“It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.” -Dumbledore
∇ Roasted turkey using this method
∇ The best make-ahead creamy mashed potatoes (I once made gallons of this for a wedding rehearsal dinner and they were a hit!)
∇ Roasted butternut squash, pureed with a little maple syrup, a dash of salt, and some butter (I used cultured vegan butter to make it dairy-free)
∇ No-knead dinner rolls (dough can be made ahead!)
∇ Broccoli salad (so many delicious versions of this)
∇ Corn Pie (an old family favorite, see recipe below)
New to me recipes this year:
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(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)
∇ Does anyone remember the Mannequin Challenge of 2016? For your viewing pleasure, I present to you, What the Nails* Do on Christmas Eve:
∇ Believe it or not, I’ve never made Christmas Crack before until now! I found this recipe by Amy Hannon and used it as my foundation. I also added this, this, & this.
∇ When I was prepping food for Christmas (specifically, the four quiches I made with varying degrees of meat, gluten, and dairy) this is the podcast series I listened to: Heavyweight Season 4. Favorite episodes? #27 and #30.
∇ I’ve played two new {to me} games this week that were surprisingly fun in vastly different ways: this board game and this active competition of bizarre coordination: instructions and visual guide!
Happy Christmas week to you! What have you been making, playing, doing?
*my parents and siblings
This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a load of Christmas Crack to me.
(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)
∇ What I truly want for you is peace and joy. I read these reminders from Morgan Harper Nichols and it was exactly what I needed to be told today.
Please do something for yourself that is self-care. A foot bath. A tub soak. Gazing at your tree with a glass of wine and square of dark chocolate. I got a massage this week, which is the best gift Past Rachel could’ve given December Rachel the week before Christmas. As someone who has dealt with chronic neck pain, this literally saved my neck during a really full week.
(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)
Hello my festive little Christmas elves!
If you, like me, aren’t *quite* ready for all things Christmas, take a deep breath (*takes a deep breath*) and think about what truly matters to you. Recognize the difference between those things and extraneous things. For me, that’s focusing on Advent through simple devotionals, spending time with my immediate and extended family, reaching out to people grieving during the holidays and…actually, that’s it. Literally everything else is joyful bonus stuff. Even though I’m not as prepared for Christmas as I’d like (still a few more gifts to pull together) I feel remarkably relaxed about it all because: PERSPECTIVE.
Here are some things I have not done this year:
baked Christmas cookies for the fam
sent out family photo cards
100% decorated the house
That list is much longer, but you get the drift! Of course, I’d love to do those things, but I’m also fine with letting them go because they aren’t as precious to me as my top three. If you need help letting something go, reach out to me and I will talk through it with you, because I am preaching this to myself, too. If there’s something you can’t completely let go of (say, you’re hosting a holiday dinner), then how can you simplify it? Ask me or someone else for ideas on how to problem-solve whatever is nagging at you, and have the most beautiful holiday with what you have right where you’re at.
Okay, on to those gift suggestions-
I know this is an obvious reminder, but now is an excellent time to utilize the power of the internet and have gifts delivered directly to the recipient! Or to you, via Amazon or Target, for example, while you shop from your couch and gaze at the lights on your Christmas tree. Seriously, avoid the crowds if that would be anxiety-inducing.
Here are some things I have done and will be doing for gifts (and if you are in my family then just stop here because SPOILERS AHEAD YOU’VE BEEN WARNED):
∇ Easy homemade bread wrapped in a tea-towel or parchment paper. And I do mean easy-if you’ve been to my house lately and seen my large glass canister full of rising dough, this is the magic happening. No-kneading required, no skills needed. It just takes a little thinking ahead and about 2 minutes to mix up the ingredients. You can find many variations of this recipe; here are two: Homemade Artisan Bread and Easy No-Knead Overnight Artisan Bread. Half of my neighborhood has now been given a loaf of this bread; can’t stop won’t stop! {you could also add a jar of locally produced honey or jam~seriously the homiest and yummiest gift}
∇ Do you know anyone who has skin? Yes? Do you also like to support women in business? Me too. Then gift your people some skincare and/or makeup from my friend Jo, who I’ve known for over 22 years and who creates small-batch, clean ingredient products. {I mentioned JO Custom Cosmetics on my Black Friday post, too.) She is not asking me to brag on her, and I’ve gladly spent my own dollars on her products because I love her and them. {Fun fact: Hosanna has been using her lavender serum the last year-it lasts forever- and I’ve been wearing her lip gloss every day this week!} Her products come packed so adorably these would be perfect to send directly to your intended recipient. I asked her for a discount code to share with my friends, and she gave me one for 10% off your total order! Here it is: wildwood10
∇ Earrings are everything, and these handmade clay beauties have been on my list for a while: Nova Vita Co. If you live in the St. Louis area, her Instagram account mentions some local shops you can find the earrings at. If you order from her directly, she will ship them using recycled materials! Guess what? Not to brag or anything but I also know the maker, Avery, and her family. She’s a killer volleyball player and has played with my husband and kids (but not me because I don’t jump) and is the real deal: genuine and kind and OBVS creative. She was featured in STLMag, read about her HERE! Then go buy some earrings for your mom, wifey, sister, best friend…
∇ Let me state the obvious, now and forevermore: BOOKS. I will never get tired of giving or receiving books. Don’t forget the life-altering power of a good book! The perfect any-gender gift. Your person not a reader of novels? Then consider one of these (all ones I own or have given!): puzzles, adult-coloring, hand-lettering, photography, graphic novels, or a cookbook. Another idea~ I gave a book subscription to my sister once from a local independent bookstore: The Novel Neighbor
∇ Movie Theatre gift card: one of my kids’ aunties has done this in recent years and it is the BEST idea! I love experience gifts like this. Going to see a movie with the entire fam really adds up-we rarely do it unless we have a gift card. Also-we utilize theatre $5 days and other discounts to make this gift last longer!
∇ Stocking stuffer ideas: popping ears, blue light glasses, chewing gum, cozy winter socks, $5-$10 coffee gift cards, fruit (canned or fresh, oranges are perfect!), chapstick or lip balm (Jo Custom Cosmetics!), portable charger, hand sanitizer, chocolate, snacks (all sorts), mini kleenex packs
I hope these little ideas were helpful to you; I’d love to hear some of your favorite gift ideas!
This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase after clicking through one of my links, I may receive a {very small} commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting this blog! It means the world and a Merry Christmas to me. 🙂
(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)
We all love this day so much because of pumpkin pie for breakfast, right?!?
I am not a big Black Friday in-store shopper, though I’ve done it a couple of times and it’s certainly fun with friends and family! (I’ll never forget the time I kept losing my brother Ian at the mall and he kept calling from the Apple Store to find us.)
In recent years I’ve been trying to be thoughtful about my holiday purchases and where and why the money is going. That money, I tell ya-it’s slippery like a newborn baby.
My preferred way to shop Black Friday sales is via my own internet and cozy home with the aforementioned pumpkin pie and a cup of coffee on hand. I am sharing a sampling of things here that I have purchased myself and love:
…(I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. You can read my disclosure here.)
I am in a festive baking mood! How about you? Cooking from scratch or enjoying a restaurant or catered meal this year?
This year we are traveling (just an hour and a half) to spend Thanksgiving with Tom’s family at the Eldredge Farm, only instead of being there for just the day as we have the past couple years, we’re leaving mid-week and staying through the weekend, which means I have more food prep and planning ahead to consider.
We’ll stay at our home at the family farm, while the current occupants (dear family) are traveling, so that means I will have a kitchen to use and space to be messy and also perhaps lazy (Friday morning and pumpkin pie, I’m looking at you).
The actual Thanksgiving day meal is held in my mother-in-law’s home, and each family brings their favorite contributions to the big feast on Thursday. We have the main meal around 1pm and then all the desserts are saved for dessert dinner in the evening. This is the Way of the Eldredge’s, a long tradition dating back decades. I wear comfortable clothing.
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