Nine Favorite Things.

Nine Favorite Things…Happiest December! This time of year is filled with so much excitement, I love every second. I hope you all are feeling some of the magic too!

This time of year is also the busiest time. It can be overwhelming, but my piece of advice (that I too am trying to follow), give yourself some grace. Not everything about this time needs to be perfect. Set aside a little time each day this December to celebrate the holidays. Spend 10 minutes dancing around the kitchen or listening to holiday music. Take a night (or a day) to bake up your favorite holiday cookies. Commit to at least one new holiday movie per week, or spend a little time each day decorating. Just a little bit of holiday magic each day can really add up and make this season special and fun instead of stressful.

I know this is all easier said than done. Trust me, I’m working hard to take my own advice, but this time goes so quickly!

Moving along, this week has been fun and busy, with a quick trip to New York (details below). Plus a lot of baking of fun holiday recipes soon to be shared. I really hope you all can feel my excitement through my words. I’m a happy girl!

Since I’m heading back into the city later this week, my mom and dad decided to take a quick trip to Canada to watch Red in a Big Air competition. Then, we’ll all be here in Colorado for the remainder of December, which I know my mom is looking forward to. We both love our snowy mountain town this time of year.

Below, I have a lot of holiday things to share that are fun and festive. Hoping you’re all having a magical Sunday and start to the holiday season!

1. Things i’m loving, wanting, and excited to try.

loving…Loro Piana. Their pieces are the best of the best when it comes to knitwear, cashmere, and anything cozy. These are investment pieces, but worth it. The quality will last you a lifetime. None of their styles are trendy, you really can wear each piece for years to come. I’m LOVING their winter collection this season. It is so cozy. I would love to order their entire holiday collection; their cashmere sweater is especially on my wish list. This Noel pattern is the cutest! It’s been in my shopping cart for weeks. And I know my mom would be living in this cable-knit wool and cashmere-blend turtleneck sweater. The coziest, and she loves a good turtleneck.

Ok last thing, check out their cashmere accessories. Again, these are investments. But I love their Noel pattern. They have it in their socks (I am so in love with these), collar, and shorts too. And their scarves, mittens, and ear muffs, look really cozy.

Again, these are major splurges, but I just love the festive prints. Below are more options!

If you want to go all out, these Christmas Santa sweatshirts and tees on Amazon are pretty cute.

gifting…knit weighted organic blankets. I’ve been wanting this blanket all year. It will make a great gift for anyone on your list or even for yourself!

Also, this is a cute Scallop Spine Notebook. Great for jotting down new recipes!

everything in my cart (low)…loving Zara coats. I have my eyes on their short knit coat with scarf, long belted wool coat, and wool blend short coat.

These buckle angle boots from Mango are super cute. You can wear them all winter long. They would be cute with these Alo bootcut leggings or these flared leggings. All in my cart. We love cozy fits.

Also, if you need a great backpack for holiday travel, the Béis backpack is awesome. It holds a lot and is cute too!

listening to…The Untold Story with Martha MacCallum. I appeared on her show on Friday!

dreaming of going to…Telluride, looks so pretty at Christmas! 🎄

loving…DIY Velvet Inspired Ornaments. Such a cute idea! I love making homemade ornaments too. These gingerbread Christmas tree ornaments are my favorite. I need to make these again, this time with Asher! These pine cone ornaments are fun too.

shopping…stocking stuffers. You can never go wrong with a portable charger.

wanting…this cute set of bows for a festive holiday hairstyle. Loving all the hair bows I’m seeing this month.

everything in my cart (beauty)…everything Chanel beauty is so pretty for holiday gifting. I’m loving this nail polish in tuxedo; it has a bit of shimmer to it, and the classic holiday red is stunning. You can never go wrong with a Chanel perfume. Their Ultimate Repair Night Concentrate is wonderful for everyone. I also love their body lotion and their hand cream.

Last thing, there are so many incredible beauty gifts at Sephora right now. Loving all of the below.

watching…A Merry Scottish Christmas on Hallmark.
ordering…on repeat, Caramelo Tortillas. These are the best tortillas. Benny introduced me to the brand, and I’ve been loving both their corn and flour tortillas. So delicious and worth ordering online. They come frozen, so you can keep them in the freezer for however long you need.

reading…Meet Me Under the Mistletoe – by Jenny Bayliss.

everything in my cart (high)…Very into trousers, love this pair from Phoebe Philo. The fit is so good. And I want to get these Miu Miu shearling slippers for my mom. They look so cozy. My mom would kill me for buying them, however.

Also for Asher, she LOVES these Miu Mu sling back pumps in the red, so festive!

The Chanel COCO CRUSH Ring in 18K Beige Gold. Stunning.

drinking…Vanilla Espresso Martini.

watching…Eloise at Christmas Time. Watching this in New York makes it even better.

shopping…heaters. Well, kind of. I’ve been reading about this heater, Kelvin. I wonder if my mom could use it in her office to keep her toasty while working.

2. Cozy Soups.

Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup

Spicy Lasagna Soup

Creamy White Chicken Chili

Wild Rice and Orzo Chicken Soup

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Spicy Miso Braised Beef Ramen

3. Festive Holiday Decor.

Christmas ornaments

wrapping paper

4. A holiday cookie party with hot chocolate for all.

It’s that time of year for festive holiday parties. If you want to host a holiday cookie party, make it cozy and magical with a fun hot chocolate bar. Make a batch of Asher’s favorite hot chocolate, keep it in your crockpot or in a tea kettle, and set up a hot cocoa bar. Call it something cute like “Santa’s Hot Cocoa Station.”
Then, have marshmallows, whipped cream, fun toppings, and, of course, super cute mugs. Sharing the holiday mugs I’ve ordered that we all LOVE below.

the cutest Holiday Mugs

Asher’s Hot Vanilla Bean Hot Chocolate

everything you need for sharing cookies

cookie recipes to share!

Chewy Christmas Snickerdoodles

Vanilla Hot Chocolate Molten Cookies

Holly Jolly Santa Cookies

Chocolate Covered Brown Butter Millionaire’s Bars

Easy Hot Chocolate Lace Cookies

The Santa Clause Cookies

Christmas Monster Cookies

Easy Vanilla Bean Christmas Lights Cookies

Brown Butter Christmas M&M Cookie Bars

Slice ‘n’ Bake Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies

Salted Caramel Pretzel Snickerdoodles

5. My Christmas movie list…all the classics I love.

1. The Grinch (2004)
2. Miracle on 34th Street (1994 remake, original 1947)
3. The Santa Clause (all of them – 1st one came out in 1994 – new series on Disney+)
4. Elf (2003)
5. Home Alone (all of them – 1st one came out in 1990)
6. Eloise at Christmastime (2004)
7. The Polar Express (2004)                                                                                                            8. Frosty the Snowman (1969)                                                                                                      9. Santa Claus is Coming to Town (1970)                                                                                10. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (1964)
11. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation                                                                              12. White Christmas (1954)                                                                                                            13. It’s a Wonderful Life (1947)                                                                                                      14. It Happened One Christmas (1977) – this is a favorite of my mom’s. It’s a woman in the role of George Bailey (Mary Bailey, played by Marlo Thomas).

New Movies to Watch: these Are the Best New Holiday Movies to Binge-Watch Before New Year’s

6. New York to celebrate Gingerbread Smash!

As many of you may have seen, I flew to New this week for a very quick (72 hours) in the city. I arrived Wednesday and was snuggled in back at home by Friday night. Quick trip, but I will be back later this week for our Williams-Sonoma holiday party!

I flew into the city for two things. I was invited to come on Martha MacCallum’s show to share a few holiday recipes and chat all things Christmas. It was truly such a wonderful experience. Everyone on Martha’s team was genuine and sweet. Her assistant Lori baked the hot chocolate cookies and the cinnamon roll snickerdoodles. She also made the fun Holly Jolly Christmas Cocktail. It was all SO CUTE! And Martha herself was so kind. I loved our time together; it was fun! 

From there, I headed back to my hotel to quickly change for event number two of the day, our Snif x HBH Gingerbread Smash candle launch dinner! This was in celebration of the new Gingerbread scent and it was so special.

Our dinner was held at The Bowery Hotel, in the back of the hotel’s restaurant, Gemma. The menu was curated perfectly. The appetizers included a wonderful burrata with heirloom tomatoes and basil pesto. There was also a stunning beet, arugula, orange, and avocado salad that felt so festive. The main course was a delicious honeynut ravioli with browned butter and sage (so my style). A New York strip steak with a black pepper sauce and shoestring potatoes (yum). And a really yummy salmon with Brussels sprouts in an Italian salsa verde. 

For dessert, a big cookie plate and chocolate cakes. There was so much food, and all so delicious!

Now, the decor! Oh, it was magical. Everything was so festive with the gingerbread candle lining our tables. The room smelled like freshly baked Gingerbread. It was a Christmas dinner done just right, I loved it.

I ended the night on the earlier side, came back to the hotel, and fell asleep pretty much immediately.

I am SO EXCITED to be heading back later this week for our Williams-Sonoma Christmas party on December 8th. I’ll share the details below for any of you who are in the city and would like to attend. It’s going to be so fun. I’ll be demonstrating how I make my Christmas tree cheese board. There will be cocktails and charcuterie board apps. I’ll be signing books and candles, and we’ll be chatting all things holiday! Truly can’t wait to see you all soon!

Williams-Sonoma, December 8th

I will be at the Williams-Sonoma in New York City on Friday, December 8th at 6 pm EST at their magical Columbus Circle location. Because this is a special event, tickets are super limited, you can snag yours here. Looking forward to seeing you all soon!

7. Favorite links i’m loving.

60 Cozy and Festive Things to Do This December…festive ideas.

10 Festive December Activities to Try This Weekend…that cost less than $5.

50 Holiday Nail Ideas to Show Your Nail Artist…so many festive looks.

How to Get Your Makeup to Last Through Your Holiday Parties…good to know.

All the Holiday Essentials You Could Possibly Need…so fun!

These 12 “Anti-Static” Hair Products for Winter…good to know.

30 Unique Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your List…if you need ideas, read this.

30 Ways to Romanticize Your Life for Winter…fun ideas.

Under-$25 White Elephant Gifts…these are cute.

The Best New Books of Winter…if you love to cozy up and read!

Successful People Make “Pre-Resolutions” in December…love this idea.

8. December fashion pieces that are perfect for gifting.

cozy holiday sweaters

holiday looks

the best Nordstrom gifts for her 

luxury stocking stuffers

fuzzy slippers to snuggle into

9. This week’s dinners + favorite weekend eats.

Monday: Skillet Creamy Chicken and Parmesan Gnocchi

Tuesday: Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Wednesday: Shredded Brussels Sprout and Prosciutto Salad

Thursday: Crockpot Short Rib Bourguignon

Friday: Sheet Pan Sticky Ginger Soy Chicken and Broccoli

Saturday: Mistletoe Kiss Cocktail (with mocktail)

Sunday: Chewy Christmas Snickerdoodles