Welcome and What To Expect

Allison Weeks

Merry Christmas Homemakers . Welcome to episode one of Holiday Homemaking 2023 . I'm your host , allison Weeks . I am a wife , a mom to four grown kids , granny to one little boy , and I have been practicing the art of holiday homemaking for over 31 years . I am so excited to kick off this year's Holiday Homemaking today . There's so much great content coming your way .

Allison Weeks

Over the next four weeks , you will be hearing from 23 Homemakers about their Christmas traditions , recipes , gift ideas , holiday favorites and so much more . You might want to listen with a pen and paper in hand , for all of the great ideas that they will be sharing . As always , I will share some fun Christmas poems and some tips and ideas I've learned over the years about Christmas decorating . If you've listened to past holiday episodes , you know that I am a Christmas crazy lady and while I don't consider myself an expert designer , I do put up seven trees every year . So I've learned what works well and what doesn't , and I'd love to share some of those thoughts and ideas with you all in the hopes of saving you from some decorating headaches . I always like to include something related to Advent in these episodes , so each week , I will be sharing something from my own homemaking journey related to that week's Advent theme , beginning this week with the theme of hope . If you would like more Advent content , be sure to get a copy of the Art of Home's Daily Advent Guide . It's a simple daily devotional to help you focus on the themes of Advent hope , peace , joy and love . Each daily devotion includes a truth about the weekly theme , scripture to support that truth and a suggested song to listen to or sing along with . The guide has instructions at the beginning to help you make the most of this resource . Click the link in this episode's description box or go to theartofhomepodcastcom slash Christmas to get your free copy . And finally , please make sure that you are on our mailing list for our weekly newsletter Homemaker Happy Mail . I will be sending out special holiday editions throughout the month of December . Each edition will feature the Christmas recipes from that week's featured guests , as well as some special guest writing from homemakers on how the themes of Advent are fleshed out in our everyday homemaking . I'm so thrilled to share all of these wonderful resources with you , so please get on our mailing list today at theartofhomepodcastcom slash subscribe or click the link in the description box .

Allison Weeks

In today's episode , you will hear from Debbie Lidoo , hannah Torres , terry E Step Kay Abbey , jenny White and Kristen Howard all from different ages and stages of homemaking . I have a funny little poem from Marjorie K Rawlings about the early Christmas shopper I share , about how decorating the tree reminds me of Jesus , bringing hope and light in the darkness of depression , and I'm giving some basic tips to help you start decorating on the right foot . It is a very full episode and I know you will get some ideas and some inspiration . Just remember take what you'll use and leave the rest . You don't have to do it all . Whatever you are applying your hands to as you listen today , I know you will enjoy these holiday stories of home .

Debbie Ledoux

Allison Weeks

Okay , I'm back with my friend , debbie Lidoo and we're going to talk about Christmas Awesome . Okay , debbie , tell me what is a typical Christmas day . Look like at your house .

Debbie Ledoux

We wake up . Nowadays , the kids don't wake up at the crack of dawn , Right because they're teenagers . Right , so that's kind of nice , but it's typically a 9am agreed time that we meet downstairs For Christmas Eve . I should go back to that , though . We often will have Pasoli , which has been a family favorite , something I tried a few years ago from Bible study group , having tried it and exposed me to it and thought that's really festive . I like that .

Debbie Ledoux

So , that has been the meal for Thanksgiving , for Christmas Eve , and then we go to church typically and spend just the evening as a family . We don't have extended family anymore . My parents passed in 2019 and 2020 . And so , and then my husband's father died in 2012 , and his mother is in California and unable to travel , so it really is just our immediate fam , and that will be changing . We have a wedding coming up next summer . Oh , congratulations , Thank you . So Christmas is going to look a little different and we'll start having spouses , which I'm looking forward to as well . But our normal routine on Christmas morning , though going back to that , is just getting up , spending some time getting coffee , doing some type of pastry typically , and then hanging at the tree , opening gifts for a while and then starting to get ready for a turkey dinner . We stick with turkey for Christmas , even though we had it at Thanksgiving . My husband can't get enough turkey leftover .

Allison Weeks

No , that's so funny , that's . That's the thing about living in the United States is we do turkey and then we do turkey again .

Debbie Ledoux

That's right , four weeks later , that's right , yeah , and then we don't do turkey for the rest of the year . That's it .

Allison Weeks

We've had enough . Yes , that's so funny . Well , okay , so that's what you're eating and that's what you're doing on Christmas . Are there any other particular ? Now , I know , cooking is really not your thing , we just . We just discussed that in your interview .

Debbie Ledoux

But I'm learning , I'm getting better . Okay , I am learning .

Allison Weeks

Is there like a special family recipe or sort of something that you you've always made and you kind of have to make it every year like a cookie or something ?

Debbie Ledoux

Right , we do have a stuffing , a cornbread stuffing that my mom did make . We have a butternut squash recipe from Pete's side of the family , and then what I like to do , and have been doing over the past probably five years or so , is baking some type of pie , and we're still playing with that to figure out if there's anything that is so good that we have to have to do it every year . Right , it needs to be special for that .

Allison Weeks

Yes .

Debbie Ledoux

Yes , so we've been . You know , just playing around . Apple has been the favorite so far . This one particular apple pie recipe .

Allison Weeks

Is it a double crust apple pie like this , or is it a crumble ?

Debbie Ledoux

It has a little caramel and then it's got that little crisscross , the little lattice on top . Yes , the lattice on top .

Allison Weeks

So yummy , sounds delicious . Well , what about family traditions during the holiday season ?

Debbie Ledoux

Yes , I am big on traditions and have been since childhood , maybe because , you know , I grew up in a little bit of a more chaotic home . So I love doing . We do Christmas cards and we get a picture of the whole family . Even , as you know , pete and I are aging , we still let people see how it's going . That you know , that is just part of our way of reaching out to people . I think you do feel a little more connected when there's a face to to match right with the , the idea of that person that you don't get to see much anymore . And then we send out a poem and , yeah , it's just a little rhyming poem that brings you up to date with what's going on with the family .

Allison Weeks

Oh , fun , so who ?

Debbie Ledoux

writes this poem Well , back in the day , before all the kids are , before too many of them . Pete would do some of the writing . Lately it's been all me just because he's crazy busy , but we'll see as the years unfold . We both enjoy the rhyme and the . I don't know the beat of the poem . You know the rhythm of it , I guess I would say and have a little fun with it and try and throw a little humor in sometimes , keep it light but at the same time something sweet as well . So it's just always a fun little tradition that we do to reach out to friends . And then the other thing we do is an ornament exchange . I buy an ornament for everybody in the family that is representative of something they've been doing that year . So you know , try and get a little more creative than just the soccer ball for being on the soccer team right .

Debbie Ledoux

You know some type , even if it's goofy , like a certain type of food that they're so into you know boba tea or you know something like that . So that's I , that's a way , it's a creative outlet for me . And again , you know , being about relationship , I love to find that special thing that'll make everybody really go oh my gosh . That's so Hannah , that's so Ellie , that's so Sarah .

Hannah Torres

Yeah .

Allison Weeks

So , sam , oh , those are some great traditions , good ideas . Thanks , it's been fun . Well , let's talk a little bit about keeping your focus on the right place during the holiday season , because it can certainly get away from us and we can get wrapped up in all the crazy . So just what are some things that you do to sort of keep your focus on Christ and where it needs to be ?

Debbie Ledoux

A lot of times I will start special reading during that season . Right , I'm kind of an adventure kind of deal . Sometimes I will try to go to a Christmas concert , or more than one of those . Those are enjoyable . I really do try to take a little bit of time to slow down in those hectic moments and be more reflective .

Debbie Ledoux

I've appreciated our kids going to a classical and Christian school because there will be programs of all kinds . You know , especially as they get older , there's not one program . There's the band program , then there's the choir , then the art , and you know on and on and on , and all of them go back to Christ . So it just naturally puts in just keeps putting that in front of you .

Allison Weeks

Yes .

Debbie Ledoux

That's cool , yes , so that's been meaningful . And then we read the Christmas story on Christmas Eve .

Allison Weeks

So that's so fun . Awesome . Well , anything else you want to share ?

Debbie Ledoux

about Christmas . It made me think of back in the old days when the kids were really little . I got this from a friend , but she collected Christmas books , children's Christmas books particularly and well , she would do both . She had some that were just fun and about Santa Claus , and then she had some that were more meaningful , about the real reason of Christmas , and typically she would read one of each , and so I kind of borrowed that , where we would read one of each the 10 nights prior to Christmas or something like that .

Allison Weeks

That's a great tradition too , so it was sort of like a countdown for them . Exactly , okay , yes .

Debbie Ledoux

Really fun , like a countdown , and again you know , oh , let's focus for a minute on all the fun we're so excited about , all the presents , of course . But , then let's end our evening focused , right before we go to sleep , on the real meaning of Christmas .

Allison Weeks

So that's a great idea . Thank you for sharing that and thanks for sharing all your memories about Christmas . Sure , merry Christmas and well , thank you .

Debbie Ledoux

Merry Christmas to you too .

Hannah Torres

Allison Weeks

Okay , I'm here with my friend , hannah Torres , and we are going to talk about Christmas , and Hannah is a newbie homemaker , married just two years , yes , about to have her two year anniversary , and she lives with her husband and we're going to hear about what it's been like for them for the last couple of years , starting Christmas tradition . So , hannah , tell me , what does a typical Christmas look like in the Torres ?

Terry Estep

household . Yes , it's been an interesting ride because our first year engaged , or the only Christmas we had engaged , we both got COVID oh , my dad on our annual Christmas family date . Oh no . And then we went to his family's house , at which point we found out that my dad had passed COVID onto us . This was in the early days , but we weren't positive yet . So we got to quarantine together before we were married . So I locked myself because I had roommates that I couldn't then expose . So I locked myself in an upstairs room and he stayed downstairs . So that was our first Christmas and we did a zoom opening of gifts . It was really unique . Yes , so that was our first Christmas as an engaged couple and since then we've alternated between houses .

Terry Estep

So his family is big on Christmas Eve and my family is bigger on Christmas day . So that's worked out nicely . And , yeah , his family a lot of kids running around . I'm the oldest , so no grandkids for my parents just yet , but his family stays up very late board games and a lot of fun . My family has a tradition of a Christmas date and we go to . My brother came up with it years ago . We go to Dollar Tree and everybody gets an allowance and you draw a name and pick a funny or cool gift for the person you drew . But we did increase for inflation the amount everybody gets . We upgraded the trailer jobs last year , oh , so that's so fun .

Terry Estep

Fun yes .

Allison Weeks

So when ? When do you do this Christmas date Like ?

Terry Estep

yes , you said Christmas day . This we usually do about . It's changed since my sister and I left home , but uh huh , Recently it's been closer to Christmas Day . In the past it was like once we got off school for Christmas break . So I'm excited to one day hopefully do the same with our kids . And it's just a lot of fun , that is so you're all there at the same time . That has been the case so far . Now that my sister is getting married this year Well , see what happens , but hopefully we can keep it up in some form or another .

Allison Weeks

It's . That's so fun , because then you have to like kind of be speaking to each other . Do because yeah , it's fun because you're all in the store at the same time buying one another . Yes , okay , that's really that's really cute . I love that . Yeah , Okay , so what are ? So ? It sounds like you're doing your family , you're doing celebrations with your respective families on Christmas , even Christmas Day , Right ? So what are you guys ? What are you guys eating ? What's on the menu ?

Terry Estep

at my in-laws house Good tamales and geladas , corn castor roll . So my mother-in-law makes like a lemon cookie cake that's really good , which it doesn't sound like a Christmasy dessert but it's amazing . So we eat that , it's just a good time . And then my sister-in-law's husband , sermel Salvador , so they make it's called papusas and they are delicious . So I really expanded my palate when I got married . And then my mom on Christmas morning always makes cinnamon rolls and then we open gifts . So we haven't like really hosted our own Christmas or even been expected to like bring us side . Yet I don't know that we're trusted with that at this point . I'm sure you would let me , but I'm just not going to mess with it yet . So that's fun .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , that's been fun . So , besides the , besides the , okay . Well , first of all , before I go to this next question , do you guys have something , either from your family or his family , um a traditional like cookie recipe or some kind of special Christmas recipe that must be made at some point during the Christmas season ?

Terry Estep

Yes , my mom always makes really delicious , uh , sugar cookies and like peppermint bark . Um , so love those . I have not perfected her recipe , even though I am following it to the tea . We'll see when I get there .

Allison Weeks

Okay , all right . So besides the tradition of going on the Christmas date where you see Christmas shop for each other is there , are there any other Christmas traditions that you guys have , or maybe some that you and your husband are starting or want to start ?

Terry Estep

Yeah , I feel like for my husband and I the thing about traditions is , I think when you try too hard to start them , they don't catch on . And then it's always the unintentional , like the dollar tree thing . We we just did it cause some place , we tried to go as close or something weird like that , and then it just caught on . So for us it's been like the first we tried to kind of institute like a standard Christmas date between us , and then it was COVID and then this year it was raining , Like it was just . It's always been something . So we're waiting for that , but we always , I mean , we have a good time where we're just hanging on for those traditions but trying to know sometimes kids can help spark inspiration .

Allison Weeks

Oh , yeah , yeah , absolutely , absolutely . Was there any one that you guys did when you were growing up that you would like to do with your own children ? If , whenever , that happens .

Terry Estep

Definitely the the dollar tree run and then with my husband's family , and it's traditional in Mexico , from what I've learned , that they wait until midnight on Christmas , which , like 9 30 is a stretch for me . So midnight is always interesting , but on Christmas Eve you stay up until midnight and then you hug each other and say Merry Christmas . So you walk around and hug every single person . It's very sweet . So I think we'll try to do that , but I'm sure with young kids will probably tell them it's midnight and hug you out of bed . Yeah , oh , okay .

Allison Weeks

I like that . So let's talk a little bit about keeping our focus where it needs to be during the holiday season , because it can get crazy and hectic with all the things and schedules and visiting people in parties and all that . So what are some of the things that you do to help keep your focus on Christ and keep your keep your heart centered there during this holiday season ?

Terry Estep

Yeah , In the past couple of years I've really gotten into like the church calendar and , just following Advent , lit all of that good stuff . So I just like picking out a really pretty Advent book and going through it and then , honestly , this is kind of my role throughout the year . But more than three social events a week is like where it kind of max out , like as in social events at night after a day of work and that kind of thing . Sure , and then maybe an extra one on the weekend , but that includes , like Christmas parties . So I'll pick . I mean last year if we were just bombarded , which is wonderful , but like we just picked our top Christmas parties and we didn't do more than that . So I think you know , christmas parties are great , but if we don't have that time with each other and just to reflect , it gets a little too hectic .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , yeah , no , that's really good . So do you have ? Do you have like a particularly like an Advent study that you've done that really stuck in your mind , or one that you really loved Maybe the last one you did or a recent one ? That's kind of bad .

Terry Estep

I don't remember the last one I did . Oh , I did listen to Annie F Downs . She has a podcast called that Sounds Fun , and actually not this past year but the year before that . I really , I mean , I liked both , but I liked the Advent that she did . In 2021 , I guess it would be yeah , yeah , 20 . And so I like following along with that kind of thing , but I do always just like the feel of like a new journal or a new book , for whatever reason . I can't name which ones I did right now , but you know , I mean , theoretically they all have the same . You know they follow the same story . So , or they should be , yes , Right .

Terry Estep

Yes . I think it's just the act of making that purchase , getting a new book and following along that really helps me .

Allison Weeks

Well , I know I love that too , and I like to try to do something daily because , to me it's that I need that daily reminder in the season .

Allison Weeks

That is so , even even with the boundaries that I put around it to keep some margin , it's still always going to be a very full month for our family , just because we have a big family . And so , to me doing that daily intentional , let me think about the way that I usually do . It is based on the different themes of the week , so you know , the first week being hope and hope and then peace and joy and love .

Allison Weeks

I can't remember the order but anyway , and the order differs depending on your denomination too sometimes , but I would focus every day on a different aspect of those things and that just helps me to really keep my mind where it needs to be , when I have a busy day ahead of me or whatever , and I , you know I've got to wrap all these presents .

Terry Estep

Yes .

Allison Weeks

So , yeah , I totally agree with you and I love myself a new blank . Totally Something yummy about that . For sure that's really good . Well , thank you so much for sharing about your Christmas memories and traditions . I really appreciate it . Have a very .

Kay Aeby

Merry .

Allison Weeks

Christmas ,

"The Early Christmas Shopper" by Marjorie K Rawlings

Allison Weeks

the early Christmas shopper . She boasts of her preparedness . No human tongue can stop her . Her Christmas gifts are boxed and tied . I loathe the early shopper . She knits wool mufflers in July , at linen sales she lingers . And in November , there she sits with smug and idle fingers . Her wrapping papers bought by fall . Here it's obnoxious rustle . Her smile is unendurable when other women hustle . But as in shopping mobs , I spend my silver and my copper . I'd give 10 years of life to be an early Christmas shopper . Marjorie K Rawlings , october 1926 .

Terry Estep

Allison Weeks

Okay , I'm here with my friend Terry E Step again , and we're going to talk about Christmas . So , terry , tell me , what does a typical Christmas day look like at your house ?

Kay Aeby

So a Christmas day that we have here at the house , which , now that the kids are grown , we're not traveling as much when the kids are growing up , we traveled at Christmas .

Hannah Torres

Really .

Kay Aeby

Yeah , because we only we really just traveled two weeks in the summer and we lived in Maryland , so we would come all the way back to Oklahoma to see my parents and Scott's parents .

Kay Aeby

They're both in Oklahoma , and so then we traveled at two weeks at Christmas , and so those were really the only times we used all our vacation basically to come home to see the grandparents for our kids , and so in doing that , hopefully we've taught our children that when they're grown and married with their own kids , that they come to see us on Christmas . So that's what we're hoping , that we've taught them .

Kay Aeby

So , yeah , but now that they're grown we don't travel as much we , we more they come to our house , which we love , so we open gifts in the morning , so , and I typically only get about three gifts , so of course they ask for expensive things . Now we're not . We're out of the Fisher price days .

Kay Aeby

So you know everything's expensive , so it doesn't take very many gifts to add up to more money . So , yeah , but yeah it's only . But you know , I , I or and or . We don't really we don't do Santa Claus anymore , but they get three gifts from us . But then , you know , the kids give each other gifts and they give us gifts , and so there's more than three to open . And yeah , I think this past year we did a ham . I've never made a turkey , so for Thanksgiving or Christmas or anything we may have had lasagna . We just have whatever the kids want . So but yeah , I think , usually a ham and so , but I make a sweet potato casserole with like candy pecans on the top .

Kay Aeby

Anyway it's Scott's , one of Scott's favorite dishes , and he really only gets it at Thanksgiving and then he gets it again at Christmas and then we don't have it for another year , right , and so I always make that . You know , we just make green beans and mashed potatoes and gravy and you know , typical stuff , yeah , typical stuff , nothing fancy . Okay , so I have this homemade brownie recipe that I've made their whole life and they love those brownies . So every time they come home they ask for those brownies . So I make the Mississippi brownies .

Allison Weeks

They're called Do they have like marshmallows in them , or why are they ? What makes them Mississippi brownies ?

Kay Aeby

I have no idea . It's six ingredients . They're I mean , they're made from flour , sugar oil . The secret ingredient is self-rising flour . So you , self-rising flour , sugar oil , four eggs , cocoa powder and vanilla .

Allison Weeks

That's it I have a really similar recipe . It's like a one bowl brownie recipe . I think I got it off of the . Yeah , I did . I got it off of the baker's chocolate . Oh , bag Chocolate chip bag . No , the , the baking , you know the one that comes out of bar .

Allison Weeks

Oh , yeah , okay , and it was on the back of that box , but the four eggs . That is probably what distinguishes . Besides the self-rising flour , the four eggs would make it a different kind of texture too , because that the one that I make only has one egg in it . Oh , I see , are they more of a fudgy brownie ?

Kay Aeby

or like a cakey more cakey .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , I would think so . With four eggs that would do that .

Kay Aeby

And if you overcook them they get really dry . So , with my oven . I know 42 minutes . Perfect . It's oddly specific 42 minutes .

Allison Weeks

That's good , though , to know your oven . Yeah , that's a good tip , right , okay , so um . Are there any other family traditions that you do during the Christmas season ?

Kay Aeby

You know , our traditions have changed now that they're out of the house . Um , like I think I already said , we used to get a tree this Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend all together , you know , we went as a family and picked out a tree , and we don't do that anymore . And on that Sunday evening , after we got home with the tree and Scott got the tree set up and got the lights on it , the kids um , every year the kids got another ornament .

Kay Aeby

So , they each have a box of ornaments of their own , or even either they made it or we bought it or whatever , and if we travel anywhere that year , they'll get it from another country , sure , and it it might just look like a glass globe or something .

Allison Weeks

Yeah .

Kay Aeby

They know it came from , you know Scotland or wherever . It might not say Scotland on it , but um anyway .

Kay Aeby

so then they hang all their , their ornaments on the tree , and but while they're doing that , scott is in here making homemade hot chocolate with milk and you know cocoa powder and whatever and then we sit in our sitting room that never gets used and it's really truly the one time we use it and we just talk about what we want for Christmas or what we're thankful for . I mean , we just sit and share . Yeah , um , we more did this when they were in college .

Allison Weeks

Yeah .

Kay Aeby

And so , um yeah , we don't really do it anymore at all .

Allison Weeks

That's really sweet , though . Yeah , that's a good tradition . Yeah , cool Good times . So , uh , what are some of the things that you do personally ? Or maybe you did when your kids were growing up and you had a busy household that you were running either or or both to sort of keep your focus on the main thing during the hectic season ?

Kay Aeby

Right , when , when the kids were younger . Well , just to even keep like the mania sea of shopping out of it .

Kay Aeby

I started shopping in January . Oh , things go on sale . Wow , well , because not not necessarily for my kids , but you know like we used to buy like 42 gifts because Scott's family is so big and I'm one of four and parents and all this , and so I started shopping at the beginning of the year and I kept a gift closet and so , um , but now we don't buy as many gifts anymore as we used to , and you know I limit my kids to about three things .

Kay Aeby

And so , but now I'm just it's even to get like out of them . What do you want ? To make them sit down and figure it out and so , and like send me the link , exactly what you want . Yeah , because that's what you're getting . There's no surprise anymore and I don't care . Yeah , like you have to give up on surprises when they're older , because I don't want to have to return everything .

Kay Aeby

And so yeah , that's not funny either . Yeah , but we , if we're in town , if we're not traveling , we do go to the Christmas Eve service . So we love that . And yeah , we just I mean , we go to church all year long , so we're always talking about God .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , so it's not like a new thing to do , right .

Kay Aeby

And it's not like we have to just really pull out . You know , christ in Christmas Like our kids already know that .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , yeah , that's cool . Yeah , anything else you want to share about Christmas ?

Kay Aeby

No .

Allison Weeks

Have you made ? Have you made any Christmas quilts , Cause you're a quilter now .

Kay Aeby

We talked about this in your interview .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , no , no Christmas .

Kay Aeby

I've thought about it , okay , and I have plenty of fabric Because you're a fabric order . Like the rest of us , I've I've gone , yeah , the wrong way with the fabric .

Hannah Torres

But yeah , I have plenty of .

Kay Aeby

Christmas fabric . Um , I have made . I made a gnome uh table runner , um for a friend . Oh , it's like Christmas Eve .

Debbie Ledoux

Yeah .

Kay Aeby

So that's , I have not um made a Christmas quilt , so I I have not kept a quilt that I've made you give away . Yeah , they're all gifts . So , and one of the things I've done to take the pressure off my they're not a Christmas gift .

Allison Weeks

Oh , okay .

Kay Aeby

They're just for whenever they're done , okay , and that takes the pressure off .

Hannah Torres

I'm not , you know starting myself out in December trying to get four quilts done or anything like that .

Kay Aeby

I'm like nope , and so yeah , um that's a good tip .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , cool . Well , maybe you'll have to start shopping .

Kay Aeby

Early start shopping early Okay . Yeah .

Allison Weeks

Maybe you'll have to think about doing a Christmas quilt this year .

Kay Aeby

Yeah , yeah it's . It's funny because I've talked about Christmas quilts with my friend Robin and of course she doesn't enjoy selling . She does not understand why anybody would want to sell and she loves to cook . So I'm like I don't know why you like to cook , but okay Anyway . But she's like why do you want to make a quilt that is so seasonal ? You know that you use one month out of the year but honestly , you use it all year long . It just stays in your , you know , blanket pile .

Hannah Torres

Yeah .

Kay Aeby

And you need something to cover up in , and you use it . So yeah . Yeah , yeah , I'll have to make a Christmas quilt , but I haven't .

Allison Weeks

All right , well , let me know . If you do , you can show it to me . Okay , Well , thanks for sharing about Christmas and Merry Christmas .

Kay Aeby

All right , merry Christmas , thank you , all right .

Kay Aeby

Allison Weeks

I'm back with my friend Kay Abbey , and we're going to talk about Christmas , kay . So what does a typical Christmas day look like in your household ?

Hannah Torres

Christmas at my household starts before Thanksgiving . I am one of those that Christmas is not long enough . I absolutely love it . It makes me so happy . So all the decorations go up before Thanksgiving . I kind of run a contest with my sister-in-law on that . So anyway , but Christmas starts , I start baking because I love to bake . So I do a lot of baking for everybody , you know , in the neighborhood family . I ship stuff to kids and everything . Thank you very much for the" .

Hannah Torres

It actually starts Christmas Eve when I do a Mexican fiesta , and I have done that since my kids were little and used to . When I was a single parent , I would invite people from my office over that I knew were going to be by themselves and they would come over and have Christmas Eve dinner with us . And so I think one year after my husband and I got married I was going to change it up and my son said what you can't do that . So it will always be . I do chicken enchiladas , we have rice and beans , there's always a dessert queso , guacamole chips and salsa , margaritas All the good stuff . We have a lot of fun . Now I will say this last year I kind of changed it up so I could prep it and have it all done so that when everybody came over , I could really enjoy visiting with everyone and not be just cooking things . And so I'm 70 and I've been doing this probably I don't know 40 years , so it's just now taken me this long to do this .

Allison Weeks

That's good , cool . Well , what about Christmas day , christmas morning ?

Hannah Torres

Christmas morning is pretty simple . I've pre-baked usually cinnamon rolls or something like that . If we have grandchildren here , then of course they get up and they have their Christmas morning and that's pretty much it . It's pretty much a laid back thing .

Allison Weeks

So you've done the fiesta on Christmas Eve . Do you do a big meal on Christmas day ?

Hannah Torres

as well .

Allison Weeks

No do not . Okay . Yeah , that's one . One is enough .

Hannah Torres

One is enough . That's exactly right . If there are leftovers , yes , cool , that's good , that's good .

Allison Weeks

What is something you said you like to bake and we know about the Mexican food , but what's something that has to be made every year , whether it's a cookie or some kind of special dish , not necessarily on Christmas , but during the Christmas season , like it has to make an appearance ?

Hannah Torres

Biscotti , biscotti and fudge , biscotti , fudge cinnamon rolls .

Allison Weeks

Okay , so not just one , not just two , but three things . Three , yes .

Hannah Torres

And everybody gets to take some home Nice .

Allison Weeks

Nice Yummy . Do you make a regular like just plain biscotti , or do you put stuff ?

Hannah Torres

in it ? Oh no , I make an almond biscotti . I make a cranberry pistachio biscotti . I make a cherry almond biscotti Yummy .

Allison Weeks

So I make a lot . Do they all have the same base and then you change it up with different flavors ? They do .

Hannah Torres

Yes , and they're usually oil-free .

Allison Weeks

Oh really , yes , yeah , is there a secret Like how do you do ?

Hannah Torres

that . Well , it's the same recipe that I've used for years . It's more Italian , I think . Okay , with it being oil-free . No oil , they're a lot crisper . Oh , now I think there is one that may have butter in it .

Allison Weeks

Okay .

Hannah Torres

And I'm not sure which one that is . Can you share your recipe ? I can share the recipes .

Allison Weeks

Oh , I would love that Because I love biscotti . I've made it a few times , but it's never as crunchy as what you get in the store . It's not .

Hannah Torres

Oh , this is crunchy . Okay , yeah , you will like it . I'll make you some .

Kay Aeby

It'll be a good excuse .

Hannah Torres

I've been wanting to make some . Thanks , kay , that'd be awesome .

Allison Weeks

Okay , so do you have any special holiday traditions , you and your husband ? Or maybe when your kids were growing up , or anything you like to do every year ? Look at lights , go caroling .

Hannah Torres

I like lights . So my husband has he's , teases me and tells me you know this , you know I could light up the whole neighborhood . I could be grun walls and that's why I even have lights on my trees still outside , because I love lights . But no , I love lights and I love I have a collection of Santas , I have a collection of nutcrackers , I have a nativity scene . I used to have villages that .

Hannah Torres

I just loved and there were just way too many , so I broke that up , gave them to all my kids and then I've really started working more on my nativity scene One of my favorite memories . My husband and I used to go to New York every year right before Christmas for my birthday , and so one year we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and I will always remember the huge Christmas tree . I mean , I don't even know how tall it was , but around the base of the tree was their nativity scene and I loved the way they had it set up to , where everybody was looking towards the manger . Still trying to figure out how they did that .

Hannah Torres

I don't have enough room to have a nativity room nativity scene like that . But I love my nativity scene and all my grandkids love it , the ones that come and that see it . And they were disappointed . I got rid of the houses , but then they got some of the houses too .

Allison Weeks

So they can set them up . That's fine , okay , well , what about busyness ? In this season ? We know that it's typically a pretty full month , especially if you're decorating a lot , and then we've got extra things at church and kids programs and all that kind of stuff . So how do you sort of keep your focus where it needs to be ?

Hannah Torres

Well , we have 11 grandchildren , and so shopping starts early and a lot of it is online , and now that they are older , they would prefer money , so that's what they get . That makes it a lot simpler To keep it focused . I know , christmas Eve we always read a story from the Bible , and I think it's just important to stay focused on what the season is really all about . It's not it is about giving , but it's . The important part is remembering the greatest gift that we've ever been given , and that is Christ Jesus , who may have been a baby at one time , but he died and came back . He resurrected . You know the resurrection , but he was the greatest gift . Nothing can out do that , but I think that's where I we try to keep our focus on that and just remember that .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , that's good Good . Well , thanks for sharing your Christmas memories and thoughts , and I can't wait to try the biscotti .

Hannah Torres

Oh , absolutely , and I'll have to do it . Almond flour yeah , I'll have to come up with a way to do that for you . Oh , thanks , I will do that for you . Thanks , kay . Merry Christmas .

Allison Weeks

Merry Christmas to you too .

Holiday Homemaking Decorating Tips

Allison Weeks

We will get back to these holiday stories of home in just a minute . Right now , it's time for some holiday decorating tips and inspiration . This is the part of the holiday podcast where I will be giving you some tips and tricks and ideas to spur you on towards holiday decorating with more joy and , hopefully , less frustration . Whether you have already started decorating or not , I hope you find something in this segment that will inspire you as you deck your home's halls . Today , I will be giving you my top seven general tips for Christmas decorating , planning and prep . Number one start early Now .

Allison Weeks

I am not here to dictate when anyone should start their decorating . However , I recommend that you measure the time and effort it will take you to decorate compared to how long you will get to enjoy it . If you're a pretty minimal decorator and it only takes you maybe an hour or two to put everything up , you could probably wait until the week before Christmas and still get plenty of enjoyment for the effort that you put in . But if , like me , you go way over the top and it takes days , or maybe even a week or two to decorate , you might want more than just two weeks to enjoy all that hard work . So that's why I get started in November , usually mid month , and I start with neutral greens and white lights . Only I put up the main Christmas tree with its lights and a few of the garlands with their white lights . That way we are ready to start decorating right after Thanksgiving . Like for this year , we decorated the night of Thanksgiving because that's when it worked for our schedule . Also , a side note your decorating for Christmas starts the year before , when you put everything away , and I will talk extensively about that in a few weeks on the final episode of Holiday Homemaking .

Allison Weeks

Okay , tip number two break it up into manageable chunks and , if possible , schedule specific times to chip away at those chunks . Don't feel like you have to do everything all in one go . You gotta get the whole house done on a Saturday . Make a list of each room or area , including the outside , where you want to decorate . Try to figure about how long it might take to do that and then schedule a time to do each of those areas . Number three gather your supplies before you start that room or tree or area . Make sure you have extra lights and replacement bulbs and extension cords and ladders and whatever you can think of to make your time productive , without having to stop and run all around the house looking for things or run to the Home Depot because you forgot this or you don't have an extension cord . There's nothing more depressing than getting everything ready to go and then you don't have the cord that you need to plug in that garland or those lights , or it's just really kind of sad . So make sure that you have all that you can think that you will need for that area before you start the project .

Allison Weeks

Number four be willing to try new things when the old way is not working for you or feels a little stale . Don't get stuck in a rut , which really can be easy to do , especially if you've been in the same space for quite a long time . Like us , this is our 11th year , 11th Christmas in this house , and so I'm probably gonna switch things up just a little bit in some of the areas just to make things a little new and fresh . Tune in on week three and I'll be talking about decorating in unexpected places , in unexpected ways , with unexpected things that can maybe help you spice up your decorating routine this year .

Allison Weeks

Number five lighting , lighting , lighting , lighting . It is an inexpensive way to instantly create a cozy and warm holiday mood in any space . If all you can do is put a string of lights across the wall in your apartment , then do that . That reminds me of when my kids first had all their college , their first college dorms . They always wanted to put a string of twinkle lights across the dorm room wall because it instantly made it feel homey in this cool , usually kind of sterile space that is a dorm room . But please practice lighting safety . Okay , recognize that if you're still using old incandescent light strings , that means you're not using LEDs . There is a limit to how many of those you can string together . I am not a pre-lit tree person . I love to put lots of lights on my trees , which is why I switched to LEDs last year , because I got tired of having to do all the complicated electrical engineering math to figure out how many light strands of old-fashioned incandescent balls I could safely string together . So with LEDs you can do like 40 strands all strung together on the same plug . So just be aware there are limits to what you can do with lighting . You need to make sure that you're following safe guidelines for that .

Allison Weeks

Also , utilize smart plugs and timers for your lighting . I love my smart plugs and timers . I actually I get them at my grocery store and they all link up to the same app on my phone . I have everything on a timer . Some other great light sources are LED , flameless candles there's some really great ones available on Amazon battery-powered lanterns or lamps and light strips . I'm using light strips for the first time this year . These are also battery-powered . They're little LED strips and I put them inside some of my glass front cabinets in the kitchen to help illuminate the lower parts of the cabinet , because they do have one light , but it's way up at the top and it just doesn't reach all the way to the bottom . So those lights make a huge difference in lighting up that space .

Allison Weeks

And while we're on the subject of battery-powered lights , I just wanna mention a word about saving your batteries from year to year . It is unlikely that you're gonna use up all the juice in your batteries in one season one Christmas season especially if you're using timers . So , for example , I have a bunch of little battery-powered faux candles in my kitchen and every year I take each one takes two AA batteries . So every year I take the batteries out when Christmas is over and I put them in a Ziploc bag that's labeled kitchen candle lights and I put those in a special place that I always know where they are and I don't put them with the actual decorations up in the attic because it's not climate controlled and I don't want the batteries to corrode or melt . So I keep them in the air conditioning in the house but I label them and then next year I'll be able to pull that bag out and put those batteries back in those same little candles and I should get another year out of those batteries . So don't waste your batteries by throwing them away before all the juice is used up , but do label where they go and where you've used them and put them in a climate controlled area .

Allison Weeks

Number six my favorite tool to use for decorating at Christmas time and really at any time , are monkey hooks . So if you don't know what that is , just Google monkey hooks . That's the name brand . They have off brands that are maybe a little less expensive . But what it is is a hook to go into the wall to support lightweight , medium weight or even heavy weight things . It doesn't require any tools and just your hand . You don't have to have a hammer or a drill and it is an alternative to using either command hooks or putting anchors in the wall . Now , this will not work for solid walls . So if you have a brick wall or a stone wall , this is not gonna work for you . But if you have sheetrock walls and maybe even wood paneling walls , this is a great alternative .

Allison Weeks

I don't like command hooks personally , because I can never get them to work for me . When it's time to take the command hook off of the wall , I always peel off a ton of paint with it . And of course I don't wanna use anchors , because this is for temporary hanging like garlands and light strands and stockings and things like that . So I don't wanna put a giant hole in my wall just to be able to have something up for the Christmas season . So monkey hooks to the rescue , because they leave just a tiny little hole but they provide a ton of support . And then , when you're done , you just take it out and you can easily fill that hole with a little bit of speckling and just touch it up with a little speck of paint .

Allison Weeks

And then , finally , number seven , take down some regular decor to make room for your Christmas decor . Oftentimes I will hear people say I don't like to decorate a lot for Christmas because it just clutters up my space and it just feels like too much . And so what I push back on and I ask is yes , but do you leave all your regular decorations , your everyday decor , up , or do you take some of it away to make room for the Christmas decorations ? I mean , absolutely , if you leave everything you always have in place and then you slap Christmas on top of that , it is gonna feel like too much , it's gonna feel way too visually cluttered . But it's perfectly acceptable for you to take some of your everyday decor down , store it away in the box that you've emptied with Christmas decorations . So say , you've got a box here and it's full of garlands and you're gonna put those garlands up in your kitchen . Take the garlands out , take down extra things from the kitchen cabinets or whatever that you use to decorate with , pop it in that empty box and put it in the attic and it can live there all during Christmas and not be cluttering up your space and you can enjoy your Christmas decorations . And then , when Christmas is over , you bring that box out , you get out your everyday items and put them back up and it's kind of like you have brand new stuff and then you pack away that Christmas garland and it goes back in the attic for next year . So don't be afraid to declutter and make some space and put away your everyday items to give room for those Christmas things to really shine and for you to really enjoy all of your decorations , just at different times during the year .

Allison Weeks

Well , that's it . Those are my top seven general decorating tips . Stay tuned . For the next three weeks I will be giving more tips about Christmas decorating on some specific themes . Now let's get back to these holiday stories of home .

Ginny White

Allison Weeks

I'm back with my friend in the trenches , homemaker Jenny White . Ed , we're gonna talk about Christmas and Jenny , I would love to know what is a typical Christmas day like in the White household .

Ginny White

Christmas is kind of different every year . It's not always the same . Since my grandparents have passed , it's drastically changed because that was a whole tradition on its own but we don't have them any longer , so now it's kind of depends year to year , even like who's hosting , where are we going ? Are we even going anywhere on actual Christmas day , or are we seeing different people different days of that week , because we do both have large families and my parents are no longer together , so we have all these different sections of family to visit . So it changes from year to year , so which keeps it fun .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , so , depending on where you are , what kind of food are you eating ? And well , first of all , do you and your husband kind of do your own little private Christmas at home before you , you know , are scattered to the four winds to go visit family and stuff like that . And then sort of , what are some traditional things that y'all are eating at your gatherings , and when do you open presents and all that kind of stuff ?

Ginny White

Yeah , so well , we always go to church on Christmas Eve , so we definitely do do that , so we do the Christmas Eve service at our church . The food that I like to have is might be a little different . I like to have Polish food because my grandma was Polish and Christmas Eve was her birthday , so we would always go to her house on Christmas Eve to celebrate her birthday and that's when we would see that whole side of the family . And the meal was the same every single year , so it was always pierogi , baked fish , cabbage , and they would have other things like smelts and different things that I don't eat , but the I always have . So now every year I have to have pierogi and fish and cabbage , so we always have that . If it's not on actual Christmas , it's right at that time of year , like I have to have that meal . So , and then usually are you ?

Allison Weeks

are you making ? Do you cook that , or does somebody cook that in your family ?

Ginny White

No , I cook it , yep . So now , usually that's just for me and Luke , so me and Luke will have that together .

Allison Weeks

Can you explain to me what a pierogi is ? What is a pierogi ?

Ginny White

Oh yeah , it's a dumpling , so it's , and there's all different kinds , that you can have them filled with all different kinds of stuff . So I usually do it filled with potato and cheese . So I think I'm trying to think of it . Yummy , yeah it's . I didn't know , everyone didn't know what pierogi's were .

Allison Weeks

I've heard , I've heard , like I've heard the word before , but I just don't have any idea what that is .

Ginny White

Yeah , so it's like so first you boil it's a dumpling , and first you boil it and then usually , once it's kind of basically fully cooked from being boiled , you put it in a frying pan with like bacon fat or something and toast it up , and then you serve it with bacon , little bacon pieces and sour cream . Well , that's , that's how , that's how we always had it . So they're really , really good .

Allison Weeks

That sounds amazing . Is it something you I mean is it pretty easy to follow recipe Like ? Could you share the recipe with us ? Yes , you could maybe figure it out .

Ginny White

Yeah , yeah . If you can make like a simple dough recipe , then yeah , you're , it's . It's very easy , okay , great .

Allison Weeks

Okay , continue .

Ginny White

Yeah . So then I think I mean that's really , that's really it for food . And then Christmas morning , luke and I will open presents together . Before you know , we kind of go out and visit with anyone we're going to visit . We usually do that by ourselves in the morning . The other thing that I have to do , which is kind of silly , is growing up . We always had I think it's on TBS a Christmas story is on for 24 hours , which is like a classic Christmas movie . So I have to have a Christmas story playing in the background and I'll . It'll be on for the full 24 hours . Like I don't it's , and by the end looks like are we really like ? Is this still going on ? Like it has to . Once it's the 24 hours is over , you can change the channel , but it's playing .

Allison Weeks

So , oh my gosh , you're , you're a diehard . Yeah , that's so funny , okay . So besides the pierogies , we'll . We'll move on from food , I promise . But besides the pierogies , is there any other recipe , like a cookie or something that you like ? You need to make it or you need to eat it at some point during the Christmas season ?

Ginny White

I wouldn't know . I think the parole that's really it . There's not like a particular yeah , there's not a particular dessert that we have every single year . That kind of just depends on , like , what we're feeling at you know , that year , although last year I did make up have lova , which was really , really good . It's like a baked meringue , so that might be a new tradition .

Allison Weeks

So I love it because once you it's , it's really not hard to make . It's just you have to like , understand the process of it and the timing and all of that and get your temperature in your oven right . But it's , it's for not a lot of effort . It's like a showstopper , like it looks amazing .

Ginny White

Yeah , it definitely does , and I like poached pears and some sort of cider or something and then I drizzled caramel so it looked like look at this thing that I made like so .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , that's . That's really cool . That's good . I love a pep lova . Okay , so let's talk about holiday traditions . Do you have any special holiday traditions that you and your husband share , or maybe some ? If not , you know something that you did growing up , or anything like that .

Ginny White

I think now , well , we're trying to kind of make our own traditions . Now , a lot of the traditions I had growing up really revolved around my grandparents house were like my strongest traditions that I remember . But I did make like an advent wreath last year . So we're trying to . We're starting to implement that every year , Also reading I believe it's Luke out of the Bible , like on Christmas Eve . So we're trying to kind of come up with our own traditions that we want to continue on . So we're still kind of figuring that out .

Allison Weeks

So yeah , yeah , for sure . Okay , we're going to do a little bit of rapid fire questions , christmas style . Okay , you ready ? Okay , favorite Christmas song or Carol ?

Ginny White

Happy holidays by Andy Williams .

Allison Weeks

Oh yeah , that just makes you smile . All right , I think I know the answer to the next question your favorite Christmas movie .

Ginny White

Yes , so definitely a Christmas story . Yes , for sure .

Allison Weeks

Can't get enough . All right , are you gingerbread or team sugar cookie ?

Ginny White

For Christmas I would say gingerbread , because that's just a holiday flavor . You can have sugar cookies any time of the year .

Allison Weeks

That's true . That is true . Good point how about fake tree or real tree ?

Ginny White

Definitely real tree need to have a real tree . I do have some fake trees now because I like to have multiple trees , but I do need to have at least the one real tree , just for the smell and the tradition of going out . We like to go to a place where we can chop down our own tree , so that's always fun to go out and do that .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , because you live in New England , so I'm sure there's lots of opportunity to do that there . Oh , yeah , yeah , okay , how about bows or no bows on your gift wrap ?

Ginny White

On the gift wrap . I like a bow . Yes , yep , a bow .

Allison Weeks

All right . How about Christmas music before or after Thanksgiving ?

Ginny White

I think after Thanksgiving . I know some people even have their house decorated for Christmas on Thanksgiving , but I like that to be the last day of all the fall stuff . And then the day after Thanksgiving is usually I have my Christmas music playing , I'm taking out the fall and I'm putting in all my Christmas stuff .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , okay , awesome , okay . Well , one more question . Holidays are hectic , we know this , and we can easily get sidetracked and wrapped up in all kinds of plans and things . And so what are some things that you do to help you keep your focus on the main thing ? I know we talked about in your Homemaker Portrait interview that you are a fairly new Christian within five years . I think you said yes . And so what are you ? You talked about the Advent wreath and you talked about reading the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke and just what are on the daily . You know , maybe some things you do to help keep your priorities straight and then to help keep your spiritual priorities straight , so you could talk , maybe practical suggestions for lists and tips and things , and then maybe , what do you do to keep your focus on Christ ?

Ginny White

Well , I know there's usually , like Advent , specific Bible studies that will come out and a lot of them are geared specifically towards women . So I have enjoyed doing those in the past and then that's like a daily activity that I can do throughout Advent season . So I think that's definitely , you know , a good way to keep that in the forefront . Also , you know , even though we are busy , we're still going to church . We're not not going to church because we have to go here or there , because that kind of that's a little silly . It's like the whole reason we're celebrating is because of this , so we can't skip that main thing to go over here . So , you know , I think those are a couple of things that work well for me , especially the Advent study . I really enjoy doing that every year .

Allison Weeks

When you do your wreath with your husband , or I assumed you were doing that together . I think that's what you said . Are you do ? What do you guys do ? Do you light a candle and do a reading or sing a song , or how do you do your little Advent wreath ?

Ginny White

Yeah , we light the candle and then I found , like online , a resource for like what you know what scripture or what to read to go along with that specific candle , which we kind of do . We do that at church as well , so it kind of goes . It kind of goes along with that .

Allison Weeks

Great , awesome . Well , thank you very much for sharing your Christmas ideas and tips and memories . We we all have different backgrounds with Christmas and our unique family , cultures and things , and I I learned something today about pierogies that I did not know , so that was fun . But yeah , thanks so much for sharing , and have a Merry Christmas you too . Thank you .

"A Light in The Darkness" An Advent Story of Hope

Allison Weeks

A light in the darkness , an Advent story of hope .

Allison Weeks

Decorating our Christmas tree sends me back in time . We open box after box of Hallmark Keepsake ornaments faithfully given by my mother . Each year , a pair of ice skating bunnies reminds us of our first Christmas together , baby's first Christmas times . Four , along with Veggie Tales , iron man , barbie and Harry Potter , bring to mind the arrival of each child and the interests they had as they grew up in our home . I pull out one of my son's ornaments featuring poor Ralphie and his pink bunny suit and I'm instantly transported to 1983 .

Allison Weeks

I am 10 years old , sitting in our local movie theater with my friend from school . We laugh as we watch Ralphie's antics and we munch on sugar baby's candy , our feet sticking to the floor covered in decades of spilled soda . Suddenly , I am whisked away to the many Christmas eaves of my married life , 31 of them to be exact . For most of those , december 24th's watching a Christmas story has been a tradition for our little family . We gnaw on a meal of appetizers and sweet treats , drink sparkling cider from champagne flutes and ski him and fret along with Ralphie in his quest for the red writer BB gun . With a compass and a stock and this thing which tells time Back to the present and the Christmas tree , I pull out popsicle stick picture ornaments made by my children in preschool and I laugh at their chubby little faces looking back at me . Ornaments from our family travels bring a flood of fond memories of places we have been and friends we have made along the way .

Allison Weeks

I carefully unwrap a very precious set of glass blown baby shoes . They are light blue with white socks peeking out of the tops and are held together by a gossamer ribbon . These shoes were a gift for my third child , who was just an infant when we celebrated Christmas that year . His was a difficult birth surrounded by some trauma for both of us . I struggled with severe postpartum depression . I silently endured the darkness for nearly a week until I could no longer bear it alone . I confided in my husband and he guided me to get help from the Lord and from my doctor Through scripture , saturated counseling and , for a time , medication , I slowly began to emerge from that disorienting and frightening valley . Every time I unwrap those baby shoes , I am reminded of how the light of the world illumined a path of hope for me through those dark days . He taught me to focus on the truth of who he is , who I am in him and what he has to say about my circumstances .

Allison Weeks

That Christmas marked the beginning of a long journey of coming out of the darkness by clinging to the hope found in Jesus alone . I am not a medical or counseling professional , but from my own experience I can tell you that if you are struggling with any kind of depression , there is hope in Jesus . Talk to your spouse or a trusted friend and seek professional help . I will link a few resources in the show notes that have been helpful for me in my journey . When Jesus spoke again to the people , he said I am the light of the world . Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life . John 8 , 12 .

Kristen Howard

Allison Weeks

I am back here with my friend , kristen Howard and Kristen . We're going to talk about Christmas , so I would love to hear what a typical Christmas day is like at your house .

Kristen Howard

Okay , well , obviously with kids it starts early and we usually I go ahead and start my tea and then , when you go straight into the gifts , I can go jump in and get my caffeine and we start throwing paper everywhere . This year Charlotte will be older . She's two this year , so I think she will get into it a bit more , and Eva is seven and she's been into it for sure . And so after the chaos of opening up gifts , we I usually have prepared breakfast casserole or some type of cinnamon casserole , or you know , cinnamon rolls or something the night before , so I can easily put that in . And then we do something a little bit different .

Kristen Howard

We leave it noon to go to either my husband's side or my side , depending on whose year it is , and before we leave we have a Christmas breakfast and it's a birthday party , and so we set up all the I set up some streamers , and we set up birthday hats and candles , and it's a birthday party for Jesus . And so we and we retell the Christmas story . You know , my husband bless him , he , he's not the storyteller , so I end up telling the story , he , he tries , but then the girls always say mommy , can you do it ? Oh man , he's the engineer , he's the engineer , and so he always comes to my aid when I leave on for details .

Allison Weeks

That's good , even in the Christmas story Good teamwork .

Kristen Howard

So we work as a team , but we , so we . I tell the Christmas story one more time , which we have talked about all through December , which I'll elaborate on the last question that we talk about but we just tell it one more time and we have , we , and then we just eat our breakfast and then everybody plays with their toys , and then we get dressed and we either hit the road to my husband's or my folks , and so that's that's a highlight too they get to go see their grandparents and open up gifts .

Allison Weeks

Oh , I love that so much . That's really good . So is . Is there something ? Since we're kind of on the subject of food and things like that , is there something that you always like to either eat or prepare at some point during the holiday season not necessarily on Christmas day , but like there's like a cookie recipe you always do , or something like that ?

Kristen Howard

Yes , there's , there's two . One is chocolate gravy . My mom , if we go to my mom's side , we don't have that . On my husband's side they usually make a big breakfast but mac and cheese is a big thing on her side , like they . When I say she can throw down with some mac and cheese , she can throw down . It's fantastic . It's her . Her starts with a roux . Let me just tell you like that , wow , wow I mean , but my , on my mom's side it's good . On my mom's side we have chocolate gravy . Usually the next morning it's not Christmas morning , but everybody gathers and that's I . That's a southern thing . A lot of people don't know what that is .

Allison Weeks

You know what this is so funny ? Because I just , let's see I think it was , jessica was a couple of weeks ago and she was on the podcast . I don't know if you happen to hear it , but she talked about chocolate gravy and I was like what are you ? I've never heard of that . I did , I grew up in the South and I have never heard of chocolate gravy , so I heard her say that Okay .

Allison Weeks

So is that similar ? Do you serve it over biscuits , or what does your chocolate gravy look like ? That your family eats ?

Kristen Howard

She's a hundred percent right . You serve it over biscuits . The only , the only thing different is in our home it is a tradition that you you break those biscuits up into crumbs , small crumbs all over your plate , and then you pour the chocolate gravy so you could eat it with a spoon . Oh , that is awesome , it's so good , wow , okay , oh yes .

Allison Weeks

So now you have .

Kristen Howard

You have to try it now .

Allison Weeks

I must try it now . You are the second person to tell me this . I don't think I'll get too many , too many protests from my family either If I say we're going to have chocolate gravy on biscuits .

Kristen Howard

It is so good , okay , but I make gingerbread cookies that I send to Eva's school , but they're a soft recipe .

Allison Weeks

Soft gingerbread .

Kristen Howard

They are so good with a cup of tea . I roll them in sugar before I bake them , so then they just kind of crystallize on top and they are so good .

Allison Weeks

So you're making , not a , you're not doing like a rolled cut out , you're doing like a drop and that you like a round that you roll in sugar .

Kristen Howard

That's exactly right . Okay , I do , we decorate cookies . I do the sugar cookies to decorate , but that is nothing fancy . I we literally buy the dough , bake the cookies and then I let the kids go to town .

Allison Weeks

Yeah Well , I really like the idea of this gingerbread recipe . Is that one you can share with us ?

Kristen Howard

Sure , right off the top of my head , no , no .

Allison Weeks

I'll get back to you and and we can say , yeah , email . And then , that way I can , I can put it in the newsletter that that comes out after this airs . So everybody can try that yeah . I have one more technical question about it . You roll them in sugar , then do you just put the little rounds on the baking sheet , or do you press them down at all ?

Kristen Howard

I actually , if I forget to put this on the recipe , remind me I actually put um , um , is it parchment paper down , not wax . Yeah , one of them , one of them will burn . Yeah , I put it in the oven and then I put the little balls on the paper and then they will just , they'll kind of spread , they'll kind of spread out , okay , but , but they won't flatten out . Okay , if you don't use parchment paper , they'll just flatten out completely . Oh , that's interesting , okay .

Allison Weeks

Good , that's a good tip . We'll make sure we put that on the recipe also .

Kristen Howard

Yeah , okay .

Allison Weeks

Very good Yummy . Now I'm hungry . All right , let's talk about traditions . So , um , do you have any ? Do you have any special holiday traditions that you like to do from year to year ?

Kristen Howard

Um , yes , are we , are we ? Are we talking um from childhood , or Either ?

Allison Weeks

or either . Or something you remember as a child and then maybe something that you you know you're implementing with your own kids is really up to you .

Kristen Howard

Um , from a child growing up in South Dakota , there was always snow . So , um , that was a big deal for us . Um , mom always made the house like a Christmas cottage . I mean , it was , christmas was everywhere , twinkle lights were everywhere . Um , there was always snow . There was always a fire burning it . It was your Thomas Kincaid postcard . Um , we , my dad um had , you know , we had horses , and so he had a , a bobsled and a team that he would , that he would drive , and , um , we would go bobsleding all over the hills . And so my birthday was um December . Well is , it still is December 14th , and but when I was growing up , we'd always everyone would come to my house and all my friends , he would take us on a big bobsled ride . Oh , that's so fun . It was just picturesque , looking back , you know , and so , and then , of course , red noses and hot chocolate when we were all done . But it was . I mean , I can still hear him hollering at the horses , telling him saying walk up at you know .

Kristen Howard

Oh , that's a great memory so so , yes , it was wonderful and of course , you know , there was always the Christmas story that morning and um . But then . So now we , we my husband doesn't drive a bobsled team or anything like that , but there's no snow here but we have um , you know , we , we keep some of the same traditions , like the CD that we played when I was a kid . We'll play that same BB and CC Wyman's first Christmas album . Oh cool .

Hannah Torres

We're setting up our tree .

Kristen Howard

So so yeah , just all kinds of little memories that come back to the holidays . My mom collected Santa Claus's and so I now collect Santa Claus's and I have her first one that she ever bought in 1993 . She , I was born in 83 . So it was 10 years after I was born , but she said it was for her . It felt like a million dollars because they just didn't have a lot of money back then , but she still bought it and so now it's one of my precious ones that I set out each year .

Allison Weeks

So oh , I love that . Yeah , that's really special . I collect Santa Claus's too . Um , I started doing that not I mean as an adult like I started collecting them probably about I don't know , maybe when I moved here like less than 10 years ago . I look for folk art Santas when I'm out and ticking and thrifting , so , yeah , I'm looking for ones that it looks like somebody made it like . A lot of times they're made with old quilts or you know , somebody carved it out of wood or something like that and I have to really hunt for them . It really is a treasure hunt to find these Santas , but I love them so much because they're so unique and I just I really value that someone used their hands and put work and effort into making them , putting that together . So absolutely .

Kristen Howard

That is so neat . Oh , my goodness , you have to share that a picture of of your collection . I would love to see it .

Allison Weeks

Yes , I will . I certainly will . We would love that . Okay , so I would love to do a little quick rapid fire Q and a Christmas edition with you . Are you ready ? I'm ready ? Okay , your favorite Christmas song , or Carol ?

Kristen Howard

I have to Okay , have yourself a merry little Christmas . Uh huh and oh , come on , you faithful .

Allison Weeks

Yeah , good one . Okay , your favorite Christmas movie .

Kristen Howard

Oh , that , um , it's a wonderful life , definitely number one . White Christmas number two , and then with the kids , we always have to watch Home Alone one and two .

Allison Weeks

I love your list . Your list are just getting longer and longer , I know .

Kristen Howard

I love Christmas .

Allison Weeks

Okay , gingerbread or sugar cookie , If you had to choose which one .

Kristen Howard

Gingerbread .

Allison Weeks

Okay , I would say preferably soft , coated in sugar . Soft , yes , with a cup of tea . Okay , bake tree or real tree .

Kristen Howard

Oh , my goodness . So in my new book release that that is actually on Amazon now . There's a story in there , in the back in every book . There are four Christmas stories . And cool , okay , yes , and they're at the end the first book . They're at the beginning because I didn't learn how to organize well . The rest are at the end . Okay , and there is a story in there called Skipping Christmas and it is hysterical .

Kristen Howard

It is the year I decided that we were going to go fake Christmas tree . I had had enough of the real and we were going to do a fake . And it's , it's funny because we go and buy the tree , we set it up and I , my , oh , I'm holding Charlotte in my arms and Eva is looking at me as Chuck is loading this box into the back of the car and she says that's the tree . Yes , eva , it's going to be great . We're going to put it together piece by piece . And she just looked at me like that's not how you do Christmas , said , and so , anyway , we put it together in the house and she looked at it and she said that's plastic .

Kristen Howard

And I told her I said no , no , no , this is going to be great . This is you're really going to like this is going to , this is going to be great . And so she . She obviously didn't like it . Chuck comes home and looks at it and he , just , he , absolutely , he , absolutely keeps walking by at time and time again trying to make himself like it . But anyway , it ends up going back to the store and I can't find the receipt . Oh no , so I won't tell you what happened , but there was someone laying over a counter in the store begging oh my gosh , okay , I'll leave the rest hanging . So , naturally , we do a real Christmas tree in our house .

Allison Weeks

Okay , all right . That one experience was all it took to cement the real tree tradition in your household .

Kristen Howard

Exactly , exactly .

Allison Weeks

All right . Well , how about when it comes to gift wrapping ? Are you a bow person or you don't bother with the bows ?

Kristen Howard

Oh , bows are everywhere , they're everywhere .

Allison Weeks

All right . I mean really , people are totally divided on this . Some people are like I don't have time for that , I get it , that's so important , it's the most important part .

Kristen Howard

Yes , some people put them in bags and just and just take them , which that's everybody's thing . I , you know it does . It does get exhausting , you know , and there there are a few that that make it one of I'll . I'll , you know , do the quick , just the tie bows , yeah .

Allison Weeks

but you can sort of tell , you could sort of like line up the packages and you can tell the progression of . Here's the ones that mom did when she was early in the season and had lots of energy , and then here's the ones that , like , barely made it under the shirt .

Kristen Howard

It is so true every year every single year , when I'm putting up Christmas , I call my sister and I tell her I will not do this next year .

Allison Weeks

I'm no same year every year . Okay , okay , one more , one more question about the Christmas stuff , christmas music , before or after Thanksgiving ?

Kristen Howard

I typically started after Thanksgiving , except Eva's been singing Jingle Bell since July but typically I started after .

Allison Weeks

Okay , that's great , all right , yes , well , I'd love to hear your thoughts on keeping the main thing the main thing during the holiday season , because it can get crazy , especially when you add kids to the mix and the kid things and all the church things and all the things . So what are some things that you guys do to keep it between the rails during the holiday season ?

Kristen Howard

A couple things . One I agree with you it just is it's a race to the finish . It's hectic , there's a lot going on in December and you're never going to completely get past that . But I do . I'm a planner and I'm a scheduler , so I do the best I can to always schedule the things that are really important and the things that we can't do . We just can't do it . So , like if I know my kids need gifts for their school and I need to make treats , then I have that all in my schedule and I know when I'm going to do it , what week I'm going to do it , so that it's not all waiting to the last minute . I do not like that , but then . So planning and organizing your December is very helpful . And then I start .

Kristen Howard

I used to start after Thanksgiving with everything , and I don't do that anymore . I decorate mid-November because I have kids and it takes me so long to decorate that I lose days and so I can't keep up . But last year was the first time I started mid-November and it was awesome . So I was done with a lot of the major things . I got Christmas cards out of the way , I got lights out of the way . There's always going to be a hitch and something's going to go wrong , so you just roll with it . If it does , it won't be perfect , but having a schedule will help . And then , lastly , my most favorite thing is we open the Nativity , so I put everything in one big Christmas box and then each morning for 12 mornings it doesn't matter when you start to do this , if you start early then your completed Nativity just sits out on the table , which is what we do . I take one piece out and I put it in a little tiny box and then I have it sitting on the table each morning at breakfast and the girls open it up and whatever piece it is , I'm a storyteller , so I start elaborating on that one piece and I leave them hanging each day , and they've heard the story a hundred times , but it never fails . They can't wait .

Kristen Howard

So a couple of highlights from the story that I like to that are my favorite are actually the donkey .

Kristen Howard

I really love the donkey and I love the barn , because the barn or the stable is connected to the innkeeper and sometimes I just see him , you know , and I guess for my poetic license sake , I see him looking at Mary and thinking you know , I have a daughter myself , you know , but I have no room in my inn , I have nowhere to put you , but I have a stable out back , and so I just elaborate on the fact that he never knew he would go down in history as the man who gave the stable to where the King of Kings would be born .

Kristen Howard

And so we just highlight that , and I talk about the innkeeper , and I talk about Mary and Joseph , you know , and I leave them hanging at the barn , and then I talk about the donkey which she rode on , and we'll keep it just with the donkey that she rode rode to Bethlehem on and then I'll talk about the animals and the stable . And when I was a kid we sang , we did a play , and it was about the one of the scenes switched to the animals in the stable , and the song was all about we get to spend just a little time with him , you know . So , even even the animals knew the King of Kings was born , and so I'll just I just make it come to life for the kids , and then , you know , their eyes are just wide watching , and so I feel like that always brings it home every day what Christmas is all about , you know .

Allison Weeks

Oh , Kristen , that is such a wonderful tradition that you've created , so I'm wondering are you going to , are you going to write this down and publish it ?

Kristen Howard

This is in . I believe it's in one of the it's in one of the Christmas stories .

Allison Weeks

Okay , so you talk about this process of doing these stories in in one of the Christmas stories in your book .

Kristen Howard

I think so , so I think it's in it's either . I think it's in book two . Okay , I'm not sure there , if if I don't tell me , and I will write a story specific to this .

Allison Weeks

Well , I was just wondering like I can see this yeah , I could see this as an , as an like an advent guide , almost , where you would , you know , write up a little , because not everybody is as gifted as you at storytelling , we don't all have that gift . So I was thinking , you know , if you could write a story for each of the items for the the mom to , you know , open the book and read it with the child as they take the item out . Oh , you know what I'm saying .

Kristen Howard

What , what an idea . Writing that down , yeah .

Allison Weeks

And then you , you know , you could even like figure out what or suggest ornaments , or , or I mean nativity pieces , or like put it together with a nativity setters . I don't know Just that would . That would have been great . I would have loved that . As a mom , and I'm even thinking as a grandma , I would love to have something like that .

Kristen Howard

That's a great idea . I will put that down and work on that , because I know I tell , I tell the story in part , you know , in one of the books . But I don't , I don't , I certainly I don't . I know I don't elaborate as to a guideline to help people , because none of my stories are a guideline , but that's a great idea and people may actually like to own something like that . I think they .

Allison Weeks

I would like to own something like that . So just put a little nugget of idea there , you can . You can think about that and mull that over , but in the meantime we will make sure that we figure out which book it's in . I'll link to all your books in the show notes but I'll specifically point out hey , the the nativity story thing is in this book and we'll make sure we we tell people direct them in the right direction .

Kristen Howard

Yes , okay , yes , cause I know I talk about that . I know I talk about I think it's called the road to Bethlehem , that's what I think it's called . And then there's the . And another in book three is the innkeeper . I talked directly about the innkeeper .

Allison Weeks

In book three . Okay , cool , yeah , yeah , all right . Well , these are wonderful ideas . Thank you so much . I'm looking forward to that gingerbread cookie recipe and I'll be on the lookout for your book that entails how to do all of these things with your kids so great .

Kristen Howard

Hey , that's a great idea . I may do that . I have actually thought about taking all of my Christmas stories and putting them in just a Christmas spot . Yeah , there you go . You could combine them all together Exactly . I could put that in there with it . So awesome .

Allison Weeks

All right , Kristen . Well , Merry Christmas .

Kristen Howard

Merry Christmas to you too , thank you .

Allison Weeks

Thank you so much for joining me today for this first episode in our holiday homemaking series 2023 . It's been a long one , full of all kinds of fun information and facts and recipes and ideas , and I hope you don't feel overwhelmed , but I hope you feel inspired and encouraged to go about the business of making a home for the holidays for the people that you love . Don't forget to sign up for Homemaker Happy Mail , because that is how you're going to get your hands on some of the recipes that you heard today on this episode . Also , we've got some great writing coming over the next four weeks . In the newsletter this week you will have a couple of pieces brought to you by homemakers that you've heard from on the Art of Home here , on the theme of hope , which is the first theme of Advent that begins . We start reflecting on hope this Sunday , so you're going to want to have that .

Allison Weeks

You can get your copy of our Advent guide over on our website . You can go to theartofhomepodcastcom slash Christmas to get your copy of that and , if you are so moved , you can say thank you for this episode in a couple of different ways . First of all , you can share it with someone you know who would value this kind of content and who could use this kind of homemaking encouragement . Second , you can leave a rating and a review on your podcast listening app . And third , you can leave us a tip and our virtual tip to our Buy Me a Coffee . These are given in $5 increments and you can get us one coffee , or two coffees , or four , or as many as you would like . Go to buymeacoffeecom . Slash theartofhome . Well , that's it . I will be back next week with a whole another set of holiday homemaking stories from six more homemakers that you've heard from this year , as well as some tips and ideas and some poems . It's going to be another good one . We'll see you next week . Until then , keep practicing your art of making a home for the holidays .