Merry Christmas Homemakers . Welcome to episode 4 of Holiday Homemaking 2023 . I am your host , allison Weeks . I'm a wife , a mom to four grown kids , a granny to one little boy , and I have been practicing the art of home for over 31 years . Well , christmas is right around the corner and this is our last episode of Holiday Homemaking 2023 .
Speaker 1I'm always a little sad when our holiday series comes to a close , but I am glad to take a break and to enjoy a time of rest and renewal to close out the year and prepare to bring you another great year of homemaking content in 2024 . I will be ending today's episode with a little recap of the past year and what I'm hoping to bring to you in 2024 , so be sure to stick around for that at the end . But in today's episode , I'm bringing you five more holiday stories of home with recipes and tips , traditions and favorites , as well as some decorating tips about how to take down and store your decor so that your future self will thank you rather than curse you . I also have one of my favorite poems on the Advent theme of love to share with you . Whatever you are applying your hands to as you listen today , I know you will enjoy these holiday stories of home .
All right , jen May , we are going to have a discussion about Christmas .
Speaker 2Okay .
Speaker 1So tell me what a typical Christmas day looks like in the May household .
Speaker 3Well , actual Christmas day is more laid back . We usually gather not usually we do gather for dinner , but we kind of , because the kids are older now and some can make it and some don't . We really gather on Christmas Eve . So Christmas Eve we go into work , work there and before I leave for work and usually I'll prep a lot of this the day before so on the 23rd and we do soup and sandwiches on Christmas Eve because then it can be ready and I can go work and then , as I'm finishing up work or whatever , the family has already started to gather at the house . So they've left service , they're now here at the house and just hanging out or whatever , and they can start eating whenever they want and I don't have to feel like , oh my gosh , I have to like rush home and cook this meal or what . No , it's easy . Yeah . And it started out as like a convenience , like this is all I'm capable of right now , but then the kids just loved it . They're like this is the best thing ever .
Speaker 3And so yeah , so that's what we do for Christmas Eve , and then we'll exchange gifts . So we do the gift exchange where everybody picks a name , because there's so many of us now , and so we buy the one gift and we usually cap it at like 30 or $40 for that one person , except for the little kids . So if you're 18 and old younger , you can get a gift from this person or that person , it doesn't matter but the rest of the family doesn't feel like I have to buy presents for everybody .
Speaker 3So we'll do the gift exchange that night and then Christmas morning we tend to just take our time and sleep in a little bit and get ready for just a dinner together . So we'll actually do a dinner and now that the girls are older and oh that we . It's almost like a potluck , like a planned potluck . Like you're doing the turkey , so I'll do mashed potatoes and you know , those types of things .
Speaker 1So , we create a menu and then divide it up , okay , so for Christmas Eve you're working at church because , in case you didn't catch her Homemaker Portrait interview , jen works at the church , so it's Christmas Eve service , so you're there for like a long time and I can attest to that because I'm there also sometimes for a long time and it is a lot to try to like rush home and do all of that , so , but what I want to know is are you always what's like ? Are you trying out different recipes each year ?
Speaker 3Yeah , sometimes the soups change , Okay , but one of the staples that I have that my son always made sure and seems to be like the winner is the potato soup . Okay , so that one always goes the fastest . And then the second soup . Sometimes , you know , I'll mess around with different ones , like a kill , no key soup or it just depends .
Speaker 3Okay , yeah , and you're doing like sub sandwiches or just like ham and cheese , or build your own , build your own , yeah , so we'll have a couple different breads and a couple different cheeses and lunch meat and stuff like that , and then we take we get the panini press out . So if you want a hot sandwich you can do that .
Speaker 1Fun yeah , so that's a great idea .
Speaker 3Yeah , so it's to make your own sandwich , and then there's usually two or three soups to choose from .
Speaker 1Cool . So you put the soups together like before , like the day before or something .
Speaker 3Yeah , the day before .
Speaker 1Yeah , very smart .
Speaker 4Then just turn it on . Yeah , it's a really good idea .
Speaker 1So what are you guys ? So then , you do like a kind of traditional Christmas day dinner with turkey and all that stuff ? Yeah , is there something besides the ham , the potato soup that has to happen ? Is there another recipe during the Christmas season or whenever that must show up every year ?
Speaker 3Yes , okay , what is that ? It is my spicy mac and cheese .
Speaker 4And that has to
Speaker 1be at .
Speaker 3Thanksgiving . I want to hear about that . And at Christmas , okay , and that when when I had talked about , like , making your kids favorite meals , this one is specifically for Jordan , because I have to make it and it makes a lot , and so then I always set aside a little one for her so that she can just take that home and that can be hers when she goes home . But yeah , so it is a green chili stew mix that comes in a jar . I'll have to send you the recipe .
Speaker 1Can you share it with us and can I share with the audience ?
Speaker 3I guess , because that's the one that I keep in my back pocket . That , no , yes , I will absolutely share it's yeah .
Speaker 1Yeah , so it's , it's , you've got it's kind of it's got a verde , so it's got a green base sort of green chili . So it's green chilies . And then what kinds of cheeses are in it ?
Speaker 3It's just velvita . Oh okay , Sharp cheddar cheese .
Speaker 1And then that's what makes it all melty and gooey . Yes , exactly , and the .
Speaker 3I do like the breakfast sausage , like Jimi Dean's breakfast sausage , but like the hot yes , spicy whatever . So you brown that and then you add the stew mix . They call it a stew mix , but yeah , it comes in a big jar and then you just brown that and then incorporate everything until it's all creamy , dump your noodles in there and then you bake it . It is requested at every , every holiday okay , we'll make sure we get that really special occasion Okay .
Speaker 1Well , thank you . Thank you for sharing . Yes , all right , let's talk about holiday traditions . Do you guys have any particular special holiday traditions that you always do ?
Speaker 3Well , now it is the soup and the sandwiches .
Speaker 1Yes .
Speaker 3That is like recently like the last five years , has been a tradition , but even before then , I guess , our tradition was just to go look at Christmas lights . My father-in-law loved to do that and he'd never asked for anything , so that's , we would always go look at Christmas lights , and you know , that's just a special time of just being together and not having to do anything .
Speaker 3And so , yeah , sometimes we'll , you know , fill up a couple of mugs or whatever with hot chocolate and stuff like that , and you know , or go out to the PEC , in is that Johnson's city ? Oh yeah , yeah , yeah , and walk around there because you know , christmas here is not always very cold so go walk around and look at the light downtown or something like that . So yeah , we like to look at Christmas lights .
Speaker 1That's fun Well how do you keep the main thing , the main thing during a season that can very quickly just run away with you and you especially working at the church ? I mean , that's a busy season for you guys on staff , so what are some of the things that you do to just make sure that your focus stays on Jesus ? Yeah , the whole reason why we're celebrating .
Speaker 3Right . So you know , for for several years the church had put out like a devotional for the Advent season and so just like reading through that and getting the family engaged in that and make sure everybody has their copy and all that stuff , yeah , but really for us it's really just about that family time , just focusing on that and getting together as often as we can without anybody feeling pressured that they have to be there , but they have to make an appearance .
Speaker 3It's so , yeah , with the adult kids and them having to split time with the other half of their family now , that making sure they don't feel pressured that they have to show up , or if they've just had a crazy busy week and they just want to stay home , that's okay too , right , because you need that rest . So come if you can , and if you can't , that's okay too . We'll catch you on the next go round .
Speaker 1That's . That's huge and that's where we're learning all of that now , Having you know , kids , adult kids and married kids and all that kind of stuff , and now a grand kid .
Speaker 3Yes , congratulations , grandpa .
Speaker 1Thank you , granny . I'm officially known as Granny .
Speaker 3I'm Alola . Oh , I love that , yeah , and I'm about to be Alola again in April .
Speaker 1Congratulations yeah that's exciting . No , so I mean it's , but no , and I talked to my husband about this and I said you know , we really we're we're in a unique situation right now because our son , who's married , lives in town the one that has the grand , our grandchild , and so we get to see him a lot and we're friends with her family , so we just kind of have a unique and weird situation there .
Speaker 1So , like , all of us spent Christmas together last year at our house Christmas Eve and that was amazing , cause then nobody felt like they need you know well who's going to get to have the baby on Christmas .
Speaker 1Yeah , you know so but I said we won't always have that and you know , as the other kids get married and all that kind of stuff and we're like we need to be prepared that Christmas is going to look different in the years ahead . It'd be okay with that , yeah , and just kind of don't have expectations right aside from just we're here or we'll come to you or you know whatever . We just want to be together . That's our expectation is at some point we would like to be together and spend time together .
Speaker 3And that's it . And then those that do show up just focus your time on them . Yeah , yeah , and not be like oh man , this would be great if so and so was here , right , you know ? Like then that doesn't make the other person's heart feel good , like that's . If they were good enough , that's okay , we can take that out . Yeah , that was silly , but yeah , but I know what you mean .
Speaker 1You know we want to be content with whatever we're given in any moment and the people that God has put in our just put with us . Right then , yeah .
Speaker 3Let's be present with those people .
Speaker 1Yeah , no , that's great . That's a really good . That's a really good point . Okay , anything else you want to share about Christmas ?
Speaker 3Not that I can think of .
Speaker 1Okay , are you a big decorator ? Are you a big Christmas decorator ?
Speaker 3Reluctantly , reluctantly , yes , because , like you said , you know , work at the church is just a busy season , not just at the church but just in life in general . Right , because you know AJ , like this is his senior year and even before that it's like you know , you've got band concerts and jazz concerts and this and that , and you know and all the things , and so you're just tired , just tired .
Speaker 3And now you want me to put up a tree , you know . And so , and for the longest time when bonus mom , extended mom , whatever , that whole extended family and I don't even think I got into that Not only did she move here , but so did her other daughter , and wow is , and her , you know , husband and son , and all that here Anyways , which is great , they all live in New Braunfels , it's great . But before that it we always knew like , okay , we're going to have like two weeks off , or at least a week off , yeah , where we would , we would leave and we would go visit my mom for a few days in New Mexico and then we'd go up to Colorado where they lived and we'd spend a few days there and then come back and I thought , well , I don't need to put up a tree , Nobody's going to be here .
Speaker 3But you know , then there was my 15 or 16 year old son . I was just like , but I love the tree and I'm like that's rare for a teenage boy . Yeah , In my mind I mean , I just thought that's rare that a 15 , 16 year old boy would still want a Christmas tree . And I only have a few years left for them . Put up the tree . Yeah , let's put it up .
Speaker 3And now it's going to be put up the tree , because you have grandkids , they'd like the tree Right and the Christmas village and all the things . So yeah , yeah , okay .
Speaker 2So I really like to .
Speaker 3I decorate , but once it's like cleaning , it's inevitable you have to do it . But once it's all done , you just enjoy it . You love it yeah , I'm glad I did that .
Speaker 1Yes , yeah , that was pretty great . Okay , well , thank you for sharing about Christmas , merry Christmas , merry Christmas . Okay , I am back with my
friend , heather Love , and she is in the trenches home making mama of three little kids , and we are going to hear about Christmas and the love household . So , heather , tell me about a typical Christmas day at your house .
Speaker 5So we are still trying to develop what this looks like with little kids , but I would say we usually start out in the morning just our little Christmas , which I really love . I want to create that tradition and my husband will read you know the story of Christmas . Keep that focus how it started , and then we'll go off and do our thing . We , after we open some gifts and all , we usually will make a big breakfast . I would say fried eggs are the focus . Fried eggs , okay , and it's funny because , like we both grew up Christmas morning eating fried eggs at our home .
Speaker 5So it was easy to kind of come find that , and then you know odds and ends that go with that . Like what bacon ?
Speaker 1whatever fried eggs is , the thing Are okay . Are you frying your eggs in like butter or ghee or avocado oil , or what are you frying them in ?
Speaker 5Yeah , probably bacon fat , bacon fat butter . Okay , butter , we have done , yes , we've done bacon fat before . I sometimes do ghee , but I would say most of the time it's butter .
Speaker 1Okay , I'm always curious Do cast iron skillet or regular skillet or stainless , stainless ?
Speaker 5Yeah .
Speaker 1I love cast iron as well , though I can't fry an egg in my cast iron skillet .
Speaker 5Yeah , yeah , you know what it always sticks .
Speaker 1I just can't make it work . Okay , are you putting things on the eggs Like special toppings or anything ?
Speaker 5No , I love eggs on top of toast . Oh yeah , Is that more of a British thing ?
Speaker 1I'm not sure , I don't know . I think maybe it originally was . But when avocado toast sort of swept the nation a few years back now . Everybody does , because I love avocado toast with a fried egg on top .
Speaker 5Oh yeah , that's really good too , Yep .
Speaker 1Okay .
Speaker 5Cool Sourdough , sourdough bread and a fried egg . Mm-hmm Bacon , fruit and your boys .
Speaker 1They like fried eggs . They do . Okay , are your eggs generally really runny or do you like them more like jelly ?
Speaker 5I like them pretty runny . I primarily like the yolk Right .
Speaker 1It's like delicious sauce when it's done correctly .
Speaker 5The fattiness of it Supposed to have a lot of good minerals in it , and my oldest actually will only eat the yolk . Really , he will not eat the egg white , he will just get his toast and dip it in the yolk and then he's done .
Speaker 6That's so funny .
Speaker 3That's so cute .
Speaker 1I love that . Okay , so we're eating fried eggs and opening gifts , and then what does the rest of your day look like ?
Speaker 5That's still what we are trying to figure out . Growing up , we would go to or I would go to Grandma's house and then grandmother's house , and so it was a full day of just like different homes within our family , which was so much fun and I loved that . But yeah , our families have just kind of been changing and Jordan's family recently moved here , which has made it easier , so we there's been some Christmases where we've spent time . They were in the woodlands and so we would go there , and then the guy have some family in Seattle and so we were . Over the years we've been trying to develop what it's going to look like , but in general , just spending time with family wherever they are Right and yeah , that's what it's about .
Speaker 1That sounds good , so are there any other besides the fried eggs , any other special recipes that need to make an appearance , not necessarily on Christmas day , but at some point throughout the Christmas season ?
Speaker 5Gingerbread cookies . I love gingerbread cookies . Around that time just the smell of the cinnamon .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 5We should make a gingerbread house . Those are the main things . We end up making a lot of cookies during that time Too many cookies , but it's fun . It's fun especially with little kids .
Speaker 4It is so get into it . They love it .
Speaker 5Like rolling them out , cutting out shapes , the shapes I love that We'll read the story of the gingerbread man and how he ran away and stuff . So I'm just really enjoying that doing all those things with them . Other than cookies and fried eggs , we don't have anything that's like super set yet . I think as they get older , we'll kind of find more of our group .
Speaker 1Well , and two like we just talked about in your interview . You know you're like a food person and you love to experiment and try new things .
Speaker 2Like you , had a hard time figuring out your signature dish .
Speaker 1So I'm not actually not surprised with your answer to this question , because you're probably experimenting a lot , that's true In the kitchen . Yeah , even at Christmas time , which is good , that's great . Nobody's going to get bored eating at your house Right . Ok , so what about , besides food , other holiday traditions ? Are there any holiday traditions that maybe you're trying to bring in from your husband's childhood or your childhood , or maybe just make new ones for your family ?
Speaker 5Yeah , I think you know I had mentioned going to both my grandma's house . Afterwards I just when I think back to Christmas as a kid , that's what I think of , and so figuring out how that brought me joy and how to create something like that in my kids , I am trying to figure out . I think just yeah , if family is not with us Christmas morning , if we're doing like our own little thing , then going and finding family wherever they are .
Speaker 5If that's flying or driving or being in the same town , but just being with , trying to be with as many of them as we can be , and just starting the morning off with you know , the Bible story , I think definitely is going to be a tradition for us . I would say those are the two main things so far , but I think we will continue to figure that out .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , you will . I think that's one of our questions related to Christmas . For you , you ready ? Mm-hmm , okay , favorite Christmas song , or Carol ? I love Silent Night . Yes , I love when we do Silent Night at the end of the candlelight service at church and everybody has a candle . I don't think we do that anymore , though , because there's way too many people and it's like a fire hazard but it's really nice .
Speaker 1When we can do that , it's beautiful . What about your favorite Christmas movie ? Maybe Home Alone ? That's a good one , just a classic . So fun , so fun . Gingerbread or sugar cookie , gingerbread , gingerbread , fake tree or real tree , real , okay , bose or no , bose , bose , oh , now how about the Christmas music before Thanksgiving or after After ?
Speaker 5Yes , I love to really enjoy Thanksgiving . Mm-hmm , you only get it once a year as well . Yeah , yeah , I want to enjoy it for all it is , and then we'll start the Christmas music .
Speaker 1Yeah , it's a little hard when you walk into the store .
Speaker 6I think pretty much on Halloween , Like on Halloween , I mean yeah .
Speaker 1I think it's on Halloween . Like Halloween day , they start playing the Christmas music .
Speaker 6I'm like really .
Speaker 1Really , yeah , my problem with it is that I get sick of it before . Christmas , I do too I do too , and I'm like I don't want to be tired of the music by the time the holiday gets here , yes , yes .
Speaker 1So that's why I have a no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving dinner rule . After the dinner , when we're washing the dishes , we start the Christmas music . Mm-hmm , and the holidays are hectic . So how do you maintain that sense of peace and the focus on the things that really matter , the focus on Christ , through all that hectic craziness ?
Speaker 5Yeah , music really kind of helps me set the mood , mm-hmm , if I'm playing it softly in the home , and so I really like to play Christmas music that is more like worship music . Yeah , a lot of the Christmas music today is so modern and pop and it's fun and we play that as well , but just that music of the worship and all it really focuses me and kind of sets the mood of this is what Christmas is about .
Speaker 5And it kind of takes away all the everything that can kind of blur your focus . Sure , so I love doing that .
Speaker 1Mm-hmm . Are you looking for ? You're on your second year of homeschooling , so are you . Do you do you school during December ? Are you planning on schooling during the month of December ?
Speaker 5Hmm , that's a good question .
Speaker 1I just asked because we always took most of the month off , and I know a lot of people do that as well . Okay , I was curious .
Speaker 5Being just my second year , I am trying to kind of figure out my thing . Last year I had just had a baby and I was homeschooling , so it was just like sporadic .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 5The homeschooling whatever we can manage . I think you know my oldest is still young , first grade , so it's not like we're homeschooling for hours on end . Sure , it's very short , so I could see us doing maybe the first two weeks bits of it .
Speaker 1Yeah , I was wondering if you're going to incorporate anything into your schooling or just into your daily activities with your boys . I think so . Definitely Christmas theme related , right yeah ?
Speaker 5I probably will , and I think something I've definitely struggled with is feeling like , okay , I need to finish all these lessons and then I need to add this onto it .
Speaker 4Right .
Speaker 5And knowing that I can actually replace that lesson with whatever I want to add on . And then that takes a lot of the stress out for me and they are learning a lot from just life lessons , yeah , when I pull that in , and cultures and traditions and everything . So I'll probably end up doing a lot of that .
Speaker 1Yeah , that's a great way to approach it . I kind of did something similar . It really does free you up , because then otherwise , if you don't , if you try to do all the things you normally do , and then you want to add all this fun Christmassy stuff , and then you're not going to be able to keep up with all of that . No , it's too much . And then you feel like , oh my gosh , I'm behind . And then you're starting January and you're like I'm behind , I'm already behind .
Speaker 3Yes .
Speaker 1So just giving yourself permission to either take a complete break altogether or just scale back , or they're still going to be learning .
Speaker 5Yes , and wisdom I've heard from older homeschooling moms is that even if you don't finish , like your curriculum or the book or anything , at the end of the year they still got so much you don't have to feel like , okay , we did every single little thing . And so that definitely is like a relief to know , and they learn they still learn so much .
Speaker 1Yeah yeah , that's some good wisdom there , okay , so let's talk about your Christmas traditions .
Speaker 5Thank you .
Speaker 1Merry Christmas .
Speaker 5Merry Christmas , thank you .
Speaker 1Love came down
at Christmas . Love , all lovely Love , divine Love was born at Christmas . Star and angels gave the sign . Worship we the Godhead , love incarnate Love , divine Worship we our Jesus . But we're with for sacred sign . Love shall be our token . Love be yours and love be mine . Love to God and all men , love for plea and gift and sign . Christina Rosetti , 1885 . I'm back with my friend Jessica
Wood here . She's a newbie homemaker and she's going to tell us all about Christmas in the Wood household . So , jessica , tell me , what does a typical Christmas day look like at your house ?
Speaker 4So , since we've only been married with one Christmas under our belts , we don't have any solid traditions yet , but we do Christmas Eve at Dallas's parents , so all of us siblings will go there and open all our presents and all that , and they've always done that , which was really nice , because my family has always done Christmas day , Christmas morning that worked out well . Oh , it was so perfect . There was no compromising there at all . So we do Christmas Eve with his family and we do Christmas morning with my family .
Speaker 1So what is it ? What's happening ? What kind of food are you eating ? Gift opening , all that kind of stuff . What's going on there ?
Speaker 4At my family's , since it's morning . We do presents first and then we always have a big breakfast and it's usually me , my mom and my older sister in the kitchen , but it's just a little bit of everything , a really big breakfast and it's . You know , we're all still kind of just comfortable , not ready for the day , just kind of bumming it , but it's a lot of fun . And then at his parents his mom and dad leave every other year to do Christmas with her family out of state , so when they are here and we're all at their house , it's also it's breakfast first . I was trying to remember , I can't remember . We do breakfast first , a big breakfast first , and then we do presents after breakfast , which the anticipation just gets to be too much for the little kids . They're like trying to rush us through breakfast really quickly . Yeah , yeah .
Speaker 1That's so funny . I think we're headed for that very soon , because when our kids come , we have this nice leisurely Christmas morning . I do like a brunch . Usually my daughter in law's family is in town and so they , and that she has younger siblings , so they go there typically very early in the morning and then they come to us mid-morning and like 11 o'clock or so , so we have brunch and we just take our time and I'm thinking that's not going to cut it when our grandbaby is maybe , maybe , like a year from now , he's not going to have that . Yeah , like presents now , because I want to enjoy the breakfast . I don't want to be like shoveling it in . So anyway , that's funny . Okay , but I have a question . So you guys are newly married . I was just wondering how , how did you manage or how do you plan to manage , when do you have your little Christmas together , like when do you open presents from one another ? Do you have a special time on a different day , or before you go or after you go ?
Speaker 4We did it before .
Speaker 1Okay .
Speaker 4I actually I was talking to Dallas about this because I could not remember what we did this past year . I believe we did it before we went to his family's . I think we did it the day before Christmas Eve . We did our presents , If I remember right . I have such a bad memory I can't even I can't recall what we did , but I think we did it , just you know , by ourselves , the day before Christmas Eve .
Speaker 1Okay , I'm curious just putting that out there for other other uh homemakers who maybe are in a similar situation Like how do you manage that If you have to travel ? When do you do your little uh family Christmas ? Okay , well , um , do you have a recipe that must be made at some point during the Christmas season ?
Speaker 4I don't feel like I do yet .
Speaker 1Right .
Speaker 4I yeah , Is there one in your is ?
Speaker 1there one that you grew up eating or that your husband grew up eating . That is really when you think Christmas like this is what you think of .
Speaker 4Dallas's mom . At Christmas time she always makes homemade candy and she does like the little pecan pralines with the chocolate and caramel . But she does homemade races and she does like a white chocolate and a regular chocolate Nice , and those go very quickly . So she'll make those , yeah . So that's probably like something that we expect around Christmas time . That's the only time she does it and we absolutely love it . They're so good .
Speaker 1Yummy , yummy , yummy , but you haven't come up with anything yet that you feel like is going to be sort of your signature Christmas dish . No not yet . Not yet , all right . Well , keep us posted . Okay . So do you guys have yet or hoping for um starting any Christmas traditions that ? I kind of ask that in a weird way . Do you have any Christmas traditions or traditions that you and Dallas would like to start practicing together as a family ?
Speaker 4One thing I really liked actually heard from the previous Art of Home Christmas episodes . Someone had mentioned that with just their spouse they do the um , I think it's five presents the something you need , something . You want something to wear , something to read . I can't remember what the other one is , but I really really like that and I really want to try it this year because I'm it kind of keeps things manageable .
Speaker 1Definitely .
Speaker 4And it just it sounds like a lot of fun . So I really want to try that with him . And another tradition we do at his parents is we read the Christmas story and , um , we'll sit in the living room and , um , everyone will read a verse and we'll go through the story .
Speaker 1Oh , I like that that you take turns , like going around reading parts of it .
Speaker 4Oh , yeah , yeah . Even the little ones that know how to read already , they'll take a turn .
Speaker 1That's so fun . I really love that approach . I think you're the first person that said that that's a really keeps everybody engaged . I like that a lot because it's a familiar story , like you know the story , so if you're all participating , what a good idea , really good , okay .
Speaker 4Yeah , I really enjoyed it .
Speaker 1Let's do some rapid fire Christmas questions . All right , you ready ? Okay , what is your favorite Christmas song , or Carol ?
Speaker 4Uh , my favorite Christmas song probably is a him beautiful star .
Speaker 1Bethlehem , yep . So how about gingerbread or sugar cookie ? Sure Sugar cookie , all the way , all the way , okay . Sugar cookie with icing or just plain .
Speaker 4Icing , but just like a really really thin layer Okay .
Speaker 1Then icing Fake tree or real tree .
Speaker 4I say real . My husband said fake and we had a compromise and we had several conversations about it and we ended up with a fake tree .
Speaker 1Okay , All right . How about bows or no bows on your gift wrapping ? No bows .
Speaker 4I don't have time . I'm usually wrapping on like .
Speaker 1Christmas Eve Okay , some people get all into the bow and the . You know adorning , that I mean . Yeah . It's like a whole art . Oh , it's beautiful , but yeah , not if you're doing it at midnight on Christmas Eve . So , okay , this is my last question about this . How about ? Are you a Christmas music before or after Thanksgiving person ?
Speaker 4After Thanksgiving .
Speaker 1Traditionalist .
Speaker 4We have to keep things . Keep things in their place , Okay .
Speaker 1All right . So , emily , I would love to know what practical things you do to keep your focus on what matters most during the Christmas season , because it gets hectic , it gets busy , so how do you keep your focus on Christ and on family and on what really matters ?
Speaker 4Since I grew up in church it's always been the biggest part of my life . So at the Christmas season , even with the busyness that doesn't ever change , that's just kind of a constant . But during the Christmas season just trying to focus on I mean I love , you know , secular Christmas music , don't get me wrong . I think it's a lot of fun , it's super enjoyable , but also realizing , just making sure there's that balance of there is a reason why we're celebrating all this , there's a reason why we're coming together and you know at church we sing . You know around that time we sing a lot of , you know , the Christmas songs that are in the hymn book and stuff , and so it's just always there . And you know there's different plays or concerts or things that we do or go see and usually they're Christ-centered . So that helps kind of keep it all focused .
Speaker 1Yeah , for sure that's good . Well , thanks for sharing all your Christmas memories and ideas and thoughts with me .
Speaker 4You're welcome , have a merry Christmas . Thank you , thank
you too .
Speaker 1We will get back to these holiday stories of home in just a few minutes . Right now , it's time for holiday homemaker decorating tips the part of the holiday podcast where I share with you some decorating tips and tricks I've learned over my 31 years of holiday homemaking . Today , we are going to discuss a topic that , if you follow through on even just a little bit , your future self will thank you . Now . It's not yet Christmas when this airs , but because this is our last holiday homemaking episode , I could not close out these decorating segments without discussing take down and storage . As I said in the first episode , this season planning and preparing for Christmas decorating actually begins the year before , when you're taking down and putting it away . I know that by January 1st you are tired of looking at it and you likely have the New Year's declutter bug , so you may be tempted to just sweep everything into a box and be done with it . However , with just a little bit of forethought , you can take down and store your decor in a way that will set you up for smooth and enjoyable decorating next Christmas . So here are my top tips for organized take down and storage . Number one document what you did this year . Take photos of arrangements , trees , vignettes , anything that you put together this year and you absolutely love and you want to be able to recreate that next year . Take a picture . Put those photos in a folder on your phone or your computer labeled Christmas decor 2023 . You may even want to print out the photos and put them with the decor , but we'll talk more on that next . Okay , number two decide if you will store decor by category or by room slash area . Now , this will depend on whether or not you like to change up how you use your decor every year . If you plan to mix things up each year , then you may want to consider storing like items together For example , a box just for garlands , a box for red ornaments or red decorations , a box for ribbons and bows , one for lights , etc . If you like things more predictable and are happy with the way that you used all your decor this year and you just want to recreate it , I recommend storing by room or by area . For example , put everything that you used in the dining room together and label it Christmas slash dining room . No matter which method you use for storage , the point is to be intentional and organized .
Speaker 1Number three inventory your storage boxes . You need to know what you have and where it is . I believe this is particularly important if you're storing by like items . I use the following method to inventory all of my storage boxes for every season and holiday . I have a document on my computer for each holiday or season , and Christmas is the most complicated one because there are a lot of boxes . But the concept is the same whether you have three boxes or 30 . If each box a label with the holiday slash season on it and then a letter A , b , c , d and so on as needed , then in your document you can record what goes into each box as you pack your items away . If you're storing by room , then you may have a box called Christmas Kitchen A and then you might have Christmas Kitchen B if you have enough stuff to require two boxes and so on as needed . As I pack items away into my kitchen box A , I check the inventory list from last year in my computer and I add anything new or take away anything that I have gotten rid of . More on that in a minute . If you are storing by like items or by category , then you would have Christmas Garland A and B and C if you need that many boxes for Garland , christmas , red Ornaments or Red Decor A , b , c and so on . A more simplified version of taking inventory would be to group together what's going into the box before you put it into the box , take a photo of all of those items together , pack the box and then put a copy of that photo inside on top of the box and perhaps on your phone or your computer in a folder labeled Christmas Decor . Or you could go old school and you could just create a written list and a little notebook or put a page in your Christmas binder or your home planner that shows all the decor inventory that you have .
Speaker 1Number four assess and purge . You guys know I am not a minimalist and I go big on Christmas Decor . However , I am constantly assessing my decor and , as needed , purging it . I saw a really great phrase for how I think I'm going to start describing myself from now on I'm not a minimalist , but I am a mindful maximalist . So I'm always trying to be very intentional about what I'm bringing into my home . I like my stuff , but I like my stuff to be useful and to be pretty . So while I am decorating , at the beginning of the process , when I'm putting everything away , and sometimes in the middle of the season , I will be purging .
Speaker 1If you have trouble parting with items , because that can be difficult , here is a tip If you have not used the decor item in more than two Christmases , it is probably time to let it go bless someone else's home for the holidays . Also , when you are purging , here are a couple of things to keep in mind . Please do not dump stuff on your adult children , but do ask them if they would like to have it before you donate it , and be sure that they know it's perfectly okay for them to decline . You won't be offended . Thrift stores will be thrilled to get your Christmas decor just before or during the Christmas season , when they can actually sell it . Larger chain thrift stores that have a year-round Christmas display will probably take it any time of the year , but many of your smaller charity shops just do not have the room to keep Christmas stuff around all year , so they probably won't take your donations after Christmas . So just keep that in mind . Well , that is all for this holiday homemaker decorating tip segment . As always , these tips are for entertainment purposes only , and we leave it up to you , the listener , to determine the safety and soundness of this advice .
Speaker 1Now back to our holiday stories of home .
I am back here with Naomi Feta , and she's in the trenches home-making , home schooling , small business , owning mama . That's a lot . We're going to talk about Christmas , though . Right now . Tell me , naomi , what is a typical Christmas day . Look like at your house .
Speaker 2We're pretty much always home . We get up . Of course , the kids are always excited to get up open their stockings . We let them open their stockings after we've typically had a cup of coffee yeah , sometimes like homemade Christmas cinnamon rolls and this is one of the traditions that we have too is a Jesse tree . Then we'll add the last ornament to our Jesse tree . Typically we will have some family over , but it's usually pretty small Because my husband's family is Italian . There's always the Italian hors d'oeuvres , like the meats and the cheeses and shrimp cocktail . Those are more of a staple than the actual main meal .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2Then there's always a plate of homemade Christmas cookies . I make cranberry , orange , cranberry , pistachio biscottis every year , pretty much the only time I make them . A favorite thin chocolate cookie recipe . That was my great-grandmother's recipe , but I usually just mostly make them at Christmas , because I have memories of her sending them to me as a child through the mail . So I like to keep them in real life .
Speaker 1I love that . That's so great . Well , maybe we can get one or two of your recipes to share with the audience . Sure , that would be really special . Yeah , I definitely would love to see that Biscotti recipe , because I love biscotti so good . Okay , holiday traditions what are some holiday traditions that your family has ?
Speaker 2We have a Jesse tree which , if you aren't from but it's basically like an advent calendar and it is back from the beginning of creation up to Jesus . So you hang an ornament , read a scripture every day . So that's been a tradition since the kids were quite young . I do send a photo card every year . Old school , I like to send cards in the mail . Yes , hey , typically we do some kind of like gingerbread houses with friends . Like usually it'll be like some of the kids friends come over and we'll just do a fun gingerbread party . At some point during December I also do a chai tea mix that is a gift for teachers or neighbors or helpers . So it's something that we just do every year . We know exactly what we need for it . So it's become a tradition .
Speaker 1Oh , that's cool . I like that a lot . That's a good idea . Just , you don't really have to think about it . And then , if it's good , people will be like , oh , I can't make it , my chai tea mix or whatever the thing is . That's good . Those are great traditions . I love that . Ok , I have some rapid fire Q and A Christmas edition questions . All right , what is your favorite Christmas song ? Or Carol ?
Speaker 2I would say oh , come on , come on , emmanuel .
Speaker 1I love that one . Yes , yes , christmas , favorite Christmas movie .
Speaker 2So I didn't have one , that's OK .
Speaker 1Some people have said I pass , you can pass . Ok , I'll pass . Ok . How about gingerbread or sugar cookie ?
Speaker 2I would say both , but I don't like to decorate them . I think I like the gingerbread better , though .
Speaker 1OK , fake tree or real tree . We have a fake tree . Ok , bose or no Bose on the presents .
Speaker 2No Bose .
Speaker 1I got time for all that , ok . And then finally , how about Christmas music ? Are you a before Thanksgiving person or after Thanksgiving ?
Speaker 1After All right Team . After there are , there are fewer and fewer of us these days . I will tell you OK , so the holidays can be really crazy and you have a full schedule and I'm imagining you probably have a lot of because you have an alteration sewing business . You probably have a lot of business at that time of year , maybe I don't know . How do you maintain balance ? What are some , maybe some practical things that you do to keep priorities in order ? And then how do you keep your heart focused where it needs to be ?
Speaker 2Definitely keeping the no at the top of the list is is a big one , just recognizing like because , right , everybody is having a holiday party like this , multiple holiday parties at church and there's some other church events and then there's maybe , you know , a mom's night out and then the kids have part like so it can be very overwhelming . So really trying to prioritize that is and being OK with saying no , also planning ahead . So we do kind of try to collect small gifts throughout the year , if we can remember , so I'm not Gift shopping all in December and thinking about that . We have some go to is like the Chai team makes , and I also do photo calendars for all the family . So I always order them on that Thanksgiving weekend when there's a big sale . So , knowing that these are the my go to activities , knowing , ok , check , check , check If you can get it done ahead of time , one of the things I really had to do was narrow down my list of homemade cookies and so I think you know , like 10 years ago I was always into like trying a lot of new recipes and I time constraints and right the boundaries and I realized , ok , well , these are my , our favorite , these are like our family staples and we're OK with just sticking with them and we're going to be good with that , and so , yeah , really fine .
Speaker 2And then I had written to jot it down , really finding those meaningful gatherings , so kind of thinking ahead of time , like , well , what of all these gatherings that are available for me to go to , whether it's , you know , the church party or the this party , like which one is most meaningful to me , which one is most life giving , not necessarily to me , but like as a family , like and trying to pick those one rule of thumb that I have tried To have I'm not perfect at it , but only one event a weekend , so I mean year round , like if there's a barbecue on Saturday and a church dinner on Sunday , not both , like one or the other will pick , because I think , with a super full schedule and all the responsibilities , I know that I need one down day where I don't feel like I'm totally , you know , gone all day , because it's like my day to like meant , you know , just kind of chill .
Speaker 2So then , right , but like always church on Sunday , but like just afterwards , it's kind of like those extra things , like which one are we going to choose to do ? Yeah , so , yeah , those are probably my best tips for planning for the busy season .
Speaker 1Yeah , those are great tips , Awesome , very good . Well , thank you for sharing your holiday thoughts and traditions and I'm looking forward to getting those recipes . I'll be in touch about that .
Speaker 2Okay , all right . Merry Christmas , yes , merry Christmas to you too .
I'm back with my friend , michelle Marshall . She's an in the trenches homemaker , she is a horseman , she raises trains and does all the horse things , but she's also got three little kids and she is a homeschooler . And I would love to hear about holidays holidays in the Marshall household . What does a typical Christmas day look like at your house , michelle ?
Speaker 6Oh , we love Christmas . I am definitely the obnoxious Christmas friend that everyone's going to have . So on Christmas day our Christmas kind of starts ramping up on Christmas Eve . But we do some going to grandparents and whatnot . But on Christmas morning we like it to be just the four I guess five of us now and we open our gifts to each other our immediate family right away and then around mid morning we travel just across the pasture over to my mom's house and we have breakfast there . She cooks us breakfast and we take gifts and hot cocoa and we spend however long , however long we feel like we spend a few hours just relaxing over there .
Speaker 6The kids play , they get to be as rowdy as they want opening their gifts , so that's always great . And then we come back home and I try to . We have matching PJs , so we stay pretty casual . My husband and I , usually together , will cook some kind of fairly simple meal and the rest of the day is open to relaxing . And if there's any family members who want to come over and eat and hang out , they can , and often they do . But it's not a on Christmas , it's not a set dinner . You just show up if you want to and don't if you can't .
Speaker 1That sounds like a great day . And just in case people are wondering , if Michelle just doesn't know how many people are in her family , we're recording this when she is 38 weeks pregnant and by the time this airs she will have had this baby . So that's why I said she has three kids and she's like four . Oh wait , five of us . So I just wanted to clarify that . Okay , that just sounds . Over the roof , over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we go . That's literally what you guys are doing .
Speaker 6It is literally what we do , and I love it .
Speaker 1Yes , that's awesome . So is there a special ? I mean , I know cooking isn't your favorite , we just talked about that in your interview but is there like a food that really it feels like Christmas when you eat this food ? It's something you want to make sure you get to have or cook every year sometime during the Christmas season ?
Speaker 6I don't have any specific food I have to cook , but we do . Always . We have one big Christmas dinner that we host and it's a very traditional it's . I know some people don't like the repeat of Thanksgiving , but I personally could eat the food all the time . So we have a very traditional . You know the ham and we raise lamb , or my mother raises lamb and gives us some . So we have lamb and we have ham and we have mashed potatoes . You know all of the normal holiday foods . And then my husband on . He does like cooking I do most of it now , but he loves it so he started making Christmas cookies a few years ago and that's become a staple . There's got to be Christmas cookies . It's like a massive assembly line that involves the children , so so that always makes it feel like Christmas . When that assembly line sets up , it's definitely Christmas time . Oh , that's so fun .
Speaker 1I love that . That's his passion project to do with with your kids , so does he have a special recipe that he can share with us ? Like one like is it the same , do you cook the same kind of cookies or are you doing lots of different ones ?
Speaker 6He makes sugar cookies and oatmeal cookies of some sort . But I have heard I don't personally eat a lot of oatmeal cookies , but I have heard from our friends and clients that we give them to that they're the best oatmeal cookies they've had , so I'll share that with you .
Speaker 1Oh , that would be awesome , thank you . Oh , yeah , I love a good oatmeal cookie recipe . That's oh , I'm looking forward to seeing that . Okay , so do you have any special holiday traditions with your family , something that you guys try to do , you know , every year during the Christmas season ?
Speaker 6Yes . So one is the cookies . That's a that's a definite tradition we cannot let go of , and it's funny because it involves we have a very or I shouldn't say very small . We have a pretty small , very weirdly laid out house that does . There's not any big open space , so we have to set up this . We have a six foot dining table , which is technically a little too big , but it's okay , and then we have to set up an eight foot dining table or an eight foot folding table in the living room to get all these cookies done . So it's quite a show .
Speaker 6And then for the past several years we have we got gifted by my mother some tickets to the Polar Express train ride in Branson . Oh fine , so we do that with the kids and that's become a tradition and and she goes as well . So it's me and my husband and our children and my mother . So we go do the Polar Express , where they you get on a real train and take the train ride and they read you the book and they hand out copious amounts of cookies and hot chocolate . And then we also just take lots of trips to see Christmas lights , and that's not one that's really set for any time , but for me that was a favorite thing to do as a child for myself , and so I tried to take the kid they love it and just go through the neighborhoods and roll down the windows and look at all the lights and we do that many , many times during the season .
Speaker 1Oh , those are great traditions . Okay , I'm going to do some a Q and A section . Rapid fire Q and A for Christmas . I just added this for this year , so all right , you ready ?
Speaker 6Awesome yes .
Speaker 1Favorite Christmas song or Carol I have two I love .
Speaker 6It's the most wonderful time of the year . The original and I . Last year I found , by JJ Heller , I believe , o Come , o Come , emanuel , and that one is probably at the top of my list now . She sings it so beautifully . So those two are my favorite and they play way too much in my house .
Speaker 1Yeah , I love her voice . It's very soothing . Okay , how about a Christmas ? Your favorite Christmas movie ?
Speaker 6Well , I love a Christmas story and then I have one that I don't know if it should go on a podcast or not but I'll tell you and you can just take it out if you don't want it on there . My husband and I love to watch for Christmases . It is not family friendly .
Speaker 6So it is just something we enjoy , but it is so funny and it makes me feel like it's Christmas . It's something I have watched since I was a teenager and every time we watch it I'm like this is not a great movie , but I can't , it's just , it's just the movie we watch , so feel free to take that out . Yeah , no , I won't . I won't take it out on you , because it was the truth .
Speaker 1I appreciate you being candid and I won't take it down because we're all adults here and we've given the disclaimer that don't watch this movie with your kids and watch at your own discretion .
Speaker 6Yes , don't watch the movie with your kids . It is not a wholesome movie . Oh , I did want to mention though , and I forgot to look up the name . I will send you the name so you can put it . We did have a movie filmed , and this is a wholesome family movie the whole family can watch and enjoy . There was a movie filmed last year that they filmed a lot of it in our church oh cool and in our town that our church is in , and it was on the some family channel . I'll look it up , but it was wonderful . It's just a sweet Christmas movie and it was really fun to watch with the kids because it had our church in it and our town that we're in all the time .
Speaker 1Oh , that's so neat . Yeah , absolutely , make sure you tell us what that is so we can all go watch it . Okay , cookies , we've already talked about cookies , but if you had your preference , are you a gingerbread or a sugar cookie person ? Sugar cookies all the way , with icing or without icing .
Speaker 6I'm happy either way . I'd like icing , but I'll eat a sugar cookie without one too , all right .
Speaker 1I'd like icing or real tree .
Speaker 6I respect the real trees . I love real trees . We did always have real trees when I was a kid . However , I have a fake tree and I probably will for a long time . So I love being able , and the reason is is because I decorate early and I like to not have a timeframe on my tree .
Speaker 1Yeah , I agree , all right , how about bows or no bows on gifts ?
Speaker 6Bows , yes .
Speaker 1And finally , this is the most important question Christmas music before or after Thanksgiving ?
Speaker 6I bet you can guess , but before Christmas music starts as soon as there's a little chill in the air and we all love it . And , funny enough , my husband is even worse than I am . Oh really , oh , that's so funny . Oh yes , the Christmas music starts so early .
Speaker 1At least you're all on the same page about it and there's no family infighting over this issue .
Speaker 6No house divided on the Christmas music , that is for sure . That's good . Oh , I do have that name . It is called a Christmas present and it was a really cool movie that you can watch if you want to see my church Cool .
Speaker 1Was it like a Hallmark movie , or was it ?
Speaker 6So Hallmark wouldn't take it because , yes , essentially , but I think it's on the Great American Family channel . Okay , I think that's what it's called Okay , we had to kind of track it down . But yeah , hallmark wouldn't take it because there wasn't an issue that .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 6Okay , political , religious , issue , you know that whole deal and so they tossed it . But it is that style of movie . If you're wondering , it is a Hallmark style family movie and it was really sweet .
Speaker 1Okay , cool . I know that there's a huge chunk of the population that is all about that and they will laugh that up , so we will make sure we give a link to that movie . All right , let's end our time talking about how we keep it between the rails during the holiday season , because it can be hectic and it can be easy to get distracted . So what are some of the things that you do to keep it between the rails , but also to keep your focus where it needs to be , on what's most important to you and your family ?
Speaker 6So far as a practical step . For me personally it actually goes back to much earlier in the year when we start our homeschooling year . I try to we work ahead , I try to be able to take some of the Christmas season off , because focusing on family time and Christmas time is not difficult , because that's what I love to do , so it kind of takes over . But trying to get all of the other stuff kind of squared away so that while we are focusing on that we can really , especially with the kids we can really remind them why we're doing all of this and not be I don't want them to see me in a huge rush like oh , we have all these Christmas activities and we also have all this schoolwork , and then forgetting why we're doing any of it . So essentially , making sure that when we get to Christmas time we can slow down and that way they can remember why they're doing it and enjoy all the traditions .
Speaker 1Yeah , that's so smart . You're giving yourself margin by working ahead . You're giving yourself margin in December so that you can do all of those things , and that's really really smart . Yeah , love that . Was there anything else that you wanted to tell us about Christmas at your house ?
Speaker 6Oh well , one fun thing we always do it's not ever on a certain time and I told the kids we were going to add to it this year , but we always go on some kind of ride with them , of course with the horses , and I like to add bows to horses and it's kind of over the top , but this year we're adding jingle bells to the horses .
Speaker 1I was actually going to ask you that the horses will have jingle bells .
Speaker 6Oh yes , and my mother , who also has a couple of horses and she owns draft horses , like the big horses , like the Budweiser Clydesdales that you see for those that aren't familiar so she has those kind and she recently bought a sleigh , like a real sleigh , with velvet seats , and it's beautiful , cool . Now I don't know that we'll get to use it , because it doesn't snow a lot here , but I am really excited at some point that will be added into our winter traditions , if not Christmas .
Speaker 1Yeah , and it'll make a great scene for a photo for , like your family Christmas photo .
Speaker 6Yes , yes , exactly . It's going to be so much fun . The kids cannot wait , so we'll hook up the big horses and put jingle bells . And that's not happened yet , but it's in the . We have all the parts , we have the sleigh and we have the horses and we have the bells . So that's coming soon .
Speaker 1That's so exciting . Oh , I'm so excited for you . That's awesome . Well , thank you for sharing about Christmas and your home , and that's just been fun to get to hear all of your traditions and I'm looking forward to seeing those recipes and watching a Christmas present featuring your town . All right , well , have a very merry Christmas , thank you .
Speaker 6Merry Christmas .
Well , 2023 is drawing to a close and I am wrapping up the Art of Home for the year with this final episode of Holiday Homemaking . I always like to end this episode with a little reflection on the past year and dreams for the new year ahead . I'm praising God for the growth that the Art of Home has seen in 2023 , both in listenership and in our mailing list . Thank you to every one of you who shared this show with your homemaker friends and family . It really really makes a difference . We had some fun firsts this year as well . We introduced the first two pillars of homemaking identity and values and priorities . We finally were able to add some of your stories to our catalog with our first ever listener homemaker portraits , and we introduced some guest writers to the newsletter . What a great year it has been . Thank you for coming along on this journey .
Speaker 1Just like in 2023 , I will be taking an extended winter break to rest , get my house in order and plan and prepare for all the great content coming on the podcast and in the newsletter in 2024 . Here are some things to look for . Next year , we will introduce and dive into Homemaking Pillars number three and number four , that is , rhythms and routines and community . We will be diving deep into several exciting homemaking subjects . The first one up in February will be on handling home emergencies with firefighter EMT and former guest Elizabeth Dillard . I learned so much from Elizabeth when I did this interview with her and I know that you are going to learn a lot and you're going to love it . I'm still working on securing guests for my other deep dive ideas , so I will keep them under my hat for now , but I would love to hear from you about what kind of deep dive topics you would like to see on the Art of Home in future . Let's go to theartofhomepodcastcom slash contact to leave me a voicemail or send me an email . If you applied to be a guest or nominated someone during November and December , I will be making the final selection for guests and you will hear from me very soon . If you did not get a chance to apply , never fear . I will be opening applications and nominations again in the spring for our summer guests . We will also be looking for more guest writers to contribute to the newsletter throughout 2024 , so keep your eyes open for that as well . More info and announcements on everything that's coming next year will mainly be shared with the newsletter audience and , of course , here on the podcast . But make sure that you're on our mailing list so you stay in the know . Go to theartofhomepodcastcom slash subscribe .
Speaker 1The newsletter , just like everything else we offer here at the Art of Home , is absolutely free . My goal is to get helpful homemaking resources into as many hands and ears as possible . If you have supported us financially through Buy Me a Coffee this year , I thank you . Every little bit helps to offset the cost of production and it allows me to make more content that honors and elevates the work of the home by encouraging and inspiring homemakers to practice their occupation as an art , with confidence , skill , joy and creativity to the glory of God . That is the mission of the Art of Home , and I am so glad to have all of you on the team .
Speaker 1Thank you for your encouraging emails , your kind reviews and your financial gifts . Thank you for listening till the end today . Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter to get your hands on some of the recipes that we talked about today , as well as an article on the Advent theme of love , written by a homemaker just like you . That is a wrap on the Art of Home 2023 . I will be back in February . Until then , keep practicing your art of making a home for the holidays and always . Merry Christmas . Thank you , god .