Around September, I have a lot of ideas for my perfect holiday – ideas of grandeur and everything in its perfect place and decorated like a Wayfair photoshoot. The reality is, my Christmases are more like a “nailed it” picture. I do have fun putting up all my decorations, and I love baking. My attempts are far from perfect, although my grandkids appreciate them. I will leave perfection to those who dwell on that, and I will dwell on the things that make my Christmases special.

I have an inexpensive nutcracker collection of all sizes and types. The kids love to look at them, talk about them, and rearrange them. I have decorations up for a month, and every time the grandkids go home after a visit, I see that the nutcrackers have been arranged differently. I have to smile. I think of those little hands and imaginations, and of my love for those little people.

With Christmas comes wonderful, delectable scents from the kitchen. I love to make cinnamon rolls, cookies, and rocky road candy. Earlier in the year, we make fresh pressed apple juice from our apples so that we have plenty for the Christmas season to enjoy spiced cider and to give some away. I think of Christmases past, and my mom making wonderful traditional cookies and mincemeat empanadas. My son now makes tamales with his little girls, and he said he’d teach me how this year. We’ve come full circle.

A few years ago, I made these cute nativity hand puppets. We have a simple little production with our grandkids while the parents watch. Each child gets a puppet and Grandpa reads the Christmas story while they act it out. It’s sweet and funny and it’s possible that the person with the sheep may be tripping over the wise man, or Mary (or the person with the Mary puppet) might be crying. It’s a surprise every year and I can’t wait. I know that time flies and they are little for just a short while. I will cherish every moment like I did when their parents were little.

I’d like to invite you into our little get together. Pour a cup of cider, grab a cushion and get ready for the show of a lifetime! Or at least the show of my lifetime. It’s a good one….

Here is a recipe to make your holidays more memorable and hopefully more comfortable during the dry Winter months.

Skin Nourishing Body Oil

8 drops Amyris Amyris balsamifera

6 drops Palmarosa Cymbopogon martini var motia

6 drops Bergamot Citrus bergamia

4 drops Spearmint Mentha spicata

2 ounces DermiSoothe Carrier Oil Blend

Mix essential oils into DermiSoothe and apply to dry areas of the body.

My wish for you is to have a memorable, loving and peaceful Holiday season.

ENTER HERE!

Plant Therapy’s Favorite Holiday Recipes Giveaway #3

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