Ideas for the Holidays.

Amazing how time flies... we're nearly halfway into November! Less than a month from now, many of us will be preparing for the holidays and thinking about presents to put under the Christmas / Yule / Hanukkah tree.
In order to get myself in the right mindset, in the next couple of weeks I'm going to try and post a bunch of party, decoration, food & drink and gift ideas.

(c) christmasstockimages.com

First of all: the tree. I have to admit: I love the smell of a real tree. Still, I hate the thought of slaying it just to decorate the house for a while.
Therefore, many years ago, I decided to buy a tree with roots and plant it out in the garden afterwards for reuse the next year. Unfortunately that didn't work out. By the time I got around to putting it outside, it was too far gone.

After three years of miserable failure, I finally succeeded to save one. I planted it in my herb garden (where it really didn't fit in), didn't dig it out for the following holiday seasons and eventually moved it to another part of the garden where it died anyway. In my defense, I did cut it up and compost it.

In the meantime I've found a compromise: I wait until a couple of days before Christmas, when all normal people have long got their tree and the only ones left are the poor little ugly trees nobody wanted. That's when I come in, a superhero with wool mittens, offering that little, despairing, cut-down tree an opportunity to fulfil its final purpose: to bring beauty and joy to a living room. And every year I'm surprised what a bit of careful pruning, lots of sparkly lights and lavish gold-coloured decoration can achieve.

But as perceivers go (another not-so-covert MBTI reference), I'm always open to consider alternatives for the classic tree, and a few of these certainly hold potential:

Last year, on a champagne tasting trip to France, I saw this at the Mercier house:

Wouldn't that make a brilliant, bubbling Christmas tree? I swear, if anyone wants to get me one of those, I'll take good care of it! I might even share.

Just in case you're not a millionaire, here are a few other, more budget friendly suggestions:

A tree made with your favourite chocolates:

Or your best-loved books:

And I just love these:

• My absolute favourite from All the luck in the world.
• Actually, this sushi tree might be even better, if you don't mind having to make a new one each day. Great idea for a seasonal party though!
• Clever Karen's vintage card tree.
• The wooden possibiliTree®: a frame you can decorate any which way you like.
• Get creative with the content of your bookshelves and see how observant your visitors are.
• Got a hammer and nails? Find a couple of pieces of wood to recycle and make one of these, or get one at Wood & Wool Stool.

And now for something completely different, but not entirely: if you'd consider getting someone a pet for a present, see how to wrap it below. Buffoonery, I say!

♥ Bookmark or share this post ♥

Cider, sushi and Sunday aperitifs.

Another lovely sunny day today, which I wanted to celebrate with a healthy pre-dinner drink, especially after last night's (Somerset) cider tasting.

Two dear friends had got us the ciders (3 kinds: Cox's, medium dry and oak matured), and after a bit of doubt what food we'd pair them with, we decided on sushi.
 
I tried to make sushi for the first time about a year ago, and found out that - once you get the hang of it - it's not really that hard.

Of course I wouldn't compare mine to anything made by a real sushi chef, but for 'regular home consumption' they're pretty good.

On top of that they're fun to experiment with, they're healthy, made with a variety of good quality fresh ingredients ánd my immediate environment loves them, which is what matters most, really.

Pairing sushi with those exquisite ciders was a bit of an experiment, but we were surprised at how well it worked. Definitely something we'll be doing again!

But this morning I felt like a healthy, refreshing, sugar- and alcohol-free aperitif, so I decided to go for one of my (as yet unnamed) classics. Name suggestions are always welcome, by the way.

Here's how to make it:

1. Take a long-drink glass
2. Add an ice-cube if you want (I would do this in summer, I didn't now)
3. Add a splash of grapefruit juice
4. Add a splash of lemon (or lime) juice
5. Top up with sparkling water
6. If you have a sweet tooth: add a bit of natural sweetener. (I use stevia).
7. Stir and taste if it needs more grapefruit, lime or sweetener
8. Add a splash of carrot juice for the taste and the orange gradient effect.

(Use freshly squeezed juices if possible, but bottled will do, as long as it's got no added sugar. You don't need a lot of juice, it's just a bit for the taste and the colour, so this drink isn't high in fructose either.)

Enjoy!

♥ Bookmark or share this post ♥