Another poll! So you guys know about those Christmas movies that actually like aren't Christmas movies? Well...

My hot chocolate recipe! It's like the only sweet thing I can make since no baking is involved *laughs*

Ingredients:

4 cups of whatever milk you want (nice, right?)

1/4 cup of sugar (I recommend cane sugar if you've got it)

1 whole cinnamon stick

1/2 whole vanilla bean, scraped OR 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup cocoa powder of your choice (Hershey's or Ghirardelli would be my recommendation)

3 & 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate of your choice (NOTE: if you want to use milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet, then just ignore the sugar part of the ingredients)

pinch of salt (kosher salt if you've got it)

whatever you wanna use to top your hot chocolate

Instructions:

Use a sharp knife to chop the chocolate into small pieces, the smaller the better but like it doesn't have to be super fine, ya know? just get them like chocolate chip size or smaller

Add the milk, powder, chocolate, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon stick, and salt to a medium saucepan that's on low heat

Stir regularly! That's an important tip. Use a whisk if you've got one or a spoon if you don't.

Warm and stir until the chocolate has completely melted.

Remove the cinnamon stick from the saucepan and the vanilla bean (if you didn't use extract) and just throw those away.

A silly Christmas poll 🤣

Our annual letter :) enjoy some reading music

Dear you (yeah, you!),

Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, this is for you (yeah, you).

I did something kinda crazy on the 23rd, and it was like the worst time to do something crazy too because I still had a few gifts to wrap because the mail got them in late, and I had a lot of planning to do for cooking Christmas feasts and my family was coming in for Christmas and they would be wanting to get together before Christmas (AKA the 23rd) to eat and visit, like you do, and there was just too much going on for me to duck out and disappear for an afternoon.

But I did it anyway.  

I hopped in my car at like - I dunno - 10:30 in the morning, and drove over three hours east of San Francisco to Yosemite National Park.  I know, I know, I can hear you guys going, “Scott? Why the heck would you do that?”  Easy.  I wanted to see snow.  My brain dove into this whole “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” mindset, and I could not, would not rest until I saw snow. 

And it was amazing.  Pristine, sparkly, white snow.  Totally picturesque.  It made me happy just to look at it, but I didn’t just look at it.  Oh no.  I’m not driving six plus total hours just to look at snow.  No, I got out and played around in it, threw some up in the air, built a snowman, and made a snow angel like the big kid that I am.  And it started snowing big flakes while I was there too which only made the whole experience better.  

And you know what else?  After I made the snow angel, I just kinda laid there for a while, looked up at the sky, and savored the whole experience. 

Okay okay, before I go any further, I know another thing you’re thinking.  “Scott!  Where’s Cassie in this whole side quest of yours?”  Baking with her mom.  December 23rd is very important mom and daughter time, and I’m not about to interrupt that.  So that’s why.

Anyway, so I’m laying in the snow just staring up at a gray sky with big, soft snowflakes falling down, and for a really nice moment, all the hustle and bustle just fades away.  And I can just be.  And I become thankful for that moment.  Which led me to list a lot of things I’m thankful for, more than just family and friends. I got really deep into the list. I list things like the car that got me here and the gas I could buy so I could come here and that I’ve got a good job where I can provide and the clothes and boots that are keeping me warm even though I’m laying in cold snow and the fact I have a home to go to when this is all over and there’s food in my fridge and…you get the idea.

And right now I’m thankful for the internet that helps me stay in touch with all of you guys no matter wherever you are physically.

I’ve learned a lot about gratitude in my life.  Gratitude helps keep me grounded and stable, even when I feel like I’ve got nothing to be thankful for.  And boy, have I felt like that too many times to count in my life.  And who hasn’t, right? I feel like we all have experienced those moments, and those moments suck.

But the truth is you can always find something to be thankful for, even if it’s the tiniest thing. Being thankful for even one thing is better for your mindset than not being thankful at all.  Why am I saying all this stuff now instead of a month ago? Because thankfulness should extend beyond one day. It should extend to lots and lots of days (read as “everyday”) if we can get into the habit of it.  

The point is that sometimes you need to actively step away from the speed of life, settle into the moment, just be, and practice being thankful.  Because we’ve all got something to be thankful for.  So today, no matter if you celebrate Christmas or not, I challenge you to actively step away from the speed of the holiday, settle into a quiet place and have a quiet moment, just be, and start counting blessings.  See what happens to your mind and your heart when you do.  It’s a pretty neat experience honestly.

And remember that when I count mine?  You’re on that list.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, happy holidays to those who don’t, and most importantly, lotsa love,

One of my favorite versions of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - the original version

And I really do wish you a Merry Christmas ❤️💚

A wish.

I really wish that your next few days are more chill than any of these Christmas movie scenes!

A story/recipe!

So one time back when I was still living in Florida, I was like 9 I think, funds were really tight that year, and Christmas was looking...well, it could have been a whole lot worse in retrospect, but to a 9 year old, it looked pretty grim.

But I learned a lot more about Christmas and family that year than I ever had in my childhood. It ended up being a fun Christmas. My father had to work during the holidays, so they were already looking up. Mom, Sadie, and I spent the night at Pappap and Gigi's house on Christmas Eve and spent that day and Christmas Day at their house. We played board games and card games, made homemade ornaments, watched old Christmas movies, and Sadie and I listened to Mom, Pappap, and Gigi tell stories about when Mom was a kid.

It was one of my favorite Christmases as a kid.

And it was also the year I got to help Gigi cook Christmas dinner! Which was like a really big deal for me, that like made me an adult. Or at least as much an adult as a 9 year old could be anyway.

But like I said, funds were really tight that year, so the feast wasn't a "feast" like how we would think of one. It was a hearty meal though. It's one of my favorite dishes to this day, and it's one of those dishes that I don't deviate from how I learned to make it. You know how some cooks like to experiment? I'm one of those kinds of cooks, but when it comes to this dish? I don't change a thing.

It's chicken pot pie casserole, and it's pretty easy! See below for the recipe!

A new version of the Carol of the Bells I've discovered. If you listen to this while you do some wrapping, like I am, you're gonna feel like a conquering hero when you're done!