Season's Greetings... Cards

Hi Friends:

One of my favorite holiday traditions is sending seasonal greeting cards. It's such a nice way to tell people you are thinking about them during this time of year. 

As I am sure you have experienced, displaying these cards can be a trick. Here are a handful of ideas to help you showcase your cards and add charm to your holiday decor.

When you rifle through your Christmas decoration box, do you have any extra ornaments that just don't seem to make it to the tree? Add them to a decorative bowl and add your cards. The bowl will look great on your coffee table or sideboard.

You can use the same philosophy with bells -- add them to a decorative bowl with your cards and voila!

Do you have a table with glass on top of it to protect the surface? Slide the cards underneath the glass for a great display.

We just love this idea from Martha Stewart! Simply punch a hole through your holiday cards, add a ribbon to form a loop and hang on tree branches. So cute and festive.

You can also purchase card holders that can be hung over the back of a door or mounted to a wall. I have a vintage card holder that I hang from a ribbon on my door (image on the right) but we found a great vintage-inspired piece at Pier 1 this year (image on the left)!

 How do you display your holiday cards?

Holiday Musings!

Hi Friends:

With Thanksgiving behind us, Hanukkah upon us and Christmas and Kwanzaa just around the corner, I wanted to share a few thoughts about the holiday experience. Right about now we are inundated with news reports on the hottest trends, shopping frenzy and sales predictions. We are told how to get the best deals, beautifully wrap packages, set the perfect table, and pace ourselves in order to juggle it all and remain stress free. The message seems to be that the holiday is something to be survived more than enjoyed.

For years I have found this time of year to be very emotional - a mixture of excitement, expectation and even melancholy. When I am out and about, I am deeply affected by the decorations and holiday music; it evokes memories of holiday's gone by and loved ones lost. I want nothing more than to shop and lunch with the girls in my life. Sign me up for the cookie exchange and count me in to go to a holiday craft show. I love every caffeinated minute!

So how can we get the most out of the holiday and skirt the downside? Maybe we should start by adjusting our perspective. Gift giving, for example, shouldn't be a chore. It's not about getting someone exactly what they asked for, it's about enjoying the opportunity to give. In our house, there is a long standing rule: you can't ask for your gifts. Now this doesn't mean that hints aren't occasionally dropped, but the shopping experience changes when you have to put a little thought and/or creativity into the gift. Shopping is no longer a  laundry list of items to buy and recipients will be appreciative of your efforts. What more precious gift is there than thoughtfulness?

Decide to enjoy being among the bustling crowd. Pause to delight in children getting their pictures taken with Santa, hum along with the piped-in music, help someone make a selection, or chat with your neighbor in the checkout line. Choose to be merry and you will be rewarded by way of a joyful heart.

Remember, too, that you don't have to "do it all." Pick a few meaningful things to do with loved ones to celebrate the holiday - something everyone will look forward to each year - a cookie baking day, holiday movie night, or piling in the car to marvel at the brightly lit houses. Most importantly, give back. Regardless of your celebration preferences, live out the expression that to those who much is given, much is expected; there are lots of opportunities to volunteer or sponsor others in need at this time of year.

Finally, be patient and non-judgmental. Just because we may celebrate the holiday a certain way, doesn't mean others do, too. If we pledge to be generous of heart and spirit, the holiday will be exactly what it is supposed to be - a time of hope, joy, peace and love, especially love. 

Holiday-Inspired Family Activities!

Hi Friends:

With the Christmas holiday just a day away, we want to devote this blog post to family activities. Enjoy!

Is your shopping done, the stockings hung and presents wrapped? Consider a family trip to a local ice skating rink for some winter-inspired fun and exercise!

Ice skating rink in front of the Bean at Chicago's Millennium Park

Stop for a moment to appreciate the beauty of the season!

Chicago's first snow!

Would you prefer to hunker down indoors?  Why not gather the family together for a rousing game of Bingo! We use one of these vintage sets and award small prizes, cookies or candy to the winner.

Do you have little ones to entertain? Make these adorable candy crafts! 

Supplies needed: Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, green tinsel pipe cleaner, a star bead and a dab of glue to attach the tree to it's base.

Supplies needed: A package of Starburst, white wrapping paper, scrap felt for the hat, scrap fabric for the scarf and paint marker.

From our family to yours, happy holidays!!!

Lisa and Nikki's Friday Finds!

Hi Friends:

This week's Friday Finds is devoted to getting into the holiday spirit! What has inspired and delighted us? Here they are - the sights, sounds, tastes and one-of-a-kinds we loved!

Christmas Campfire Martini? Yes please! This yummy drink from Daydreamer Desserts has us ready to celebrate!

And while we're talking marshmallows, why not make them at home with the help of America's Test Kitchen! They're fun, easy and so much more delicious than store bought.

There's always time for an Affogato! Italian for "drowned," this dessert is simply a shot of hot espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You might as well add a dollop of whipped cream and some shaved chocolate, too, right? Even better, serve it in a vintage dessert glass like this one! 

We love this pop/folk Christmas song by "The Weepies,"  married singer-songwriters.

And, of course, the lights!

With just over one week left until Christmas, we hope you find a few minutes to enjoy the spirit of the season!

Oh Christmas Tree!

"We are so much more than 'getting a Christmas tree.' We're about infusing the Christmas spirit and joining families together."

~Oney's Tree Farm

Now that the holiday season is in full swing, let's talk Christmas trees. But first things first. Do you prefer a real tree or fake tree? In my opinion, real trees are the only way to go. When I'm really honest with myself, however, I realize that my strong feelings on the subject are less about the tree and more about the past 18 years of memories that I have tied to getting a Christmas tree with my family.

Every year, right after Thanksgiving, my family bundles up, grabs the dogs, digs out the Charlie Brown Christmas CD, and piles into our suburban to head out to Woodstock, Illinois, for our annual visit to Oney's Tree Farm. We've braved sub-zero tempuratures, snow and wind because nothing will keep us from the hunt for the perfect tree.

Upon our arrival, we pick up our saw and discuss the type of tree we are looking for (although... I am not quite sure why this annual discussion takes place; we always end up with a Blue Spruce). 

Next we trek out to the vast expanse of trees and start our search. Trees we like are "marked," usually with a stick. (The real hunt is finding the marked trees when we are ready to make our final selection.)

Look at this gorgeous specimen; it's way too big for our homes, but it sure made a great backdrop for our holiday card pictures (another tradition we believe strongly in, but that's for another blog post).

 When we feel like we have seen all there is to see, or our feet are thoroughly frozen, whichever comes first, we pick our tree! Someone then has to get down and dirty and saw it down. It has never been me!

We always opt to carry our tree back to the main entrance for shaking and bundling. 

If you are not inclined to walk, however, the Oney's team can offer you a ride. Look at these beautiful horses!

Time for a quick shake, then it's through the nets.

We're now more than ready to head to the Christmas Shop's snack bar to thaw out and indulge in the annual fare.

Mom always has an apple donut, Dad and A.J. get the cinnamon rolls, Mark gets the chocolate covered pretzels, I get the frosted snowman cookie and we all enjoy hot cocoa or apple cider. Yum!

 

After snacks, time to shop! Look at these beautiful handmade wreaths! Now imagine how they smell!

This shop has everything from ornaments to decor items, handmade bows and, of course, stockings.

It's a wrap for another year! While this might seem like your average family outing, to me it is so much more. It's the singing in the car, the family time out in nature, the inside jokes (why do we have to take so many pictures), and most importantly, the memories that we have created year after year. In the coming years, our family will continue to grow, and I know I speak for A.J. and myself when I say, we can't wait to continue this very meaningful tradition with our own kids.

What are your family traditions? Tell us in the comments section.

 

Apple Santas!

Hi Friends:

Have you heard of apple santas? When I was little, my mom taught my sisters, brother and I how to make apple santas. Every Christmas we made them for teachers and friends and put a few around the house for decoration and fragrance - they smell like a clove pomander! I passed on the tradition to my children and, this year, I have the joy of making them once again with my son, A.J., as he is home for the holidays. He might be 24, but he is still full of child-like wonder at this time of year! Aren't we all? 

Zip out to the grocery store and pick up the supplies and make a few with your family; they're easy and so cute!  

Supplies: Bright red apples (pick the ones with the best shape for santa's belly), marshmallows, large red and black gum drops, whole cloves, cotton balls, long toothpicks or cocktail skewers and honey.

Start by attaching a marshmallow and red gum drop to the top of the apple with a long toothpick. This is santa's head and hat.

Attach a marshmallow and black gum to lower sides of the apple. Now you have santa's legs and boots!

Stick cloves into the marshmallow head to represent santa's eyes and nose.

Dribble a little honey on santa's chest for attaching santa's beard.

Stretch out and shape a cotton ball into santa's beard and attach just below santa's head.

Finally, add a tiny cotton ball to santa's hat with a little honey if you like.

All done; note how everyone's santa has his own personality! If anyone is tempted, santa is edible; just remove the cotton and toothpicks. How fun was this!