Home for the Holidays: Our Nativity Scene

This Lenox First Blessing nativity set brings the peace of Christmas to our otherwise chaotic family room.

The porcelain figurines are beautifully painted.  I collected them over several years in my mid-twenties; they are now heirlooms for my daughters.

Which pieces of your Christmas decor are most meaningful to you?

(Sharing with A Thoughtful Place)

Bacon

The most wonderful package arrived in the mail today, a box that smelled so yummy that the delivery guy didn't want to part with it.  Inside: Benton's Hickory Smoked Country Bacon, from Tennessee.  

Yes, bacon.  In the mail.  8 pounds of it, to be exact.  And it is truly the *best* bacon --- thick slices, hickory smoked in a wood stove, dry-cured for months.

My dear mother-in-law introduced us to Benton's a few years ago, when she sent some as as gift.  She said it was the best bacon ever, and of course, she was right.  Since then, we've been gifted with bacon on several occasions, and Benton's bacon has become a staple at our holiday brunches.  This year, my husband insisted that we order it in bulk, to ensure we don't run out when our guests demand thirds and fourths.  So, we did.  And we are happy.

I promise I am not being paid for this post --- by Benton's or by the pork lobbyists or by anyone else.  But when you find something so uniquely good, you just have to share it.  Trust me, and order some Benton's bacon today.  They take a few weeks to send it out, but it is worth the wait!  You can always diet after New Year's!

Mother-Daughter Holiday Tea Party (2011)

Last week, I wrote about the resurrection of our holiday tea party tradition in 2010; you can read about it here.  My then-four-year-old loved every minute of the planning and partying.  So, of course, we had to do it again!

This year, we started with a charming invitation on beautiful paper from Sarah + Abraham which played on the same silhouette theme we used for the older girls' birthday party in May:

(and yes, I realize that a lot is lost by blurring out so much of the text, but you can still appreciate the sweet silhouettes!)

Next, we tweaked tradition with a purple, magenta, and fuchsia color scheme (in which I re-used many of the amethyst elements from my youngest's christening celebration) and invited 42 of my daughters' friends and their moms to the party.  After waiting patiently for our guests to arrive...

...the fun started, and the result was vibrant in every sense:

We served tea sandwiches, madeleines, scones, quiche, fruit, three kinds of tea (including pink princess tea), pink cocoa, wine for the moms, and many desserts --- cake balls, chocolate covered oreos, macarons, cupcakes, cookies, shortbread, eclairs, cream puffs, and fudge.  There was no carbohydrate shortage.

After over two hours of playing, eating, and lots and lots of squealing, the girls raided the pink and purple candy buffet and filled personalized bags with their favorites --- m&ms, salt water taffy, lollipops, peppermint sticks, Hershey's kissses, chocolate balls, rock candy sticks, ribbon candy, raspberry pretzels, chocolate covered sunflower seeds, and more:

Four days later, we are still on a sugar high.  And we feel blessed to have shared this holiday tradition with so many lovely friends.  We're already looking forward to next year!

Sources
Invitations: Sarah + Abraham

Personalized Muslin Favor Bags: Perideau Designs

Custom Chocolate-Dipped Oreos: Sweeties by Kim

Cake Balls: Austin Cake Balls
Macarons: La Patisserie
Candy: Candy Warehouse & Lammes
Ornament Jars: Crate & Barrel
Apothocary Jars: Michael's; Pottery Barn
Amethyst plates and napkins: Crate & Barrel

Special thanks to Kathie Quinn for sharing her photos!


I'm sharing this post with Between Naps on the Porch, Savvy Southern Style, Sweetology, Martha's Favorites, Silken Purse, and Design Dazzle.

Home for the Holidays: Christmas Mantle

The red personalized cableknit stockings, oil-rubbed bronze PEACE stocking holders, and wooden candlestick holders were all purchased from Pottery Barn in different years.  All together, it helps our holiday home feel warm and cozy.


(Sharing with Ten June and  a' la mode)

Mother-Daughter Holiday Tea Party (2010)

Our Mother-Daughter Holiday Tea Party is a family tradition.  My mom and I hosted holiday teas annually when I was younger, even through my college and law school years when I'd come home for Christmas break.  We'd invite friends and neighbors --- mothers, daughters, and sisters of all generations.  Many of our guests told us that attending our tea each year had become part of their own family traditions.  At one point, attendance grew so much that we had to invite people in shifts to accommodate them.

My mom exemplifies southern hospitality with her generosity, and she also has a knack for making even simple things extra-special.  I thus have wonderful memories of those tea parties, and of the days of preparation beforehand.  It was mother-daughter bonding at its best.

So it was with great excitement that I resurrected the Mother-Daughter Holiday Tea tradition last year, when my oldest was four.  She's a party planner by nature and loved the idea of hosting a tea party for her friends. My daughter *loved* all the list-making, decorating, baking, color-coordinating, table-setting, and favor-choosing.  We invited about 20 girls and their mothers, and we all had a blast.  The girls squealed with excitement in their darling party dresses as they drank their pink tea and ate petit fours; the moms indulged in truffles and wine; we all enjoyed a red-and-white candy buffet:

Click HERE to see how the 2011 edition of our holiday tea party turned out!

(Sharing with Savvy Southern Style and Between Naps on the Porch)

The Season of Giving to Others

As you may have inferred from this previous post, we try, at least a little, to avoid the commercialization of Christmas.  This is not a wholly successful effort; we sometimes fall prey to the allure of an iPad, or the charm of a PBK retro red kitchen set.  And this year, I admit, I am really tempted to buy my girls the Barbie Power Wheels Jeep (someone! please! dissuade me!).  But one rule we do follow: the adults do not exchange gifts.  The truth is that none of us needs another sweater, tie, necklace, or knick-knack; exchanging such impersonal things seems trivial, and yet, we're not creative or talented enough to come up with more thoughtful gift options.


So, instead, we select some charitable causes and spend our money and time on those.  In the past, we've happily donated to Wheelchairs for Iraqi Kids, Heifer International, American Red Cross,  Doctors without Borders, Greater New Orleans Foundation, Austin Children's Shelter, SafePlace, and Partnerships for Children.  This year, through our church, my husband and I chose two families in need of assistance; we look forward to helping and gifting them.  In addition, in honor of our parents, grandparents, and children, we are donating to these worthy causes:

Food for the Poor is the largest international relief and development charity based in the United States, feeding 2 million people every day.  They provide food, housing, health care, clean water projects, emergency relief, and micro-lending to the poor in the Caribbean and Latin America.  Because of their effective local partnerships and use of economies of scale, donations to Food for the Poor go a long way.

Jeevas Nivas is a home in Pondicherry, India, for HIV positive children who are also AIDS orphans. The International Foundation for Hope supports the home and ensures that the children have proper nutrition, medical care, clothing, and education.  This program is run by Austinites, and we admire their work.

Chrissy's Classroom is located in Shiprock, New Mexico, and serves Navajo students who struggle with poverty and illiteracy.  Their reading teacher, Chrissy Costello, is collecting book donations to help motivate and inspire her students.  You can read more about her classroom, and access her Amazon wish list, here.

Any Baby Can improves the lives of children in Central Texas by strengthening them and their families through education, therapy, and family support services.  They serve more than 6000 children annually.

Capital Area Food Bank of Texas provides food and groceries, nutrition education, and social services to 300,000 clients each year.

Coats for Kids is an annual community project in Austin that collects and distributes warm winter coats and children in need.  Last year, over 35,000 coats were distributed.


I use Charity Navigator to help guide my donations.  How are you giving to others this season?