Second Week Anniversary!

Its been two weeks since Sassy Snowflake officially launched! I've been working hard to edit the layout and themes. And including interesting holiday-themed posts and links!

I know I am just starting the site, but I'm really interested in your thoughts. Do you like the site layout? What about the colors- is it hard to read the white text on black background? Any suggestions for topics- and do you like the items I've covered so far?

Please let me know! I'm having a lot of fun- and want you to enjoy the site as well!

Christmas Store Review – Christmas Tree Shops, Natick, MA

I was excited to visit the Christmas Tree Shops- I had never heard of the shop before, but it’s a chain, with branches all across Massachusetts (any many other states!, where I was visiting. I checked out the store in Natick, MA on Monday, September 28.

LOCATION: Granted, I am not familiar with Massachusetts roads, but thank goodness I was driving westbound on Route 9/30. It’s a four-lane road with a middle barrier and u-turns and exits that are crazy. For those trying to get to the store coming eastbound- good luck. But the store is in a strip mall and has plenty of parking.

MERCHANDISE: I was super-excited when I saw the store- it was huge. And plenty of people going in and out. A definite good sign. But my excitement wore away as soon as I stepped inside. First, the name of the store is misleading- by pure size, the store had a good number of Christmas items. But it was far outshone by Halloween and fall decorations. And the store is a complete mish-mash of items. Seat cushions, books, toys, makeup- I even saw space heaters- all interspersed with holiday items. It was completely random! And not well organized.

I will admit- the store is super cheap. All items, holiday or not, were priced at a discount.

ODDS AND ENDS: It was totally hard to concentrate in the store- it was such the opposite of what I was expecting! Christmas gift tags next to shampoo; Christmas trees made out of jingle bells next to winter coats; snowmen next to dishes. If you have time to peruse, especially as it gets closer to Christmas and the store gets more holiday items in stock, I am sure you will find some neat decorations at a good price. I can just think of many other places where I would rather browse!

PURCHASED: I had picked out two (non-holiday) cards to buy, but turned back when the open cash registers had no less than 5 people in each lane.

OVERALL: Don’t go to this store expecting to get in the holiday spirit. Things are so disorganized and the store was quite crowded, even for a Monday afternoon. I can’t imagine how busy it gets closer to Christmas. If I had the choice, I would definitely pass rather than visit again.

What do you think? Did I catch the Christmas Tree Shops at a bad time? Are all Christmas Tree Shops the same?

2009 Christmas Decoration Prediction

Just a quick observation after a trip to the mall in Natick, MA (yup- another Christmas store review coming soon)- pinecones are going to be a big holiday trend.

On Sunday, I discussed the preview of Pottery Barn’s holiday collection. Prominent in the assortment are multiple items with pinecones, even pinecone bedding.

Meanwhile, Bath and Body Works serves its Fresh Balsam candle in a pinecone shape and in a silver pinecone jar. Now, pinecones also figure prominently at Crate and Barrel. While C&B has not yet displayed its 2009 Christmas collection, I’ve spotted a few pinecone items in the stores. Objects include MORE pinecone candles, a pinecone jar (although it looks like a pineapple to me!), and a pinecone candelabra.

My thoughts: pinecones are a great way to decorate for winter without being holiday-specific. So it works in November and December as much as it does in January. However, I think pinecones are tough to pull off. If your home reflects a rustic, cabin-like, cozy setting, I think it can work. But for most, I think pinecones end up looking gaudy and out of place. I mean, a pinecone candelabra and bedding? Really?!??!

Have you seen pinecones figure in any other holiday collections? Do you like the trend? Do you use pinecones in your decorations?

Pottery Barn Christmas Preview

I just received my October 2009 Pottery Barn catalogue in the mail. Included within was a preview of their Christmas merchandise- the first catalogue I've seen with holiday items included. Some thoughts:

• PB really seems to be going for the rustic look. Lots of real wreaths and garland, in varieties such as cypress, boxwood, and magnolia.
• I think my favorite item so far is the Outdoor Ornaments. Beautiful! For those of you with the catalog, check out the house on page 24 or online here (its the second picture of the series). Wow! That is amazing!
• I also love the Reindeer Collection dishes. Adorable.

I just wish Pottery Barn wasn't so expensive!!!

What are your favorite items from the PB 2009 collection? Have you seen Christmas items in any other catalogs yet?

Christmas Store Review - 3 French Hens, Leawood, KS

I found myself in Kansas City, MO recently and decided to check out a local Christmas store, 3 French Hens, in Leawood, KS. Here are my thoughts in my very first holiday store review!

LOCATION: The store is located in an outdoor-type mall/strip mall. Having no familiarity with KC roads and directions, I had no problems finding the shop. It is a ways from downtown Kansas City, though (almost 20 miles). And there is plenty of parking! The store itself is pretty large, considering it solely concerns itself with Christmas all year.

MERCHANDISE: The store is packed with items, but not so packed that you worry about knocking things over as you walk around. The shop deals almost exclusively with ornaments- there are a few other knicknacks, like a few nativity pieces, magnets, wall decorations, and purses, but ornaments are definitely the centerpiece.

The primary way in which the store displays the ornaments is through themed Christmas trees. In addition to the classic red and green Christmas trees, some of the highlights were:

• An Outerspace Tree: The tree itself was metallic blue. Ornaments resembled planets (my favorite was a glass red/orange "planet" with a blue glass ring around it. Very Saturn-like.), aliens, and paceships.
• A Food-Themed Tree: Ornaments resembled candy and food, including cake, burgers, and ice cream. Others were made from popcorn (then painted). Also prominent were the M&M characters- my favorite was garland made to resemble M&Ms strung together.
• A Drink-Themed Tree: This mini-tree had ornaments resembling drinks of all kinds. Glasses of wine, bottles of wine, beer, and soda, little Coca-Cola ornaments.
• A Mardi Gras Tree: The tree was a bluish/purple color and had peacock feathers stuck throughout. All the ornaments were glittery or jeweled- all in greens, blues, and purples.
• An Irish Tree: Pretty self-explanatory. Decorations included little leprechauns, beer mugs, and other Irish themes and colors.
• A Halloween Tree: The only reference to the upcoming holiday in the store, which I found rather impressive. So many times, holiday/Christmas stores have to cater to the nearest holiday to maintain business and customers. This tree was super-cute too. Ornaments of ghosts, pumpkins, witches, and other Halloween critters!

ODDS AND ENDS: The staff is super nice. A friend mentioned that one of her purchases was going to be a gift, and they had a box for the ornament and spent quality time hand-tying ribbons to decorate the package. As long as they aren't busy, they noted, its something they're happy to do!

The prices are very reasonable- a majority of ornaments were in the $5-$10 range. But don't be surprised to see most price tags that include three numbers in the cents column (i.e. $5.671). The last number is just an internal itemization number; not an overly confusing pricing scheme!

BOUGHT: From the Food-Themed Tree, I bought a glass ornament (measuring about 4 inches tall) that resembles an ice cream cone- complete with syrup and cherries (and glitter!) on top!

OVERALL: The selection of unique ornaments is fantastic- especially for mid September. And you really can't beat the prices on most items. Definitely worth checking out!

Infusing Cinnamon Vodka- Week One Update

Today marks the one-week anniversary of my attempt at infusing vodka with cinnamon. Since then, I put the bottles in my pantry, then basically forgot about them.

The most notable update One Week Later is the color of the vodka. Instead of being clear, with a cinnamon stick in the middle, the vodka is now a light caramel-brown. In fact, if I do say so myself, the coloring looks like very light bourbon. I should have taken the initial picture a week ago against a white background, but I am sure you all can picture clear vodka and compare it to this week’s picture.

Smell- to be honest, based on the color, I was expecting an overwhelming sniff of cinnamon. But I didn’t get that at all- in fact, the cinnamon smell was very faint. Barely noticeable.

As for taste, I poured a bit to sip… Wow, definitely tastes cinnamon-y. I am pretty impressed with myself! If you were aiming to drink straight cinnamon vodka (hey, you never know!), I think you’d be safe to stop infusing now. But I am concerned since I am using mine as part of a drink recipe, the cinnamon taste isn’t strong enough yet. I think the other recipe ingredients will overwhelm the cinnamon taste.

Bottom line: I’ll check in again next week!

Tried & True Holiday Diet Tips

As we approach the holiday season, if you’re like me, you’ll be constantly tempted by yummy food, tasty drinks, and decadent desserts. Even beyond Christmas, Halloween candy and Thanksgiving dinner sets the season off right.
Or wrong, where your waistline and diet are concerned. As someone who always seems to struggle to pass over the chocolate, I sympathize with the holiday diet dilemma.

So here are some tried and true tips that help me- maybe not to lose weight, but at least not to gain as much as I could! Maybe a few will help you too!

1. When making recipes, substitute low-fat ingredients as much as possible. Soon, I’ll share one of my favorite recipes for puppy chow- cereal coated in peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar. But as fatty as the ingredients are, I still use reduced fat peanut butter. Same with my dips- I use low fat or no fat cream cheese and sour cream. Its easy to fall into the trap of thinking that since you are adding so many other bad ingredients, choosing a few low-fat or low-calorie items doesn’t matter. But it does! Every little bit helps! It’s a couple hundred calories that you can cut immediately without any pain!
2. Do not camp out at the food table or near any bowls full of munchies. Its too easy to start shoveling the food in your mouth. At least make yourself get up and walk across the room to get to your food- it may not curb your eating completely, but it can make a big difference.
3. Indulge in the foods you don’t eat the rest of the year. I pass over items that I can get anytime for those that I truly only make or eat during the holidays. Eggnog is a great example. Knowing that I can eat that roll next week if I still crave it helps me pass over it the first time (and then never go back for it the following week)! Really try to eat what you love- if you try a dish and it doesn’t wow you, don’t feel like you need to finish it off!
4. Parties or lunches that occur in the middle of the afternoon are the worse of the worst. Its too late to skip lunch- otherwise you’ll starve. But even after eating a small lunch, I end up eating way too much a few hours later. On these days, you definitely need a plan. If you can- sleep in and then eat a big, but healthy breakfast. Otherwise, the best idea is to have two small snacks-not full meals- and keep them healthy! Eating healthy isn’t much fun, but if you think of the food to come, it makes it so much easier.
5. Wear jeans or tighter pants to your holiday parties. I am always so tempted to wear my stretchy yoga pants to holiday dinners- no waistband to cut into my tummy and I can eat to my hearts content. But when I wear my jeans, I am much more conscious of how much I am eating and how I am feeling. I automatically eat less.
6. And finally- enjoy yourself! As much as I would hope otherwise, the holiday season only comes once a year. Its not worth it to feel guilty or fat on such a fun occasion!

Do you agree with my diet tips? Have any of your own that you would like to share?

Ineffective Holiday Diet Tips

So yesterday I wrote about the diet tips that really help me during the holiday season. Of course, different ideas will work for different people, but I also wanted to talk about those tips that I think don’t work at all!

Bad Diet Tip #1: Dieters note that Christmas is just one day, so there is no reason to overeat the rest of the season. Eat what you want on Christmas, and eat reasonably every other day! Um, have these people ever experienced the holiday season? Or maybe they have, but just aren’t invited to parties, family get-togethers, or office snackies any other day that December 25! You just can’t reasonably and realistically expect to eat like an angel every day except for Christmas Day!

Bad Diet Tip #2: Exercise more to burn the calories you eat during the holidays. I am a big fan of exercise. But maybe since I work out regularly, when a holiday rolls around, all I want to do is relax, stay comfy, and eat! Definitely take advantage of doing a little extra activity on those days when you’re on vacation, but also realize, in the grand scheme of things, exercise doesn’t burn a magical number of calories. It may be better to take some time to relax from holiday stress than to add one more thing to your to-do list.

Bad Diet Tip #3: Eat a regular meal before a party to keep yourself from overeating at the fete. If you are like me, you will just eat a regular meal plus whatever you were going to eat at the party! Plus, I think the power of not wanting to look like a pig at the party will keep you from eating to the full extreme. At least until everyone has had too many eggnogs to notice…

Bad Diet Tip #4: Add water to your wine to drink less calories. This recipe will ensure you drink half the calories of what you would normally. Has anyone who suggests this idea ever tried the recipe? And think it tastes good?!? I say, drink your wine regularly- and enjoy it fully! Besides, at about 125 calories a glass, wine is probably on the low end of the spectrum of food that will expand your waistline during the holidays!

Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts on ineffective holiday diet tips? Any tips that I forgot?

Favorite Christmas Movies

1. Love Actually – This is actually my favorite movie regardless of the time of year. So the fact that it uses Christmastime as a backdrop and its characters seek love and happiness during the holiday season only makes it even better. I watch it all year. And what a great Christmas soundtrack! I don’t know what else to say, I love this movie so much! I was in London earlier this year and once I got home, I couldn’t wait to watch it again. Actually, Bridget Jones’ Diary has a lot of Christmas backdrop too. I approve!
   
2. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – Another movie I watch year ‘round. Although, not as subtle as Love Actually. But its hilarious! Every time Aunt Bethany’s cat gets electrocuted, my Dad cracks up. And now, thinking of him laughing makes me crack up! But it also has some poignant moments. I think we can all see bits and pieces (hopefully small pieces) of ourselves and our family in the Griswolds. I can only hope I can make my outdoor Christmas lights look as spectacular as Clark’s.
   
3. A Christmas Story – I’m sorry, I hate the 70s aesthetic. But this movie is another classic to me. Its not quite Christmas without this movie and its inevitable 24x7 marathon running on Christmas Day. Also inevitably, my mother’s side of the family has it on TV- a great icebreaker when conversation and action get a little slow. How many times can you quote “You’ll shoot your eye out!” in one day?
4. White Christmas – A lot of critics note this isn’t really a Christmas movie. Much like Love Actually, Christmas is a backdrop to the actual story. But its that last scene that does it for me. Singing Christmas carols, beautiful red holiday dresses. I have a CD of holiday songs recorded by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney- its just classic. Plus, I totally empathize with the storyline of wanting (needing!) it to snow!
   

I am kind of at a loss choosing my last movie. It’s a Wonderful Life is an obvious choice. I love Bedford Falls- what a perfect winter town- if I could live there I would. Home Alone? I grew up with that movie and will happily watch it if its on, but does it make the cut for favorite holiday movies? As for current Christmas movies, I love Elf, but at the same time, Will Ferrell kind of annoys me in too great of doses. I’ll also devote another space to TV specials- Charlie Brown Christmas, the Muppets, California Raisins, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and Garfield.

So what do you think? Do you agree with my choices? What are your favorite Christmas movies? Use the new poll found on the right to vote!

Time to Decorate the Tree?

How early is too early to put up your Christmas tree? (And how late is too late to take it down?) I posed this question to a friend the other day. “I don’t think you are going to like the answer!” he responded.

Growing up, my family’s ritual was to decorate the tree the day after Thanksgiving. A friend of mine waits to put her tree up until Christmas Eve, the “true holiday season,” as she says. Way too late, in my book.

Now that I am older, scheduling and decorating the tree is done on my own prerogative. I don’t need to worry about complaints of how early the tree is making its appearance. And usually the earlier, the better! Last year, it went up November 8. I mean, after all, I was going to be visiting family over Thanksgiving and you want to enjoy the tree as long as you can…

This year, I think I am even going earlier… I have a lot of travel planned for work and for fun- I’ll only be home to enjoy my tree a few weeks over the coming months. So, I really think I am aiming for October 4! I’ll just have to keep my curtains closed so my neighbors don’t notice…

But is there a little bit of shame/embarrassment involved with decorating the tree so early (or knowing my condo association, any rules prohibiting Christmas decorations before a certain date)? What if I have friends over? What if I only put up the tree and waited to use the other decorations later? And October 4 is only two weeks away- that seems awfully early…

What do you think? Am I putting up my tree too early? Does it matter? I still have two weeks to decide!

Christmas Candle Update

I visited my local mall this morning- Bath and Body Works already has two Christmas-themed candles in stock: Fresh Balsam and Cinnamon & Clove Buds. You can also buy the Fresh Balsam in a pinecone-shaped holder.

Meanwhile, Yankee Candle only had Halloween/fall candles available. When asked, their clerks mentioned they are required to have their first Christmas display ready the first week of November, so they anticipate stocking their Christmas candles in late October.

Once the stores stock up, I'll have polls and smell-tests to determine our favorites!

Infusing Cinnamon Vodka

When I was on vacation earlier this year, I had a pumpkin pie martini. Loving all winter drinks, when I got home, I started looking up recipes to replicate it. Especially with the holidays coming up. The only recipe I could find called for Stoli cinnamon vodka. And, needless to say, I could not find cinnamon vodka. What is Sassy Snowflake to do? Make her own! Even though I have never infused any food or drink product before, since I was prepared to infuse the cinnamon vodka with pumpkin- what’s one extra step to infuse the vodka with cinnamon in the first place? My mind glazed over with thoughts of other cinnamon-flavored drinks.

So here we go! I bought a 375ml bottle of Absolut (I’ll start small!) and added a stick of cinnamon. And that’s it…Can it really be that easy? I have to be doing something wrong…
I’ll check in on the vodka occasionally (taste-test time!) to ensure its infusing and to determine the length of time that makes the best-tasting vodka. If its good, plenty of time to make another batch before Christmas (and try the pumpkin pie martini!)!

Has anyone else tried this infusion-business before? If it turns out well, for what else can I use my cinnamon vodka? Has anyone actually seen Stoli Cinnamon in a store before?

EDIT: Check out the results of my infusion experiment and resulting drink recipes here.

New Gift Wrap

This evening I stopped by the local dollar store to pick up a few greeting cards. In the store, in the midst of the Halloween masks, candy jars, and decorations, was a huge display of Christmas wrapping paper.

I can't get enough of wrapping paper. Especially when its just a dollar! I think I have close to 15 rolls stuck in the back of my closet. It would take me years of Christmases to go through the rolls, but I can't stop adding to my collection!

I was restrained and only bought two new rolls. The first is simple- red background with "ho ho ho" written in white. The second has a green background with red candy cane border surrounding three snowmen singing carols.

Have you seen gift wrap showing up in stores yet?

Polls

I love to conduct polls! Mainly because I like to pick a topic (holiday-related of course!) and look at different sides of the issue. Or choose my favorites.

This is where I would really LOVE feedback! Let me know your thoughts and favorites too! We may not be debating world peace, but I know I can learn a lot (and have fun too)!

• Leaving Christmas Lights Up All Year?
• When is it Time to Take Down the Tree?
• Gift Card or No Gift Card?
• Holiday Letter: Yay or Nay?
• Opening Presents: Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?
• Taste Test: Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate
• Favorite Christmas TV Specials
• Lights on the Tree: Multi-Colored or White?
• Top Christmas Songs
• Real Christmas Tree vs. Fake Christmas Tree
• Favorite Christmas Movies

Shopping

For better or worse, shopping- visiting stores, buying gifts- is a part of our holiday culture. I personally like to shop (especially as stores start decorating for Christmas!), like to buy gifts for family and friends, and look for sales!

• Post Christmas Shopping Roundup
• Shopping Update (December 10, 2009)
• Black Friday Shopping Experience
• Shopping Forecasts
• My Christmas List
• Crate and Barrel Christmas
• Weekend Shopping Update (November 7-8, 2009)
• Grocery Store Roundup
• 2009 Holiday Sales Forecast
• Target Displaying Christmas Products
• Christmas at Sur la Table
• 2009 Christmas Decoration Prediction
• Pottery Barn Christmas Preview
• Christmas Candle Update

Decorations

Christmas decorations are one of my favorite topics- its such a great way to outwardly express your festiveness and cheer! This area will discuss decorations seen and ideas for decor. Please let me know of any favorite decorations that you have seen (or done yourself)!

• Christmas Light Spotting (February 20)
• Storage for Christmas Decorations
• Decorations Still Around?!
• Leaving Christmas Lights Up All Year?
• When is it Time to Take Down Decorations?
• Christmas in Iraq
• Decorated Car
• My Nativity Set
• First Outdoor Christmas Decorations
• The Christmas Tree is Up!
• Seen Any Decorations Up Yet?
• Overcoming Decorations Policies
• Time to Decorate the Tree?

In addition, during my travels, I've taken pictures of displays that I've seen:

• Chicago Holiday Lights Parade
• Chicago Christmas Decorations
• Puerto Rico Christmas Decorations
• Bellevue, WA
• Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq

And if you'd like to read about or discuss decorations for sale in stores, check out the Shopping page!

Gift Wrap

While perhaps not the most important (or even kind of important) topic relating to the holidays, gift wrap is definitely a fun item to talk about! Whether its how to gift wrap, how to decorate presents in the best way, or buying the prettiest paper, this is where you can discuss it!

• Gift Wrap Central
• New Gift Wrap
• Container Store Gift Wrap Demo

Miscellaneous

Because some thoughts just don't fit into a category!

• 12 Days of Christmas are Over
• New Years Resolutions
• Christmas in Iraq
• Does Christmas Come Too Early?
• Odds and Ends

Holiday Arts

I always feel more culturally aware during the holidays- so much music and so many shows and events!


MUSIC:

• Christmas Music Recommendation: Ottmar Liebert
• Current Christmas Crooners
• Jazzy Christmas Carols

SHOWS:

• Review: White Christmas at the Fox Theater, St. Louis, MO
• Review: A Jazz Piano Christmas at the Kennedy Center, Washington, DC
• Christmas at the Theater - Buy Tickets Now

OTHER:

• Book Review: Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story
• Holiday Rant: Christmas Music on the Radio

Food Recipes

Just like drinking, eating is a HUGE part of any holiday celebration (at least for me it is!). Here are some of my favorite recipes for Christmas (or anytime, really!).

• Blackeyed Pea Salsa
• Crab Dip
• "Easy" Candied Nuts
• Sugar Cookies
• Easy Vegetable Salad
• Baklava
• Dill Dip
• Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
• Cherry Coffeecake
• Puppy Chow

I also wrote about my experience at a holiday cooking class at Sur la Table here!

Drink Recipes

Celebrating is a big part of any Christmas holiday. And, if you're like me, that celebration includes drinks, alcoholic and non. These drink recipes reflect some of my favorites.

As always, please feel free to share your favorites too- I am always up for trying new drinks!

• Homemade Bloody Mary Mix
• Homemade Mulled Wine
• Mint-Infused Vodka
• Blackberry Syrup and Kir Royales
• Pomegranate-Infused Vodka
• Hot Chocolate with Peppermint Schnapps
• Whiskey Sour Slush
• Champagne Manhattan
• Taste Test: Sam Adams Holiday Classics

In addition to recipes, I also attempted to infuse vodka with cinnamon and pumpkin earlier in the year. Here is the blow-by-blow account and my subsequent attempt to create recipes from the by-product!

• Infusing Cinnamon Vodka
• Infusing Cinnamon Vodka - Week One Update
• Infusing Cinnamon Vodka - Week Two Update
• Infusing Cinnamon Vodka with Pumpkin
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Vodka
• Pumpkin Pie Martini
• Pumpkin Cinnamon Cream
• Pumpkin Amaretto Martini

Christmas Store Reviews

I am lucky in that I get to travel a lot- for work and for fun. Which also gives me the opportunity to check out Christmas-themed stores in many areas of the country (and hopefully, world!). Here are my reviews of Christmas stores, thus far. And if you have any suggestions for stores I need to check out, please pass them along!

• The Christmas Store: Bellevue, WA
• Molbak's: Woodinville, WA
• Non-Review: Athens, Greece
• The Golden Goose: Occoquan, VA
• The Christmas Attic: Alexandria, VA
• Christmas Tree Shops: Natick, MA
• 3 French Hens: Leawood, KS

Holiday Advice

As much as we all love Christmas, navigating the holiday's can be tricky! In an effort to try and make your time more useful (and less stressful!) here are some of my holiday tips and tricks. As always, please weigh in with your thoughts!

ASK SASSY SNOWFLAKE (aka my attempt to answer some of your holiday etiquette questions):

• What to Wear
• Office Party Etiquette
• Hostess Gifts?
• Gift for the Boss?
• Christmas Card Lists

HOLIDAY TIPS AND TRICKS (aka everything else!):

• Dealing with the Post-Christmas Blues
• Gift Idea: Holiday Cooking Class at Sur la Table
• Gift Idea: Gifts for Teachers
• Gift Idea: Lush Cosmetics
• Gift Idea: White House Christmas Ornament
• Gift Idea: Build-A-Bear Workshops
• Holiday Mailing Overseas
• Holiday Travel Tips - Driving
• Holiday Travel Tips - Flying
• Christmas Birthdays
• Tried & True Holiday Diet Tips
• Ineffective Holiday Diet Tips

Launch Date!

So today marks the launching of the Sassy Snowflake Christmas blog and website. Many of you are like me – craving Christmas year round. Others may think I’m crazy and wondering why anyone would need Christmas tips in September.

I hope both sets will find items of interest on my holiday site. As we’re leading up to the holidays, I want to include bits and pieces that may catch your curiosity and assist your planning. And I want to embrace items that could also be useful beyond Christmas- I think you will find many recipes, both food and drink, that could be used year round, but are especially perfect for the winter holidays.

So much of the Christmas season is personal- I’d really love to get in an enthusiastic discussion and debate about various traditions and ideals. And as we get closer to Christmas, I plan to really step into high gear and give you on-scene descriptions of events, decorations, music, plays – basically, everything!I look forward to our exchange of ideas and stories! Please, leave your comments and feel free to email me personally at sassysnowflake365@gmail.com. I look forward to celebrating the holiday season together throughout the year! After all, we only have 100 days until Christmas!

Christmas Pictures

I try to include pictures in as many posts as I can, but I'm often left with extra pictures that I would like to share. This is especially true as decorations become more visible! So, I've set up this page as a place where I can share and you can browse holiday pictures. And, of course, please share your own!

• Album: Decorating the Christmas Tree

Holiday News and Notes

As time passes and we get closer and closer to Christmas, newspapers, magazines, and other outlets are full of holiday-related news and notes. On this page, I will attempt to pull together links to relevant and interesting Christmas-themed news on a regular basis.

In addition, I will include those little, random bits that I come across daily- be it a newly decorated store or building, a new holiday CD or movie release, or any other relevant tidbit.

Feel free to point out any interesting articles from your local paper or favorite magazine that I missed! Please link to the original article, though, rather than copying and pasting text!

NEWS AND NOTES:

• November 8, 2009
• November 10, 2009
• November 12, 2009
• November 14, 2009
• November 19, 2009
• November 24, 2009
• December 13, 2009

Decorating the Christmas Tree Album

I displayed and decorated my Christmas tree on November 11. Here are some pictures from the day!

Starting off the decorating- doesn't look much like a tree yet!

I managed to get half the tree lit- lighting the other half took much longer than necessary!

All the lights are lit! But now its time to add the multi-colored lights!

Multi-colored lights and tinsel added!

All the ornaments are hung! The tree is complete!

Welcome!

Welcome! I’m Sassy Snowflake, and if you’re like me, you listen to Christmas music in August and plot the acquisition and display of your Christmas decorations like NASA plotted the moon landing. Basically, you can’t wait for Christmas to come every year. To help fill that happy holidays-void, I plan to bring you a modern twist and tips on Christmas year-round.

What my site is not- a place where you can find history and FAQs about Christmas. Put your search into Google- you’ll find plenty and sites and answers await you. But if you’re looking for up-to-date advice and hints about the holiday, food, decorations, and parties, even in the middle of June (hey, haven’t you heard of Christmas-in-July parties?), you’ve come to the right place!

I’m just getting started, but have a lot of ideas and experiments in mind. Check back on September 16- the official launch date- after all, that gives us only 100 days until Christmas!