A Very Potter Holiday

Alice Moye-Honeyman

Emma Vaughters | Layout Editor

December is the most magical time of the year. And what else is magical? Harry Potter. It only makes sense that the two things must go together. Whether you’re a witch, wizard, Muggle or Squib, it’s possible to add an element of magic to any holiday season. So, don’t be a Death Eater, and check out these tips and tricks for a Very Potter Holiday Season. Unless you’d rather eat slugs.

Only 2017 kids remember when ABC Family still had the rights to the Harry Potter movies. The station, now called Freeform, would regularly play Harry Potter marathons, especially during the holidays. Unfortunately, the series is no longer included in its 25 Days of Christmas. But don’t worry! Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times. If you want to watch the series, simply log into the USA channel with your TV provider to stream any of the movies, anytime. If you don’t have cable, you can always rent any of the movies on Amazon, iTunes or YouTube for $3.99 per movie. The whole series only takes 19 hours and 39 minutes to watch totally doable for dedicated fans.

Hogwarts is all about the food. Because Harry stayed at Hogwarts over the Christmas holiday a few times, fans got a pretty good look at what went down at the Christmas feast each year. If you need some food to go along with your little movie marathon, the internet has your back. Most of us aren’t able to afford the hefty $300 Hogwarts Christmas dinner offered at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™, but if you want to recreate your own magical Christmas dinner, the internet is filled with replicas of classic meals enjoyed by the characters. Not good at cooking, you say? Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve. Suggested meal items are Pumpkin Pasties and Yorkshire Pudding. Round out the meal with some magical desserts: Molly Weasley’s Christmas Sweater Cookies, Licorice Wands, Treacle Tart and Cauldron Cakes.

Every wizarding meal requires a good drink to go along with it. If you’re fresh out of firewhiskey, butterbeer is your best bet for a festive beverage. With many dedicated Harry Potter fans on staff, The Hullabaloo has been in the know about the best easy butterbeer recipes for years. Check out Drink, Cookie and Cupcake recipes online.

“Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” is probably the best book in the series (don’t @ me), and the Yule Ball is one of the most exciting scenes within the book. Lucky for you, there are a couple of opportunities to attend a Yule Ball right here in New Orleans. Even if your date isn’t Viktor Krum, it will definitely be worthwhile to attend. So, grab your Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion and your most ravishing gown and head on over to one of these balls on Dec. 7 at Twelve Mile Limit at 8 p.m. or Dec. 14 at Cafe Istanbul at 10:30 p.m. If you prefer to sit back and be entertained, there is also a special Harry Potter themed variety show at the AllWays Lounge and Cabaret, 11 p.m. on Dec. 14.

If you can’t make it to any of these events, you can always throw your own Yule Ball! The soundtrack to the “Goblet of Fire” can be found on Spotify and Apple Music. Follow these steps, and you’re sure to have a very magical holiday season.

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