Monthly Musings: December 2019
Hello friends, happy Wednesday!
The first Wednesday in December; that just flew right in, didn’t it? While my brain is struggling to catch up with the date on the calendar, my heart & soul have already fully embraced the festive season: Our tree is up, the lights are twinkling, and there has already been a mince pie & a glass of mulled wine (or two). We’ve even watched our first Christmas film of the season!
Don’t you just love this time of year?
I’m heading out tonight for my first festive tradition of the year: dinner with a gal pal from work. We go into town, to the same restaurant every year, and the familiarity of this little tradition kind of welcomes in December for me. I love having an excuse to meet up with friends this time of year.
The musings for the month ahead are below. It’s largely a festive list, filled with homemade gift ideas, wrapping thoughts, Christmas movie lists, and a festive bake or two. It’s lighthearted & I think that’s exactly what we need on these busy December days.
Enjoy!
monthly musings: december 2019
I threw my first ever Thanksgiving dinner! Sure, there were no Americans in attendance, but the 4 Irish people that were ate so well! I’ve learned the secret to the big day: it’s alllll about the sides. We made turkey with white wine gravy, Parker House rolls, brussels sprouts with bacon, kale & caramelized onion stuffing, cranberry sauce, and candied sweet potatoes. It was so much fun!
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It’s high time we started to think about our homemade holiday gifting ideas. Obviously, we’ve all made up a batch of vanilla extract for our loved ones, but let’s branch out a bit more, shall we? Also on my gifting list this year: homemade cranberry sauce, holiday flavoured simple syrups, and herb salt.
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Related: this year’s gifts are going to be adorned with dried orange slices. My mom put the idea into my head the other week & I just can’t shake it out. Imagine how cute they’ll look!
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I recently treated myself to this gorgeous tablecloth. I am so in love with it that I’ve since gone back & bought it in a festive green colour. It’s perfect for holiday dinner parties!
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Tis’ the season for curling up on the couch to watch festive films! I’ve already compiled a mental list of everything I want to fit into the month ahead, but what’s on your list? I want to make sure we don’t miss any of the classics!
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Our love for Al Pacino was reignited recently after we saw The Irishman, and we’ve decided to take a look back at some of his greatest films. So far we’ve indulged in: Panic in Needle Park, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Scarface, & the first Godfather. We are far from finished & the interest is still going strong – we have yet to find a film we don’t love!
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As much as I like the idea of joining a book club, I’d honestly be too afraid to get involved in a discussion. I’d only really be there for the wine & snacks. Thank goodness for online book clubs! I’m following along with @theslowtravelerbookclub & loving it – there’s no pressure! Last month we read Three Women, & this month we’re reading My Sister, the Serial Killer. It’s fun getting to read & enjoy books that I wouldn’t normally come across. Why don’t you join along?
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I am definitely going to find a way to work this Pear Panna Cotta Cake into my December baking list. It looks so beautiful.
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An oldie but a goodie, December edition: Christmas Linzer Cookies. It’s been years since I made these & let’s be real – I love a good excuse to dig out my cookie cutters!
Thanks for reading along, friends! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year!
Hugs,
Vicki xo
PS, Boyfriend & I are off to Lyon next week! If you’d like to follow along, I’ll be posting to my stories on Instagram.