.merry christmas.

Merry Christmas from Josh, Courtney, Annabeth, & Atlas!

Josh, Atlas, Annabeth, & Courtney

Annabeth sitting in my childhood rocking chair.

We’re spending the day with family before attending Christmas Eve service at church.  After that, we’ll head to Mother and Daddy’s house for grilled cheese, tomato soup, Scrabble, and A Christmas Story.  Traditions are so important to our family and I cannot wait to share this fun and festive time with my best girl.

We hope you have a safe and blessed holiday season!

XOXO,

Court

 

.christmas eve date night.

It’s our first year acting as Santa’s liaison, so we’re trying to establish some new traditions.  This will be the first time in thirty years that I won’t sleep over at my Mother and Daddy’s house on Christmas Eve.  It’s a little jarring, but we wanted Annabeth to be able to open her presents at home before we join in with the rest of the family.  This year we’re doing a bit of a hybrid by spending Christmas Eve with my parents until close to bedtime and then heading back over there after Santa has officially been enjoyed.

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One way we thought we’d make Christmas Eve special is to turn acting as Santa’s helpers into a bit of an at-home date night.  The recipe for an at-home date night is simple:

• good snacks
• something sparkly to drink
• a good flick to watch
• something cute, but cozy to wear

I’m a planner, so I already have our snack menu planned out.  We’re going to do a miniature charcuterie board with something salty, something creamy, something nutty, and something sweet.  I like pairing salami (salty) with a nice, smoky Gouda (creamy), and some toasted pecans (nutty…toast them with a little butter and rosemary!), and these chocolate covered almonds from Trader Joe’s (sweet).  We eat Christmas Eve supper at my Mother and Daddy’s home, so we’ll really just need something light to snack on.

Something sparkly is kind of up to you.  We’re religious about drinking La Croix in our home (we love the lemon, lime, and coconut flavors).  We also love sparkling pear juice from Ikea.  Champagne is another great option, if you’re so inclined.  Whatever you pick, it should be something out of the ordinary that feels special.  It’s a great time to break out pretty wedding flutes that are just collecting dust in the china cabinet.

As far as Christmas movies go, there is only one choice as far as our Christmas Eve Date Night is concerned.  This is, of course, Christmas Vacation.  Is there anything more quintessentially wonderful that Clark W. Griswold having a meltdown over eggnog-filled Marty Moose punch glasses?  The answer is no.  We’ve watched Christmas Vacation more times than I’d care to count this year and we’re not showing any signs of slowing down.

Something cute to wear is a bit strange considering that a date night at home should be about feeling comfortable.  On a typical evening, I wear my afternoon uniform of running clothes with a topknot and dishpan hands, but Christmas Eve is not the time for a pair of Lulu’s and a ratty intramural t-shirt.  My Mother, Queen of Coordination, ordered us all matching Christmas pajamas (and my Daddy is in for a real surprise when he realizes that we’re all matching…from him all the way down to Annabeth), so cute and cozy fit the bill.

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I know it seems kind of silly to have an at-home date night on Christmas Eve.  Realistically, you could just help Santa out as necessary, tidy up, and go to sleep, but where’s the fun in that?  We’re doing our very best to keep ourselves centered on each other first so we can give Annabeth a great representation of marriage.  Knowing that Mommy and Daddy have something special planned after bed is just another way to demonstrate how we can love each other well by being intentional with our time.

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Do you have any special Christmas Eve traditions?

XOXO,

Court

PS:  Love, Actually is another fantastic Christmas movie that’s more “adult” than your average holiday flick.

PSS:  This might be the greatest Christmas shirt of all time.

.christmas recipe round-up.

Is there anything more wonderful than Christmas?  The lights, the presents, the food…it’s all just too much.  Though I typically don’t indulge in sweets, that all goes out the window during the holiday season…my bikini body will still be here, ready for some routine maintenance when January rolls around.

For this recipe round-up, I focused on the Four C’s of holiday goodies:  a cookie, a candy, a cake, and a cracker. I’ve also included links on where you can buy dupe treats if you’re not the holiday baking type.

First up:  the most fool-proof, wonderful, perfect chocolate chip cookie known to man.  If you have ever eaten a Tate’s Chocolate Chip Cookie, you know I’m telling the truth.  If you haven’t, stop what you’re doing, run (don’t walk) to the store, and treat yo self.

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If you’re looking for an indulgently crunchy cookie, this is your go-to recipe.  They’d be perfect to take to a Christmas Cookie Swap or as a gift to your office mates or neighbors.  And honestly, if you’re not the baking type, just buy a couple of sleeves and put them on a platter and you’re set.

Next up:  buttery, rich Seat Salt Caramels that are fun to make and the perfect sweet and salty treat for your child’s teachers.  I’ve made these several times and I would definitely recommend having a candy thermometer and having all of your supplies ready to go because this process is speedy quick.

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Emily, the genius behind Jones Design Company also has cute little labels and packaging suggestions in her shop available for downloading (and it’s my favorite price…free).  She actually posted an Instagram Story earlier this month about making the caramels which inspired me to bake a ton of stuff for Josh’s co-workers.  If you’re not into a little basic science, you can just grab these at Trader Joe’s.

The perfect pound cake is a staple in the Southern home and Ina Garten (though decidedly NOT Southern) has the most wonderfully foolproof pound cake recipe of all time.  It’s quite labor intensive, but it has never failed me.  It has this wonderful, thick crust and pairs perfectly with macerated strawberries and freshly whipped cream.

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If you don’t have the time or energy to make a pound that has to be sifted three times (Ina is the most extra of all time), just order one at your local deli.  Pound cakes are a great Christmas gift or even hostess gift to give.

Lastly:  crackers.  Last Christmas I tried these Fire Crackers at the Shealy Family Christmas gathering and I couldn’t control myself.  They are so good and they are so, so easy.  I tried them over the weekend with homemade pimento cheese and it made me practically melt into a puddle of goo.

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If you don’t want to spend the time creating your own mix, you could easily just try this.  This would be a great accompaniment to a cheese ball or even potato soup.

What about you?  What are your favorite holiday treats?

XOXO,

Court

PS:  these are my favorite cookies to order for special occasions.

PSS:  Ina made these yesterday on Food Network and they were beautiful.