From House To Home

When I stop and really think about it, Christmas is all about the little things and how they add up to make a special celebration. It’s spending that bit of extra time with my family, baking a festive confection, or finding that spare chair for an unexpected but “so-glad-to-have-you!” guest. It’s finding that unique, little twist in decorating for the holidays that doesn’t throw the budget so far off kilter. Little things, sure—but they all make me smile. And a smile can sometimes be the biggest gift.

It’s a little like Sarah Susanka’s best-selling ideas, only geared toward something less tangible, perhaps: the Not-So-Big Holiday. Whether you celebrate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or Christmas, you don’t have to go crazy, go broke, or gain 10 pounds. You don’t have to have the biggest party for coworkers, family, or friends. You don’t have to shop until you drop.

Instead, try getting in touch with all the simple but sensational sides of celebrating this time of year: Shop, but stop for a leisurely cup of steaming cocoa at the mall. Entertain guests with healthy, easy-to-fix appetizers. Bake a gingerbread house with all the sticky, colorful goodies you can find from a trip to the nearest old-fashioned candy store.

If you do, the spirit of the season may find you in all those simple, sweet ways: in the softly falling snow, in the warm and glowing fireplace, in all those big and little hopes of your children and grandchildren. There—are you smiling? So am I. Season’s greetings!

From our home to yours,

Kim Malakowsky

Editor-in-Chief

Write to me at (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)