#[ the 'ol monthly reminder. D:

[thethirteenthcrow]

The Shyan Shipping Society Writing Challenge ✍️💕

Hello dear shippers! 

My name’s Zhalia, a fanfic writer on archive of our own. you might know me from my stripper!Ryan au, or the cinderella au or from the many comments i leave on your amazing works.

Since October, i’ve been hosting very lowkey writing challenges on the Shyan Shipping Society Discord server. and i figured, i’d let good ol’ tumblr get a piece of it!

this is a fun lil' challenge to practice your writing with random prompts!

(shout out to @helloitsvehere​ for making the amazing header here and sorry to keep bugging you on it but it looks really amazing now darling <3)

✨RULES✨

✧ the challenge is held at monthly, we don't want to pressure anyone too much and we want to give you enough time to work! on top of that, the minimum amount of words for this challenge is 50, which is a very low bar, it's no school, this is for fun!! also don't worry if you miss a month.

✧ from the day we set the prompt, you have one month to meet the challenge. with this, we request a chapter or a start. if a prompt inspires u to write more than a oneshot or one chapter, feel free to expand as much as you can outside the challenge! everyone is requested to post their submissions on the same day (so say we start at october 1st, then you're only allowed to submit your submissions on october 31st, no sooner). We then hope to announce the new prompt on, for example, november 1st to continue the cycle, but it may differ at times.

✧ There are no specifications to your writing. you may write however you like, a story, a description, a poem, anything is allowed. you're free to write in any rating, be it G or E-rated. we prefer M/E of course, cause we're thirsty like that. if you’re an artist, you’re free to join too! more elaboration in the FAQ below :D.

✧ if you have ideas for prompts, please DM me on Discord or mail me on thethirteenthcrow@gmail.com ! i love to hear em <3 (keep reading for more information on the challenge)

i can’t wait to see all your lovely works! i’m really stoked to see and chat with you and learn all that’s going around in your wonderful minds.

much love, 

Zhalia💖

✨FAQ✨

o   What is the Shyan Shipping Society (Server)?

The shipping society is a discord server owned by @bradpistachio​ where a bunch of shippers gather to chat about anything: their lives; the boys; other fanworks like fanfics and fanart; annoying antis; we have a writing lab to talk about your own works, and much more! The server is filled with amazing artists like madamecrimson, @helloitsvehere​, @pizzacastella​, sonzaishinai and many more. The server is an active and welcoming community. In the server, I also roll out the updates for this challenge and answer all your questions. Will we see you there?

o   Do i need to join the server to post?

It's not required! The server is a lil' bonus, a place where you can talk with fellow shippers about anything, but also where i will be reminding you of the challenge. We have handful of channels dedicated to this writing challenge, so it might help you out. It's also easier for me to follow, and whenever you have questions i will reply faster there than anywhere else. But, again, it's not necessary.

o   If i join the challenge once, am i required to join every month?

Most definitely not! You're free to join and leave whenever you want. Sometimes a prompt doesn't inspire you, or life dragged you away from writing and that's completely valid! This challenge is supposed to be a fun way to motivate you to express yoursef through your art, but it's not school so don't ever feel pressured :).

o   What tags do i include, what are the ratings we work in?

There are no required ratings and/or tags for you to use. In general, the prompts are all focused on Shyan, but if you'd like to add Standrew as a background relationship, feel free!! If the prompt is Watcher-oriented, but you feel like you need a bit of that spice that Curly brings with him, i encourage you! On top of that, you're free to choose whichever ratings you feel fit best. Personally, i mostly live off of M- and E-rated fics, but if you're uncomfortable with graphic descriptions of anything, and would rather keep it a fluffy G-rated fic, then knock yourself out! I believe you know what's best for your work!

On the shipping server, the prompt will have a set of recommended tags, these are ideas i'd write the prompt in, but they aren't mandatory. If it says 'friends to lovers' but you'd rather write 'established relationship' then feel free! It's your work after all.

o   Is there a minimum and/or maximum word count?

There is a minimum word count of 50 words right now, to show that you're seriously participating (i mean, wouldn't want "he smiled, they kissed, they fucked, the end" as a fic, right?). Your work does not have to be finished in order to fulfill the prompt, you can write one chapter, or one paragraph and edit it later when you have more time. If a prompt inspires you enough to write a long fic about it, don't feel pressured to finish it within a month! Take your time!! All we ask is for you to have written a start, and post that to the collection.

o   i am no writer, but i’d love to make art for this in another way, is that possible?

Of course! originally the challenge was only made for writers, because the server was filled with a majority of writers. however, over the past few weeks we’ve had a handful of artists join our little community as well, people like sonza and @berakangkang​. Sonza has blessed us by filling the October prompt as well, so if you’re an artist and you’d like to participate, please join! we love love love your art. honestly. the server goes wild on fanart. 

o   When do i post my submission?

Everyone who joins the challenge, posts their submission on the same day. This is the last 48 hours of a month - CET timezone. The next prompt will have been rolled out a day before we open submissions, so you can get familiar with it for a day or two before starting on it.

o   I don't think i'll reach the deadline, now what?

You can contact me privately about this through our discord server - for fast replies - or via my email (thethirteenthcrow@gmail.com). I will open the collection for you so you can submit it later. Keep an eye on the deadline though, a challenge won't be reopened a month after the deadline.

o   I have an amazing idea for a prompt, where do i submit it?

On the discord server, we have a channel named 'prompts-and-ideas' where some of these prompts even came from, you can submit them there and @ me so i'd know it's for the writing challenge.

If you don't have discord or don't want to join the server, you're free to mail me your idea with Shyan Shipping Society Prompt Idea as subject! I look forward to your ideas!

here’s the link to the parent collection on Archive Of Our Own, where you can always find the new prompts for the next months, and where you can post your work once i open the collection.

i can’t wait to see your works! i’m very excited to see what you all can come up with <3

ps,

this is the first time i host a writing challenge like this. i’m still learning my way around ao3′s function to make prompt meme challenges, and there may always be little bugs in the system, because i have but a small brain. i rely on carl-bot to remind me to post and open submissions and everything, to keep it running smoothly. i am trying my very best to make this fun for everyone. also i crave feedback, so if you have any comments, complaints, ideas, critique, please hit me up!!

oh and yeah i am very inactive on the tumblrs because i don’t uh catch the vibe of this platform but i’m trying. i’m trying. 👉👈

[theda-rison]

So...

Thursday Night Link Roundup is dead, long live Thursday Night Link Roundup!

I think it’s time that I come to term with the fact that I don’t have the mental bandwidth to continue collecting and commenting on five video essays and at least three songs each week. (Maybe if my day job were less stressful, but that’s not going to happen, so...)

But I do like sharing music I find, because I love music and I have a huge music library, and there’s so much fun music in the world-- so this is the new thing I’m trying:

Once a month, I’m going to make a mixtape on this cute little site called Kaseta, where you can make and share mixtapes. (I think they might even have some compatibility with itunes or spotify or something, but I don’t know for sure since I don’t use either. After getting burned by Amazon for having the audacity to go to another country and try to watch a movie I had already paid for, I’ve been done with the concept of not owning my own shit. Bandcamp forever!) I’m also going to turn each into a physical mixtape, since I just found a site that sells colored cassettes, but I’m still deciding what colors I want.

So here’s the first: Monthly Monday Mixtape!

Love is a Warm Raygun

We can thank Key’s campy, fun, retro album Bad Love for this. I realized that one of the “hoo!”s in Key’s Helium reminded me of a “hoo” of a similar pitch in Mystery Skulls’ Freaking out, and spent a couple days putting together this mixtape of retro, synthy, poppy goodness.

I mean, how can you not be inspired by Bad Love when the album photoshoot looks like this?:

(I mean, I wasn’t even a Shinee fan, but I am DEFINITELY a Key fan. Please let this man be in charge of himself, he knows what he’s doing.)

That’s some good ol’ fashioned pulp scifi, TOS Star Trek looking shit and I am ABSOLUTELY here for it.

Here’s the tracklist:

Bad Love - Key

Ghost - Mystery Skulls

Genghis Khan - Miike Snow

Man on the Moon - MNQN

Sick of Being Honest - MILKBLOOD

Desire - ATEEZ

Helium 헬륨 - Key

Fall In Love - Phantogram

Gold in the Fire - Monarchy

Freaking Out - Mystery Skulls

Fade Away - Trevor Something

Take Me Home (English ver.) - ATEEZ

I hope you enjoy it! :D

[kateofthecanals]

For The (Not)Watch: Episode 7.4

The Reason HBO Can’t Afford Direwolves Anymore

So this week wasn’t quite AS boring as last week, but that’s not saying much. I almost had an emotion or two. ALMOST...

We open on something other than Dragonstone for a change -- in the Reach(?) and on the Westerosi Wells Fargo Wagon, which Jaime is once-overing, while Bronn hangs out in the background demanding Jaime give him Highgarden, but Biggie Lannister is like “nah, mo’ money, mo’ problems!” Bronn’s not buying that line, though, and feels he should be on the list of debts the Lannisters pay off. He also makes some snarky remarks about Cersei which are actually 100% accurate but of course Jaime, like GoT watchers, is blissfully blind to the truth. Jaime then sends Bronn with the Tarlys to go shake-down local farmers for their sweet, sweet grains.

Then we head over to King’s Landing, where Tycho is hella impressed that Pinhead Cersei will be able to pay off her debts in one lump sum but is kinda bummed to be losing out on that tasty monthly APR. Cersei hints that Qyburn is in negotiations with the Golden Company to join her cause and Tycho vouches for them... but reminds Cersei that the Iron Bank ain’t doing shit until Jaime makes that big deposit.

Next we hit up Winterfell, AND WHO THE HELL LEFT THE KIDS ALONE WITH LITTLEFINGER?? Somehow that snake slithered his way into Bran’s chambers and is attempting some kinda cringeworthy heart-to-heart... Seriously I half-expected him to tell Bran “I’M YOUR DADDY NOW.” Instead he decides to give Bran a gift -- the Valyrian steel dagger that was used to try to murder him in Season 1. Bran’s like... “Thanks?” (But really, isn’t this kinda payback for last week when he threw Sandra’s wedding night back in her face?) LF starts monologuing about Catelyn, and Bran asks if LF knows who the dagger belonged to (I’m guessing just to test LF, because obviously Miss Cleo is gonna know exactly who it belonged to... right??), and of course LF is like “No idea!” Then he randomly mentions the word “chaos” and Bran’s creep-dar goes off, and he interrupts him by saying “CHAOS IS A LADDAH.” Yes, folks, Bran threw LF’s dumbest catchphrase back in his face and it was played off like a genuinely weighty moment and not something that required a laugh track in the background. LF has barely time to react before Meera comes in. LF leaves, and Meera makes the sad announcement that she has to leave to be with her family, and Bran’s just like “Cool, bye then.” And Meera’s like... “bitch that all you have to say to me????” And Bran’s just like “uhhhh thank you for your service?” Meera then be thinking hmmm maybe this is just like a teen comedy and he’ll come wheelin’ after me at the airport at the last minute to profess his love for me? But nah, Bran’s straight-up fixing to ghost her ass, smh. She’s like “my brother, your wolf, and Hodor all died for you, Bran!!” But he’s like

And because D&D would rather leave significant character development off-screen, they have Meera assure us that Bran “died in that cave.” Cool, thanks, good to know!

Meera leaves, and then Bran hears the familiar strings of the Stark Theme, and he knows that Arya is near! Yes, Arya has finally found her way back to Winterfell. She strolls up to the front gates and is immediately given a hard time by the guards in a blatant repeat of the same scene from Season 1 (not the first or last time we will be seeing rip-offs from the first couple of seasons just in this episode alone). One of the guards even tries to PUNCH her (???) before agreeing to left her in but telling her wait while they decide what to tell Sansa. And since WF is being guarded by 2 of the 3 Stooges, Arya is able to just wander off without them noticing.

The guards then enter what appears to be the Bat Cave where Sandra is hiding out and has pretty much no visible reaction to hearing that Arya is in the house. Which is funny because Arya implied to the guards that Sandra would have their asses if she found out they’d turned her sister away. Instead, she just kinda looks bored and is like, “whatever, I know where she is...”

We then go down to the crypts for one of the most-anticipated reunions in ASOIAF-dom!!! Buuuut this is GoT, so it’s all very awkward and forced. Like, seriously, Arya, you’re not fooling anyone...

Sandra runs up to hug her, but just like with Small Wonder Bran, Arya-Bot 1000 barely registers an emotion or even bothers to hug her back. WTF, people???

They briefly have a moment in front of Ned’s statue, which was kinda nice. I mean, they didn’t even call him stupid or anything!! The lowest of low-hanging fruit, but I’ll take it at this point... Then Arya says it doesn’t look enough like Ned and that it should have been carved by someone who knew his face, but Sandra says that everyone who knew his face is dead. Ummmm? Sandra, Arya, Bran, Jon, Cersei, Varys, Sandor, Jaime, Littlefinger, Beric, Thoros... that’s almost a dozen people right there who are still alive that knew what Ned looked like (though I can’t vouch for their stone-carving skills...). Then, as usual, the moment is completely trampled on when the two sisters bond over how they both wished they had killed Joffrey themselves HAHAHAHAHA so sweet. Then Arya tells Sandra about her List, and Sandra’s just like

They make vague allusions to all the things they’ve been through since their separation. They then venture the godswood to say howdy to Bran, who is a party-pooper as usual, calling out Arya on her plan to go to KL to kill Cersei. Sandra asks Arya who else is on her list... SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO BRING UP SANDOR BUT NOOOOOPE CAN’T HAVE ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT THE HOUND WITH OR IN FRONT OF SANDRA EVEN IF IT’S ARYA DOING THE DISCUSSIN’ so she’s just like “eh most of them are already dead.” Then out of nowhere Bran’s just like “check out this new toy Littlefinger gave me” and Sandra’s like “WHY IS LITTLEFINGER GIVING YOU WEAPONS” Bran’s like “doesn’t matter, don’t want it anyway” and gives it to Arya.

The three Starks then make their way back into the the yard, where Brienne and Pod see them, and Pod says, “Good job, m’lady!” and she responds pretty much the same way I did -- “I didn’t do shit.”

Then we hit up Dragonstone, where the Jonerys train is being happily conducted by Missandei and Davos. Both give their respective masters a forced series of “nudge-nudge-wink-wink” moments with regards to the other, so as to to remind the viewers that THIS IS TOTALLY A THING, YOU GUYS. Dany and Missy are taking a stroll, and when they see Jon, they exchange a look like two freshmen girls who have just been acknowledged by the varsity QB on the quad. It’s quite pitiful.

Anyway, Jon takes Dany into one of the dragonglass caves to show her something. Sadly, he keeps his pants on and instead ducks into a tunnel which opens up into another cave with a bunch of primitive drawings on the walls. Indiana Snow then schools Dany on how they were drawn by the Children of the Forest and depict their encounters with both the First Men and the white walkers.

P.S. the CoF totally phoned it in on the FM but got all HR Giger when it came to the WWs.

And even though Jon could have drawn those pictures himself and made up literally everything he said for all Dany knew, she considers this definitive proof of his claims and immediately agrees to help him... if he bends the knee. There’s a lot of whisper-talking and long-held gazes, which I think was supposed to be “sexual tension”.

They exit the cave with their chaperones, where they find Tyrion and Varys waiting for them, looking rather glum. Tyrion drops the bad news that although they took Casterly Rock, the Lannister forces took Highgarden and all the spoils. Tyrion tries to rally, but Dany reams him out for fucking up and suggests he did it on purpose cuz he’s really still loyal to the Lannisters (OH DUHHHHH). She then declares “enough with the clever plans” and decides instead to stick to more stupid ones I guess. To that end, she asks Jon what she should do.

Your QUEEN, ladies and gents. Has no idea what she’s doing and constantly has to ask the (much smarter) men around her to tell her what to do. But the mere fact that she is “in charge” is I guess enough for most people to declare this “feminist”. Sure, okay.

Anyway, Jon tells her that if she uses her dragons to annihilate everyone, she’s just “more of the same” and isn’t giving her followers anything better to hope for. Which is a fair enough assessment but we all know it’s being used to highlight Jon’s “dumb” honor and compassion because DRAGONS SO EPICCCCCC!!!

Back at Winterfell, Brienne is again cleaning Pod’s clock (remember when this kid killed a Kingsguard in the middle of the Battle of the Blackwater? D&D don’t either I guess), but then Arya rolls up on her with Needle and says she wants to throw down with the person who beat the Hound. Brienne’s like “haha cute” but then Arya pulls out all the water-dancing nonsense and completely flummoxes Brienne.

So, for those doing the math:

Brienne beat The Hound; Arya beat Brienne; ergo, ARYA CAN BEAT THE HOUND.

I really wanted to enjoy this scene, but I couldn’t forget that the last time we saw Arya actually spar with anyone was in Season 1 with Syrio. Now all of a sudden she’s the most formidable warrior in the Seven Kingdoms. 

Any-freaking-way, Sandra appears on her perch again (with LF not far behind, of course), and at first she seems pretty impressed with Arya’s skillz, but when it’s over, she just, like, storms off in a huff? Why??

She leaves LF to have a weird stare-down with Arya.

Back on Dragonstone, it’s now Davos’s turn to tease Jon about Dany, implying that Jon was staring at her rack apparently?? Jon’s like “ain’t nobody got time for that” but luckily they run into Missandei where Davos can continue on that train of thought. They then have a conversation about how bastard names work on Westeros (in Season 7?????) and Missandei declares that marriage isn’t a thing in Naath, and Dirty Ol’ Man Davos is like HAHAHAHA not where I come from either, wanna go grab a drink later?? Jon and Davos then start questioning why Missandei is so loyal to Dany, and Missandei begins to talk about Dany like Squeaky Fromme talking about Charles Manson.

^^ waiting for this dialogue to pop out of Dany’s mouth at some point this season...

Davos is basically like SORRY I ASKED. Just then, they’re interrupted by a dingy being pulled up on shore (somehow they didn’t notice this until the were RIGHT on the beach) containing Theon and the straggler Ironborn. Theon sees Jon and is like like “hey sup” and Jon’s all YOUSONOFABITCH!!! but stops just short of roughing him up because of what he did for Sandra. He then tells him that Euron has his sister and he needs Dany’s help to get her back, but Jon says she’s not home right now...

Where could she beeeeeee?? Welp, we hop back over the the Lannister wagon train, which, again, Jaime and Bronn are just sitting and watching. Apparently they are much closer the the Crownlands (or in the Crownlands?) than they had been at the beginning of the episode... They then decide to have some not-so-subtle small talk with Dickon Tarly, whom Jaime again calls Rickon, about how he fought pretty decently at Highharden but how he has yet to be really tested. THEN GUESS WHAT HAPPENS, GUYS??? The show is interrupted by a screening of Dances with Wolves--no, wait, that’s just the Dothraki streaming over the hill to fuck shit up... along with Dany riding Drogon.

COMMENCE BATTLE #371 TO DISTRACT THE VIEWERS FROM THE SHITTY WRITING!!!

Yes, it’s all very exciting and well-executed, if you ignore:

The Dothraki would have had to circumvent KL somehow to get there.

They couldn’t have gone by ship because Euron destroyed Dany’s fleet.

Horse-Surfing™

The scene was 90% about Bronn?? For some reason??

Dany, who not 10 minutes ago was complaining about not being able to feed her army, proceeds to destroy all the gold and grain the Lannisters were hauling.

Gratuitous horse violence because “edgy” I guess

WHY/HOW IS TYRION THERE?

So the big climax comes when Bronn gets promoted from Bronn of the Blackwater to Bronn of the Big-Ass Crossbow. Yes, in yet another ham-fisted callback to an early season, Bronn figures out how to use the giant ballista and fires an arrow straight into Drogon’s shoulder, forcing Dany to land. While she’s down, Tyrion is standing off to the side and spots Jaime on the battlefield and is mumbling for him to get the fuck out of there. But this is Jaime Fookin’ Lannister, he doesn’t run away from anything, especially his toxic co-dependent relationship with his twin sister!! So he grabs a spear and begins to charge toward Dany like he at the Hand’s Tourney (except we never actually saw him joust at the Hand’s Tourney, so once again, emotional impact of this moment is M.I.A.). Just as he’s about to strike, Drogon turns and is about to make him dragon kibble when he is rescued at the last second by, presumably, Bronn, and is swept away beneath an extremely deep puddle that just happened to be nearby. The End.

I know there are a lot of show-critics today who are super hyped about this battle (which is apparently a “reference” to the Field of Fire, ugh), but guys... sorry, no. I am way past the point where a showy battle scene is going to make up for all the nonsense that came before it. They’ve tried this trick already -- it was called “Hardhome”. It didn’t work on me then, and it won’t work on me now. I would have rather seen a more meaningful reunion between the Stark sisters than another expensive spectacle. If this is why the direwolves have disappeared, then sorry, I don’t consider it a fair trade-off.

[zeetrollplays]

TEN FACTS ABOUT LLYMIC cuz much like my own wendigo, I neglect him the most of your characters D:

old ice grump

He was a medic in the Army before his unfortunate accident. Turns out, most of his remedies translate neatly into alchemy, for the most part.

Every night, he drinks a special memory-wiping elixir that prevents psychic intrusion. The main benefit is that December cannot extract anything useful from his brain while he’s asleep, but the downside is that when he wakes up, it takes him almost an hour to remember who he is.

He can run extremely fast, to the point he can outrun most snow vehicles, but he hates doing so because it’s hard for him to catch his breath afterwards (it’s hard to be intimidating when you can hardly speak for all your gasping), and if he trips or slips it hurts.

That staff he carries is a tooth from December’s own mouth and acts as a divine focus. Most of the sigils carved into it and arcane doodads hanging off of it were Llymic’s own designs, made to inhibit December’s influence over the world around it. As a side-effect, he can’t get rid of the damn thing.

His favorite drink is “Ice Island Long Tea,” a concoction based on an age-old gag he used back in the Army that caught on after his drunk-ass self completely mucked up a drink order. He doesn’t care for the taste, but it reminds him of the good ol’ days.

He’s not actually as old as he looks, acts, and feels, but a combination of Army time and time as the unwilling vessel for an Old God have done horrible things to him.

He’s used zombie flesh in his potions before to see if it substituted for troll flesh. Four hours of heaving into a hole in the ground later, he figured out it didn’t.

He’s built up a reputation as a terrifying, flesh-eating frost wizard that dwells in the lonely, cold mountains and allies himself with the wendigo and the undead, which makes it very awkward when he pops down to the nearby towns and villages to get his monthly groceries. It gets him discounts, sometimes.

The opposite of Anicam, he can literally stand in a fire and not feel a thing and eat scalding-hot foods without much problem, which he likes to do because of the momentary warmth it allows him.

His punches and kicks can crack even the thickest ice several feet through, but it only works on ice. He broke his hand once when he mistook a frost-covered boulder for a solid frozen block.

[elizabethcariasa]

Decoding your W-2

Before you can file your taxes, you need some tax statements. The key among them for most of us is the W-2. Here's a look at all — and there's a lot — that's on this document.

Taxes are all about the numbers. That includes the numerical names of tax documents.

For wage earning taxpayers, the most important form is the W-2 they get early (hopefully!) each year. Officially titled Wage and Tax Statement, it has (true to its name) the details on earnings and taxes paid throughout the past tax year.

This form is starting point in figuring any tax you owe or how much of a refund you get. And if you're a salaried or wage-earning worker, you can't fill out and submit your annual tax return without it.

W-2 why's and when's: W-2s are sent by employers to employees, as well as copied to the Internal Revenue Service and to the Social Security Administration. Employers must mail or hand-deliver Form W-2s for earnings of the previous tax year by Jan. 31.

W-2 forms generally are issued when your earnings are at least $600. But even if you didn't make that much, if your company withheld any income, Social Security or Medicare tax, then it must send you a W-2.

Every employer will send you, if required, a W-2. So if you worked multiple salaried jobs, expect an annual earnings statement from each.

In many cases, it will arrive as the official W-2 document created by the IRS and pictured below.

However, some companies or the outside payroll services they use create their own substitute W-2 forms. That's fine with the IRS as long as the documents contain all the info that's on official form.

W-2 identification data: The first entries on your W-2 are identifiers, not only of you, but also the company that paid you the wages.

In boxes coded with lower case letters a through f you'll find:

a — Your Social Security number. Make sure this is correct! If not, you need to let your boss know NOW and ask for a corrected earnings statement, known as a W-2c.   b — The paying company's employer identification number (EIN). This is the business version of our individual Social Security numbers. c — The payor's name, address and Zip code. This is your company's legal headquarters. It may or may not be where you actually go to work. d — The control number box is where your company enters this code, if it uses this internal tracking system. In many cases, companies don't bother with this, so this box could be blank. e — Your name as show on your company's payroll records. f — Your full address.

Again, if you find an error in these boxes, let your boss know ASAP.

Wide variety of earnings information: For most filers, all that's needed from a W-2 for annual tax filing purposes is all how much was made and how much in income tax was withheld.

But for such a relatively short form, the W-2 is packed with lots of other information.

You'll find on the form, for example, information on workplace benefits. Specifically, it shows if you were reimbursed from your dependent care flexible spending account or, shown as a dollar amount, the value of dependent care services provided by your employer. Amounts under $5,000 are non-taxable benefits.

And if you get gratuities as part of your employment, your W-2 will show the tip income that you reported to your employer throughout the year. In that same earnings area, the form will show any tip income that an employer allocated to employees.

These and other compensation-related amounts, taxable and non-taxable, are detailed on the annual wage statement. On the IRS form, they are shown as boxes and on substitute W-2s usually still called boxes even if they technically are just lines on a printed sheet.

And each version also explains what's in each box via a system of numbers and letters.

You'll find the codes in the fine print on the backs of your W-2 copies or usually a separate page if you get a substitute earnings statement.

If you don't want to dig out the form (and a magnifying glass), here, in a bit bigger typeface, are the box codes and what they mean:

Box 1 — The amount you earned and that you report on Form 1040. For most salaried workers, it's wages. But it's also where any other compensation you may have received, such as taxable fringe benefits, is accounted for. It doesn't, however, include such tax-free things as your pre-tax contributions to retirement plans or other similar workplace benefits

Box 2 — How much in federal income tax that was withheld from your earnings. This is what, on your 1040, that you'll subtract (along with any other tax payments) from your tax amount due to see if you owe more or get back any withholdings as a tax refund. This also is what caused a lot of problems for folks when they filed their taxes for the first year that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) was in effect. The tax reform law's many changes meant that some folks underwithheld and ended up owing tax at filing time. If that happens this year, or even if you're getting a refund, you should look at fine-tuning your withholding.

Box 3 — Your total wages that were subject to the Social Security tax. This amount takes into account those payroll deductions that weren't part of the Box 1 figure, so for most of us it's likely larger than what's shown in that box. However, if you made a six-figure salary, it could be smaller than Box 1. This is because the Social Security wage base limits the amount of earnings that is subject to the taxes for the retirement benefits. For 2019, that was $132,900. Earnings over that cap are not subject to the Social Security tax.

Box 4 — Total Social Security taxes withheld for the year. The taxes that fund these future government retirement benefits are calculated at the flat 6.2 percent rate. The amount here, therefore, is 6.2 percent of what's in Box 3. But since there's a Social Security wage cap on this tax, the maximum that should be in this box for 2019 is $8,239.80 (the math is $132,900 x 6.2%).

Box 5 — Medicare is the other component of Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes and the amount of your earnings subject to this tax is shown here. Like its FICA tax partner Social Security, there are no deductions against your Medicare earnings. So all you make is subject to the Medicare tax and is shown here. If you made more than $125,000 as a single filer or $250,000 as a married filing jointly taxpayer, the amount here also might need to be reported on Form 8959, Additional Medicare Tax, to figure the additional 0.9 percent tax due.

Box 6 — This is the dollar amount of Medicare taxes that were withheld from your earnings. Since, unlike Social Security taxes, there's no earnings cap for Medicare taxes so the regular 1.45 percent Medicare tax is calculated on that full amount in Box 5. That amount withheld for the retiree medical coverage is shown in Box 6.

Box 7 — Social Security tips are the gratuities that you — as reminded (shameless plug) in the ol' blogs sidebar Monthly Tax Moves tips — reported around the 10th of each month to your employer. If you didn't do that, then this box will be blank. Note, however, that unreported tips still are taxable income.

Box 8 — This amount is any tips that your boss allocated to you are listed. This amount also is why you need to keep good records of your tips. You must report at least the amount in Box 8 on your tax return unless you can prove that you received a smaller amount. If you have records that show the actual amount of tips you received, report that amount even if it is more or less than the allocated tips. Don't overlook reporting and paying tax on tips. These amounts are credited to your future Social Security benefits.

Box 9 — This box is blank on the 2019 W-2. In prior years, the IRS used it as the place for a verification code that was created to help stem false tax return filings and refund fraud. That pilot program has been discontinued. But when tax law changed to require employers to get information to the IRS sooner (on Jan. 31, the same as the earnings data is due employees), the agency decided the code was no longer necessary.

Box 10 — Here is where you'll find the amount of dependent care benefits (mentioned earlier) that your employer paid to you or incurred on your behalf. This amount is the care benefits total, including those that are more than the $5,000 nontaxable benefits exclusion. Any excess of that exclusion is part of the amounts in Boxes 1, 3 and 5. You could need to complete Form 2441, Child and Dependent Care Expenses, to compute any taxable and nontaxable amounts.

Box 11 — This is the amount you received as a distribution from your employer's non-qualified deferred compensation (NQDC) plan. This is not a qualified plan, such as a 401(k). Generally, an agreement between you and your employer as to when you'll receive compensation at some future time. Through NQDC plans, employers can offer bonuses, salaries and other kinds of compensation. This amount is taxable.

Box 12 — This is the fun W-2 box. It's essentially a catch-all area where a variety of amounts are entered. Because of the many types of income, taxable or otherwise, that can go here, there are four Box 12 sublines, shown as 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d. This is because many employees have multiple types of income, taxable or otherwise, that can go here.

We'll come back to what all can go show up in Box 12 in a minute. I promise.

But since there are just a few more numbered boxes, let's finish our look at them.

Box 13 — Here you'll see three small check boxes. Your boss will mark which ones apply to you.

The first one will be checked if you're statutory employee, that is, a worker whose earnings are subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes, but not federal income tax withholding.

The second box reveals whether you participated in your employer's retirement plan during the year. If that box is checked, special limits may apply to the amount of traditional IRA contributions you may deduct. See Pub. 590-A, Contributions to Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs).

The third box notes whether you received sick pay under your employer's third-party insurance policy.

Box 14 — Ah, the ever popular "Other" box. Here, employers may report information such as state disability insurance taxes withheld, union dues, uniform payments, health insurance premiums deducted, nontaxable income, educational assistance payments or the parsonage allowance and utilities paid to a clergy member.

In addition, railroad employers use this box to report railroad retirement (RRTA) compensation, Tier 1 tax, Tier 2 tax, Medicare tax and Additional Medicare Tax.

Boxes 15 through 20 — These are the reporting areas in connection with state and local taxes. In these boxes, you'll find state-required information about your employer and the amount of your wages that are subject to your state's and, where applicable, local jurisdiction's taxes. It also shows just how much of those state and local taxes you had withheld.

Box 12 alphabetic explanations: OK, as promised a couple paragraphs earlier, we're back to Box 12 and all the income related amounts that could go here.

In order to differentiate the possible W-2 entries, the IRS has devised an alphabetic code system, this time in capital letters, to explain the amounts in Box 12. They are below, as shown on the IRS form, along with some links to prior blog posts and my notations in italics.

Take a deep breath. There are a lot. A whole lot.

A — Uncollected Social Security or Railroad Retirement (RRTA) tax on tips. Include this tax on Form 1040.

B — Uncollected Medicare tax on tips. Include this tax on Form 1040.

C — Taxable cost of group-term life insurance over $50,000. This is included in boxes 1, 3 (up to the Social Security wage base [which is $000,200 in 2019 and $000,000 in 20]) and 5.

D — Elective deferrals to a section 401(k) cash or deferred arrangement. Also includes deferrals under a SIMPLE retirement account that is part of a section 401(k) arrangement. This amount is nontaxable.

E — Elective deferrals under a section 403(b) salary reduction agreement. This amount is nontaxable.

F — Elective deferrals under a section 408(k)(6) salary reduction SEP. This amount is nontaxable.

G — Elective deferrals and employer contributions (including nonelective deferrals) to a section 457(b) deferred compensation plan. This amount is nontaxable.

H — Elective deferrals to a section 501(c)(18)(D) tax-exempt organization plan. See the Form 1040 instructions for how to deduct this amount.

J — Nontaxable sick pay (information only, not included in box 1,3 or 5).

K — 20% excise tax on excess golden parachute payments. If you received an excess parachute payment (EPP), you must pay a 20 percent tax on it. If you received a Form 1099-MISC in connection with the EPP, the tax is 20% of the EPP shown in box 13.

L — Substantiated employee business expense reimbursements (nontaxable).

M — Uncollected Social Security or RRTA tax on taxable cost of group-term life insurance over $50,000 (former employees only). See the Form 1040 instructions.

N — Uncollected Medicare tax on taxable cost of group-term life insurance over $50,000 (former employees only). This amount should be included as part of your total tax on Form 1040.

P — Excludable moving expense reimbursements paid directly to a member of the U.S. Armed Forces (not included in box 1, 3, or 5). Note that this now is limited to military personnel relocations.

Q — Nontaxable combat pay. This amount is important when members of the military calculate their potential Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) amount.

R — Employer contributions to your Archer Medical Savings Account (MSA). Report on Form 8853, Archer MSAs and Long-Term Care Insurance Contracts.

S — Employee salary reduction contributions under a section 408(p) SIMPLE plan (not included in box 1).

T — Adoption benefits (not included in box 1). Complete Form 8834, Qualified Adoption Expenses, to compute any taxable and nontaxable amounts.

V — Income from exercise of nonstatutory stock option(s) (included in boxes 1, 3 (up to Social Security wage base), and 5). See Pub. 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income, for reporting requirements.

W — Employer contributions (including amounts the employee elected to contribute using a section 125 (cafeteria) plan) to your health savings account. Report on Form 8889, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).

Y — Deferrals under a section 409A nonqualified deferred compensation plan.

Z — Income under a nonqualified deferred compensation plan that fails to satisfy section 409A. This amount also is included in box 1. It is subject to an additional 20% tax plus interest. See the Form 1040 instructions.

AA — Roth 401(k) retirement plan contributions. Since these are made with after-tax money, the amount is included in the box 1 wages total.

BB — Roth 403(b) retirement plan contributions for employees of public schools, tax-exempt organizations and certain ministers. Since these are made with after-tax money, the amount is included in the box 1 wages total.

DD — Cost of employer-sponsored health coverage. The amount annotated DD is not taxable.

EE — Designated Roth contributions under a governmental section 457(b) plan. This amount does not apply to contributions under a tax-exempt organization section 457(b) plan. Since these are made with after-tax money, the amount is included in the box 1 wages total.

FF — Permitted benefits under a qualified small employer health reimbursement arrangement

GG — Income from qualified equity grants under section 83(i)

HH — Aggregate deferrals under section 83(i) elections as of the close of the calendar year

Whew! The whole alphabet and then some.

Most popular Box 12 codes: For most of us, the Box 12 codes that matter the most are:

Code D: If you contribute to a 401(k) or other workplace defined contribution plan, the amounts you put into that retirement account last year are indicated by this code. It's a good way to keep track of how much you're contributing at work to your retirement. Even though they aren't taxable, these amounts generally are included in Boxes 3 and 5.

Code DD: This is the amount attributable to another workplace benefit, your employer-sponsored health insurance. This amount is reportable under the Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare, but as the W-2 notes in bold type, you don't owe tax on it. This amount is just for your information. The only other time you hear about this amount is when your boss explains your raise is lower than you wanted because the company already is paying for a large chunk of your medical coverage.

Code P: This used to be a more widely used code, but it's no longer available to non-military movers. Now only service personnel can get a tax break for relocation expenses.

W-2 copy destinations: We're almost done. I promise (again).

You should get multiple copies of your W-2. They may be all printed on one long form or separate pages.

Here's what the copies mean and what you should do with them.

Copy B is — or was, back in the day when most of us snail mailed paper copies to the IRS — the one that accompanies your Form 1040 that you submit to the IRS. If you use tax software, you'll enter this information (or, if the option is available, upload it) as you use that computer filing method to fill in your 1040.

Copy 1 is for folks in the 43 states and District of Columbia that collect an income tax and require annual return filings to send with their state and/or local tax departments.

Copy C is for your records. The IRS says to hang onto it for at least years after the filing deadline or the date that you actually file if you get an extension. That's the general statute of limitations on how long the IRS has to audit your return.

I say hang onto your copy of each year's W-2 forever, attached either literally by being stapled to your paper copy of your annual tax return or as a digital version in your electronic tax folder. You should keep all your actual returns for always. You can, however, toss supporting documentation after the three-year audit limitation passes.

Keeping a copy of your earnings also could be helpful when you start collecting Social Security. If there's ever a question about your work record or earnings and the amount of the retirement benefits you're due, your old W-2 form should help answer them and make sure you get all you're due.

Tax Forms Tuesday Thanks for sticking with me on this very long post. It's the second in Don't Mess With Taxes' new Tax Form Tuesday feature. I promise, yet again, that future ones won't be this long. While you can always check the archives for all posts that mention IRS and other forms, I'm making the tax documents  highlighted in this new feature a bit easier to find. They'll be collected on the new Tax Forms Tuesday blog page.

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[mathematicianadda]

Life at MIND: Leading with Our Hearts at MINDShare 2019

Think back to a much-anticipated moment in your life and the excitement that led up to it. The build-up of emotions hoping it’s all you envisioned, and the preparation in your heart for the joy and memories to come.

This is what I experienced leading up to my first MINDShare. MINDShare is the annual event hosted by MIND Research Institute where colleagues (MINDers) from all across the country gather for a week of work and play. I recently joined MIND after five successful years of implementing ST Math in my previous district, and I was intent on soaking up this experience.

Matthew Peterson, Ph.D., MIND's Cofounder and Chief Research & Development Officer, kicking off MINDShare 2019

There was a lot to look forward to. Teammates shared their favorite moments from past MINDShare events, and excitement built knowing we would have our first glimpse at the new version of ST Math. I was excited to create memories with colleagues, say hello to those I don’t see on a regular basis, and share knowledge.

I heard from others that MINDShare was a great place to refocus, refresh, and remind yourself why we do what we do.

It turns out, they were right.

JiJi and Education Success Manager Christina Pipkin

Play to Learn Math. Learn to Love Math.

Let the learning begin! From general sessions to unique breakouts that targeted new learning, MINDShare had options for everyone.

  We experienced the new ST Math, something we’d been hard at work on for years! And if previewing powerful new features and updated puzzles wasn't enough, there was also a JiJi sighting!

With streamlined navigation for students, enhanced feedback animations, and a new objective hub for teachers—along with new assignment features—the new ST Math actively supports students' learning and optimizes teachers’ experiences.

  One thing that hasn’t changed is the twenty years of neuroscience and education research that backs ST Math and translates to powerful learning experiences that bring proven results. As Dean Hoffman, Education Success Manager stated during MINDShare, “Our results are not ‘happy accidents.’ They are intentional outcomes resulting from decades of planning, testing, and most importantly, learning from mistakes.”

Master of Ceremonies, Karin Wu, with presenters Jim Kirchner and Dorene Uhrich

Team Building

Many research studies show that when we laugh, it enhances attention, motivation, perception, memory, and learning, so it was good that our amazing event planners included time for us to play and laugh between learning so many new things.

We even had time to shop at Paco Bazaar! Paco Bazaar was started by Jo Zafra and our MIND artists as a way to use their creativity to help raise money and give back to our community. Colleagues created fun JiJi-themed original artwork and items that staff purchased. At our last Paco Bazaar, we were able to raise over $1,000 to support an ST Math classroom in need.

Community Partnerships Director Maria Cervantes, at the Paco Bazaar

Tuesday night, the Irvine colleagues greeted their remote peers with a reception to show off our new office location. We had a great time enjoying dinner, visiting with old and new friends, and warming up by the outdoor fire pits. Our CEO Brett Woudenberg’s dog, Maddie, even made an appearance! Each department had the opportunity to gather during the week without distractions to just have fun with activities like game nights, painting classes, and a giant game of good ol' Family Feud.

Linda Laose, Yvonne Noneman, Jo Garrett, Renzel Banez, and I during our fierce gingerbread competition

Because MINDShare fell in December this year, all colleagues were able to participate in the annual holiday party! If your idea of team building includes activities where you can learn a new skill, increase your creativity, and improve productivity, you should have seen our gingerbread structure competition! It included bartering for supplies and a whole lot of frosting.

While my team did not win best gingerbread house, we still built one very inviting dinosaur retirement home and spa. Hey! We did the best we could with the materials we were given!

A top contender to the gingerbread challenge: a gingerbread train!

Beyond the fun dinners, creative gingerbread building, ugly holiday sweaters, sing-alongs, and karaoke—all of this play and laughter opened up communication across departments, built relationships, and encouraged teammates to work cooperatively.

Ugly Holiday Sweater Champions: Debra Balint, Lynn Nordstrom, and ShaKeitha Green

In Tune with My Why

Dr. Betty Uribe, one of MIND's board members, was a MINDShare guest speaker. She had thirty minutes to make an impact on our organization, but she only needed sixty seconds! She showed us the importance of showing up for others, building trust by being yourself, and believing in your core values—all within one minute!

Dr. Uribe asked the audience, “Why are you here?” Our short time with Dr. Uribe encouraged, inspired, and reminded us that we must stay in tune with our why.

Board member and guest speaker, Dr. Betty Uribe

Something I especially enjoyed at MINDShare was hearing MINDers recognize great work done by their colleagues. These individuals were celebrated for showing evidence of our organization’s core values: people, problem solving, and learning.

While our organization recognizes colleagues monthly with Core Value Awards that we share on LinkedIn, during MINDShare, we celebrated many Core Value Award winners each day! Employees were encouraged to send in peer nominations and the recognition and respect that resulted was incredible.

Engagement team members: Malinee Chum, Tatiana Hernandez, Calli Wright, and Edith Esparza

Leading With our Hearts

There are two important things that I took away from MINDShare:

I work with a brilliant group of dedicated, mission-driven professionals who share a common mindset with me—a drive to do what is best for children.

When you have the privilege of interacting with a MIND partner, you are sure to find people you can trust, people that care for one another, and people who effortlessly show you their purpose.

I’m proud to say that I’m part of that purpose.

from MIND Research Institute Blog https://ift.tt/2R1TKcR from Blogger https://ift.tt/361XjUF

[gccemyouth]

GCC Youth Fellowship – Friday, April 5th, 2019

Information about the GCC Youth Ministry can be found here: http://youth.gccpraise.com

Friday April 5th

Invite a friend and join us on Friday April 5th for our monthly First Friday Fun & Fellowship night.

7:30 pm Snacks, Fellowship

8:15 pm Prayer, Games (Bring your favorite board games)

Save the Date:

Friday April 26th – Regular Youth Fellowship Meeting cancelled due to car wash and ping pong tournament on Saturday

Saturday April 27th – Ping Pong Tournament and Mission Trip Car Wash

Children's Sunday school would like to ask for youth volunteers to help the upcoming Easter egg hunt event next month. The tasks include packing eggs, helping to clean up the yard, and helping the kids activities. If you are interested, please sign up here.

June 22nd – June 28th 2019 – Youth Mission Trip….Details are available here. (New content such as informational videos are now available on the site)

July 5th – July 7th – CCVA invites GCC to their Summer Retreat. More details to follow as planning has just started

Prayer Requests & Praises:

Pray for Jennie Xie – Jennie starts her first day of class at the Navy A School in Texas on Wednesday, April 3, for about 14 weeks of Hospital Corpsman training. Please pray for God’s continuing strength and encouragement for Jennie Xie as she goes through Hospital Corpsman training for at Navy School in Texas.

Pray for Alice Wang that God would give her clear direction for where He wants her to serve after graduation

Pray for the upcoming short-term mission trip that we would grow in our faith in God while serving others

Pray for everyone who is sick and recovering from flu and other sickness

Pray for our college students – pray for diligence and faithfulness

Pray for our High School seniors – pray for God’s guidance as they work on college applications

Pray for all our Youth and families – pray for a closer relationship with God

Verse of the Week:

Hebrews 12:2

2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Reminders:

If you would like to receive our weekly notifications by SMS, please sign up for Remind.

If you have any other prayers, questions, or concerns, please reach out to us at gccemyouth@gmail.com

The GCC Youth Leadership Team

Check Tumblr for details of upcoming events and activities.

[anachef]

IT’S TIME to Have a FLURRY OF FUN for THE HOLIDAYS at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!!

The Holiday Season is HERE at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which means it’s time for a FLURRY of FUN!!

Hollywood Studios is ready for the Holidays!

From now through January 6, 2019, practically the entire park will be celebrating the season! Food, fireworks, and festive decor (and MORE) have transformed Hollywood Studios into a Holiday Winter Wonderland… and that includes this year’s new addition to the park, Toy Story Land!

Toy Story Land for the Holidays!

The event has been in soft opening for just a couple of days, so we’ve actually had a chance to take in LOTS of the sights, sounds, and tastes. But as of TODAY, it’s all official!

Mickey Shortbread Cookies

So get ready for The Most Wonderful Time of the Year at Hollywood Studios!

Moving Billboards Are Back on Sunset Boulevard

A Flurry of FOOD

Once again this year, all sorts of additional Season’s EATINGS are available throughout the park!

Chocolate Mousse Present

We took you on a Flurry of Fun food tour with reviews on Tuesday (you can see it all here!), but in case you missed it, here is a glimpse at a few of our favorites from the Flurry, with links to individual reviews below!

A new Lunch Box Tart has made its way to Woody’s Lunch Box in Toy Story Land: the Cran-Apple Cinnamon Lunch Box Tart!

Cinnamon Cran-Apple Lunch Box Tart

And the Spiked Hot Cocoa Flight has returned to Fairfax Fare and Dockside Diner, but with a few new spirits for 2018.

Hot Cocoa Flight

Your trio of creamy, chocolately, goodness is made up of Baileys and Hot Chocolate with cinnamon, Vanilla Vodka and Hot Chocolate, and Cherry Bourbon and Hot Chocolate.

Chocolate fans will also enjoy the gorgeous Chocolate Chestnut Pinecone at Backlot Express.

Chocolate Chestnut Pinecone

The Eggnog Panna Cotta at Catalina Eddie’s was a fun surprise.

Eggnog Panna Cotta

And the Santa Macarons at Oasis Canteen are super festive!

Santa Macarons

See more Flurry Treats here!

The Holidays in Toy Story Land

Sure, it’s kind of like Christmas all year long in Toy Story Land, what with the colorful, larger-than-life lightbulbs strung throughout the Land no matter when you visit.

Jessie strolling through Toy Story Land!

But the scene has been enhanced for the holidays with decorations reminding you that you have shrunk down to the size of a toy when you enter Toy Story Land!

Holiday Cookie Hamm

Alien Ornaments

Woody’s Lunch Box with Popcorn Garland

And Woody, Jessie, and Buzz are ready to meet and greet guests in their new holiday costumes!

Buzz Lightyear

Woody

Jessie

See all of Toy Story Land during the holidays here!

Decorations at Echo Lake and Beyond

Echo Lake is also getting into the spirit again this year with even more holiday decor!

Hollywood Studios Christmas Tree at Echo Lake

Decor around Echo Lake

And just across the way near The Hollywood Brown Derby, even more vintage decorations help set the atmosphere.

Vintage Decorations

Vintage Decorations

Good ol’ Gertie — of Dinosaur Gertie’s Ice Cream of Extinction — is bringing back her Santa hat for the occasion.

Holiday Gertie

Holiday Gertie at Hollywood Studios!

Tree Lighting takes place at dusk each evening.

Tree Lighting

And the view is lovely!

Hollywood Studios Christmas Tree at Echo Lake

Sunset Seasons Greetings

Be sure to spend some time in the evening strolling along Sunset Boulevard to take in Sunset Seasons Greetings!

Sunset Seasons Greeting sign

For the second year in a row, The Hollywood Tower of Terror Hotel is transformed every evening with projections featuring holiday scenes.

Projections on Tower of Terror

And this year, Sunset Seasons Greetings has been enhanced with more lasers to light up the merry atmosphere.

Sunset Seasons Greeting

Mickey and Minnie, Toy Story pals, the Swedish Chef from The Muppets, and everyone’s favorite snowman, Olaf, set the yuletide scene as the moving billboards surrounding you play their seasonal stories.

Joyous Tidings to You

And, by way of a little Disney magic, you can enjoy snow in Florida throughout the night!

SNOW!!

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!

The Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! nighttime spectacular lights up the skies with festive fireworks set to holiday music and projections to cap off each night of the Flurry!

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!

Holiday moments from Disney films are interspersed with visits from Wayne and Lanny from the Prep & Landing holiday TV special.

And if you’d like to guarantee your spot as well as enjoy a holiday-themed array of desserts, you can check out information for the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Dessert Party here.

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Dessert Party

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Dessert Party setting

Minnie’s Holiday Dine

Echo Lake is where you’ll fine Hollywood & Vine. This table service restaurant is currently hosting Minnie’s Holiday Dine daily during both lunch AND dinner.

Minnie’s Holiday Dine

Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Daisy, and Goofy don their holiday finery to mix and mingle with guests enjoying a full buffet, complete with festive dishes.

Daisy Duck

Read our full review of Minnie’s Holiday Dine here!

Meet and Greet with Santa Claus

Want to share your Christmas wish with Santa Claus? Jolly Old Saint Nick is available for meet and greets and photos at Once Upon a Time on Sunset Boulevard through December 24th.

Sunset Boulevard

The photo setting is, of course, picture perfect!

Santa Meet and Greet area

Meet Santa Claus!

And remember, since Santa will be a wee bit busy starting midnight on Christmas Eve, Santa Goofy will begin to greet guests instead from December 25th through December 31st.

Santa Goofy

The Flurry of Fun is on our list of Disney World Holiday Must-Dos! See everything else on the list in our DFB YouTube Video!

And let us know if you’re getting ready to have a Flurry of Fun in Hollywood Studios!

Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney World Fun This Holiday Season!

The DFB Guide to the Walt Disney World® Holidays 2018 is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you get the most out of your holiday vacation at Walt Disney World. Order The DFB Guide to the Walt Disney World® Holidays 2018 now!

It includes over 400 pages of must-have information, including:

A full What’s New!! chapter for the 2018 Holiday Season

A full Monthly Schedule of Events for the Holiday Season

How to avoid the crowds on Disney World’s busiest days (and when Disney World closes their parks due to capacity!)

ALL of the events, activities, and holiday additions in Walt Disney World. ALL. OF. THEM.

And of course we’ll tell you where to eat! ;-D

Order your 2018 Guide now and get 20% off with code PEPPERMINT!

As always, our e-Books are 100% guaranteed! If you don’t love it, you get your money back!

Are you going to have a Flurry of Fun in Hollywood Studios this season? Please let us know with a comment!

Related posts:

It’s a Flurry of Fun for THE HOLIDAYS at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!

What’s NEW At Disney’s Hollywood Studios: Grand Avenue, New Starbucks Mugs, Coco Cupcakes, and MORE

First Look: NEW Disney’s Hollywood Studios Holiday Decor!!

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