Happy New Year!
To start off this new year, I’m actually going to go back and do a little Christmas recap. My holiday season was extremely busy, probably like a lot of yours. However, it was also so much fun. Christmas is truly my favorite time of the year. So, before we get too far into 2024, here’s a little Christmas recap.
My Christmas recap:
Gingerbread house making
Building and decorating gingerbread houses is something I look forward to every year. Like I said, this Christmas season was particularly busy, so my niece and I got around to making gingerbread houses only a few days before Christmas.
I made a barn and a train, which took a lot longer than I thought it would. Apparently I’m not the best builder because my barn fell apart a couple times before I eventually got it to remain upright. While it may not be the most structurally sound building in existence, I think its cuteness makes up for it!
I made the train because I thought my youngest nephew would like it. Unfortunately, I think it looks a bit more like a tractor than the Polar Express. However, he also loves tractors so I think it ended up being a win either way!
Baking Christmas treats
Santa needs cookies, of course. So, on Christmas Eve, I baked a couple different kinds of cookies, including these sugar cookies. They are my mom’s recipe and taste amazing without anything on them. The kids in our family really love frosting and sprinkles though, hence the red buttercream frosting and very festive sprinkles.
The peanut butter blossoms were a special request from one of my nephews, and they turned out really yummy. (P.S. I know Kit Kats do not really belong in these cookies, but we don’t really follow those kinds of rules here.)
Decorating the Christmas tree
We went for a red theme this year for Christmas, with two of our trees sporting big red globe ornaments. I love traditional Christmas colors, so I think they turned out beautiful. We also put up a flocked tree with all kinds of dog-themed ornaments on it, as we do every year.
The Christmas dinner menu
We had entirely too much food on the Christmas dinner table, but it was all absolutely delicious. Here’s our menu from this year:
Appetizers:
- Spinach dip
- French onion dip
- A very pretty charcuterie board with cheeses, meats, crackers, bread, grapes, etc.
- Dill pickle roll ups
Dinner:
- Prime rib – this is a huge hit with my brothers every year
- Horseradish sauce – to go with the prime rib
- Honey roasted carrots – one of my favorites year round, not just during the holidays
- Cheesy broccoli casserole- this one is definitely a favorite, so much so that we ate it at both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year
- Hashbrown potato casserole- who doesn’t love cheesy potatoes?
- Dinner rolls
- Cheesecake
- Sugar cookies
- Peanut butter blossoms
- Fudge
Dreaming of a white Christmas
The above picture was from last year around Christmas time. As you can see, it was very snowy. This year- not so much. In fact, it looked like either the beginning of fall or spring around here- very brown and muddy. A few days before Christmas you could actually see the grass greening up. I have never experienced a snow-less or brown Christmas in my life, so it was definitely interesting. I can’t say that I’m a fan. I definitely prefer a white Christmas!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday with those you love.
If it was a particularly hard time for you or if you are just not a fan of Christmas and all the hustle and bustle, then I hope you’re doing well as we move past this busy season. As always, I’m happy you’re here 🙂
Now onto 2024!
2 Responses
Very nice write up! 🤗 Oliver sure does like tractors and Trains, your gingerbread was fun, I know he liked it lots too. 💙
I don’t think I’ve had p.b. blossoms w/kit Kats before, Sean or Joey request them? I didn’t get the chance to sneak any, even! Your mom’s sugar cookies are the best!! I always take my fair share of those 🤭
No requests for the Kit Kats. That was more of a spur of the moment decision to try them out haha! I always love sugar cookies too- so yummy!