Tag: Christmas festivities

Favorite Christmas Recipes and Traditions

jendhooper

You might already have all your cookies made and are hunkered down to enjoy the season. Or maybe you’re flailing around like a “chicken with its head cut off” trying to get everything done before Christmas (been there). But I couldn’t let Christmas go by without sharing a few of my favorites. I love baking all throughout the year, but this is definitely my favorite time of year to be in the kitchen. It’s also my favorite time to make extra special memories with my kiddos. So far, we’ve been able to go to a light show from our town that was phenomenal, made Christmas crafts, and watched 2 concerts – the Collingsworth family and the Chosen’s Christmas episode. Wow! Both of these are amazing! It’s still on our agenda to make cookies together. So, whether you could use any more ideas or not, I hope you enjoy looking through a few of my favorites. 


There’s nothing like waking up on Christmas morning to cinnamon rolls. This recipe is by far the best I’ve tried.

 A few of our favorite cookies are: Peppermint Mocha Cookies, Peppermint Meltaway Cookies, Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Iced Cookies, and Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies. I still can’t resist trying new recipes every year. So, this list always looks different, but these are my tried and true.


My husband has been trying to cut out white flour and sugar to help with inflammation in his back, so I’ve tried a few new cookies that he’s loved and are gluten-free. I replaced the sugar in these recipes with honey, but you could also use natural maple syrup. Oatmeal Cookies Gluten Free and Chewy Chocolate Almond Cookies (Gluten-free)


This hot chocolate is super easy to make and makes a fun addition to our Christmas memory making. I throw in some marshmallows & peppermint sticks and it’s super fun to sip on while making crafts or watching a favorite Christmas movie.


A tradition that we started a few years ago and has become one of my absolute favorites, is making a “Happy Birthday Jesus” cake. Then we sing happy birthday to Jesus on Christmas day. I never want my kids to forget what Christmas is all about and I’ve made it a tradition of my own to rededicate my life to Him in that moment since the only thing I actually can give Him is my heart. I made an Almond Cream Cake our first year and decorated it with chocolate trees like on this cake. Peppermint Fudge Cake was last year’s cake and I will be trying out a Lemon Gingerbread Cake this year. Not only is this recipe by one of my favorite cake ladies, but the idea of a gingerbread lemon cake reminds me of my Grandma. We lost my Papa earlier this year so it just seemed fitting. 


For Christmas dinner, a few of my favorite side dishes are Best Thanksgiving Stuffing and Ranch Roasted Carrots. I also love doing cinnamon apples. These are super easy to do and I make them without a recipe. Just peel and slice about an apple per person and then add a couple more for good measure because they cook down a lot. Add a couple tablespoons of butter to a frying pan. Sprinkle in some brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook the apples till they’re soft and voila!


Another tradition that I started last year was making ornaments or just random crafts with my kiddos. We have a pine forest behind us and have PLENTY of pinecones to be found. So, here’s a few of the projects that we had fun with: Pinecone Owls, Pinecones with Pom Pom’s, Snowmen, Christmas Trees, Balls. We strung all the paper crafts up and made a garland out of it to decorate the kids school room with. This Pom Pom Christmas Tree was super fun to make. The ornaments in the pictures I made out of plastic clear balls that I purchased from Hobby Lobby and then glued on some beads that I already had on hand. The other is jute yarn that I dipped in mod podge and wrapped around a blown up balloon. I let it dry over night, popped the balloon, then tied some more jute string on to hang it on the tree


Also, a couple Christmas shows that are really sweet that I let my kiddos watch are Timmy’s Gift: A Precious Moments Christmas Story and Annabelle’s Wish.


I hope you enjoy these ideas and get some use out of them, but most of all enjoy this season and the reason we celebrate. You can check out this post for further encouragement if you struggle with this season.

Feel free to connect with me over on Pinterest to find all these pins that I have linked and many more that I am still working through and trying out for myself.


I would also love it if you would connect by sending a message, commenting or find me on social media and share some pics of a recipe you tried or tradition you started.


I love you friend and hope you have a very Merry Christmas!


~Jen


*There are a lot of links in this post, but I am not affiliated with any of them. These are simply resources that I have found on either Pinterest or YouTube.

The Myths About Christmas

jendhooper

Christmas is my favorite time of year! I’m the kind who listens to Christmas music all year long, dreams about all the cookies I’m going to make, and loves decorating the house and buying presents for others. With that being said, there can be so much hype around Christmas time. We watch the Christmas movies filled with fun, holiday activities: snow ball fights, making cookies together, etc. Have you noticed, though, that movies often don’t capture the mundane life stuff – like actually working their job?! As much as I’m a sucker for a good Hallmark movie, this is not reality.

My heart goes out to the reader who is frazzled and is lucky to get cookies made at all, much less get them picture-perfect or have the nerves to allow the children to help. I’ve been there. The woman whose husband lost his job and can barely make ends meet, much less be able to buy gifts for their children. Been there too. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one and Christmas just seems like an even more difficult time instead of a season filled with peace and joy. Friend, let me tell you … no matter your circumstances, Jesus is with you. 2020 has been a hard year on every one. So many people are on edge … afraid of offending someone or maybe feeling offended yourself.

2 years ago my husband and I found ourselves in a hard situation. We were still living without running water, and finances were so tight we didn’t have the money to spend on gas to visit family and could only spare $5 per child for Christmas presents. Although it was gut wrenching to this mama’s heart that loves to give, the memories made that Christmas were unforgettable! We took a walk in our backyard filled with pine trees and chopped down some little ones (affectionally calling them “Charlie Brown” Christmas trees) for the kids rooms. They decorated them with ornaments they made. We spent time huddled together in front of a space heater having a picnic. I will never forget the kids’ attitudes were what made that Christmas the most special. As little as they got for Christmas, they were happy! It made me realize that Christmas is what you make it! Christmas really isn’t about the presents or having the perfect decorations, cookies, or events. It’s about Christ!

If you’re mourning the loss of a loved one, spend time with other loved ones or friends that are close to you. Spend time reading the gospels and imagine yourself in the story of Jesus’ birth and think about the love and peace that Christmas represents. If you’re struggling to keep up with all the things, think of 1 or 2 simple things you can do with your family that would bring some joy to you and create lasting memories for your children. It could be something as simple as turning on Christmas music and dancing around the house with your children and husband. Take away the pressure of the “have-to’s”. In fact, my husband and I stopped doing Christmas cards. Yep, you read that right! It was causing so much stress to get the picture taken, create the card, hoping they arrived on time, make the list of family & friends and always feeling like I was forgetting someone, sending out the messages asking for addresses, getting the envelopes addressed and mailed only to have a handful of cards still come back to me! I’m tired just thinking about it! Now, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t mail Christmas cards; but, it just doesn’t work for our family. So, we decided to start a new tradition of creating a “Merry Christmas” video that we send to all our friends and family. But, maybe the thought of making a video stresses you out even more. The point is, think outside the box of something that will make your Christmas less stressful and more meaningful. For our family, we started doing an Advent book that has simply made my Christmas. Every story in Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp is such an encouragement and helps remind me why I’m celebrating, decorating, buying gifts, etc.

As I’ve said, Christmas is my favorite time of year, but I know it can be exceptionally hard for some people. Whatever your circumstance this year, my prayer is you understand that it’s not about the festivities. It’s about our precious Jesus who loves you so intensely that He took on human flesh, was born in a lowly stable, and suffered greatly to show His love is immeasurable! I pray this season you’re able to feel that peace and joy only Jesus can give. I love you friend!

~Jen