Christmas began for me with a homemade gingerbread latte and a skype date with my family. We then proceeded onto brunch with friends, which included my friend Joy’s famous Ebelskivers (small danish pancakes), and then we took a little road trip to visit some friends in Provo for dinner and a sleep over. We played cards and sipped cocktails, just like my grandparents used to, until we couldn’t stay awake any longer. And when we woke in the morning is was brunch again, and my favorite Blueberry Muffins, then a stroll in the park with our pups.
The best part of the holidays to me is old-fashioned fun… making meals together, dusting off the board games, and going for long walks in the park. Every year we take a trip to the library before Christmas to rent a bundle of old movies to consume throughout the holiday. Some of our favorites of this weekend included I Love Lucy reruns, The Sting with Robert Redford (a personal favorite that we watch every year), and a new favorite, Boom Town (with Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable). After the holiday leftovers are all eaten, we often pick up Chinese takeout and camp out in our living room watching old movies by the fire.
This holiday season I have especially enjoyed all of the homemade and gifts delivered to our doorstep: hot cocoa mix, wine and candies almonds, and the best ginger bread I’ve ever sunk my teeth into. The unconventional idea of embracing simpler times by baking a loaf of bread for your neighbor or having a group of friends over for drinks and games is, to me, much better than the extravagances that can sometimes overwhelm Christmas.
Another highlight of our Christmas weekend was getting to spend a morning learning how to make tamales. One of my ESL students is from Mexico and she patiently taught me and Joy how to make tamales. I now have a deep respect for anyone who has ever taken on the challenge of making homemade tamales. We hand kneaded the maize which took so much strength that I’m pretty sure my feet left the ground with a few moments of passion. But that wasn’t even the hardest part… we then had to spread the cornmeal mixture onto each individual husk (50 total), which was much harder that it sounds. But it was all worth it when we were able to share all of our handmade tamales with a house full of friends at our annual Christmas Eve Mexican Fiesta.
Spending afternoons making food with friends and then making memories enjoying the food you’ve made… these are the types of things I love about the holidays. I hope you continue to enjoy your holiday season!
Blessings to you,
Becky
Easy Gingerbread Latte Recipe
Ingredients
- french pressed coffee
- 1 tsp of gingerbread creamer
- 1/4 cup of skim milk
Instructions
- In a microwave safe mug, stir together creamer and milk. Microwave the milk mixture for 45 seconds then use a milk frother to whip your milk into a perfectly creamy and light foam. If you hold the frother at the top layer of milk it will froth up real nice:) Then slowly pour your coffee over the foam until your mug is filled.
https://www.thevintagemixer.com
This is one of my favorite morning treats during the holidays!
Love gingerbread latte so I am thankful for this recipe. We just got back from Santa Fe (expect lots of posts) so I am intrigued by the tamale making. It sounds like you had a wonderful holiday! Happy New Year!
Eliot, it was actually an article in a magazine about Christmas in Santa Fe that inspired our meal! I look forward to hearing about your trip there!!