This year, like many others before it, we visited the Grove Park Inn for lunch on Christmas Eve. Along with our cousins we paraded through the building admiring the ginger bread houses built by kids, teens, and adults. Every year, the Grove Park Inn hosts a National Ginger Bread House competition. The judges sort through the houses deciding which house deserves the title of Best Overall. When our tour was complete, we headed back to the restaurant for lunch. When it comes to lunch with fourteen people, ten of which are kids, the table is usually very loud. But since this restaurant is a buffet, everyone can get whatever they want, whenever they want. There's at least one thing I can be sure of, nobody left with an empty belly. 

Since Dad gets Christmas week off, our days have been filled with watching Christmas movies, long games of Monopoly and games in general. Tonight Mom and Dad surprised us with a trip to the bowling alley. Bowling is one of those things that I forget about doing but have really wanted to do for a while. It turns out that I wasn't as bad as thought I was going to be. Especially considering the fact that I wasn't using bumpers like my Mom and younger brothers. At least I didn't bowl a nine like Uncle Ron did when he was eight years old. My mom said that he stormed out of the building mad that she had beaten him when what he should have been crying about was his score. 

   Even though it's the middle of December, the temperature is just the same as it was four months ago. So much for a white Christmas. About two months ago, we did an Autumn poetry and tea get together with the Keigley's and the Woods. To welcome the "cold" weather, our friends the Bursches are hosting a Winter poetry and tea gathering. The only rules are to bring a poem and wintery treat.

   

   
   What started just seven years ago has now grown into an international phenomenon. In 2008, author Suzanne Collins published the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy. Set in a futuristic country, the Hunger Games series begins when the main character Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take her younger sister's (Primrose, played byWillow Shields)  place in the seventy-fourth annual hunger games. On March 23, 2012, the Hunger Games hit theaters across the globe. 

   Many will argue that the Mockingjay was the worst out of the three books. Which is probably why Mockingjay Part 1 faltered so badly. The failure made it even harder for director Francis Lawrence to pull off the final movie.

   Now, just three years later, the final installment to the series makes its debut to the big screens. Leading up to the release for the final Hunger Games, the headlines weren't as they should be. No one was anticipating the release like so many were a year ago. Instead news of the return to the galaxy far far away was roaring across the media. Even before its release Star Wars: The Force Awakens was smashing records.

   Mockingjay Part 2 begins where Part 1 left off. Katniss Everdeen is experiencing another one of Peeta Mellark's (Josh Hutcherson) feverish attacks on her. After his rescue from the capitol in the first part, Peeta is delirious and uncontrollable. Using Tracker-Jacker venom, the capitol managed to completely change his mind. Making it almost impossible to change him back to his normal self.

 
   As the war against the capital progresses, the rebels draw closer to overthrowing the totalitarian dictator President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Towards the beginning of the film, President Coin (Julianne Moore) sends Katniss, Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Peeta Mellark, Boggs (Mahershala Ali), Finnick O'Dair (Sam Claflin), and Cressida (Natalie Dormer) on a mission to destroy the capitol once and for all.

   As they draw closer to the capitol, the team face several intense obstacles like flame-throwing torches, armies of armed Peace Keepers, a giant wave of boiling tar, and vicious man-eating creatures.

   With its strong cast, this movie relays the emotions of every character with Katniss Everdeen leading the way. Personally I found this film very thought-provoking and moving. As for the ending, I found that it was slightly less like the happy ever after ending than the one I was hoping for. Only for a tragic series like this one, it would have been weird to have everything turn out perfectly. I guess it just shows you how fallen our world really is. 

   Once Thanksgiving day is over and the family has left, our family transitions over to the Christmas season. Over the past week our house has begun to transform into a winter wonderland of paper snowflakes and icicle lights. Tonight we're kicking off the start of the Christmas season by passing by Trailblazer Park to watch TR's Christmas tree lighting.

   After staying just long enough to watch Santa Claus throw his "magic dust" on the Christmas tree and make the lights appear, we headed over to a Christmas tree lot and picked out our tree. 

   As soon as we were back home, we wasted no time in bringing out our decorations.