CIMA Law Group Blog

Christmas Movies For Cold Winter Nights

Hot chocolate with marshmallows and candy canes. A crackling fireplace. Christmas lights twinkling. What better way to spend your night? Now throw a movie into the mix and you have yourself a traditional winter night! But what movie should you watch? Here’s a list of some Christmas classics.

The Muppet Christmas Carol
Gremlins
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Home Alone
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
The Santa Clause
A Christmas Story
A Charlie Brown Christmas
It’s A Wonderful Life
The Polar Express
Elf
Miracle on 34^th Street
How the Grinch Stole Christmas

I hope you find a movie to enjoy!

Some Ghostly Shows For the Holiday of Cheer

Although Halloween has passed and the season of ‘spookiness and fear’ has come to an end, ghost shows continue to stream year round. With Hallmark’s consistent cheer of cliché movies and finding romance during Christmas, I thought it would be fun to promote some ghostly cheer!

Destination Fear

Following siblings Dakota and Chelsea Landen, Tanner Wiseman, and Alex Schroeder, the four friends road trip around the United States and visit haunted locations. Locked inside the building by themselves, they work together to catch evidence of any ghostly presences. Their goal, throughout the show, is to face their deepest, darkest fears. The show not only brings chills to viewers, but it’s fun to watch the siblings and friends argue as they confront unseeable terrors throughout the night. Whether traveling on the road, spending the night in the building, or closing the episode, the group always manages to bring a smile on your face.

Ghost Brothers

An absolute favorite of mine, these three friends spend the night in haunted locations after doing research on the buildings. Incredibly funny—my family and I find ourselves laughing at least three times each episode—this group of ghost hunters bring a sense of realness to the scene. Instead of chasing demonic entities—which seems to be a theme throughout ghost shows—they rather focus on more pleasant spirits. Their connect with each other and their faith truly make this show enjoyable to watch.

Ghost Of Devil’s Perch

Rather than focusing on multiple locations, this new show only focuses on one. With a psychic and two ghost hunters, this group works together to find what is haunting the town of Butte, Montana. Having worked together before, and having another show together—The Holzer Files—the evidence and teamwork with this group is incredibly. It was, honestly, one of the first shows that sent chills down my spine. Interesting, eye-catching, and incredible, this show is definitely one of my favorites!

Ghost Adventures

I couldn’t leave this one off the list. Ghost Adventures was the first ghost show I ever watched and used to terrify me. Mixed with humor and horrifying locations, this show is one that I find hard to put down. Whether it’s Zak leading the group, Aaron causing everyone to laugh, Billy manning the control room, and Jay bringing a new balance of reality, this group is a staple when it comes to ghost shows. Not only that, but they have over 20 seasons! So, if you have time to spare, it’s a great show to binge.

What To Know When Applying To Law School

With the first semester coming to an end, some students may be struggling to finish their law school applications while other students may not know where to start. The first thing an upcoming, or potential, law student should do is create an account for the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). It is incredibly important that you do this. Through this website you will register for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) or Graduate Record Examination (GRE), practice for the LSATs, figure out which law school to go to, and complete your law school applications.

It’s important to send an official transcript to LSAC. They will send your transcript to each school you are applying to. If you’ve taken any summer courses at another college, it’s important to send that one as well. Law schools will want to know all schools that you attended, but they will want the transcripts for all the college courses you’ve taken.

You will need at least one letter of recommendation. Some schools allow you to submit up to four while others only let you submit one. It is crucial that you request a letter from someone who’s worked with you over the years and who know you well.

Don’t stress over your first LSAT score. You can take the test more than once and if you do poorly on the first test, think of it as a learning experience. Take what you gathered from your first test and figure out what you need to focus on. You got this! Remember that! This test is difficult, so please don’t beat yourself up over the score.

Last, but not least, you will need both a personal statement and resume to complete your application. Make sure to review your resume, check that it is up to date, and take time in writing your personal statement. It’s important to show the school why you’re a valuable student—a student they want to have.

I wish you the best of luck!

Five Christmas Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holiday!

As the weather gets colder and holiday decorations light up the night, the smell of sweet treats begin to float through the air. Not only used as gifts, cookies bring families, friends, and strangers together. Traditions and recipes are passed down from generation to generation, and family members reconnect. Listed below are some cookie recipes that I found delicious and fun to make!

Christmas Thumbprint

Almond flavor cookies that are pressed with the baker’s thumb, these cookies are fill with all types of jams or currants. Whether you like strawberry and a family member, or partner, likes blackberry, these cookies can be made to fit everyone’s tastes!

Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies

A cookie that literally melts in your mouth. Dotted with sprinkles, these are fun cookies to make—especially if you have kids! Not only can you have vanilla-flavored cookies, but you can also add almond or orange extract, if you so desire.

Chocolate Crinkles

A family favorite, we make these every year. Soft and gooey, it’s almost like eating fudge covered in powdered sugar! Much like the butter cookies, these are easy to make if you have children who want to help. You can even add sprinkles and other decorations!

Gingerbread Cookies

A holiday staple, gingerbread cookies are delicious with and without icing! Fun to decorate, you can cut these cookies into different shapes and designs. What I like is that these cookies don’t taste too gingery! But if you like ginger, you can always add more.

Top Songs Over The Years

With Spotify Wrapped taking over everyone’s social media feeds, let’s take a moment to look back and see what songs were trending years ago.

Something to note is that with so many streaming services, access to music has continued to grow over the years. Different platforms may report different data, so I will only be using data from Billboard.

Before we look too far back, let’s look at the top songs of 2022:

“Heatwaves” by Glass Animals
“As It Was” by Harry Styles
“STAY” by Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber
“Easy On Me” by Adele
“Shivers” by Ed Sheeran

What about five years ago, in 2017:

“Shape Of You” by Ed Sheeran
“Despacito” by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
“That’s What I Like” by Bruno Mars
“Humble.” by Kendrick Lamar
“Something Just Like This” by The Chainsmokers & Coldplay

Now, let’s go back ten years to 2012:

“Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye Featuring Kimbra
“Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen
“We Are Young” by fun. Featuring Janelle Monae
“Payphone” by Maroon 5 Featuring Wiz Khalifa
“Lights” by Ellie Goulding

“We Are Young” by fun. Featuring Janelle Monae used to be one of my favorite songs that I have since forgotten about. I hope this brief dive into the past reminded you of some of your old favorites too.

Sustainable Holiday Shopping

The holidays are upon us with only 20 days till the gift-giving day. In the spirit of shopping sustainably and ethically, I have put together a list of websites that practice these things. These prices are “affordable” as in, you can find things under $100. Remember that you can find and support small businesses on Amazon and Etsy.

CHNGE

Graphic Tees for the social advocate

BOODY

Men and Women’s Underwear

Honest Basics

Basic clothing- Men and Women: T-shirts and blouses, sweaters and hoodies, jeans and pants

Yes Friends

Men and Women’s clothing- Basics

Made Trade

Home goods, clothing, shoes, bags, and jewelry

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

Dealing with Stress Around the Holidays

The holidays can be a time of joy and family for many, but it can also be a time of loneliness, stress, and overwhelm. Here are some tips and tricks for keeping a good peace of mind during the winter months.

Be kind to yourself. Whether that be through self-care, getting enough sleep, not letting remarks from family members get you down, or even just going on a walk taking the time to listen to your needs and wants can help you feel more at ease during this time. As simple as it may sound, listening to yourself can be difficult. Try to practice.

Change how you look at family time. For many, there are tons of expectations of what being together for the holidays means, how you should be treated, and how it should make you happy. Oftentimes, being around family for too long can make us unhappy. Managing your expectations can help you going forward.

Try to set boundaries. Sometimes, you can’t participate in everything, but that’s okay! Sometimes you have to tell people they are making you uncomfortable. The sooner you can set boundaries the better.

Do you have any siblings?

More than likely you do, over 80% of Americans have siblings. As someone with a younger sibling, I can tell you that there is no one that can frustrate you more. But I can also tell you that there is not one I love more than my sister. In many ways, parents hold much influence on their children and who they become. However, it is the siblings that can provide the strongest support and many times have the greatest influence on one another.

Siblings, especially those closer in age, are more willing to share things with each other that they may not feel comfortable talking about with their parents. This could be discussing things like romantic relationships, friendships, underage drinking or drug usage, and anything that may seem taboo to bring up in a family setting. In this way, siblings act as confidantes when there may be no one else to turn to. Sharing important life moments that feel like they can’t be shared with others creates a strong bond between siblings and teaches trust, communication, and empathy. When children feel their parents are lacking in one way or another, the older sibling, especially an older sister, becomes protective of their younger siblings. The older sibling tries to protect them from negative emotions like loneliness, guilt, or feeling unloved.

However, sibling relationships are not always strong or positive. While your sibling can be your closest friend, they can also cause significant distress. As siblings tend to provide the greatest influence on each other, if the relationship is toxic, it can be detrimental. Family is the people that we are the most unfiltered around, in a fight, watching what you say can easily get forgotten. When siblings fight this can make any topic intense and often the conflict will not be resolved in a healthy manner. Siblings who continuously fight may become violent and abusive, which creates a higher likelihood of violent behavior later in life.

Sibling relations can be positive and help one another grow or they can be negative and facilitate adverse social skills. For most, siblings end up being the longest relationship and tend to act as the principal life partner. So, for better or worse, they will always be present in each other’s lives.

Best Places to go on Black Friday

With Black Friday coming in two days, here are some of the best deals this year.

Michaels is the perfect place to go for the craft person in your life. Michaels is offering 20% off regular-priced purchases along with $100’s off Christmas trees. There are plenty of offers o their website to browse through.

At Target you can save up to $150 off Apple products, 60% off video games,and up to 50% off kitchen items.

If you’re looking to furnish your living space, look no further than Wayfair! With up to 80% off it’s definitely a place to stop and shop.

Kohls is always a great choice for Black Friday, especially when there’s an extra 15% off! Other deals include 30% off select toys.

Another option for those into beauty is Ulta, which has up to 50% off all week. Select mascara is $12, select lip is $10, and 30% off Clinique.

The Story of Black Friday

With Black Friday oh so soon, the very meaning of Thanksgiving often gets pushed aside as we scramble for the credit cards after dinner to beat the lines at the stores because after all, Black Friday means getting ready as early as Thursday night or even Thursday evening. While it’s fun to splurge on others and ourselves, the irony of it being immediately after a day dedicated to being thankful for what we have has been pointed out. We know Black Friday as the national shopping day with low low sales, chaotic racing to get their first, and loads of bags on both arms. But how did this day come about? What started this tradition that has now become such an iconic American symbol for the start of the holidays?

Image via CNN.

Originally, “Black Friday” was a term in 1896 describing a day when a railroad developer and stockbroker created an economic expansion and contraction (boom-and-bust) in gold prices, which fell 20%, leading to a stock market crash. Commodity prices subsequently dropped by 50%. After this incident, it was soon forgotten.

However, police officers revived the phrase in the early 1960s to describe the chaos that occurred in Philadelphia when a massive amount of tourists poured into the city to begin their holiday shopping. The officers were then having to double down on duty as traffic jams, shoplifting, and various other issues took place. The “Black Friday” term started to catch on in Philly with retailers attempting to rephrase it as “Big Friday” to sound less dark (it didn’t catch on). In the 1980s, retailers started spreading the “red-to-black” profit narrative as a way to put a positive twist on the negative-sounding “Black Friday”. This day signified the day retailers started turning profits on the biggest and busiest shopping day of the year (although the largest sales were seen on the Saturday before Christmas).

Nowadays, the roots of the day have long been forgotten. In fact, Black Friday has morphed into multiple days with Small Business Saturday/Sunday and even online with Cyber Monday. Stores started to open earlier to the point where families can now go out right after Thanksgiving dinner. Something interesting to note is that there is a Giving Tuesday that started in 2012 to combat the massive amount of spending we do the week of Thanksgiving. People give charitable donations on this day set to remind us to be generous in more ways than one.

The new tradition on Tuesdays is definitely a pick-me-up after a week of intense shopping (or ignoring those clearance ads if you’re trying to curve your spending habit).