Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We have a lot of great stuff to chat about this week. Grab a cup of coffee or tea and put up your feet for a moment.
Did you see that we’re going to help some families this Christmas? We’re doing our best to spread some Christmas cheer this holiday season with (3) $500 giveaways for families in need. And I need your help finding the families!
If you know a family in need, please nominate them. The nomination form must be filled out to be considered. Email entries and FB messages will not count as nominations. Get all the details HERE.
Today, for the eighth week of the 12 Weeks of Christmas Giveaways, I’m mixing it up a bit. Last week’s Cedar & Thread Instagram giveaway (for local followers) was a popular one! So, I decided to do a bonus giveaway for another $100 gift card, so that everyone can participate in this one.
I really enjoy shopping at Cedar and Thread and the owners are terrific people. I highly recommend checking them out in person or online for your Christmas shopping and holiday decorating! (Not sponsored at all, I just really like the shop!) If you happen to be local, you’ll be able to pick up your gift card in the store, but if you’re anywhere else – you’ll be able to shop online or over the phone.
To be entered, leave a comment on THIS BLOG POST telling me when (or if) you decorate for Christmas. The winner will be selected on Tuesday, November 24, 2020 at 11:59pm EST.
Here’s the lucky winner’s comment:
ON THE BLOG this week: My entire family gives this Hearty Pepper Chili two thumbs up. I’ve made this chili countless times over the past five years, and we especially love to have this stashed in the freezer for easy lunches.
Tangy, flavorful Ranch Dip that you can make from scratch in just 5 minutes! Whether we are snacking on fresh vegetables, dipping roasted potatoes and Southwest Chicken Bites into this ranch, or tossing it with a salad, this quick and easy homemade ranch dip is a staple in our lives year round.
White Chocolate Caramel Fudge filled with pecans and swirled with caramel might be the ultimate treat for a holiday tray. This is another quick and easy 5 Minute Fudge Recipe that is perfect for any occasion.
What I’m CRAVING: Christmas Sugar Cookies! My friend Katrina has the best recipe for cut out cookies that I have ever made – or ever tasted. These buttery, lightly sweet, tender (yet sturdy) cookies are almost ridiculously easy to make and I just plain love them. We’ve been making these cookies for at least 5 years now, probably longer… and they always turn out perfectly.
I’m repeating My FAVORITE THING this week because I messed up the link to my robe! Several of you emailed me for that link and I don’t want any of you to miss out. This robe is not fancy at all, but I truly love it.
It is awesomely lightweight with a great hem length and sleeve length. And it gets bonus points for a wide tie that is stitched down on the back of the robe, so it always lays flat and is flattering.
What I’m WATCHING: Christmas Contract. I am a sucker for the Hallmark-style Christmas movies – even the cheesiest of them. Knowing that it all is going to work out in the end, that everyone will get their Merry Christmas love story? That’s my kind of holiday fun. I’m super happy to see these movies popping up on Amazon already. Please send me all of your favorite cheesy Christmas movie recommendations!
What I’m READING: The 20th Victim by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. I’ve read all of the Women’s Murder Club books and enjoyed them all. This wasn’t my favorite of the series, it was a little slower than usual, but it was a good read and I still wholeheartedly recommend these books. If you haven’t yet started this awesome series yet, you’ll want to start with the first book.
“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” – Mother Theresa
Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile!
Mary
Jamie Jasinski says
We usually decorate during the first week of December. Not sure when or even if we will decorate this year.
Phyllis says
Always after Thanksgiving but now that we are empty nesters, it depends on when the family is coming home.
Wendy Hunter says
I took advantage of the warm weather last week and put the solar string lights on all my trees out in the middle of the field!
Deborah Lavery says
I have a small Northfolk pine Christmas 🎄 that I call my Charlie Brown’s Christmas 🎄.I love it to death. I buy new decorations every year. Everyone knows me for my little real Charlie Brown’s Christmas 🎄. I have a Poinsettia that keeps reblooming and 3 stuffed snowmen. To top.it off I pull out my stuffed Rudolph.
Mindy says
I usually wait until December, and sometimes I don’t get in the spirit until just a few days before! This year I’ll probably decorate soon after Thanksgiving since we are spending so much time at home and won’t have the usual gatherings. YES to cheesy Christmas movies! Thanks for the recommendation – I’ll be watching that and trying the sugar cookie recipe soon 🙂 Love your recipes and newsletters!
Maureen Foster says
My husband and I come to Myrtle Beach every winter. We leave the week before Thanksgiving and don’t return until the middle of April. Since there are only two of us and my husband hates the commercialization of Christmas we don’t have anything for a Christmas celebration. I miss a tree and gifts. My husband doesn’t believe in buying gifts for each other. It is a sad day for me since I come from a family of 6 and my mother and father. My mom is 96and stuck in assisted living and have been under lockdown since March. My father is deceased.
Cora Jones says
I used to decorate for Christmas but since my son passed at the age of 4 from a brain tumor in 2012 it’s not the same. I enjoyed him pointing & looking at the Christmas decorations & opening his presents. I really miss him alot, even though it’s been years.
Diana Volk says
I am not a Black Friday shopper, so I always decorate for Christmas on the Friday after Thanksgiving. If I am not able to get it all done that day, I have the rest of the weekend to finish! Happy Thanksgiving!
Eleisia Whitney says
Yes, we decorate for Christmas! We usually start after Thanksgiving although this year we may start earlier to make the house cheerier. I had knee replacement surgery in August and will be a little slower decorating this year. We will probably decorate a little each day until the house is the way we like it.
We plan to put up ice cycle lights on the outside of our house and a fresh evergreen wreath on the door.
Stephanie Hale says
I used to love to decorate and still do. We decorate the week after Thanksgiving, especially since I work every year. My regular days off were Thursday and Friday, but they changed with the pandemic, so we will decorate probably on the day after Thanksgiving since the Mr is on vacation.
Wendy says
We usually decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving. This year we are starting the weekend before but not finishing before we leave Monday for our weekend place on Monday to celebrate Thanksgiving. Th8s year I had a few friends that decorated before Halloween.😬😳🤪
Pete Rhymes says
We decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving each year. That’s when my wife’s and my mothers decorated so that’s when we decorate.
Amy Lindman says
For so many years I had to hold off Christmas decorating until after my daughter’s birthday December 3rd. Now she will be 25 soon and we live on opposite sides of the country, she’s in New Jersey and I’m in Washington State, sadly we won’t be celebrating Thanksgiving or Christmas together so I’m wondering how much Christmas decorating do I even do?
Jeanette Kelly-Gonzales says
I usually decorate Friday the day after Thanksgiving. I can’t wait. Need a little cheering up.
Angel says
Can’t wait to make the white chocolate caramel fudge!
Angel says
And I can’t wait to start decorating the day after Thanksgiving.
Sabrina LeFevre says
We have the decorations in the front room and the tree up so we will start tomorrow.
Caroline G Hinners says
I was always a last minute decorator. But the last few years I have started the weekend after Thanksgiving. I am still a last minute shopper, never knowing what to get for anyone.
I have loved your recipes and hope to keep seeing more. Thank You for sharing them to all of us. I have done a couple of the crafts and had fun making them Thanks again!
This year has been hard on everyone and I feel so bad to see so many places close down because they can’t make enough money to pay help or rent. I pray this will all come to an end soon and get back to some sort of normal.
Your NO 1 in my book!
Rose says
First weekend in December we will begin to decorate.
My daughters won’t be traveling home for Christmas. It will be so quiet.
Wishing everyone a joyful, even if it may be quiet, Christmas.
Pat says
We usually decorate right after Thanksgiving. Since we won’t be having all the family here for Christmas this year, we may downsize our decorating this year. I will miss the total chaos, but next year we’ll appreciate it all the more!
Melody says
Hello Mary … We usually get our tree .. And yes a REAL tree the 1st week of December. And my tree gets decorated as an old fashioned tree. I love all decorations but I am a little sentimental about old fashioned trees 💕 My husband decorates the outside of the house with lights. We are getting older so we don’t go overboard. I just love Christmas … It just plain makes me happy! Every year my dream is to have snow ❄🌨⛄