Everyday Living

A Taste Of Christmas

~ Christmas, Food & Entertaining, Holidays

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭

Christmas is the “most wonderful time of the year…for several reasons!  We celebrate the greatest gift to mankind, the gift of God’s son, Jesus!  He is the gift of love, hope, and life eternal all wrapped up in the form of a tiny baby born in Bethlehem!

As we gather together to celebrate the birth of our Savior, our traditions may vary, but there is one thing that we all have in common as we share this time of year with family and friends: the food on the table!  I can’t imagine Christmas without hours spent in the kitchen lovingly preparing food for those I love!  In the South, food equals love!  Last week I spent sweet time preparing many of my Mother’s recipes for “goodies”, and as Christmas music played, memories that centered around food flooded my mind!   Hot Chocolate Bar  Fixings…dark and milk chocolate spoons, semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate morsels, crushed peppermint…
 …hand-crafted peppermint marshmallows…  …and sweetened whipped cream!  Our Nespresso Pixie Machine makes a great espresso!    Perfect for a cold Saturday!  An array of calories, but it is Christmas, right?  Cranberry and apple cider punch!  Who doesn’t love fudge – so decadent!  Ghiradelli peppermint bark…a guilty pleasure!  I love macarons and even took a cooking class to learn how to make them!  However, these are from Laduree, the famous Parisian pastry shop that opened in NYC!  Bliss overload!!    Cupcakes with buttercream frosting from Cothran’s, our excellent local bakery!    Still one of my all-time favorites…Orange Coconut Balls!  A tiered tray of divinity that is one of Butch’s favorites -and a favorite of mine, Martha Washington candy, made by my special friend, Kathy!  Christmas tree shortbread cookies!    My family’s favorite cake…Red Velvet!   Every Christmas my Mother made Fruit Cake, I mean fabulous fruit cake (no joking about hers)!  I continue the tradition using her recipe!

What about you, do you have favorite sweet treats that bring back Christmas memories?

side Linking with Pieced Pastimes, Silver Pennies, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Charm of Home, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, The Enchanting Rose, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, Rustic & Refined

Christmas Time In The (New York) City

~ Christmas, Holidays, Travel

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Luke 2:14

We are welcoming Katy back to the blog today…as we continue to live vicariously through her fun trip last weekend!

Here she is…

We’re back in New York City!  Thanks for taking the time to read my post on Wednesday!  I hope you were able to catch a little of the Christmas spirit that is in NYC at this time of year! I’ve taken you down Fifth Avenue and shown you some of the windows there, so today, let’s just roam around other parts of New York City!

And maybe we can catch The Rockettes while we are en route!


Everywhere you look, there are gigantic Christmas trees!  This one was in the public library! 


This guy was even decked out for Christmas! 


As you can see in front of Macy’s on 34th Street, there were people everywhere!! 

 
They had a Peanuts theme in honor of the 50th anniversary of “It’s a Charlie Brown Christmas!”


 The Santa Snoopys were the cutest!

 
As you walked around, the windows progressively walked you through the movie…including Lucy’s well-known psychiatric booth!

 
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The Charlie Brown Christmas tree!

 
“That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown!”

 
Macy’s side windows were a “Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus” theme from the 1897 publication of the New York Sun.


 “Yes, Virginia” has sparked letter writing campaigns at Macy’s across the nation!

  
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Here you can see some of the characters reading the publication’s response to her question “Is there a Santa Claus?”

 
Central Park was just a few blocks from the hotel, where festive carriages were waiting!  

 
My nephew, Hunter and me ice skating at Wollman Rink in Central Park.  This was taken about 2 minutes before I fell and came home with a nice elbow bruise as a souvenir!  
 
And of course I had to make my way over to The Plaza Hotel, where the wreaths are gigantic…

 
…and the tree stands in all of its glory!


 So beautiful!

 
The lights at Rockefeller Center were so festive!

 
Now on to my favorite part of the trip…The Radio City Christmas Spectacular!

 
This was my first time seeing The Rockettes!

t 
Everything inside of Radio City Music Hall ushers in Christmas…even the chandelier that resembles a Christmas tree!


It’s almost showtime!


The iconic toy solider dance…they must put in hours upon hours of practicing this routine…it was flawless!


One of the last scenes is a live nativity…complete with sheep, donkeys, and even a camel!  They read scripture and performed “Hark the Herald Angels Sing!”…such a powerful moment!  One of the lines in the show was “the greatest gift is not the one you go looking for, it’s the one that finds you”, and how true is that!  The greatest gift ever given, Jesus, came to earth to seek and save us, the lost and sinful world.


 Giant wreath at the New York Stock Exchange 


Yummy nutella and strawberry waffle from Wafels and Dinges at Bryant Park…it was as delicious at it looks!


Bergdorf Goodman partnered with Swarovski this year for their holiday windows and the theme was “Brilliant”!


Fun fact: the ball that drops on New Years Eve in Times Square is made of Swarovski crystal, so you can imagine the bling in these windows!

 
I had heard all about looking at Christmas windows in NYC, but didn’t understand the hype until I made this trip!

This was definitely one of my favorite trips!  How about you…have you been to NYC at Christmas time?   What was your favorite memory?

Linking with Pieced Pastimes, Silver Pennies, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Charm of Home, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, The Enchanting Rose, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, Rustic & Refined

A Christmas To Remember Part Two

~ Christmas, Decorating, Holidays

 “And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:10-11‬ ‭

Once again, welcome back to the beautiful home of a very special family that has opened their doors and invited us in!  In the first post, we saw everything from a Grinch-style Christmas tree to angels heralding the coming King!  We will pick up where we left off, and trust me when I say you are going to love what you will see today!

One thing to notice and learn from this family:  they keep Christ the center of their Christmas….and their everyday living.  May the baby, who came to live the perfect life on our behalf to reconcile the weary world to The Father, be at the center of our hearts and homes this Christmas!   The two-story foyer opens to a show-stopping Christmas tree!  The gold nativity is perfectly displayed at the
center of the home and in the hearts of the precious family who lives here! 
 The stair railing is decorated with lighted garland and Santa sits on the newel post welcoming all who enter!
The entry looks directly into the music room…check out that chandelier lamp!    Touches of holiday cheer decorate the room! The breakfast table is set with the couple’s collection of Mackenzie-Childs!  Santa, to the delight of two darling little girls, makes his appearance on the table!
 Knowing my passion for tablescaping, you can imagine how much I loved the fluted Mackenzie-Childs “Courtly Check” pattern!  The dinner plate rests between a gold charger and a red salad plate!  How cute is that moose?!
The family room, adjacent to the kitchen and breakfast room, is warm and cozy with its beautiful mantel and tree! Stockings and garland decorate the mantel with holiday vignettes on bookshelves!  What a joy it was to be invited into the home and hearts of this family.
May we all have a Christmas to remember!side Linking with Pieced Pastimes, Silver Pennies, Life on Lakeshore Drive, Thoughts From Alice, Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Dwellings-Heart of Your Home, Savvy Southern Style, Ivy and Elephants, French Country Cottage, From My Front Porch To Yours, Stone Gable, Confessions of a Plate Addict, Worthing Court, Between Naps on the Porch, Cedar Hill Farmhouse, A Stroll Thru Life, The Charm of Home, Cornerstone Confessions, A Delightsome Life, Imparting Grace, Posed Perfection, Katherines Corner, Rooted In Thyme, Share Your Cup, The Enchanting Rose, 21 Rosemary Lane, Northern Nesting, Cozy Little House, Rattlebridge Farm, Rustic & Refined