While Thanksgiving has a number of traditional must-have dishes, #Christmas, #Hanukkah and the other December #holidays are more open to interpretation. Town & Country suggests a range of “iconic” recipes for main courses such as glazed ham, prime rib and Beef Wellington, as well as sides such as candied yams, roasted Brussels Sprouts and glazed carrots. Not feeling a feast? Just make a variety of finger foods, a charcuterie platter or a crock pot of hot soup; there’s bound to be plenty of visiting and gift-giving going on to keep the family busy, not to mention numerous platters of cookies. There’s really no wrong way to do the holidays! #HomemadeHolidayFavorites
Author: Jordank
Editorial Coordinator
Have a Holiday Movie Night
When you’re done preparing for the day, the #holidays often include a viewing of a favorite seasonal movie. To make things even more festive, Taste of Home suggests creating a snack or meal that that ties in with your holiday viewing — serve spaghetti and meatballs à la Elf, Clark Griswold’s Christmas Vacation egg nog (saving the turkey neck for cousin Eddie, of course), meatloaf with a side of A Christmas Story, or roast beast like the Whos in Whoville enjoy in The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Whatever your tastes, a movie night can provide respite from the otherwise hectic holiday season. #HomemadeHolidayFavorites
Buy Holiday Tins and Platters at the Thrift
Presentation is half the battle when you’re making cookies or other #holiday treats to #give. Instead of buying new tins, bags and boxes for your edible #gifts every year, visit the local #thrift and #secondhand stores supplied by generous #donations to ClothingDonations.org. There, you can find lightly used decorative tins, platters and plates ready to reuse with your homemade #gifts. The resale of all goods #donated contributes to programs that support the nation’s #veterans, and your festive recipes will make you the star gift-giver of the season! #HomemadeHolidayFavorites
Give an Edible Gift for the Holidays
#Homemade presents really make an impression when gift-giving, and the #holidays practically demand an edible gift. Cookies, fudge and peanut brittle are longtime seasonal favorites, or try your hand at making peppermint bark, chocolate truffles or fudge, Midwest Living suggests. When finished, give them to friends and relatives in decorative tins or tied with fanciful bows. Not only will they be thrilled, you won’t have to spend a lot of money to make a memorable #gift. Get the kids involved in the cooking and packaging process or do a cookie exchange, and you’ll create memories that last for years. #HomemadeHolidayFavorites
Better Ways to Spend Black Friday
#Thanksgiving is upon us! And even before many family #feasts have cooled on the countertop, the malls and the big-box stores will reopen with much fanfare — and promises of rock-bottom low prices — to mark the beginning of the #holiday #shopping season: Black Friday.
Overnight, we’ll see crowds gather in hopes of getting an unreal price on a big-screen TV, gaming system or computer. The doors will open, and crowds of crazed bargain-hunters will rush in, jostling their way to low prices. Is it worthwhile?
We at The Organizing Blog don’t have anything against #shopping. Our hunter-gatherer heritage lives on in the desire to equip ourselves with food to eat, clothes to wear and tools to use to survive comfortably. And we love getting a good #deal.
But the manufactured urgency of limited-time offers and loss leaders is designed to get people to buy before they get a chance to think a purchase through, CNET notes. For another thing, that low, low long-weekend price may not be the best you can do.
To save, consider buying used, certified refurbished or closeout goods. Search the online classifieds for antiques, collectibles and bigger-ticket items. Or find unique — yet inexpensive — gifts at the #thrift and #secondhand stores supplied by #donations to ClothingDonations.org.
There are better ways to spend the long weekend than elbowing through the crowds. Consider taking a hike, celebrating Buy Nothing Day and Native American Heritage Month, or visiting the public library, NPR suggests, instead of wasting time and money chasing supposed “deals.”
Take a day to make a few homemade gifts, visit a museum or #declutter a #closet and #donate the things you aren’t using, adds Money Talks News. Or prepare for the holidays by baking a batch of cookies, putting up lights or decorating a tree.
Trust us, the deals will keep coming throughout the holidays, in stores and online. And if you can’t get whatever you want at a price you can afford, maybe it isn’t worth having. Take your Black Friday back from the retailers — you won’t regret it. #BlackFriday