Holiday

I'll be there first to admit, I love me a good ol' family gathering. I love the holidays. I love all the magical chaos that comes along with it. I LOVE to entertain in my home, to host my family and friends and entertain their faces off ... I really really do. What I loathe? All of the freaking prep that goes along with it. I mean the holidays are crazy ... crazy like my kids after their Paw Paw gave them a super sized Icee for the first time ever. Crazy as in the time I did all my Christmas shopping at midnight two days before Santa was to arrive. Crazy. This year, I'm hosting Christmas day at my house....

It was the early 1950s. She was young and had only been married for a few years. This Christmas ... this Christmas was something to look forward to. No one was going to be deployed overseas; there was a little extra money in the budget. Yes, this Christmas was going to be nice. This Christmas called for new ornaments and decorations on the tree. At her next trip to the drugstore, she walked slowly down the aisle of Christmas decorations, choosing carefully what would adorn her tree and bring the Christmas spirit to their small home. She finally chose a variety of ornaments, of all different colors and shapes. These. These would look beautiful with colored lights, white lights, or...

The holiday season is upon us and I don’t know about you, but I get overwhelmed with getting so much done in such a short amount of time. I know, I know ... I have all year to prepare but I’m apparently a procrastinator. Thankfully, we have a very small family but there are so many holiday / Christmassy things I want to do and I only have so many days to do it. So if you’re anything like me and need to unwind and do some de-stressing, here are a few of my go to’s that I love to do during the holiday season. Hot Cocoa and a Christmas movie My favorite hot chocolate is Ghirardelli and I add crushed peppermint...

I've lived in Baton Rouge my entire life and have somehow managed not to make it to Celebration in the Oaks until this year. While I am positive I would have enjoyed it in years past because I love Christmas, it really was something special with little ones. Here's why you should make the trip to NOLA for this event: It's fun for the whole family.  I can say this with confidence after going this past weekend and seeing people of all ages laughing and having a good time. Grandmas and Grandpas tagged along with the kiddos, and I even saw several teenagers there for a date night. If you aren't familiar with the area, this is set up in New Orleans City Park, near...

The Christmas season is finally upon us! The tree is decorated, the stockings are hung, and the online forums debating pro-Santa vs. anti-Santa are raging. Wait, what? Nothing gets my coals burning more than the age-old debate of Papa Noel. But it's not for the reason you may think. I believe this debate can be the quickest way to distract us from the true significance of this season and diminish the Christmas spirit. Why do you have to choose? Can’t they all get along? When I think of Santa and the little Elf on the shelf, I don’t treat them like they are taking away the meaning of Christmas or something else I have to remember to do. I use them as...