I Almost Forgot: A Christmas Entertaining Tip

While sitting at Chick fil A this morning drinking a cup of coffee (they have the best ever) and working on my grocery list for Christmas Eve and Christmas day, I realized I forgot to share my favorite Christmas entertaining tip from a post long ago.
Friends do that right? They forget things?
So here is an 'I almost forgot' re-post.
*****
 

I have had the pleasure over the years of

hosting many parties in our home.


The most important thing for me is that everyone feels comfortable

and relaxed and that the food is good.


(Who am I kidding?  It can be a LOT more complicated than that. What can cause that complication?  Me.)

And so my tip today, during this hectic , busy season

is simple:

Know what to buy.

That alone can be such a huge stress reliever.

And so, I found my ‘one’ thing

years ago when I discovered this chocolate cake with chocolate icing from

Esperanza’s Cake Shop in Alamo, Texas.


It is located in a humble storefront near the railroad tracks near downtown Alamo.

It is delicious and it is fresh.


And no, there is no fondant icing entombing stale layers

or a price tag that makes your eyes cross.

It’s simple and it is good

and the bakery is low profile-
my favorite combination. 



I add fresh strawberries and place it on my favorite silver cake stand from Casa Guero in Laredo, and I am done.
I have served this cake at Christmas parties, baby showers, wedding showers, and while sitting on the couch with my favorite co-hostesses after these parties are over.

Merry Christmas AGAIN!

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Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas dear friends!

My simple Christmas continues with laughter, gratitude ,family, cooking and friends.

I wish you those very same things.


I will be back after Christmas with more White Spray Paint shenanigans.

There is planning to do!


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Christmas in the Nap Room

I enjoy naming things (as in Hauler ) and so the Nap Room is the perfect name for just what this room is: 

a wonderful place to take a nap.

When we bought this house 27 years ago, this front room was actually the front porch.

But one thing usually leads to another, we enclosed the porch and built another porch, and it became the

study-

which sounded far too grand for my liking.


So Nap Room it became.

It is also a place to put your feet up, read a book, or have a bit of peace and privacy during this busy Christmas season.

How do I incorporate Christmas in this haven I love?
With simple tucking and arranging and using what I have.

Merry Christmas!

***

This is a post from a Christmas past.

A Simple Christmas

Christmas 2016 is unfolding as simple and uncomplicated, and I am so grateful.

All of the important things are still in place such as family, faith, and good food, but I have eliminated most of the extra.

No multiple trees, no decorations in every room of the house, no shopping- other than well intentioned gift giving.

Looking back this year, I can see lots of reasons why this was inevitable and needed, but I really don’t want to label the ‘why’, unless of course I label it a blessing.

Here is an update on what I have done and how this is evolving.

*We are not traveling this Christmas. My husband and I invited our family to visit us whenever they can.

*Our gift giving will be simple and personal.

*I decorated simply which includes everything you see in these photos.

To my friends reading this, yes, you read that correctly, I decorated simply.

I walked out to the garage to get the Christmas crates, decided to give our oldest daughter my flocked tree, I couldn’t reach our other tree, and the crate I could reach was full of red ornaments. Decision made.

*My faux red poinsettias and a simple tabletop tree were within reach, so I grabbed those.

Result? No large tree and I used red- which is my favorite Christmas color.

*I used plaid ribbon from Marshall’s ($5.99 a roll) and I bought a skinny garland at Michael’s for $2.99 to add to the simple mix.

*I added my beloved blue and white , stepped back , realized I could breathe, I was smiling, and I was

finished.

I know I have another Christmas extravaganza in me.

It can happen again.

This is not a bah humbug tale. This is about simplicity and relaxation and laughter.

It is also about feeling comfortable and cozy-

which leads me to the wonderful

Katie of Let’s Add Sprinkles.

Once again, she has gathered a group of bloggers and asked us to share how we feel Cozy at Christmas.

Isn’t that a wonderful thought?

There are 15 bloggers sharing what this looks like this week in their homes.

The schedule and their links are listed below.

Cozy At Christmas Blog Tour
Let's Add Sprinkles/ Hyacinths for the Soul/ Southern DayDreams/ White Spray Paint/ Garden Up Green/ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson/ Ellie and Elizabeth 

Brookhollow Lane/ At Home With Jemma/ My Heart Lives Here/ The B Farm/  
Botanic Bleu/ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen/ Art and Sand/ Ash Tree Cottage
 
Sweet Nothings/ At Rivercrest Cottage/ Opulent Cottage/ Decor to Adore/  
Fern Creek Cottage/ The Dedicated House/ Bluesky Kitchen

Dear Daughters: Christmas Decorating Thoughts and Tips

Christmas on the Piano 2015

Dear Daughters-
As young adult women who all work ‘outside’ the home- as well as ‘inside the home’ - there isn’t a single feeling about decorating for Christmas that you have had that I haven’t felt as well.
It can feel rewarding and satisfying and stimulating . It checks all of our creativity boxes.
Yet truth be told, when it is December , and you have research papers coming in that need to be graded , or too many court cases and clients to handle, or book fairs to organize, it can feel a little overwhelming and exhausting.
This is a seasonal challenge sweet girls. Don’t let it get you down. There are after all ,all of those crates in our respective garages that hold treasures we so want to share with our families and friends.

Christmas Mantel 2015

Here are a few things that have helped me over the years.

* Play Christmas music and not just while you are decorating. Play it in the car too. Play it in your classroom, play it in your library,play it in your office.
It creates the ‘want to’- sometimes accompanied by a sweet touch of melancholy at times- but that will pass. Embrace that melancholy, have a good cry, turn up the volume and plan your front door wreathe.
* Learn to make a fluffy bow with wired ribbon that is patterned on both sides. This is a game changer. Thank you Mary Jo Brisnahan (a dear friend and teaching colleague) for teaching me how to make a bow about 20 years ago . That and her Sparkle Salad which has graced our holiday table for just as long places her in our family’s hall of fame.
Women of my generation are great fans of volume. A voluminous bow adds life to anything (even your hair) that has been packed in a crate, stored in the garage in our year long South Texas heat.
Try to find ribbon that is patterned on both sides. You will have to do less twisting if you can.
* Skinny, inexpensive garland is the easiest to handle for a slinger like me. I have purchased expensive, fat garlands, and they are indeed beautiful. Once I wrestled their garland extravagance to my mantle, the minute my back was turned, all sorts of whiplashing and crashing usually occurs. Find a garland of the lazy, low expectation variety.

Christmas Tree in the Den 2015

* Remember that sometimes trees are easier and give more bang for your buck. I have received some teasing for this on those years when I have had as many as 4 trees at Christmas. Do what floats your boat.

My Annual Ladies Only Teachers’ Christmas Party 2008

* Plan a small party- ladies only. It is the perfect way to usher in this glorious season. The laughter and the ‘I get you-you get me’ that results is immeasurable. And yes in that photo above that is an enormous container of margaritas on the rocks- provided by my dear friend and yours- Anna. It is her secret recipe , which is just as well- you won’t remember it anyway. My annual teacher parties at Christmas and at the end of each school year still make me smile. And yes, the red walls and the rooster are now gone.

I love you. As you know, I am going through things, including my Christmas decorations.
You each have a pile. The rest is up to you.

I love you,
Mom

**********

Linking to:

Monday Social #12
Share Your Style - The Essence Of Home, 21 Rosemary Lane
Party In Your PJs - Woods Of Bell Trees

Best of the Weekend