joanna vaught » christmas

Goals for the Holidays

joanna — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 02:54:13 +0000

(photo template courtesy of the amazing puglypixel)

This is my favorite time of year. I spend eight months wishing that it were October through December, and then it comes, and I’m so busy rushing around that it all happens in a blur of Vegan MoFo-Halloween-Thanksgiving-Milo’s birthday-Christmas-Our Anniversary-New-Years, followed by the two most depressing months to live in the Pacific Northwest: January and February, aka Cold and Grey and Somehow Colder and Greyer.

Tonight, while I was going over my Thanksgiving shopping list, I wrote on a scrap of paper a few goals for my holiday season, and I’ve decided to share them with you:

♥ Dress up for Thanksgiving dinner…but bring a change of clothes for post-dinner video game playing
♥ Watch lots of movies with Milo, snuggled under blankets
♥ Reread the entire Harry Potter series
♥ Involve Milo in the baking and decorating of his birthday cake
♥ Attend the Mississippi and St. Johns Christmas tree lightings with my family
♥ When talking with Milo, keep the emphasis on tradition, family, kindness, and goodwill and downplay the acquisition of stuff as much as possible
♥ Send hand-written cards
♥ Watch the Christmas Ship Parade—we kept missing it last year
♥ Shop exclusively at local, independent businesses
♥ Bake, bake, bake
♥ Get a sitter for our anniversary and do something special with Matt
♥ Take lots of pictures
♥ Spend as little money as possible

I’ve compiled three, count ‘em, three playlists of Christmas music:

christmas: coffee ♥ a playlist of mellow tunes to listen to while you’re drinking your coffee and watching the lights blink on the tree
christmas: crafting and cooking ♥ a mix of old and new songs to play in the background while you glue sequins and roll dough
christmas: cocktail party ♥ classics, heavy on the crooners

What are your goals for the season?

I Love Christmas

joanna — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 16:43:13 +0000

It had been a while since my last installment of lovey-dovies, I am long overdue for a gushing.

It’s my favorite time of year and I’m full of holiday merriment. I love decorating for the holidays. I spread it out over several weeks so that the final touches are going up in the days just before Christmas. Right now, I spend every morning before work sitting on the couch next to Milo, tucked under the same blanket as him, drinking my coffee and doing a crossword or reading in front of the tree:

living room, decked out for Christmas

It’s such a pleasant way to start the day.

I love seeing the decorations in the homes of some of my favorite bloggers, too. What I love most about Christmas decorations is that the best ones are inexpensive, handmade or vintage, utterly and totally unpretentious in every way!

Like the snowflakes and the cranberry-and-popcorn garland on Alicia Paulson‘s hearth:

photo from Alicia Paulson's Posie Gets Cozy blog

And check out this sweet vintage aluminum tree bedecked with doll dresses in Elsie‘s home.

In the last few weeks, I’ve been checking Mary Engelbreit‘s Christmas books out of the library and just flipping through them. Usually, her work is a little too cutesy and dear for me (yes, even for me), but at Christmas, it hits just the right note. Red gingham and black and white check and scottie dogs and cherry prints and vintage toys and snow villages, yes yes yes! I love the enthusiasm and “Pine swags for every room! A stack of wrapped presents in coordinated papers on every surface!” approach of a Mary Engelbreit or Martha Stewart, partly because I can close the book or magazine whenever I want and return to my slightly more understated holiday home.

A new addition to our holiday home this year: Ralphie’s house from A Christmas Story:

Ralphie's house

I saw this at a Christmas store in Stone Harbor, NJ¹ this summer and couldn’t help myself. I mean, it’s a model of Ralphie’s house, complete with the major award in the front window!

Having a 3-year-old has only made me more psyched about decking the halls. This year, Milo has helped with every aspect of decorating our home. As we were putting the finishing touches on the Christmas tree, he turned to me and said: “Thank you for helping me put up the tree, Mommy.” Awww!

the matching pajamas were Milo's idea, I swear

It is an ongoing goal of mine—#47, to be precise—to create holiday and birthday traditions for Milo which are more about wonder, rituals, family, and friends than they are about presents. We are trying earnestly to attend every public celebration, tree lighting, and festival that we can possibly stand.

Here are my favorite dudes at the St Johns tree lighting:

on Daddy's shoulders

Our hunky mayor getting some assistance with lighting the tree:

St Johns Christmas tree lighting

It’s been raining every day for a solid week, and is supposed to continue for the next week and a half (thanks, El Nina!), but we’re trying to take advantage of the sun when it happens, or else just ignore the rain like real Portlanders and go about our business, anyway. And when it is raining? Well, all the more reason to stay inside with a mug of cider, some cookies, and yet another viewing of Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas.

Finally, as a Christmas present to me—I can only assume that this is why it happened—my favorite live band of all time, The Dismemberment Plan, announced that they were adding one west coast show to their reunion tour. So I’m going to see The Dismemberment Plan in March in Seattle! Hooray! Merry Christmas to me! I will be able to cross off #44 on my Life List!

¹ Why are all the best Christmas stores in beach towns? Next question: where is the person who wants to gift me a large sum of money to move to a beach town and open up a Christmas store?

Christmas in August

joanna — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:32:59 +0000

So we begin the slow task of re-adding the recipes to the site that were lost. I’m starting with my Christmas recipes: two of my all-time favorite cookie recipes for filling up stockings on Christmas Eve, and my recipe for mulled wine, which is a permanent fixture in my kitchen for the week leading up to Christmas. Is it any surprise that Christmas is my favorite time of year when I’m ladling out two glasses of warm wine for myself every night?

Did I mention that I made a mix tape for you listen to while you baked cookies?

Roll Out Gingerbread Boys
makes 2 or 3 dozen, depending on cookie cutter size

My mom has been making gingerbread men for Christmas gifts since before I was even born. It was actually a bit of a cottage industry for her when I was a kid, so you could be sure that on any given weekend after November 1, my house would be filled with the smell of gingerbread. I started making these cookies at Christmas as a tribute to her wonderful gingerbread men.

1/4 cup Earth Balance shortening or coconut oil
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup cold water
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Cream together shortening, brown sugar, and molasses. Stir in water and set aside. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Mix flour mixture slowly into molasses mixture.

Divide dough into two portions and wrap each portion with wax paper or parchment and chill for at least two hours. Take out one portion, keeping the other portion cool until you roll it out.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut with medium-sized, floured gingerbread cookie cutters.

On greased baking sheets, bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks before decorating. Store decorated cookies in an airtight container with sheets of wax paper between the layers.

The Best Christmas Cookies
makes about 3 dozen

I veganized a recipe that I found in an old cookie book. This is the cookie recipe everyone asks for, so I thought I’d put it online for easy reference. I make these as small cookies but I am thinking about trying to make a couple of giant ones this year. If you get around to it before I do, let me know how they turn out!

1/2 cup Earth Balance spread
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup cane sugar
1 egg replacer (I use a flax egg)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup organic oats
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1/2 cup flake coconut
1/2 cup slivered or chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped pecans
sea salt for dusting (optional)

Cream together Earth Balance, sugars, egg replacer, and vanilla. Add flour, oats, baking powder, and salt, and mix well. Stir in raisins, coconut, almonds, and pecans. Drop by teaspoon onto greased baking sheets and flatten slightly with a fork. Optional (you might want to skip if you’re making these for kids): sprinkle by hand a few granules of sea salt on top of each cookie. Bake at 325 for 12-15 minutes. Transfer from baking sheets to cooling racks immediately upon removing from oven. These are best when they’re still warm. Store in an airtight container with a piece of bread to keep them soft.

Crockpot Mulled Wine

If you’re expecting guests, you’re probably going to want to double this recipe.

1 1/2 liters of red wine
1 medium orange or large lemon
2-3 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons whole cloves
1 whole nutmeg (You don’t buy ground anymore, right? You always grate your own nutmeg? Oh, good, what a relief.)
3/4 cup sugar (Any vegan sugar will work here.)

Pour bottle or bottles of wine into a large crockpot and set on low. Cut your citrus fruit in half and squeeze directly into the wine, then add the squeezed fruit rind to the pot. Add cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

Cover and simmer wine for at least 20 minutes, then add the sugar. Stir in well. Simmer for another 10 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved.

Strain the wine and serve immediately. Return leftover strained wine to the crockpot and keep on low.

I have to tell you, this post has made me heartbreakingly nostalgic for the Christmas season. Admittedly, it doesn’t take much, since I’m such a Christmas freak that I celebrate from the day after Thanksgiving until the day before Valentine’s Day every year.