1. WINIFRED SANDERSON

No one compares to the iconic Bette Midler character Winifred Sanderson. I was shocked to learn recently that apparently Hocus Pocus didn't actually get good reviews at first. It's so crazy to think this is now one of the hottest movies to watch around Halloween, and it's simply ICONIC!

2. SABRINA SPELLMAN

Paramount Plus has really helped me relive my childhood of watching Sabrina Spellman navigate life as a witch in the mortal world. I absolutely loved Melissa Joan Heart in this series, and it was just so relatable. I still love watching episodes of this show, especially if Salem is in them, because I always loved him!

3. THE HEX GIRLS

If you grew up in the 90s, you definitely saw this episode of Scooby Doo featuring the Hex Girls. They had this awesome song, which you can find on YouTube pretty easily.  They were so cool, and I remember thinking that I'd love to be that cool one day!

4. HERMIONE GRANGER

No one can deny that Hermione Granger is one of the best witches of all time. She is smart and kind and even funny sometimes! I love how she sticks up for her friends and gives her all to her studies. A great role model for young "witches" everywhere.

5. GRANDMA AGGIE

Aggie Cromwell will forever be one of my favorite witches. She is so funny and kind and helpful. She was the glue that kept the Cromwell family alive! I always laugh when she talks in the movie about using "instant" potion, instead of making things the long way!

6. SCARLET WITCH

Wanda's story is a sad one. From losing her parents at a young age, to later losing her brother and the love of her life, she has been through a lot. It is awesome to see how deep she loves Vision. She is also one of the most powerful witches on this list, so that's pretty cool, too.

7. URSULA THE SEA WITCH

This list can't be complete without Ursula the Sea Witch. My husband absolutely hates her, but she is honestly a plus size icon. Not to mention her role in the movie was to teach Ariel that its not about talent, but about who you are, and that's why someone should fall in love with you!

8. MORTICIA ADDAMS

I know some people will debate this with me, but Morticia's character has done seances,  and she has a number of witches in her family line. The most awesome thing about the Addam's family is Morticia and Gomez's love! I've always adored it!

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Derek Chauvin | Photo from Star Tribune (linked)

I find myself feeling anxious as I await the verdict, surrounded by persons of color who are my friends, my life partner, and a part of my community. I can't even begin to understand how they must be feeling as they wait for the jury to deliver the verdict they're hoping for. I live in the city that George Floyd was born in, Fayetteville, N.C. There have been a ton of peaceful protests in our city, and some that did result in property damage. All because of the actions taken by Chauvin.

As each minute and hour passes until a verdict is reached, anxiety is building up in our communities. People are sad, frustrated, and angry that what many of us feel is an open-and-shut case is being drawn out with no indication for how long the world we be left waiting. Not to mention the talk that a congresswoman's call for protesters to continue to be heard was labeled an act of violence that could lead to an appeal.

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What I've noticed is shocking to say the least. In a world that has been so impacted by women, there is still so little respect for us in many facets of life. On International Women's Day on March 8, I saw a lot of people posting on Instagram using the #ChooseToChallenge. This was/is a pledge you make to challenge the sexism you see each and every day. But many just saw it as an opportunity to post on social media, rather than an actual pledge to make change.

"As with any cause, posting a photo on Instagram and using feminist hashtags isn't enough. To make real systemic change, we must challenge sexism and really any 'ism' when we see it displayed before our very eyes."

I feel inclined to share some of my personal experience because, for some reason, we've been put under some sort of impression that the way we are treated by others, especially men, in our organizations is normal. It's not. Here's a list of what I've experienced as a female living life on a day to day basis: Unwanted relational advances (in-person and online) from men.  Pressure from men to do things I was uncomfortable with doing. Fat shamed, mostly by men. Alternatively, fetishized by certain men for my size.

Many women have lists much longer than mine. Lists that also include sexual assault, abuse from their partners, and workplace microaggressions that can make the workplace a nightmare. These would be less of an issue if male allys would speak up and stop turning a blind eye to what's happening to women in their homes, their workplaces and in the organizations they volunteer to serve in.

WAYS YOU CAN MAKE A POSITIVE CHANGE

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I'm sure we have all learned of the events that took place on Jan. 6 at the Capitol building. During a ceremony where electoral votes were set to be counted and certified, a huge crowd of Trump supporters attempted a coup to interrupt the democratic process. In the course of this failed coup, several people were killed, both citizens and police. All in the name of Donald Trump, who before this occurred literally told his followers that they should march down to the Capitol and give congress a piece of their minds.

WE'VE SHOWN THE WORLD OUR WEEKNESS

WE'VE SHOWN THE WORLD THE BLATANT WAYS IN WHICH PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE TREATED DIFFERENTLY

I have to admit that I cried just a little at my desk in silence when I was watching the events unfold. The only reason I did so is because I knew had a person of color attempted what those Trump supporters attempted, they would have been shot down. There were tanks in the streets, military members, smoke bombs, tear gas, rubber bullets, and other weapons present for Black Lives Matter protests. But in this case, all we had there were Capitol police officers with batons. We've clearly shown the world how differently we treat people of color and majority white groups.

WE'VE SET A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR WHEN THINGS DON'T GO OUR WAY

Much like children, Trump supports had a tantrum when their candidate didn't win. I do believe that both sides of the isle do this, so now we've set a precedent that the losing side can go to extreme means to be angry and upset about their candidate not winning. It's pretty sad we behave like this as adults.

WE'VE ALLOWED BRAINWASHING AT A DEGREE HIGHER THAN WE'VE EVER SEEN IN THIS COUNTRY

This is the first time in most of our lives that we've witnessed such a high degree of brainwashing. It hasn't been this bad, probably, since Hitler. Somehow, Trump managed to convince millions of people that facts were fiction unless they came from him. Many Trump supporters were loyal watchers of FOX News.

WE'VE CAUSED MILLIONS TO TURN AWAY FROM CHRIST

The most upsetting thing to me is how many people no longer follow Christ because of the actions of his so-called people. I do believe that Christians can mess up, but to avoid the word of God in order to support a particular candidate and to treat others with hate is not excusable.

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I was trying to think of something unique that I could write about for this season, and it hit me – I have some unpopular opinions about Christmas, so why not share them? Here we go!

1. HOUSEHOLD ITEMS ARE COMPLETELY ACCEPTABLE FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS

I love my mom so much, and I know she is reading this. ​As I get older, I find that I’ve been adding more things to my Christmas list that are for my home. Some examples include everything from microwave popcorn poppers, to smart lightbulbs I can use with Alexa, to dry food dispensers.

2. GOLD DECORATIONS ARE SUPERIOR TO WHITE DECORATIONS

​During this time of year, we typically see a ton of red, white, and green. ​However, I can’t help but like the gold decorations more. When I say decorations, I’m mainly talking about ornaments and those little trinkets people place around their homes. If I were to decorate in a color scheme, I would probably choose red and gold or green and gold!

3. SANTA IS REALLY CREEPY

I absolutely love the magic Santa and the Christmas season bring for children and adults alike. ​However, the more you think about it, the creepier Santa is. He watches people when they sleep, breaks into their houses, owns an army of elf slaves who do hard labor 364 days out of the year…And we let children sit on his lap!

4. PRESENCE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN PRESENTS

5. CHRISTMAS LISTS SHOULDN’T DISAPPEAR WHEN YOU GROW UP

I’m thankful that my mom keeps us in line as far as asking for a Christmas list. The truth is that most people want to get you something you want, just like when you were a child. ​Making a list and handing it out when someone asks for it is the best way to avoid ugly Christmas sweaters and things that you likely won’t use anyway.

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1. God

2. My mom, brother, and nana.

3. My husband.

4. My brother-in-laws and mother-in-law.

12. My mom, brother, friends, mother-in-law, and brother-in-laws health following their COVID diagnosis.

20. The holidays and the holiday magic we all create together.

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I am still baffled to see so many giving others a hard time right now, half way through November, for celebrating Christmas a little early with movies, Christmas crafts, and singing along to Christmas tunes on Spotify or Pandora. For so many people, holidays are a form of escape. They provide a sense of magic. It's like Christmas magic helps worries disappear for so many!

With depression normally at an all-time high, I shudder to think at how high the rates will be this year. Some people will be unable to travel to see their families, or family gatherings will be decimated because of COVID. ​Like other families, my family will be experiencing its first Thanksgiving and Christmas without a figurehead of our family – someone who lost their battle with COVID-19.

According to the CDC, more than 40 percent of people say they've experienced at least one mental health issue related to the pandemic.  That's more than 20 or 30 percent of those who've experienced mild seasonal affective disorder. So, if holiday magic brings joy to people this year, even if it's before Turkey Day, let them enjoy it! It's been a tough year, so let everyone be happy!

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IF YOUR "DIFFERENCE OF OPINION" MEANS YOU THINK MY LIFE IS LESS VALUABLE OR SHOULD BE MOCKED BECAUSE OF HOW I LOOK, I REFUSE (& OTHERS SHOULD REFUSE) TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT YOU.

Cancel culture is a thing, and it is rather toxic because it takes attention away from those who really need to be called out. As a means of example, I love KPOP music. BLACKPINK is one of my favorite groups. They recently collabed with Selena Gomez, and a bunch of BLACKPINK fans were out to "cancel" Gomez because she had more lines than one of the members of BLACKPINK.

This opinion is going to be controversial: We should move on from this Shane Dawson nonsense. I started watching one of Ryland's new videos that has Shane in it. ​It is crazy to see the amount of steps they're taking to stay out of hot water with people. Comment policing, proving they purchased something from an artist, etc.

I can't logically speak up for criminals who have harmed others being treated fairly by society and the police without speaking up for creators who have done the same. It is possible to change. The people who don't change make that apparent. With Shane in particular, people don't see sincerity in his latest apology, but forget that he has addressed his past more than anyone else on YouTube. I can totally understand getting exasperated over it.

So please, continue to comment and choose to support who you support. Just remember that people change and grow from day to day, let alone year to year.  Call them out, gauge their sincerity for yourself and choose what you'll support. It is ultimately up to you. Just keep what I've said in mind.

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1. "DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF."

In life, some people just have blatant advantages. These advantages are usually related to gender and race in the U.S., but money is also a factor. To me, there is a big difference between the student who worked hard to get into a prestigious university than the one who didn't work hard, and only got in because his family donates to the school. This is a difference between someone having 10,000 followers because they had a good content idea vs. having 10,000 followers because they are societally beautiful.

2. SOCIETAL STANDARDS OF BEAUTY

Every person has their own taste when it comes to the person they want to be with all of their lives. In fact, I know several women who have lists of the attributes that their perfect man would have. So, the fact that we can pick out a model (usually stick-thin) and say "that's beautiful" is just nonsense to me. If we all decide to do this, we need to support people of all sizes, races, and cultures.

3. "HARD WORK ALWAYS GETS REWARDED" 

Just look around, and you'll see that hard work doesn't always get rewarded, though we'd like to think that it does. Some of the lowest paying jobs are the hardest, and many who work those jobs are the poorest in our nation. Many who work hard to repair relationships don't end up happy because the other person involved just isn't as invested in them.  This is a really hard truth to learn.

4. "YOUNG PEOPLE ARE NAIVE AND UNEDUCATED"

I still can't believe that, at the age of nearly 27, I'm still being regarded as a kid who doesn't know what they're talking about. I've pow-wowed with some of the most educated people I've ever met, and I've been given little to no respect simply because these people are older and have lived more life than me. Don't get me wrong, I don't always think that I'm right.

5. BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER

One of the things that I'm so glad I did was disconnect from certain family members who were not adding to my life, but were making it more difficult. My father has historically been very unsupportive. Despite the hard work I put in to our relationship to attempt to fix it or at least make it bearable, he made the decision to focus more on his "new" family while giving little to know time or defense to his blood children. My point in saying this is that we need to stop making people feel obligated to include toxic family members in their life or plans.

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STATEMENT: I want to make it clear that the murder of an innocent child by anyone, especially an adult who exercises strength and power over them, is absolutely heinous and disgusting. I hope our society can work together to reduce civilian on civilian crime, and adult on child crime. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Hinnant family as they mourn the loss of their child, Cannon.

THE OUTRAGE CLAIM

Let's start with the outrage claim. It is clear that everyone is outraged about what happened to this little boy. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised, $756,062 on the Justice for Cannon GoFundMe page. The story has garnered national media attention, appearing in The Washington Post and other news outlets. To say that there isn't outrage over what happened to this little boy would be silly to say the least.

"WHY ARE YOU OUTRAGED OVER A CRIMINAL'S DEATH AND NOT SEEMINGLY AS OUTRAGED OVER A CHILD'S DEATH?"

I've seen this question a lot. And I really want to start out by saying that no one really experiences how people process news like this. When I heard a child was murdered so brutally, I was heartbroken. I remembered when I was reporting on these types of things as a reporter myself. I remember the heartbreak in the voices of the parents of a child who was killed by a drunk driver while riding his bike.

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