I am blessed to have most of my family living in close proximity to me. Which is a huge bonus, I am a last minute shopper. Oh, I have all the gifts planned well in advance I just like the rush of shopping in the final weeks before the big day.  Still I have a couple people in which there are just a few too many miles between us…….this of course means shipping gifts.

I always felt that the gifts I was sending far away lost some of the personal touch I was able to add to gifts I handed out in person.  Presentation is half of the fun in giving gifts! After a lot of creative juices working overtime, I came up with some fun ways to make the experience of receiving my gifts from afar a little more fun!

By using unique packing material for your shipping boxes ……..

~Use evergreens. Place your wrapped gift inside a shipping box full of greens. This is especially special for someone who lives in an area with out evergreens! Plus they smell wonderful!

~Use hard candies. I stole this one from a Paula Dean story.  Fill the shipping box with gift recipients favorite hard candy!

~How about peanuts? Not those awful Styrofoam peanuts that have wicked static and stick to everything under the sun, nope the real deal!  This is a great gift for a sports fanatic!

~Wood shavings make a great introduction to old fashion toys! Fill the shipping box with shavings and your gift recipient will surly feel like the gift is right from Santa’s work shop!

~White batting or pillow stuffing dusted with silver glitter will give the illusion your gift is packed in snow! Cotton balls will mimic snowballs!

Yes, I need to head to the post office early next week to get my few packages shipped out, I don’t want to brave those December 21st lines…….I’ll be shopping that day!

“Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to. Don’t you see? It’s not just Kris that’s on trial, it’s everything he stands for. It’s kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles.” ~ Doris~Miracle on 34th Street 1947

By now you know how much I love this holiday season.  When I was a child I would wait all year long to see Miracle on 34th Street to be broad casted on television! I’d wrap myself up in Grandma’s afghan and string popcorn and cranberries for the birds with my sisters, while we watched the classic movie.  As I got older and realized the miracle of Santa was Mom & Dad, the movie became even more special……..for 96 minutes Edmund Gwenn had me I believing there really was a Santa Clause.  Now as an adult, Santa Clause has a completely different meaning, I love watching Santa come alive in numerous different ways in various people though out this beloved season!

One of my favorite stories of Santa is a childhood memory of my partner Ed’s wife, Susan………..

Susan’s Mom and Dad were always a bit more busy during the Christmas season than the rest of us. You see Susan’s dad is a Minister.  The Christmas season starting with Advent would literally consume the family’s time and ability to have special moments together. A minister’s family came second to all the other parishioner’s families.  Services, pageants, chorale sings, church suppers, caroling, paying calls to the sick, and philanthropic events all needing to be orchestrated, left little time for the minister’s kids.

But, when Susan and her brother Bill laid their heads on their pillows on Christmas Eve, they knew that a Christmas miracle would happen during the night.

Santa would come and transform the Doughty household into a Christmas story, just for them.  Reverend Bill with wife Shirley at his side would burn the mid night oil, in a mad rush to put up the Christmas tree, bring out the Christmas village, decorate the fireplace, wrap the gifts, and leave the milk and cookies on the table for Santa to snack upon during his hard night’s work. It seems that little Susan and Bill never saw the red and tired eyes of their parents on Christmas morning.

What a beautiful little Christmas miracle happened in their family every year.

I guess nobody really needs to know that this was the last possible bit of time left, for the Doughty’s to make a Christmas happen for their own kids.

Maybe the fact that they got it done every year truly was the miracle!  Rev. & Mrs. Doughty created wonderful memories for their kids………….I haven’t finished all the holiday decorations in the house, maybe I’ll save a few key items for my own Christmas Morning surprise…….hhhhmmm I wonder if the kids would see anything other than the gifts under the tree!

“I’m glad he took our presents. You can’t hurt Christmas, Mr. Mayor, beacuse it isn’t about the… the gifts or the contest or the fancy lights. That’s what Cindy’s been trying to tell everyone… and me. I don’t need anything more for Christmas than this right here: my family.” ~ Lou Lou Who How the Grinch Stole Christmas

I’m a fan of the Grinch, but I am a bigger fan of Cindy Lou Who.  Cindy my dear child, with your Fabulous Hair Do, you are wise beyond your years.   A few years ago my sister Debbie let her wisdom shine also.  She suggested we stop buying gifts for each one of our nieces & nephews, rather  have the children make gifts for their cousins.  ’Great!’ I thought, ‘Like I don’t have enough to do!’.  Of course I smiled and said ‘That is a wonderful idea’……………I wondered, how the heck was I going to get through making 14 additional gifts!?

I sat my kids down and told them what Auntie Debbie suggested, fully expecting it to go over like a lead balloon.  Instead it was received with excitement and great enthusiasm! They started listing ideas and asking when we were heading out to the store for supplies!

So what do kids give kids for gifts? Obviously the gifts were age appropriate, but here are some of the really successful gifts they have exchanged over the last few years!

• Marshmallow shooters!, the boys were busy all afternoon on Christmas!
• Personalized Library book bags
• Personalized Piggy banks
• Popcorn balls, perfect gift for a three year old to make!
• Personalized T-shirts, this one my daughter did kinda as a joke they each said ‘my cousin made me this silly shirt so I HAVE to wear it’ It was a huge hit!
• Mini Catapult, this was another huge hit keeping the boys occupied  for hours!

It was a huge success!  I will admit, I was a little worried if the kids would be disappointed. My children are considerable older than their cousins, I wondered how they would receive a homemade gift from a 2 year old?  Wow, they were great.  My daughter sat on the floor with her little cousin Lily, pouring over the book she made her, asking for her to explain the ‘pictures’ all while munching on the popcorn balls her bother had made.  My son was more excited about giving than receiving he sat on the edge of his seat as his cousin opened the mini catapult. When Andrew opened it and yelled ‘COOL!’ the look on Joey’s face was priceless! My kids were really experiencing Christmas.

Credit  should be given where credit is do.  Debbie has created a tradition that is teaching our kids priceless lessons and the true meaning of the holidays.   I am the oldest of four girls, do you know how tough that previous statement was to type?! I like to be the one coming up with all the great ideas! Don’t worry I got to recycle the idea with my husbands family the following year, and yes it is a continued success.

The kids are making their shopping lists this week. The building, painting, drawing, sewing frenzy will begin Saturday…….. I love watching them.  It’s times like these I am so proud of my kids!  I’m equally as proud of my sister, she has taught all of us a precious holiday lesson.  Thanks Debbie………Love you!

The holidays bring beautiful decorations, warm traditions and great times with family & friends.  Yet, as I look out my window, on to my barren lifeless lawn, my hands start itching to dig in some soil or tend to some flowers.  A few years ago I found a way to satisfy my gardeners green thumb! Not only did I create some fabulous potted beauties, I realized I had instant gifts!

Delicate Paperwhites are a breeze to force, either in a shallow bowl of stones or in the soil of a decorative planter. If you start them now you can complete the forcing just in time for Christmas, they take about 3 weeks.

Bolder Amaryllis require much more planning, 7 to 10 weeks for full blossom.  I tend to start these around Thanksgiving, treating myself to

fabulous flowers a few weeks after the holiday season is over and packed away.  They still make great gifts even if they aren’t in full bloom…….the gift will keep giving by blooming in a few weeks.

Poinsettias, the most well know Holiday flower are a classic.  I have to admit I  like using them in multiples, and varied heights and colors.  They usually fill the space under my foyer table  creating a very dense saturation of color.

I adore using unique containers, especially when I send them off for gifts!  Tie them off with some wire ribbon and you have a great unique gift.  Heres just a few I’ve used in the past.

• Antique tins
• Terracotta pots, some I’ve painted in red, gold, green or silver
• Baskets
• Plastic pots wrapped in silk fabric
• Ceramic urns
• Wooden wine crates

Enjoy watching these flowers spring to life during the cold winter days.  They are the perfect gift for that impossible person to shop for too! Now were did I leave those gardening gloves…………….

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.  ~ The Wonder Years

As I began to reflect on how to begin this years 24 days of Holiday ideas, traditions and recipes I realized I personally had no organized outline of my own traditions!  So there it was my December 1st Holiday idea, the book of holiday traditions!

What does a book Holiday Traditions consist of? Well, each one of course will have its own personality here’s a taste of how mine is laying out.  I’m using a large leather bound journal, my ideas, traditions and recipes are all written in long hand.  I’ve written my Holiday Traditions as a journal to my kids………

I began with my Thanksgiving Holiday……….

There is an opening statement about my reflection on the holiday…….

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday. I take huge pride in my Turkey so much so I drive your father crazy.  He shakes his head and laughs as I fuss over the bird brining it the night before, waking before the sunrises to stuff it, caress it with butter and give it a long stern talking to about being the best bird ever!  We’ve been blessed to have my Grandmother & Great Aunt Mary with us for years now.  I know our holidays are numbered it is why I slave over the pumpkin soup complete with those kluski noodles made by hand.  I will most likely keep making that silly soup even after they are gone just to honor them………

Then the recipes ……….

Cider Brined Turkey

• 1 quart + 3 quarts Apple Cider
• 1 1/2 cups Kosher Salt
• 1/4 cup Allspice (whole if possible)
• 8-9 bay leaves
• 4 quarts cold water
• 20-24 lb. Turkey (washed, neck & gizzards removed)

Simmer 1 quart cider, salt, allspice and bay leaves in 20 quart pot 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often to dissolve salt.  Remove from heat and cool completely. Add 3 quarts cider & 4 quarts water.  Submerge turkey completely in brine and refrigerate overnight.

I’ve included my center piece ideas from this year

Center pieces shouldn’t take you more than 30 minutes or so to make.  Who has more time than that with all the other stuff you need to do! Heres a quick and surely beautiful center piece!

Use a shallow vase, fill with stones and water.  Cut floral foam (Oasis holds water) to fit snuggly into the vase. Fill the foam with a variety of greenery then fill with fall flowers such as Gerbers, Mums, Roses, Marigolds and sunflowers…….simple as that! Remember to keep the overall shape free form……..

Each year I hope to add to this book of traditions.  Someday  my daughter will smile as she flips through the pages looking for my Grandmothers Pumpkin soup…..she better be making it for me at Thanksgiving!  Then when my son’s kids protest sitting on Santa’s lap at the wonderful age of 14, he can show them in my own handwriting that I made him do it till he was 18.  These  traditions are just a little piece of me I can leave my kids and my grandkids someday. As the quote from the Wonder Years says…..Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. Help keep your memories and traditions alive……….