Finding where you need to be on your Christmas “To do” list
Hello everyone, This is Christy’s mama. I wanted to take a few minutes to sit and visit with you on this exciting week leading up to Christmas.
I hope you are organized and right on time with all your Christmas plans. Or, you may be more like the rest of us.
We all start out with the best laid plans. By this time of the season, we had hoped to have all the gifts purchased and wrapped, all of the decorating done, the calendar all planned, and the groceries purchased for the Christmas baking. The reality is that I have a few gifts bought, none of them wrapped, a few baking needs purchased and I noticed there are a few days when I should be in two places at once. It is the same every year and every year I resolve to do better next year.
I read in a magazine a few years ago about a lady who was stressed one Christmas because everything was pushed to the last minute. From that year on, she made sure that her house was decorated and all the gifts bought and wrapped by the first of December. Then she was able to relax and enjoy the baking and festivities with the rest of her family. I admired her for being able to do that and hoped to learn from her.
What I ended up learning was that I am not capable of being that lady. No matter how much I try to stay on schedule, life happens. Opportunities come about that are just too good to pass up, shopping with friends, dinner out, visiting with family, or just sitting and stitching. Somehow though, everything gets done and the kids don’t seem to notice that decorations are not perfect or that a few of the cookies are store bought ( put the store bought cookies on a pretty platter and the kids marvel at the new recipe and how good they are!).
Now to get back to the purpose of my little story. One thing I do to make the holidays a little more organized is mark the holiday recipes that my family loves and expects with a highlighter. Then I can easily turn to them and make a few that everyone expects. I am attaching links to the ones that have become tried and true recipes for our family. These are the ones that we usually have every year and the ones that we all love.
I hope that you take the time to relax a little and reflect on the true reason we celebrate Christmas. It’s not really about all the rushing and gift buying. Christmas is to celebrate our Savior’s birth and spend time with friends and family. When everyone is gathered together, no one notices if the ornaments are perfectly hanging from the tree or if the tablecloth is pressed. Look at the gleam in the little ones eyes and experience the magic of the season. When you do this, everything will be put back in perspective and you will see that you are exactly where you should be on your “to-do” list after all.
Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy your friends and family.
Now I’m off to bake red velvet cakes and wrap gifts! Enjoy the season and remember, Mama loves you!
Must do recipes in our Family:
- Red (green) velvet cake (Christy explains why we make ours green in her cookbook, page  170)
- Mini Cheesecakes (Christy’s cookbook Page 169)
- Holly Jollies (we always make a TON of these for teacher and classmate gifts)
- Cut Out Cookies for Santa (We’ve been making these since Christy was a baby)
- Peppermint Bark
- Peanut Butter, Chocolate, and/or Cinnamon Fudge (One recipe, three flavors can be made)
- Fruitcake cookies
- Creole candy (Christy’s Cookbook, page 159 )
- Microwave Chex Mix
“Happiness will never come to those
who fail to appreciate what they already have.”
~ Unknown
What a lovely reflection, and the perfect, gentle reminder to chill out and enjoy the festivities of the season!! 😉 I completely relate to everything, especially with the intention to be more prompt the next year!!! Oh well…..maybe NEXT year…again!! 😉 It is so true though…everything manages to fall right into place, and a lovely holiday is had by all!! I love Christmastime, and all it represents. I wish you and yours a blessed holiday season!! Thank you to Christy’s Mama, and to Christy, for sharing your hearts with all of us!! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year too!!
I never knew my mom, she passed away when I was a tiny baby but I hope that if she had lived, I would have had a relationship with her like you and your daughter have.
Merry Christmas and Happy year to you entire family and keep the good recipes and info coming.
Just made Mama’s Banana Bread today. Beautiful and delicious. If I could only keep one of my many, many cookbooks it would be Christy’s “Southern Plate”. I know these recipes will work and my family will love them. This is the food we, and my children, were raised on. Have a blessed Christmas and enjoy your beautiful family. Thank ya’ll for sharing your hearts and your love with us.
You did a wonderful job on raising up Christy, be proud of yourself.
Christy, thank your Mama for the wonderful post. I know I will never manage to be the Martha Stewart in my family (and if I hadn’t figured it out by now, I probably never would have – I’m 72). But, this year, I am so far ahead of the game it isn’t funny. Thanks to the wonderful world of internet orders and shipping, I am through shopping for this year. My tree full of hand-made ornaments is up (no, I didn’t make them all, many were gifts from my stitching group). My wreath is on the door, and it isn’t even Christmas Eve. We have gone through a batch of fudge and a jar of Sugar and Spice Pecans. And you know, I am missing the hustle and bustle of the last minute stuff and the house full of wonderful odors as Christmas goodies get baked. So, it is time to head to the kitchen to make something Christmasey smelling.
Have a Merry Christmas, and a Very Happy New Year.
Your Mother is so beautiful and so are you Christy. Love your website and the post from your Mother.
Merry Christmas to you, Brady, Katy and Ricky.
Merry Christmas to your Mother also/
The sign of a great person is gratitude. Sharing and loving your Mother shows that you have not only gratitude but love serving others as well. God Bless You
From a mountain man that loves Dutch oven cooking!
I’m so happy Christy has a great mom who is supportive of her accomplishments, which I’m certain you are responsible. Christy is such a great cook, and without you, I feel she wouldn’t be where she is today … or maybe she has taught you a few tricks! Anyhow, we love you both, the recipes, and the pictures of each recipe. They are great!