Holiday Traditions {Delight By Design}

I am so glad that everyone has been enjoying the interviews with the lovely ladies who've shared their holiday memories and traditions with us thus far.

In today's Holiday Traditions interview, we are hoping over to Wyoming, to speak with Blair from the truly delightful blog, Delight By Design.

What were your family's holiday traditions when you were younger? What was a typical Christmas Eve/Christmas Day for your family?

The first thing that comes to mind is that my dad always reads "The Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve in front of the fire before we would skitter off to bed. We read the same copy of the book each year-- full with my scribblings over the pictures and only tape left for binding.

As for the day of Christmas-- we always had a preset time that we were "allowed" to wake up my parents and once we did, we had to eat breakfast (typically a candy cane shaped coffee cake) before even thinking about looking into the living room where all the presents were. After eating breakfast (which always seemed to take forever!) we emptied our stockings first and then each of us (me and my two younger brothers) had to take turns on opening presents. The rest of the day was usually spent playing with all our new toys until dinner time.

here

Did you/do you leave treats for Santa? If so, what were/are they?

Yes! We always left homemade Christmas sugar cookies and milk by the fireplace. And we would always get a note from "Santa" in the morning letting us know that he enjoyed them. The notes stopped once my dad realized I was catching on to it being his hand writing.

Have your family traditions changed since you've gotten older?

Surprisingly, no! Last year was the first time I wasn't home for Christmas and my dad sent me my own version of "The Night Before Christmas" to read and we made almost the exact same Christmas dinner I grew up having. I think one of the only things that has changed is that I now drink the alcoholic version of egg nog- yum!

Chris Everard

Have you implemented your own traditions into your life since you've gotten older?

Hmmm. Good question. Now, that I live in Wyoming, I have added going skiing to my Christams day- it is always very quiet on the mountain and the perfect way to enjoy a white Christmas.

We did try to start the tradition of cutting down our tree, but I was a little too scared after a grueling uphill snowshoe to find the perfect tree that ended in disaster. A disaster, that being totally blonde, I caused- I broke the chainsaw by not knowing that I couldn't put it in the snow (oops!) and we came out empty-handed. I guess it was good exercise, but it hasn't been suggested again.

Christmas skiing at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

Have you ever gone caroling?

Yes, in College when our sorority raised money by selling Christmas "Carol-grams" to students. I now know "All I want for Christmas' by Mariah Carey more than I ever wanted to. However, my personal favorite when singing around the house is definitely "Little Drummer Boy."

What foods do you feel are must haves during the holiday season?

Oh, I could go on and on. But I think my favorite to eat would be homemade spiced nuts and in terms of a drink it would definitely be a Chai latte (it just smells and tastes like the holidays.)

via White & Wander

What does a traditional Christmas meal include for you?

I fear it is not very exciting, but it is oh so good! We always have herb-crusted Beef Tenderloin, double baked potatoes, green beans with dill, and chocolate mint mousse. We tried Cornish hens one year, but I think that is the only year we strayed.

What is your Christmas decorating style?

Very simple and traditional. I love filling crystal vases and bowls full of ornaments. I think I have a container of some sort full of ornaments in each room of our home. My one staple decoration is a mouse shaped stocking that I have had since I was a little tyke-- always makes me smile. For the first time, this year I decorated a willow branch tree arrangement instead of getting a real tree, and I really love it!

The mouse stocking I've had since I was a little tyke

White lights or colored lights?

Oh, definitely white!

Cottage Living

What is one holiday-related event that you must do during the holiday season?

It doesn't seem like Christmas without driving around all the neighborhoods and admiring their Christmas lights.

Do you have a favorite holiday memory?

Hmmm. There are so many! I think it would be the year I hosted my family out in Wyoming (they live outside Chicago.) It was just so fun to be "in charge" of everything and really do everything myself for the first time- made me truly feel like an adult. It was painful on my pocket book though- I had to buy (and put up) two trees by myself. The first one I bought dried out too quickly, and I didn't want my family to be disappointed! I also bought all of the most beautiful decorations I could find- that was when I learned about the danger of credit cards. Despite the cost, it felt wonderful to be able to make the holiday as nice as possible for my family.

My willow twig tree

Complete this sentence- "It wouldn't be Christmas for me without..."

Family.

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Blair, I absolutely love that your dad still reads A Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve and that he sent you your own copy when you spent your first Christmas away from home. We too used to get a note from Santa, and I am amazed that I didn't catch on sooner that it was my mom's handwriting! And skiing on Christmas day sounds like an absolutely wonderful new tradition. Thank you so much for sharing these traditions and memories with us.

Stay tuned tomorrow because we have one more guest stopping by during this series, and be sure to catch up on any of the interviews you may have missed (here, here, here and here.)

Wintery Weekend

Well, I don't know how all of you feel- but I am all set with winter & with snow. I'll take open windows and warm summer breezes any day, thank you very much. My kids on the other hand cannot get enough of it. They played outside all day, all weekend- in fact, I had to call them in well after dark on Saturday. They were "snow boarding" (standing on their sleds) in our neighbors yard, the only guy with a hill in the whole neighborhood... he was nice enough to turn on his outside lights though so the kids didn't crash into the trees.

Here's Vianne and Don - we went to a cool steep hill in Pawtucket where all the kids hang out to sled. Don grew up nearby, so he went here when he was little too.

They're off!

Jacques likes to wipe out and roll down the hill, that's his signature move.

I am not sure if they mean don't sled on this hill, or just don't sled into the pole (if that's the case, good thing they put this sign up because I definitely wouldn't have thought of that)- either way it's a funny photo.

Holiday Traditions {coco + kelley}

While we're leaving Cleveland today, we're heading to Seattle to talk Holiday Traditions with the lovely Cassandra of the effortlessly glamorous blog coco + kelley.

What were your family's holiday traditions when you were younger? What was a typical Christmas Eve/Christmas Day for your family?

Our family always threw a big holiday party when we lived in LA. We would get 'bundled up' and head to the ice skating rink for a while, then back to our house where we would sing Christmas carols and decorate the tree. Every guest was required to bring an ornament!

Now that we're older our only traditions are fairly basic- we have a big dinner at my parents' house with aunts, uncles and cousins, and wake up early Christmas morning to open presents! We each take turns opening, and we always enjoy some traditional Italian Panettone or goodies sent to us from the Italian side of the family from Toronto where they all live.

Me & My Sister

Did you/do you leave treats for Santa? If so, what were/are they?

We always left treats and a letter for Santa. Sometimes, my mom will still request we do it, and my sister and I roll our eyes and write Santa a very witty note. We usually left the Mexican Tea Cookies my mom would make, and a glass of milk (although, nowadays we tend to leave a more adult beverage.)

Have your family traditions changed since you've gotten older?

We used to do a lot more as kids, but I think that's probably the case with most families. We used to read The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve, right before bed. We used to get Santa pictures (I totally broke that tradition the second I turned into a teenager!) and I think we generally spent more time together leading up to the holiday- decorating cookies, shopping, everything! Now, we all have our busy independent lives, so all of that is harder, but we still make the effort.

Have you implemented your own traditions into your life since you've gotten older?

I don't have a lot of traditions myself yet- I think once I settle down and have a family those will evolve. At this point, I have a big Christmas box that goes in and our of storage every year, and I love dragging it out and rediscovering the favorites pieces I've been collecting since college.

Ideal Home

Have you ever gone caroling?

I think we went once when I was REALLY young and living in LA. A lot of my parent's friends played instruments, so we all went out singing in a little group... I don't know if I'd be brave enough to do that now!

What foods do you feel are must haves during the holiday season?

Oh, lord, where do I start? The Italian side of my family always sends their homemade dried meats and cookies that I will never be able to imitate, so those always make it feel like Christmas. Big boxes of tangerines are a must. My mom's homemade biscotti. And a big Christmas dinner- usually lamb- cooked to perfection by my dad. I suppose a little gingerbread latte is also necessary to kick the season off!

What does a traditional Christmas meal include for you?

My dad's lamb, as I said, and his rosemary pecan pie. The rest is usually open to whatever recipe my dad has been wanting to try, but we always try to get some super garlic mashed potatoes in there too!

What is your Christmas decorating style?

Not surprisingly, my Christmas style changes every year, but one thing I will say- I do love me some sparkle! Ornaments that glitter are my favorite, followed by vintage balls and mercury glass. I bought a small tinsel tree a few years ago and usually use that so my style ends up being a little bit kitchy and a little bit classic, but this year I'm really leaning towards a bit of country in there.

My tree this year was inspired by the vintage keys I had and I decided to do a 'Secret Garden' theme with fake flowers, birds and feathers, ribbons and miniature ornaments. I guess I'm still figuring out my style!

My Tree

White lights or colored lights?

WHITE!

What is one holiday-related event that you must do during the holiday season?

Ice skating, if I can. On the top of my to-do list is to spend a Christmas in New York and ice skate at Rockefeller Center. DECORATE!

Do you have a favorite holiday memory?

I don't have one memory that stands out the most... I know that getting to spend Christmas in Toronto was always fun, because we never got snow in LA! I loved going there and visiting my huge Italian family. I also remember that at the mall in LA they put Santa in a big sandcastle. You would have to wait in line and walk through the castle to get to see Santa, and I always thought it was so amazing!

Ideal Home

Complete this sentence- "It wouldn't be Christmas for me without..."

Family, friends, and lights on the tree.

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Cassandra, thank you for taking the time to share your holiday traditions and memories with us! I would love to try your dad's rosemary pecan pie- wow, it sounds so delicious and unique! I am in complete agreement about ice skating at Rockefeller Center some year during the Christmas season, and I love me some sparkle too.

And for any of you who've missed the previous Holiday Traditions posts, catch up on all of them here. These ladies' all share wonderful Christmas memories in their interviews, and they are certainly worth the read.

Holiday Traditions {even*cleveland}

For our next stop in this Holiday Traditions series, we are heading to Ohio to check in with clever and crafty Stephanie, the woman behind the always brilliant blog even*cleveland.


What were your family's holiday traditions when you were younger? What was a typical Christmas Eve/Christmas Day for your family?

Every year, we would light pink and purple candles in my mother's simple Advent wreath and start counting down the days early. There never was much money, but Christmas was a big deal- there were strange and special foods and cookies to be made, smelly pennies to roll to take to the bank to buy presents, things to make and secrets to keep.

On Christmas morning, we always started with stockings, which usually had little utilitarian luxuries like fancy toothbrushes, boxes of printed band-aids, and little pots of lip gloss. After stockings, we opened presents- my dad always had to hand them out, because he wrote all the gift tags as riddles. To get your present, you had to figure out which ones were for you. That's something we look forward to still.

My parents' tree

Did you/do you leave treats for Santa? If so, what were/are they?

We always left an assortment of home-made cookies and a tall glass of milk, along with carrots for the reindeer.

Have your family traditions changed since you've gotten older?

I think the core of our traditions have remained the same- the only thing that has changed is that I wake up at my own house now instead of my parents', and I don't wake up at 6 AM ready to dive into my stocking. I make it until at least 7.

Have you implemented your own traditions into your life since you've gotten older?

I have. Sean and I started dating in a December long ago, so our early courtship was blended into all kinds of seasonal things, like driving to look at Christmas lights, watching Christmas movies, going ice-skating and making ornaments for each other. Those are things we still make a point of doing together every year.

When we were at the Chriskindl markets in Vienna, we bought handmade wool felt slipper boots with pointy tops, and since then, we have set them out instead of stockings.

Have you ever gone caroling?

Caroling was important in my family. When I was growing up, we went caroling just about every year. My father is a professional musician, so he would have us practice harmonies a week or two before, then we would bundle up and head out into the snow to walk and sing. We always sang very traditional songs, and usually one or two in French- my mother is a Francophile, so she would coach us along.

The best part was that people were alway so surprised and happy, and one lady on our street always magically had hot cookies for us to eat after we sang. She must have been baking constantly, because we never told anyone when we were going out. They tasted delicious- I remember them steaming in the cold air.

Caroling books made by Stephanie

What foods do you feel are must haves during the holiday season?

Cookies, cookies, cookies. My mother and I have an annual baking jamboree, because that is the taste of Christmas to us- ginger spritz, balesh with nut or apricot filling, creme wafers, sugar cookies, nut balls, jam thumbprints, homemade marshmallows, macaroons, plus a few new recipes we try to work in. I like to make bourbon milk punch to go with cookies- it's boozy, but lighter than eggnog. We call it Super Milk.

What does a traditional Christmas meal include for you?

My mother's Italian Wedding soup and my great-grandmother's fruit salad- it has oranges, grapes, and pineapple in it. It was a Christmas treat during the Depression, when fruit was expensive and hard to come by.

What is your Christmas decorating style?

I like all things handmade and simple. Most of our decorations are handmade or little things we have picked up on our wanderings. They are all very meaningful to me.

Village made by Stephanie

White lights or colored lights?

Either- it depends on my mood. This year we have white lights on the tree, but I do love colored lights- they take me back to my childhood, when I used to lay on the floor under the tree and look up with squinty eyes to make the lights twinkle.

Our tree this year

What is one holiday-related event that you must do during the holiday season?

I need to watch It's A Wonderful Life. It reminds me that a good life is possible even if you don't get to follow your dreams.

Do you have a favorite holiday memory?

Layer upon layer of good memories- I think that is why I feel so happy this time of year. One of my favorites is the year my little brother gave us all geodes for Christmas- one after another, we each unwrapped a dingy rock and were completely confused as to why they were our presents. My brother was as pleased as can be, though, and kept telling us, "But if you hit it with a hammer, there could be diamonds inside!" It was too funny.

Another favorite is the year Sean and I spent Christmas in Dublin. We had just gotten back from Vienna, which was a winter wonderland full of beautiful Christmas tree stands on every corner. When we got back to Dublin, we couldn't find a tree anywhere. I was sick and feeling terrible, so Sean literally walked the length and breadth of the city, until he found a scraggly pine in a pot at a flower wholesale market. It was truly a Charlie Brown tree, but we thought it was amazingly beautiful. It was either Christmas magic at work or too much cold medicine.


Complete this sentence- "It wouldn't be Christmas for me without..."

Sean.

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Stephanie, I love the story of Sean searching for a Christmas tree in Dublin; it is so sweet and illustrates the importance traditions carry in our lives. I also love that your dad riddles all the gift tags- what a unique and special tradition. And your baking jamborees with your mom sound delicious! Thank you so much for sharing these memories with us.

There are still more Holiday Traditions to share in the coming days, and be sure to check out Tina's and Kimberlee's interviews if you missed them!

My A-HA! moment

Have you tried to make cake balls? Let's start with the name...as my cousin, Tara, wisely pointed out, "cake balls" is a little scary sounding. They are hereby renamed, "cake truffles." Much better!

OK...I was getting a little frustrated because my cake, um, truffles weren't smooth like I'd seen on some other blogs. Mine tasted good, but they were lumpy.

These are Gingerbread Truffles (really yummy!) made with a gingerbread mix, baked and mixed with chocolate frosting. My A-HA! moment....shortening! I added a 1/2 teaspoon of Crisco to the melted candy melts and stirred until it melted into the chocolate. (I melted them in a bowl over barely simmering water.)

Voila! Smoother coating...and much easier to work with! This time, I used a toothpick to dip the cake into the chocolate. This worked great, but I was left with an uncovered area on the top. My original idea was to flip it to be on the bottom, but that didn't work. Any suggestions? You can see how I covered it up with a dollop of chocolate on top and sprinkles. :)

I'll be out-of-pocket for a while...a little traveling and moving (yay!) is keeping our December busy, so MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!!! Have a wonderful holiday!

Cookie packaging

Have you seen the cookie boxes from Martha Stewart? Oh my goodness....they are so cute! She has a few different designs. They are available at Michael's and WalMart (in the craft/fabric area)!

Here's the interior box...I love that little scalloped edge and there is a piece of polka-dot, waxed tissue paper for each box.

That box slides into the exterior box and it comes with pre-cut ribbon and a coordinating label.

When I went back to Michael's for more last weekend, they were sold out. :( So, if you see them and you're giving cookies this year, snatch them up while you can!!!

Stella's Super Cute Proposal...

Stella and Shane met with Melissa a few weeks ago about their wedding and much to our happiness, decided to come aboard the Snap! ship. I got an email this morning from Stella complete with photos that brightened my whole day! She said...

"So our story is a little unconventional... Shane & I booked our venue before I had a proposal because I had my heart set on Harkness after we saw it in person, and I've always wanted a spring wedding. I've known since October that "the ring" was coming and even this past week I knew it was coming any day, but I had no idea it would be today! Shane showed up at my classroom before the end of the day and my paraprofessional (I teach kindergarten) said to the kids...

"This is Miss Lee's very special friend and he has a very important question to ask Miss Lee, so put on your best listening ears!" (here's where mariah gets goosebumps!)

Then Shane got on one knee! I was completely speechlesss and in tears! I knew it was coming but I didn't know he would show up at school!

Here is Stella and Shane and her class- how adorable is this? Big kudos for Shane- kids can be tough...they could have booed him off the mats! After all, I am sure one or two of these boys must have a crush on Stella.

Here's Stella and Shane later that evening in the snow- how festive!

And of course, you have to have this shot!


Congratulations on your "official" engagement guys! I think it's a hoot you booked us first!
Do any of our other brides have some fun engagement stories and photos to share? Send them my way, you could be the next to be blogged!