Everyone loves sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top, especially kids! This Thanksgiving, whip up a batch and get in the spirit of the holidays! Here are a few recipes and tips to get you started!

• Sweet Potato Casserole II by Stephanie Phillips
• Holiday Sweet Potatoes by Diana Rattray
• Whipped Sweet Potato Casserole by Bea
• Sweet Potato Praline Marshmallow Casserole

IMPORTANT: Do not have any distractions while the marshmallows are toasting under the broiler! Pay attention to the browning process. If they burn, just scrape them off and try again! We’ve all done it!

Yummy photo courtesy of Kathryn Rotondo. Thanks!

Here are some potentially deadly items for peanut- and nut-allergic people:

• pies (a pumpkin pie might seem okay, but it might use pecan flour in the crust!)
• anything prepared in a kitchen containing nuts or peanuts (past and present)
• processed baked goods
• all bakery items
• anything on a buffet where a nut item is also located (cross-contamination)

At parties with lots of holiday foods, make sure you only drink from your glass. Again, cross-contamination is possible and occurs in drinks. Eat using only your utensils from your plate. If it is possible to go first in a buffet situation, do that and try not to make a second pass. Cross-contamination covers a picked-over buffet.

Remember to make sure your Epi-Pens are current. If you need a refill, take care of it. While you’re doing that, review all of your labeling and contact information on emergency medicines and update it. We keep our Epi-Pens in a red, insulated bag that has been clearly labeled with Sharpie with our contact information and medical information. Inside that bag, we also keep Benadryl Strips and an Albuterol inhaler. The Epi-Pens are also in their own plastic duo-case that is also labeled very clearly.

If you are hosting an children’s event, please have your food clearly labeled and any nut items out of reach of small children, in particular. Children under 3 years of age should not have any peanut or nut items at all, so keep that in mind, too.

In the past, I think of Christmas with nut goodies of all kinds playing major roles, but now it’s a little different. Making safe desserts to give and take has become a tradition in its own right.

Have a safe Christmas this year!

My friend Michelle sent me a note with her favorite Christmas memory filled with traditions:

“Absolutely, hands down….
Family dinner, followed by the opening of one gift, then Midnight service at church, ending with ‘Silent Night’ by candlelight and coming home and making ‘reindeer food’ with my nieces and nephews.  They’re grown now and we all are in different places, but it warms my heart to think about it!”

What a great evening! There are several elements to this evening that make it special: food, gifts, worship, tradition, and fellowship. Any great memorable tradition combines many of these elements. When all five senses are engaged, the experience is etched in your memory very strongly.

Beautiful photo courtesy of Miriam.

Today, let’s take some time to check our progress. How are you doing with the first 50 days of preparation for Christmas? Do you know where you’re spending Christmas this year, or are you playing host/ess? Menu? Guests?

Have you scheduled a family portrait sitting and selected/ordered Christmas cards?

Are you handmaking gifts this year? Knitting projects? Soap? Exploding cards?

Have you tried at least one new cookie recipe? Please say that you have! Everyone loves cookies!

Make your lists and check them twice! Put them all in one place: a notebook/planner or PDA/smartphone. Stay on top of it this year and don’t be caught by surprise a month from now.

Photo courtesy of Adam Smith

I love fabric gift bags! Simple ones are very easy to make, even for a beginning crafter. Check out this simple pattern and instructions here.

Anytime is a good time to start collecting fabric remnants and scraps, as well as sale fabric. You also want to stockpile sewing notions, trim, and other decorations (like beads, and silk rope.) Get your patterns made, cut out your pieces, pin, and just stack them up in a big pile for one big sewing blitz!

Making your own fabric gift bags is a recycling, reusable, and environmentally friendly project to do. The bags can be reused in your household, or your recipients can use the bags again! Wouldn’t it be great to have a Christmas without spending a fortune on giftwrap, or having a Hefty bag full of paper trash at the end of the day? Fabric gift bags make sense. They can also be very luxurious with brocades and silk rope with tassels, or they can be simple and fun for kids with whimsical prints and fun ties.

This is also another great way to express yourself of your Christmas theme. You could also customize bags for the recipients or even make special large Santa bags to take gifts to the grandparents or other families.

Get out your sewing machine and give this one a try. You’ll be hooked!

Photo courtesy of Karen at Le Petit Poulailler

Fondant is a wonderful thing. A versatile confection used in everything from cake decorating to homemade candies, you can make fondant at home and experiment with using it for your special occasion sweets. I’ve made fondant mints that used peppermint extract and pressed them into candy molds. They were a big hit!

You can shape fondant just as you would marzipan. It makes great edible decorations for any dessert tablescape! You are only limited by your imagination. If your kids can make things out of playdoh, they can have fun with fondant! Tell us about your own experiments in the comments section! Have fun!

• What is fondant?
• What is fondant? (#2)
• Fondant Icing 101
• Decorating with fondant

Brilliant cake and photo courtesy of Karen Armstrong and Manassas Cakery

Every kid loves to see their name on various items: books, mugs, placemats, signs, or just about anything else! What could be better than a Christmas Story featuring your child? Our daughter received one of these as a gift a few years ago, and it is still one of her favorite books! Personalized gifts are fun!

Personalized items at Walter Drake

Personalized Christmas Story about your child for just 1 cent!

Great photo courtesy of Megan Soh.

I’ve been trying to find the perfect hat to knit to convince other people to knit for fun, and I think I’ve found it! Who can resist this baby hat? For the experienced knitter, this could be an afternoon project. In fact, most knitted hat projects can be made in a day or two. They make wonderful gifts and kids love them.

If you get totally hooked on knitting hats, you can knit a few for charity. Here’s a list to get you started:

Knitting for Charity

Head Huggers – pattern list

Free knitting hat patterns

I’ve knit several hats for cancer patients in my life, and it’s been the single most rewarding thing about knitting. The care, love, and prayers that fill each hat you knit is special for the recipient and the giver. A hand-knit hat is a treasure! Get out those needles and get knitting!

Fabulous knitting and photo courtesy of Robin Zebrowski.

This is a novel but necessary concept for many people in this economic climate. Forced by circumstance (lay-off, bankruptcy, foreclosure, health problems, other catastrophes,) many Americans will be having a “Buy Nothing” Christmas, or at least a “Buy a WHOLE LOT LESS” Christmas this year.

Even if you aren’t under tremendous economic pressure, there are many ways to save or spend very little this holiday season.

1. Holiday meals – In your meal planning, go a little lighter on the calorie load. If you want to splurge on Christmas, but stay within your normal budget, plan extremely frugal meals around the holidays. Breakfasts and lunches can be your real money-savers. Learn to make real oatmeal! Flavor with milk and jam or honey. For lunch, pasta dishes are some of the most low-cost meals you can make. Burritos or wraps are great lunch alternatives, too. A great dinner is homemade soup and homemade bread!
2. Cards – Make your own. It’s just silly to spend $3-5 on a card at Hallmark!
3. Wrapping paper – Use brown craft paper or plain white paper to wrap gifts. Use twine or raffia to tie up the package. If you are a stamper, let your imagination run wild! Make a matching card! Kids love to decorate gifts with markers and stickers, too.
4. Have a potluck dinner with friends. Spend what you would’ve on dinner anyway.
5. Adopt a “no gifts” policy for the adults and focus on the kids.

You can still have a wonderful Christmas without blowing your budget! Start planning now!

Photo courtesy of Joshua Davis. Thanks!

Wonderful photo courtesy of Scott Schram.