Harry Potter Magic Arrives at Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe

With its own section of Dr. Suess's How The Grinch Stole Christmas and festive Despicable Me's Minions, the Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe at the front of Islands of Adventure in Universal Orlando spreads Christmas cheer all year long. This year, its Harry Potter section has expanded and it's definitely a must-see if you're visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Decked out with Hogwarts and Harry Potter garlands, stockings, and ornaments, it's every witch and wizard's one-stop shop for all things Christmas. The park is now also offering new services like Custom Gift Wrapping and inspiration for your own Hogwarts-inspired decorations. Check out the amazing new look taking over the Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe!

@TheYuleBaII Conjures Holiday Cheer on Twitter for Harry Potter Fans

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the students and staff of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons Academy, and Durmstrang Institute take a break during the heated Triwizard Tournament to celebrate Christmas. Forgetting about the looming threat of deadly challenges, everyone is dressed to the 9 3/4 to enjoy the holiday festivities under the icicle-inspired Great Hall. It's an event all of us Harry Potter fans wish we could attend. So why not join the next best thing: The Twitter Yule Ball 2018.

Started by @TheYuleBaII on twitter, witches and wizards from around the world are invited to find a dance partner, come dressed in their best wizarding wardrobes, and boogie the night away.

On December 22nd, starting at 6:00 pm GMT (check this page out for time zone conversion), fans will participate in this Twitter role-play event using the hashtag  #TwitterYuleBall2018 to attend the party and have an unforgettable night celebrating our favorite fandom.

From the official page:

For those of you who haven’t attended in previous years, I’m sure you’re wondering what this is all about and how it will possibly work. For starters, it’s a Twitter role-play event where Potterheads from all around the world can celebrate the Yule Ball from the comfort of their bedrooms. During the event, we’ll be using the hashtag #TwitterYuleBall2018 to keep us connected.

You’ll be interacting with fellow Potterheads, tweeting, singing, and filling the timeline with crazy party-related tweets. Our main goal, of course, is to keep the magic of Harry Potter alive. We’ll be getting virtually drunk on butterbeer and firewhiskey, dancing like hippogriffs, role-playing our favourite characters, picturing them in bizarre situations, singing along to songs together, laughing together, and having the time of our lives in celebration of Harry Potter!

The more you use the #TwitterYuleBall2018 hashtag on Twitter during the event, the greater chance you have of also winning an award.

Fans have already begun to earn their first entry into their Best Dressed Award by tweeting their outfit (and you still have time to get involved too!) Other categories also include: House Pride Award, Funniest Drunk Award, Party Animal Award, Cutest Couple Award, and Best Role-play Award. Winners will be announced on December 23rd and may receive official Potter merchandise as prizes.

If you're looking for a spellbinding way to celebrate Christmas and Harry Potter, don't forget to set the date (and convert your timezone from GMT). Check out the official info here and follow @TheYuleBaII!

New Chocolate Frog Card Released for Christmas 2018

Just in time for the Christmas season, a new chocolate frog card has been released. The latest character you can add to your collection is a gamechanger for the wizarding world: Devlin Whitehorn.

With every new card that is released, we get a bigger idea of how many intricate witches and wizards make up the extraordinary wizarding world as we know it. Even though he is not a character in the books or movies, his presence will be familiar to everyone who loves to travel by broom, and of course, from the importance of the Nimbus 2000 in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Nimbus 2001 in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Whitehorn's company created them!

From the back of the card, we gain a bigger insight about his impact:

Devlin Whitehorn created the Nimbus Racing Broom Company. He helped design Nimbus brooms, which revolutionized the game of Quidditch. A master flyer, he is a Quidditch fan who enjoys watching and playing the game when he can.

Instead of a big announcement about the release of a new card, which has happened in the past, this one has been made available rather quietly. Similarly, the past few chocolate frog cards have prominently featured behind-the-scenes characters that are not very familiar in the Harry Potter universe. Previous recent card figures have included Jocunda Sykes (the first witch to fly over the Atlantic), Hengist of Woolcroft (founder of Hogsmeade), and Bertie Blotts (creator of Bertie Blotts Every Flavor Beans). It'll be interesting in the future if chocolate frog cards return to include familiar characters we already know or introduce new faces.

You can try to find Devlin Whitehorn's card from the mystery packs at Universal Studios such as the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando or purchase it directly from Warner Bros Studio Tour London. Check back for a review and closer look of the card to be added soon!

Spoiler-Filled Gif Reactions to Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

After waiting two years for Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them's highly anticipated sequel, the latest installment leaves us with so much to wrap our heads around. Seriously, there's so many details and moments that take Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald to the next level, it's difficult to talk about the movie without spoiling everything. Even though it's important to #ProtectTheSecrets with fans who haven't seen it yet, I've made a safe space for all the feels that this movie conjures. Because there is a cauldron's worth and thensome. Beware - behind the cut there are a ton of spoilers! Here are all of my reactions to some of the biggest scenes from J.K. Rowlings and Warner Bros's latest installment! What did you think of some of these scenes? Feel free to share in the comments below!

Luna Lovegood Funko SuperCute Plush (Product Review)

As a lot of Potterheads wait for the new releases of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts Funko Pops - the extremely popular line of figurines inspired by movies, video games, tv shows, and every fandom under the sun - one of my favorite collectibles is another type of Funko - the SuperCute Plush line. Considerably not as hype-worthy as the Pop or Mini-Figures or Five Star collections, their plushies are as cute as can be. Almost every single time I see them at the store, I have to get one.

Funko's SuperCute Luna Lovegood Plush is dressed almost identically to actress Evanna Lynch in the sixth film Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - pink jacket, stars and galaxies skirt, blue tights, red shoes, and the Quibbler glasses. The only thing that is missing (and would've made the look even more complete) are her raddish earrings and the Quibbler magazine, but she is still adorable just as she is.

Like almost all of the Funko plushes, Luna is about 8 inches tall, which gives her a nice height - she's not too big or small. Her Quibbler glasses are made of a thick sturdy plastic and are not removable  unless you snap the attachment off. You can move her glasses to sit above her head, just like Luna does in the movie  - which is a nice addition instead of having the glasses just sit on her face.

Unlike some of the other stuffed toys from Funko's SuperCute Plush collection that are generally released everywhere like Amazon and Target, this Luna version is a Barnes and Noble exclusive. You can only find her at Barnes and Noble stores. If you're on the look-out for more Luna merchandise, or a toy that is safe for little kids, this plushie is a must-have.

Check out more photos here!!