I love a tasty gift – from homemade simple syrups, to boxes of cookies, even samplings of semi-homemade seasonal candies. These are my favorite kinds of presents to share with neighbors, teachers, and as little thank-you treats at the holiday season. I am sharing a few ideas for making and packaging these special treats with my friends at Christmas Tree Shops today – one of my favorite spots for finding seasonal wrapping and packaging supplies!
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I’m usually done with my Christmas shopping a few days after Thanksgiving because I love prepping the perfect gift for everyone in my family and plan so far ahead. This year has been a busy one though, and I’m a little bit behind on my shopping! Which is why I’m so grateful to partner with Garnet Hill this holiday season to find some of those gifts for the people still on my list. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite pieces from Garnet Hill to help you with your shopping too (and they’re having some great sales too – 40% off select cashmere on Cyber Monday, and 25% off and free shipping on almost everything else on their site through 11/27!). See my gift picks below:
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One of my guilty pleasures is watching baking videos on Instagram. I *love* to cook but I’m an impatient baker, and while I aspire to be a person who busts out 10 different holiday cookie varieties at Christmastime, I find the baking process daunting most of the time. Lucky for me, my friends at Fancypants Baking Co share lots of their delicious seasonal cookies with me, and I leaned on them for a little holiday cookie box shortcut this year!
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We’re getting close to a very important holiday: Mother’s Day! There are so many amazing moms in my life, I’m lucky to have not only a superstar mom, but also an amazing mother-in-law, two spit-fire grandmothers, and a tribe of mom-friends that I truly could not survive motherhood without. It is lovely to be celebrated as Jane’s mom – the best job in the world – and I think it’s also a perfect day to show gratitude to the larger hive of moms that surrounds our life – there are so many wonderful women that deserve to be thanked and celebrated!
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One thing is for certain this year: our celebrations and holiday look quite a bit different. I’m hopeful though that this slower season will still elicit tons of joy, new traditions, and the making of memories we’ll have for years to come. As we kick off the holidays, I’m taking a more purposeful approach to how I entertain, cook, gift and celebrate – with a huge focus on shopping small and local. Which is why I’m super excited to announce a big project I’ve been working on – a #shopsmall virtual holiday pop-up with my friends at UpNext. I’ve partnered with UpNext and eight of my favorite small batch brands to create a holiday gift guide that features curated and limited-edition products for gifting and entertaining. I’m sharing a little bit more about each brand in today’s post, there’s a little something for everyone in this small batch collection!
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I have a pretty strong track record of being super organized around the holidays, especially when it comes to gift giving. Some years I’ve started a “gift idea” list on my phone as early as June. This year though, we’re doing a little bit less gift-giving with our family and instead focusing more on experiences, so my to-do-list looks a little bit different this time around. I’m still trying to keep everything in order though, marking things off the list one day at a time to make the most of the holiday season. My friends at AAA Northeast shared a fun, quick online quiz with me to help me find my holiday saving personality and use my #AAADiscounts to save this season as I tackle my holiday errands!
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One of my best memories as a kid at the holidays was heading to our family-friend’s house for their annual Christmas Eve party, and seeing at the back of the dining room a lavish display of cookies and sweets. They were set out on a buffet table on beautiful platters and tiered serving stands, and I would pluck one off the display every time I walked by it. By the end of the party I was so full of linzer tarts and rainbow cookies, it’s a miracle I didn’t get mistaken for Santa himself. I love the idea of these lush cookie displays, full of everyone’s favorite treats, but I just don’t have the stamina for that level of baking-commitment! My solution is a bit of a fake-it-til-you-make it take on the holiday cookie display, using some of my favorite Chinet®brand products!
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I pride myself on being a pretty savvy holiday shopper. I start making a list of gifts over the summer that I keep on my phone and often refer back to when I find sales or discounts, and I go down that list item by item during the big Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. This year I was actually a little late to the game with my gift-giving plans so I am still doing some shopping, and of course, looking for those good deals!I just signed up for an AAA membership for the first time this year (after my car broke down on the highway this summer I’ve been stressed about it happening again, but I have some peace of mind now that I’m a member – phew!). What I just learned though, is that AAA has way more than just roadside assistance, and that membership can get you lots of perks. This month, there are tons of special offers you can access through AAA Northeast for your holiday errands. Here are a few ways you can save during the AAA 12 Days of Savings:
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This is my favorite time of year for setting a beautiful table. I set this table for a fun event I’m hosting with Boston Interiors on December 6that their Natick store where I’ll be sharing some of my best tips for styling a holiday table. You won’t want to miss it, there will be swag bags, giveaways, tasty treats, and I’ll be signing books after my table styling demo. Plus you can get a little holiday shopping done with 20% off all holiday gifts, and pick up some of the pieces I used in this tablescape. You can RSVP at www.bostoninteriors.com/events.
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‘Tis the season for celebrations, and my favorite time of year to entertain! Our calendars are full of events from Thanksgiving to New Years, with friendsgiving, cookies swaps, gift exchanges, and holiday parties in between. I like to get prepared for the season with a few timeless tips that help me entertain effortlessly all season long. I have been relying on lots of the ideas in Better Homes & Gardens Holiday Entertaining Guide and am sharing a few more of my best tips here today:
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