have these tools on them at all times. What options are there if you do not have any of these tools available? There are a number of ways to naturally start a fire and I suggest looking up articles like “How to Start a Fire Without a Match” on artofmanliness.com, but I am going to focus on my favorite method and that is the Bow Drill. This is a very simple and effective way to start a friction fire. The basics are a socket (a piece of stone or wood used to put pressure on the top of the spindle while you spin), a bow (a piece of wood that has a slight curve and is roughly the size of your arm. The wood has a string of some sort that will wrap around the spindle. The string must be strong enough to spin without breaking), a fireboard (a flat piece of wood with a small notch cut into it with tinder underneath), and a spindle (a nice round stick that the string will wrap around). The idea is to create an ember in the tinder under your fireboard from spinning the spindle bac and forth using the bow over and over again. Once this is perfected, it is a lot of fun and very rewarding to accomplish.

How to Find Water

The first thing you need to do is really a toss-up between the fire and searching for water and it really depends on the situation you are in for which one should come first. If you are in a situation where you feel you will need to boil your water or you have the materials on hand to start a fire easily, go ahead and get your fire going so it is burning while you are out searching for water, in some situations it will also help you find you camp again if you get turned around while out. However, if you are worried you will not have time to start your fire AND search for water before night fall, water is your number one priority. A quick note, no matter how clean the water may look, always filter it in some way. There are a lot of filter straws you can purchase now to make a part of your EDC or you can simply find a way to boil it over your fire. The route you choose to look for water should depend on the climate and situation you are in, however here are a few quick tips for finding water in the wilderness.

1. Become aware of your surroundings and see if there is a lake, river or stream nearby. A lot of times you can hear water or in some situations you can ever smell the water. A lot of animal trails will also eventually lead you to water.

2. Look for a wet area on the ground or side of a hill and dig. This is one of the easiest and fastest ways to locate water near your camp.

3. Set up a rain catch of some sort to collect rainwater. This could be with any containers you have (or have found near camp) or if you have a large cloth or tarp you can always stretch that out with the two back corners higher than the two front corners to create a slide for water to collect in some sort of catch.

4. Another quick and easy way depending on your environment is to simply melt snow. Just keep in mind that you will need to melt a lot of snow because most will evaporite during the process.

These of course are only a few ideas however there are many more ways to find water in the wilderness so do some research and find out what you feel will work best for your situation.

How to Build a Shelter

Along with fire and water, shelter is one of those essentials that will ensure you are not only safe from the elements but also able to get the rest you need in order to make the trek back to safety or wait for rescue. There are more ways than I can count on how to make a shelter and if you have the time, get lost on YouTube watching all the amazing designs people come up with when they are making an emergency shelter in the wilderness. The fact is you need to find a way to get out of the elements and in most situations (not all of course) there will be trees and vegetation

around where you can stack some fallen trees and limbs up to create a small tent shape and then cover the sticks and trees with sod, moss and/leaves that are around you to be sure no weather can get in. It is always smart to build your shelter in a way that you are able to stay close to your fire while keeping a safe understanding that fire WILL burn your shelter down if you are not careful. Take the time to study several different types of shelters and build some in your backyard to get an understanding on what will work and what will lead to disaster.

Really when it comes down to it, water, fire and shelter are your three main needs when in a survival situation. That is why we chose these three skills everyone should know in case they find themselves in a worst-case scenario where they need to survive. Food would be your next task in this situation which would bring us to weapons and tools depending on how long you are out in the wilderness. If this is something you are serious about (and we all should be) I suggest finding some YouTube videos and some bushcraft skills books as soon as possible. The last thing you want is to find yourself in this situation and think “I wish I would have taken a little time to watch a YouTube video so I would be more prepared for this”.

Written exclusively for our company by Jacob Ruble

Source – CoolMambo.com

December 21, 2020
Four Ways You Can Use Mother Nature’s Sacred Herb

Most, if not all, San Francisco recreational dispensaries consider cannabis to be a plant to be used mainly for pleasure and enjoyment. We, on the other hand, consider it to be nature’s sacred gift to humanity.

Ganja has a lot of ways through which it can be of benefit to man. When you come to our San Francisco dispensary, we not only provide a safe space for ganja to be smoked and used in harmony, we also show you the different ways each one of our cannabis products can improve your life.

1.    For Spiritual Growth

This is one of the few things that sets us apart from any other Recreational dispensary in San Francisco. We are advocates of spiritual discovery and believe that weed is the holy sacrament that puts us in a more receptive state, where we are open to the supreme being. Weed is an Entheogen for the divine within us; it “makes God come into being.” Weed aids meditation and is a huge component of our religious ceremonies. We’re a religious assembly, and we acknowledge the importance of ganja to man, but we don’t consider it to be an object of worship.

2.    For Healthy Benefits

This is one of the most common and accepted uses of cannabis, with different states having different laws guiding its usage. We strongly believe that one can enjoy a healthier life when he/she chooses to make cannabis an active part of their health regime. Whether you choose to use ganja as a sacred herb or for relaxation, you’d still enjoy the health benefits of ganja. At our San Francisco cannabis recreational dispensary, we have a variety of products and oils that can be used for various health purposes.

3.    For Relaxation and Meditation

All thanks to the psychoactive components of cannabis, it acts as a stress reliever. When using cannabis for recreational and medicinal purposes, its psychoactive components help to get rid of stress and anxiety. This not only helps our members avoid illnesses like High Blood Pressure, but it also helps us have a more relaxed and better approach to life as a whole. We also encourage the use of cannabis in meditation, as it helps us get into a much more serene state of mind and get the most out of each session.

4.    For Skin and Hair Treatment

Cannabis can be used for both skin and hair care. For some, using our oils as a hair treatment has gotten them some amazing results. Cannabis helps increase blood flow in the scalp, which helps strengthen the hair follicles and prevent hair breakage. On the other hand, when our oils are used topically as a skincare routine, they help combat acne and leave the skin looking younger and radiant. Since the application is topical, it also helps relieve you of body pain and inflammation.

Written exclusively for our company by Sherise

Source – CoolMambo.com

December 18, 2020
Seven Reasons Why New Year Resolutions don’t stick

We have all being there. Writing down a list of New Year resolutions, sticking to them for the first few weeks or months at most, and then forgetting that the plan even exists. Ever wondered why this happens?

In this article, we have highlighted various reasons why your New Year resolutions do not stick. We also went further to give practical solutions to how to fix this problem. If this is what you would like to learn, kindly scroll down and keep reading.

Here are the Top 7 Reasons Why New Year Resolutions Fail to Stick

1. Having a List of ‘Whats’ without ‘Whys’

One of the reasons your New Year resolutions don’t stick is that you certainly know what you want but fail to think of why you want those things.

When making resolutions in the New Year, think deeply, and be sure why you want the things you are about to write down. Be true to yourself.

2. Putting in Half-Hearted Attempts

Experiencing a change is only half of the story. First, you need to be ready to change. Your heart needs to be in sync with what you ultimately want.

Saying you want to lead a healthier lifestyle when your heart is not in won’t help you achieve it. You have to be down for your resolutions. 

3. Your Resolutions Lack Plans/Goals

We’re all familiar with the saying thatIf you fail to plan, you plan to fail. But as cliché as the statement may sound, its meaning is golden. Without a plan, the results of your resolutions will likely not be in view. 

However, when planning, you need to make the right plan. Later on in this article, we have discussed the right way to create the right strategy or goal.

4. Lack of Self-Tracking

It is hard to know whether you are making progress if you are not tracking your progress. Today, there are tons of apps out there that can help you track your fitness journey, spending, and more.

Monitoring your progress as you go would help you overcome potential barriers and motivate you to keep going. 

5. Being Overconfident

While the lack of confidence is terrible for achieving goals, the presence of overconfidence can be even worse. When you have convinced yourself that achieving all your resolutions would be easy, you might get too relaxed and unprepared.  

Doing something you haven’t succeeded in doing before is hard. Accept this challenging part of the change and your weaknesses, and equip yourself to face your resolutions head-on.

6. Having SMART Resolutions

Your resolutions can be likened to goals. They are goals. And the efficient rule of achieving goals is to have SMART goals, with SMART being the acronym of the following:

S – Specific

M – Measurable

A – Achievable

R – Realistic

T – Time-Bound

Specific

Specific resolutions have higher chances of being achieved than general resolutions. Create sufficient details to avoid indecisions concerning precisely what you should be doing.

An instance of a general resolution would “Read more books this year,” on the other hand, a specific resolution would be “Read and complete 40 books this year by reading 3 chapters every day before bedtime.”

Measurable

Make resolutions with measurable progress. This is to enable you to see the changes as they occur. A measurable resolution must have a result that you can assess either on hit or miss, sliding scale (1-10), or pass or fail. 

Based on our earlier example, “Read and complete 40 books this year by reading 3 chapters every day before bedtime” would pass for a measurable resolution because you measure if you completed 3 chapters from a book per day.

Achievable

Achievable resolutions have realistic results, given your current social, economic, and time availability. Achieving solutions can be more of ‘stress’ if the product is challenging to begin with.

Again, from our earlier example, we resolved to read more. We planned on doing this by reading 3 chapters every day. To check if this resolution is achievable, you have to ensure if reading 3 chapters per day is possible for you. If not, then this would not pass for an attainable resolution.

Realistic 

Take baby-steps on what you can and will do, and experience the glee of meeting your resolutions. Based on your daily schedule, is reading 3 chapters every day realistic for you? Will reducing the number of chapters to 2 seem more practical for you? If so, tweak it to fit the reality of things.

N.B

This doesn’t mean that you should go below what you can handle. The idea is to make your resolutions more realistic.

Time-Bound

Aside from the fact that your resolutions can be likened to goals, some goals come under each resolution. You can break these goals down into bits and achieve a single resolution by attaching timeframes to each of these bits. 

From our example, if most of the books you’ve set out to read have between 35 to 40 chapters. It means that you need about a week to complete a book and 3 months to complete 12 books. In this way, you should give a time-bound of altogether 12 books in every quarter of the year. And before the end of the year, you should have completed the entire 40 books. 

7. Lack of Self-Believe

Sometimes, just a pat on your back by yourself can keep you going. As you progress in your goals and resolutions, congratulate yourself and tell yourself that you’ve got this.

While you shouldn’t laze around instead of working towards achieving your resolutions, you want to encourage yourself to keep going. If all you did during the week was read a chapter every day, despite your goal was to read 3 chapters, don’t beat yourself up. Dust yourself, encourage yourself, and try again. 

You should do this because most people actually startup well but fall along the way. However, little encouragement here and there have ways of putting you back on track.

Conclusion

Writing down goals and resolutions that you would like to see happen is only a part of the story. To see all of your resolutions come in view, there are ways to go about it, including knowing why you want that change, creating the right plans, monitoring your progress, having SMART resolutions, and believing in yourself.

Written exclusively for our company by Sherise

Source – CoolMambo.com

December 18, 2020
Five Most Visited Countries in December

It is the holiday season! Quite many people choose to spend the Christmas holidays at home with families and friends. On the other hand, most persons prefer to travel away from home, either alone or with family and friends. 

If you fall into the latter category and need options to choose from, this article is undoubtedly for you. We have put together the top five places to consider this holiday. Continue reading to learn about the five most visited countries in December.

Top Five Most Visited Countries during the Christmas Holidays

1. Paris, France

Paris is one of the most visited places in December. Paris is the cultural capital of France. There are fantastic ways people experience the wonder of the city in December. Some of which include its music, and art, and flavorful cuisine. You want to find yourself touring through the city’s charming ancient architecture.

Some of the events to look out for include: 

* Christmas Window Displays

* Champs-Elysées

* Ice Skating Rinks

* Christmas Village in Trocadero

* Africolour Music Festival

Below are highlights of the things that makes Paris unique in December

* Louvre

* The Eiffel Tower 

* Seine Dinner Cruise

* Sainte Chapelle Christmas Concerts

* Disneyland Paris Christmas

* Moulin Rouge Show with Champagne

Paris has various budget-friendly hotels, both for travelers and tourists. Travelers get around Paris with the help of an excellent public transport system that makes connectivity in the city possible.

The temperature in December has lows of 4 degrees Celsius and highs of 8 degrees celsius. 

2. Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai is another city that is most visited and explored in December. A lot of people choose Dubai for the many beauties it possesses. It holds the world’s second-biggest mall, the world’s tallest building, a man-made island, and lots more. Dubai speaks luxury! December in Dubai bursts with festivals and fun activities. This makes it the perfect time to visit. 

Some of the events to look out for include:

* National Day Festival

* DJs on Ice 

* Dubai Shopping Festival 

* Jingle Bell Rock

* Burj Khalifa NY Lights 

* Cirque De Glace

What makes Dubai special?

* The La Perle show

* The glamorous Garden Glow recreational park

* Dinner in the sky

* The La Mer experience

* The Dhow Cruise

* Desert Safari

* Skydive

* The flying Cup

* Hot Air Balloon

Dubai, famous for hospitality, offers various accommodation options, from budgeted hotels to super-luxurious ones and Airbnbs throughout the city.

Dubai’s weather in December is mostly sunny during the day and chilly in the evenings.

Commuting across the city is most convenient using taxis. These taxis can be hired via an app – RTA Smart Taxi – or be hailed from Dubai’s streets. 

While taxis can be quite expensive, they offer comfort. Commuting is also possible by buses. They charge far lower fees. Some of these buses are equipped with Wi-Fi and are also comfortable. 

However, the most budget-friendly commuting system is via the Dubai metro. They run above the ground, giving passengers a fabulous view of the city.

3. Budapest, Hungary

Yet another place most visited in December in Budapest. This city in Hungary provides a fantastic winter experience. In December, this city’s beauty includes its display of fairytales caused by the covering of snow enwrapping its symbolic architecture. 

Budapest is one of the most visited places in December for all of the right reasons. People are either taking magical rides on the city’s symbolic tram, moving from one Christmas market to another or, ice-skating. The festive spirit floats in the air, and there is no backing off.

Some of the events you should expect are:

* Open Air Winter Festival, Mupa

* Budapest Christmas Fair, Vorosmarty Square

* Skating in the City Park

* New Year Bath Party

* Arrebatate 3 Cuban New Year Festival

* WAMP Design and Gastro Fair

Below are some of the things that make Budapest special in December

* Danube Bend Tour

* Gellért Spa

* Guided Tour of Buda

* Guided Tour of Pest

* Danube River Cruise

* Budapest Parliament Tour

* Hop-on Hop-off Tour

Being one of the coldest cities in Europe, the persistent weather in Budapest in December is cold, going as low as -1 degrees Celsius at night. However, the city witnesses some sunshine in the afternoons, with a temperature of about 4 degrees Celsius. 

There are several excellent hotel choices to make, according to your budget. Thankfully, because of the low tourist season, there are great discounts on accommodations in December.

4. Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona is mostly visited in December. This city in December is simply glamorous, oozing out its authentic traditional glory. If this is what you would like, December is undoubtedly the month for you to visit Barcelona. 

In December, the streets of this city are adorned for the Christmas celebrations. Travelers and tourists enjoy the opportunity of visiting their preferred attractions with minimal or no crowds. 

Some of the events to expect in Barcelona, Spain, are as follows:

* Montjuic Magic Fountain

* Ice Skating In Plaza Catalunya

* Circ Raluy

* Christmas Enlightenments

* Fira De Nadal Sagrada Familia

* Holy Innocents’ Day

What makes Barcelona special?

* Park Guell

* Sagrada Familia

* Poble Espanyol

* Casa Vicens

* Casa Batlló

* Barcelona Food Tour

* Casa Mila

* The Walk around Las Ramblas and Barri Gòtic

* Flamenco Barcelona famous dance

* Teleferic De Montjuic lift

During the winter, Barcelona’s temperature in December does not fall too low because of the sea’s warming effects. It sees lows of 6 degrees Celsius and highs of 16 degrees Celsius throughout the month. 

5. Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is another place that is most visited during the Christmas holidays. This city has a list of endless reasons why people often visit in December. 

Prague is full of pretty sights, which are better explored during this time of the year. From amazing shows to Christmas markets, there are so many activities to indulge in. 

Some of the events to look out for include:

Christmas Markets

Tutankhamen Real Experience

The Nutcracker at Hybernia Theatre

Mikuláš

Highlights of some of the things that makes Prague special

* Tour 4 Charity – See the Best of Prague

* Day Trip to Kutna Hora

* Beer Tour of Prague

* Dancing House

* Prague National Museum

* Vltava River Cruise

* Old Town and Jewish Quarter

In Prague, December happens to be the coldest month of the year. Temperature averagely stays at 0 degrees Celsius, having lows of -2 degrees Celsius and highs of 2 degrees Celsius. There are about 2 hours of sunshine daily, with a high chance of snow.

Conclusion

While some persons spend the Christmas holidays in their cities, others prefer to explore other cities. And there are great cities to explore, especially during the Christmas holidays. Countries such as Hungary, Spain, UAE, France, and the Czech Republic are among the top-visited countries. If you require options to choose from, we hope that our article has provided you with some options. 

Written exclusively for our company by Sherise

Source – CoolMambo.com

December 18, 2020
Five Productive Things that can be done with the Holidays

Even though the Christmas holiday is a period to take time off work, celebrate and spend time with loved ones. You can as well be productive in many different ways. Productive things that will undoubtedly not drain you, but instead, give you feelings of exhilaration. 

We have thoughtfully highlighted various things. Our article has been written to teach you productive things that you can during the holidays. If this is what you would like to learn, continue reading. 

Here are Five Productive Activities to Indulge in during the Holidays

1. Declutter

When speaking of decluttering, it involves cleaning both the material things we possess, our minds, and generally anything that no longer serves us. Decluttering simply means removing unnecessary items from a crowded area. This area can represent your closet, your device’s memory space, your home in general, and your mind. It is a form of self-care.  

During the holidays, this is undoubtedly one productive thing you should do. The benefits of this activity go beyond just having a well tidy space. It improves your overall well being by helping you gain control over your physical space, stuff, and your life. And aside from the benefits you will get from this activity. Others will also benefit from it. Some of the items that might not seem to serve you anymore will put smiles on others’ faces.   

Some of the things to consider decluttering this holiday include:

* Your mind. Consciously clear your mind from negative and draining thoughts.

* Declutter your smartphone.

* Expired medicines

* Never-used and expired makeup, bath, hair, and body products. 

* Unused towels

* Unused cleaning supplies

* Books you are sure of never reading again.

* Organize your email. Empty your spam, trash, and unwanted inbox

* Plastic storage cans and water bottles

* Clothes and shoes you haven’t worn in a while

* Expired and unused car maintenance tools

* Kitchen utensils

* Get rid of newspapers, magazines, and old calendars.

The list goes on and on. While we have not mentioned all of the things that you ought to declutter, the rule to this is that you are letting go of unnecessary items and tidying your space. 

2. Offer to Better Someone Else’s Christmas

This is one noble activity to do during the holiday. It is a productive activity that will bother to improve another person’s Christmas and leave you with fulfillment. 

Due to the situation of COVID-19, you might have minimal options. However, there are ways to go about it. Some homes need helping hands, orphanages, soup kitchens, and more. 

You can do this activity according to your budget. If your budget can cover for one person, it is magnificent, but if you can comfortably improve the Christmas of a dozen persons, why not? 

3. Create Thank-You Notes

All year-round, you probably have said tons of ‘Thank-You’ messages to a lot of persons via SMS, chats, and phone calls. But when last did you write an actual Thank-You note? 

The truth is, not many people do this. A lot of us do most of our communications with our smartphones and devices.  

During this holiday, include it in your list of activities. You want to ensure that you use sincere words that you mean. Genuinely show your gratitude with words. You can refer to different times when they helped you in one way or the other.  

Create a list of all the people who have assisted you in different ways all through the year. It might be your spouse, family members, colleagues, and neighbors. 

Write everyone on your list a Thank-You note – each of them. After that, either give the note to each of them in person or mail it to them.

4. Take Some You-Time

Ensure you don’t leave yourself out of the productive activities to do on this holiday. You have worked for a better part of this year. It is time for you to give yourself a treat. 

Giving you a treat can range from the big things to tiny conscious things. Get yourself a new and excellent haircut. Take yourself to the spa and get pampered. Buy yourself that gift you’ve always admired. Place an order on your favorite meal. Or simply just take a nice walk alone and have some You-Time. Read that book you’ve always wanted to but had no time for it. 

This activity might be the reset button you needed to begin the New Year.

5. Prepare for the Future

After December comes to a New Year, you want to strategize your New Year, have goals and resolutions written down, and plan for the future. This is an important productive activity to do during this holiday. You don’t want to start another year without planning how you intend for it to go.

However, when making resolutions and writing goals, you want to create SMART goals and resolutions.  You want to ensure that you are doing it the right way. This is because many resolutions don’t stick. And it happens for some reason. Learn about the reasons here and how to avoid them [Link]

Conclusion

Although the holiday is a time to relax, celebrate, catch up, and just breathe, you can be productive. There are various ways to go about this without draining you, nor giving you that feeling of ‘Work’. Some productive activities include Planning for the future, Creating Thank-You notes, Decluttering, improving someone else’s Christmas, and taking some You-Time. We hope that this article has given you informative tips on productive things to do during the holidays.

Written exclusively for our company by Sherise

Source – CoolMambo.com

December 18, 2020
Symptom or Cause? Bond film delay and the cinema industry

2020 has been a turbulent year for everyone, and the entertainment industry has been severely hampered by COVID-19 restrictions. This year has seen cinemas operated by British chain Cineworld closed indefinitely in the UK and US after a couple of false starts over the summer, and the new Bond Film ‘No Time to Die’ has been delayed from its original release for April 2020 multiple times, with the release now not scheduled until April 2021.

The cinema industry relies on blockbuster releases to keep it buoyant – these films are commonly referred to in the industry as ‘tent poles’ – they support the whole fabric of the cinema industry. So, the loss of a film from a key franchise such as Bond was a huge blow to cinemas.

It’s easy to point the finger of blame at the film studios – perhaps if ‘No Time to Die’ had been released in the autumn, then cinemas would not have been shuttered? However, it is worth pointing out that Christopher Nolan’s ‘Tenet’, released at cinemas in September 2020, and the first real ‘tent pole’ release since the pandemic hit, was largely considered to be a box office flop, with reports suggesting that Warner Bros lost around $100 million from the film. It was released at a time when many of Cineworld’s cinemas were still open, but with capacity restrictions in place due to social distancing, nervousness from cinemagoers about health risks, takings were hugely down on expectations.

The Bond film is not the only major cinematic release to be delayed – Wonder Woman: 1984, Marvel Studios’ Black Widow, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story and Kenneth Branagh’s Death of the Nile have all been postponed.

In a further blow to the cinema industry, Warner Bros has now announced that it will release a whole year’s worth of new film releases online at the same time as the cinematic release – a decision no doubt accelerated by the poor takings from ‘Tenet’. This wipes out a key competitive advantage that cinemas once had of being THE destination to watch a movie for the first time. Now that the genie is out of the bottle, it is going to be tough to get it back in again.

In more positive news, Cineworld has managed to secure a $750m of funding to help keep the business afloat until cinemas reopen in 2021, as well as negotiating rent deals with many of its landlords. Cineworld shares increased in value by 20% when the news was announced, with the belief that this lifeline will allow it to capitalise on all those delayed film releases when they finally do come to cinemas. The most recent development is that Cineworld bosses have now announced that they will open UK and US cinemas by March 2021, with the start of the rollout of the COVD-19 vaccinations giving cinema-goers greater confidence to return to watch films on the big screen.

‘No Time to Die’ will no doubt be a huge part of cinema bosses’ plans – just as it was heralded as a key cause of the struggles of the cinema industry, it may well end up being one of its saviours. There is something unashamedly nostalgic about Bond films – larger than life, full of adrenaline, sentimental in places, aspirational and a little bit silly if we’re honest, but that might be exactly what we all need as a bit of light relief! Let’s hope that cinemas are able to reassure the public that they can offer a COVID-secure environment in which to watch the film, while still making it a relaxing and enjoyable experience. And let’s hope that cinema goers realise that this could well be a case of ‘use it or lose it’.

According to a Cineworld spokesperson: “Big movies are made for the big screen and we cannot wait to reopen our cinemas in Q1 in order to offer our customers, as always, the best place to watch a movie.”

Regarding the Warner Bros move to release films simultaneously on digital and at the cinema for the time being, they added: “We believe that at such a time WB will look to reach an agreement about the proper window and terms that will work for both sides.”

So, the question is not who is to blame for the delay to the release of ‘No time to Die’ and the closure of many cinemas, but how can the industry as a whole work together to create a safe and enjoyable way of welcoming paying customers back to watch the blockbuster films that the industry relies on so much, so that cinemas do not become a thing of the past.

In the meantime, if you are craving your Bond fix, then the official website for the Bond franchise has news, interviews, podcasts, and Bond-themed gifts, including that must-have item, a bottle of ‘No Time to Die’ Bollinger champagne. Aspirational and a little bit silly? Maybe. But that embodies much of what is great about Bond – bring on April 2021, and fingers crossed for no further delays!

Written exclusively for our company by Sally Wood

Source – CoolMambo.com

December 14, 2020