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Christmas

Santa Claus?

January 1, 2021 by 77 Comments

One of my readers suggested I write a post about the man in the red suit. In the United States, the vast majority of preschoolers believe in Santa Claus, although most kids stop believing by mid-elementary school. As young children, my older brother and I were among that group.

On Christmas morning, we each came downstairs to find a big, unwrapped gift under the tree that was from Santa, as well as a few smaller, wrapped gifts from our parents. On Easter, the Easter Bunny hid a basket for each of us to find. And when we lost teeth, the Tooth Fairy left a few quarters under our pillows.

I distinctly remember the day when my brother told me the truth about Santa, when I was about eight years old. We were driving in the car, and I remember exactly where we were. “Does that mean the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy aren’t real either?” I asked. His response made me cry.

Mr. Handsome grew up being told that the Wise Men came on camels and left gifts under the tree. On Christmas Eve, his dad stomped around on their roof. “The camels are here!” his mom would say. “You have to go to bed, or they won’t bring presents.”

Having come from two different backgrounds, Mr. Handsome and I are faced with a big decision: What will we tell our children? Little Buddy was still too young to understand who brought his gifts this Christmas, but we’ve decided not to do Santa Claus or the Wise Men. Before I explain why, I want to start by saying that I have absolutely nothing against parents who hold to either tradition.

For me, the biggest reason is that I don’t want to risk confusing my kids. And while I don’t necessarily think that I trusted my parents any less when I found out the truth about Santa, but it’s more about my perspective as a mom. Even with a young toddler, I always strive to keep my word. I try not to make promises to Little Buddy that I can’t keep.

I do want Christmas to be a magical time for our children, and I plan on starting some fun Christmas traditions for our family, perhaps as soon as next year. Do you have any suggestions? I would also love to hear your thoughts on Santa Claus.

Filed Under: Christmas

Shopping Local

December 15, 2020 by 24 Comments

Shop local Tennessee

To help counteract the financial strain that has been put on small businesses over the past eight months, we have been doing our part this Christmas season. We have really been trying to buy gifts from local vendors.

In the age of Amazon, it’s so easy to purchase gifts from large retailers and send them with the click of a button. We admit that we do use Amazon (quite a bit, actually), and it’s a wonderful convenience, but when it comes to selecting meaningful presents for family and friends, we would rather give our money to small business in Tennessee.

Have you been shopping locally this Christmas season?

Filed Under: Christmas

Holiday Baking: Gingerbread Cookies and Royal Icing

December 18, 2018 by 18 Comments

Soft gingerbread cookies recipe

Growing up with a mom who was raised by European parents, gingerbread was a big part of our Christmas celebration. Every December, we made gingerbread houses and spent hours baking and decorating dozens of homemade gingerbread cookies. We kept plenty for ourselves and shared the rest with the neighbors. When I married Mr. Handsome, I was saddened to discover that gingerbread wasn’t a part of his family’s holiday traditions. After all, who can resist a perfectly baked gingerbread cookie?

I really want our children to grow up enjoying gingerbread as much as I do, so I have kept the traditional alive and well by making gingerbread cookies every year. (We also make sugar cookies, since those are Mr. Handsome’s favorite.)

This year, I told myself at Thanksgiving that I wasn’t going to do any holiday baking, both because I am trying to eat healthy for the baby’s sake and because I’m about ready to pop. But when I was at the store last week and walked past the molasses and mini M&M’s, I just couldn’t take it. I had to make gingerbread cookies. It was a tiring process but completely worth the effort.

For those who love gingerbread as much as I do (or maybe you haven’t ever tried it–gasp!), my gingerbread and royal icing recipes are below. What’s your favorite type of Christmas cookie?…

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Filed Under: Christmas, Desserts/Baked Goods, Holiday activities, Recipes Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas cookie, gingerbread cookies, holiday baking, M&M's, royal icing, sugar cookies

Christmas Tree Chaos

December 16, 2018 by 22 Comments

While visiting Mr. Handsome’s family for Thanksgiving, everyone met at a Christmas tree farm (which also had live reindeer–see my November 28th post) so those who live in the area could pick out Christmas trees. The tree selection wasn’t great, so we ended up stopping at a tree lot. Mr. Handsome and I were poking fun at them because it took so long for everyone to choose trees. And it wasn’t that they were walking around the lot looking at a bunch of different trees…

Within the few minutes, Mr. Handsome’s youngest brother and his wife were sure that they wanted a 10-foot tree for $125. After about 25 minutes of discussion about size and type, the other couples decided to save money and go with the $25 Scotch pine trees. Then for another 15 minutes, Mr. Handsome’s parents (and two youngest sisters) and his second oldest sister and her husband went back and forth between three Scotch pine trees before each household came to a consensus. …

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Filed Under: Christmas Tagged With: Black Friday, Christmas decor, Christmas tree, Hobby Lobby, Nashville, ornaments, reindeer farm, Scotch pine, The Home Depot

Christmas Music

November 30, 2018 by 35 Comments

The day after Thanksgiving, I jumped in the car at 8am to do a few hours of Black Friday shopping, and the first thing I noticed (aside from the frost on the windshield and the frigid morning air) was that quite a few radio stations had suddenly started playing Christmas music. We still had turkey and stuffing leftovers in the fridge and pie crumbs on the table, but Thanksgiving was over, and Christmas had officially begun.

Let’s get a discussion going about Christmas music. What are your favorite songs, and when do you start listening to them? My favorites are “The Little Drummer Boy,” “O Holy Night,” and “Do You Hear What I Hear?” I’m a traditionalist who doesn’t pull out the Christmas carols until the beginning of December.

Filed Under: Christmas, Discussion Tagged With: Black Friday, Black Friday shopping, Christmas carols, Christmas music, Do YOu Hear What I Hear, Little Drummer Boy, Thanksgiving

Gift Ideas Galore

December 7, 2017 by 35 Comments

Christmas is the most wonderful time of year, but finding gifts for all the folks on your list can be a challenge. To make it easier on myself, I keep a running list on my phone of gift ideas for family and friends. As I think of things throughout the year that a particular person would need or want, or as people mention items they would like to have, I write them down. It makes holiday gift giving so much easier! Here are a few of my best suggestions:

Something Homemade

Every year, Mr. Handsome and I make small, homemade gifts for our family members and close friends, often in addition to larger presents. Ideas that we have done in the past include: homemade BBQ sauce (from my Buffalo Wild Wings Style Wings recipe), jars of apple butter–using our recipe, homemade scarves, paintings, and Christmas wreaths (tutorial coming soon).

Something Practical

One way to come up with winning gift ideas is to think of what the people in your life really need. Maybe it’s a digital compass because they recently bought a car that doesn’t have one and have discovered they can’t live without it (my mother-in-law). Or perhaps all the fry pans in their kitchen are hand-me-downs from your husband’s bachelor days, and every time you visit their house, you feel bad for passing down peeling Teflon pans (my brother-in-law). And how about that person who is missing half their measuring cups, or doesn’t have a non-rusted cheese grater, or minces garlic by hand because they haven’t yet discovered a garlic press? The possibilities are endless, but if you can think of something that someone desperately needs, you’ll be a gift-giving hero!

Give the Gift of Safety

Last year, my brother and his wife gave everyone vehicle emergency kits. What a great idea! You can purchase them at your local auto parts store. Some of the must-have items include a first-aid kit, a tire gauge, jumper cables, a flashlight and extra batteries, and a combo seatbelt cutter and window breaker–which should be kept within reach of the driver’s seat.

Coffee

Any coffee lovers out there? Several weeks ago, I was perusing the home goods aisles at TJ Maxx and came across a section of coffee. The smell was divine! It just so happens that Mr. Handsome’s grandmother is a huge coffee drinker. Her favorite quote is, “Why drink water when you can drink coffee?” So I chose a bag of beans for her Christmas gift. One thing to remember is that some people don’t have a coffee grinder. When in doubt, err on the side of caution, and buy pre-ground coffee.

Can you think of any gift ideas that I haven’t mentioned? Go ahead and share them as a comment, as I’m sure we could all use more suggestions.

Filed Under: Christmas Tagged With: apple butter, BBQ sauce, Christmas, Christmas wreaths, coffee, garlic press, gift ideas, homemade gifts, TJ Maxx, vehicle emergency kit

Christmas Shoes

February 9, 2017 by 36 Comments

A few days ago, I was sitting on the bleachers watching Mr. Handsome show off his amazing basketball skills in the league he is part of. Most of the players are married, so us ladies enjoy chatting during the games.

One of the gals is a second grade teacher at a nearby school, and she told a story about a student of hers.

“One of my students has been wearing a brand new pair of tennis shoes since he came back from Christmas break,” she shared. “They are three sizes too big, so he is always asking me to tighten the laces. A few weeks ago, I struck up a conversation with him and found out he had indeed received them for Christmas.”

“‘Those are beautiful shoes!'” I told him. “‘What else did you get for Christmas?”’ With pure joy, he proceeded to list all his presents, which included that pair of shoes, two new shirts, his ‘own’ bottle of shampoo, and his ‘own’ toothbrush. He was so thrilled that I couldn’t help but smile, but when I finished talking to him, I had to turn away to compose myself.”

All of us were tearing up as she finished the story. I just couldn’t stand thinking about that sweet little boy being without a toothbrush, so Mr. Handsome and I decided to give a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste to each of her students. She said the kids were absolutely thrilled.

Thinking back to my own childhood, I can tell you I wouldn’t have been that excited about receiving hygiene items for Christmas. Sometimes I forget that there are people out there who have so little. May we all remember not to take anything for granted, even something as seemingly small and insignificant as a toothbrush.

Filed Under: Christmas Tagged With: Christmas break, Christmas shoes, new pair of shoes

Christmas Contest Answers

December 27, 2016 by Leave a Comment

I hope you enjoyed taking part in the Christmas carol game I posted on Christmas Eve. You all did impressively well! The correct answers are below.

The reader who took the least amount of time to come up with the answers was Laura. Laura, shoot me an email with your mailing address, and I’ll send you some Christmas goodies. I’ll know it’s you if you’re able to tell me how many seconds it took you to complete the game. (I removed the comment where you reported your time.)

1. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
2. 12 Days of Christmas
3. Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas
4. Joy to the World
5. O Holy Night
6. Do You Hear What I Hear?
7. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
8. Away in a Manger
9. Here Comes Santa Claus
10. O Little Town of Bethlehem
11. Jingle Bells
12. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
13. Deck the Halls (also called Sing We Joyous)
14. Carol of the Bells
15. Silver Bells

Filed Under: Christmas Tagged With: 12 days of christmas, Away in a Manger, Christmas Carol game, Christmas Eve, deck the halls, here comes santa claus, jingle bells, Joy to the world, let it snow, o holy night, silver bells

Christmas Contest

December 24, 2016 by 43 Comments

I want to wish you all of you who celebrate a very merry Christmas! May you enjoy spending time with family and friends and celebrating Christ’s birth.

In the spirit of the season, I have a little game for us to play. I have pasted one or two lines from 15 popular Christmas songs. Grab a pen and paper, and see how quickly you can figure out the names of all the songs. In the comments section below, post the answers and the time it took to get them. I’ll wait until Monday to release the comments so everyone has a chance to play. The winner will receive a special late Christmas gift. Ready, Set, Go!

1. Good tidings we bring for you and your kin

2. Seven swans a swimming

3. Faithful friends who are dear to us

4. While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

5. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, ’til He appeared and the soul felt its worth

6. In your palace walls, mighty king

7. The fire is slowly dying

8. Bless all the dear children in they tender care

9. Bells are ringin’, children singin’, all is merry and bright

10. The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight

11. Bells on bobtail ring

12. And wild and sweet the words repeat of peace on earth, good will to men

13. Sing we joyous, all together

14. Words of good cheer, from everywhere, filling the air

15. Hear the snow crunch, see the kids bunch

Filed Under: Christmas Tagged With: Merry Christmas

Mr. Handsome’s Christmas Carols: ‘Away in a Manger’

December 16, 2016 by 8 Comments

For those who enjoyed Mr. Handsome’s guitar rendition of “Silent Night,” you’ll be happy to hear that I have another Christmas carol video to share. This one is “Away in a Manger,” also on guitar.

If you’re wondering what’s up with the trolls, I’ll admit I don’t really know. I wanted to post something festive, and these Christmas trolls made me laugh, so I figured y’all would enjoy them, too.

Filed Under: Christmas, Music Tagged With: Away in a Manger, Christmas trolls, Silent Night

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EllieMr. Handsome and I married four years ago and moved to Nashville, Tennessee. Between recipes, photos from our travels, money saving tips, DIY suggestions, post about our daily life with our son, and more, our lifestyle blog features a little bit of everything. Read More…

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