The December 2023 Guide

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and cheers to a new year!

I’d love to say that December crept up on us, but we all know the speed of time does not actually change. The months during the year are the same as last year, but it can feel like vastly different amounts of time. This proves that we need to enjoy the moments, relax with family, and savor each piece of joy we find. My sister will be here for one week over Christmas, and we’ll spend each day together at my house, along with our mom’s. We’ll cook, bake, watch movies, and maybe even play games together. Although, I’ll be the first to admit that we’re not really a game-playing family, even though we try to be.

Here are some of the highlights yet to come:

• Enjoying a meal with my sister, brother-in-law, and Joel at my favorite local restaurant, The Webster.
• Trekking to a local town to truly feel the magic of the season by looking at a festival of lights.
• Brunching at Grandma and Grandpa’s on Christmas Eve. Grandma adamantly refuses to let us bring anything, and she makes it all.
• Dining at my house for Christmas Eve.
• Spending Christmas day at my mom’s house.

For this year’s Christmas Eve, I’ll make my recipe for glazed ham with cranberry chutney. Everyone loves ham, so it’s a sure-fire winner during the holidays. I thought about making my new recipe for festive meatballs, but one of my nieces asked for ham, so how could I refuse? We’ll also enjoy my French onion potato casserole recipe, roasted Brussels, and a fresh salad. I have yet to finalize everything about the salad, but it will contain some bitter radicchio, sharp pecorino, and a bright dressing that I made the other evening:

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbsp minced shallot
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil

If you need a last-minute treat, try my gingerbread blondies. They are quick, so good, and feel entirely festive. I love so many of my holiday recipes, and it would take too long to list them all here, so make sure to check them out in the coming days!

As the year comes to a close, I begin to reflect on what has happened over the last 12 months, along with all of the accomplishments. I find it easy to forget about the tasks I completed and, instead, only think of those items left unfinished. But let’s celebrate everything in 2023; we did a lot. I know you did, too!

• My upstairs renovation started and was eventually completed.
• A new path in my yard with many fun perennials was created, and everything thrived during the summer.
• The vegetables in the garden grew, the pumpkins did okay, and I planted a few new trees!
• I added about 100+ recipes to the website with accompanying videos and sent out a 2023 Holiday Guide Magazine. I also printed a few copies of last year’s 2022 magazine in case anyone still needs to get one that wanted one.

But the best part is you! You were with me, cheering me on every step of the way, and I am so thankful for this community. Thank you for being here, supporting me, sharing my videos, and telling your friends about me. Each of those things makes a difference. Here’s to the new year that’s yet to come, along with many new memories!