My Favorite Christmas Gifts

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas. We were blessed to have had another wonderful Noche Buena with lots of food, laughter and presents. They say it’s better to give than to receive…a motto I like to live by. So instead of talking about the favorite gifts I received, I chose instead to share with you some of the favorite gifts I gave this holiday season.

My Time

This past Sunday my daughter, my boo and I went to the DC Jewish Community Center to help wrap gifts for the needy and the homeless. It was an enjoyable and needed change of pace from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. It was also a wonderful bonding opportunity for us as a family in a different but good way. As I was assembling gift bags for the homeless with basic necessities such as toothpaste, a toothbrush, soap, lotion, shampoo, warm gloves, hats and socks; it really hit me how blessed we truly are to have what we have.  I really appreciate the DCJCC putting together a wonderful volunteer program that made it so easy to find opportunities for families to work on projects together. I wish more community programs made it this easy for busy people participate in giving back to their communities. If you want to learn more about their program please visit the DCJCC website for more information here.

Preservation Of Family History

I’m super, super blessed to still have both of my eight-something year old grandparents with me. As an added bonus, Mima and Pipo as I endearingly call them, are still in fairly good health and live close by. My daughter has gotten to meet and grow up with her great-grandparents—what a special thing! I’m very close to both of my maternal grandparents as they raised me for several years while I was still living in Cuba. But, like many of us I find myself often taking these amazing things in that happen in our everyday lives for granted. This year, I gave my grandparents—and my whole family really—a gift of family history preservation.

I can remember being a little girl and my grandfather telling me stories about his grandfather. But it wasn’t until recently that it dawned on me—wow, he can trace our family history back 6 generations! We’re talking the mid 1800’s here!! So, my gift to him may seem a little weird to most... I got him a tape recorder. I found the simplest old school tape recorder I could find on Amazon and bought him an entire pack of blank cassette tapes (didn’t know they still made these). I asked him on his downtime or whenever a memory or thought of the past came to mind, to pop in a tape and press record. I explained that his memories and life experiences were treasures that he could leave for us and our family for generations to come. I intend on writing a family memoir someday (but probably not for a long time) and without these precious memories of his, it wouldn’t be as meaningful. Unfortunately, our family emigrated from another country fairly recently, so sites like ancestry.com won’t really help us trace our family history. He is our ancestry.com I explained. He laughed. I think it made him feel special that I appreciated his wisdom and years of experience and that they really meant something to our family.

And I can’t leave my Mima out of this project. I asked her to also add anything she felt was pertinent to this ad-hoc documentary and I also gave her a blank recipe book. For obvious reasons; I mean who doesn’t love their grandma’s cooking? At first I felt weird about giving them these somewhat morbid gifts, but think the way I explained it really helped them understand that it wasn’t intended to be morbid in any way. I just really value their wisdom and appreciate them as the matriarch and patriarch of our family.

So there you have it. Another wonderful Navidad we were given to share in the presence of family and friends. What were some of the favorite gifts you gave?

Our Christmas Traditions

As in many Cuban families we celebrate Christmas Eve, or Noche Buena. For Latin families, it often involves a big feast and the gathering of family and friends. Noche Buena is celebrated throughout most of Latin America, Spain and the Philipines.

In my family we usually open gifts at midnight on Noche Buena, but many Cuban families give gifts on Jan. 6th—ThreeKing's Day—which celebrates the three wise men’s visit to baby Jesus and is the traditional day Cuban children get their gifts.

This year Noche Buena was celebrated at my home. I was blessed to be joined by my mother, brother, grandma and grandpa, my daughter and my cousin. The traditional meal at a Cuban Noche Buena celebration is lechon (roast pork), black beans, white rice, yucca with mojo, fried plantains, salad and flan for dessert. I chose to switch it up a bit and didn’t make the “traditional” Cuban Noche Buena dinner—primarily because we don’t eat pork—so we had beef ribs, roasted chicken instead.

And although my grandparents can no longer stay up until midnight to open gifts, we still had a great time and I feel incredibly blessed to be able to celebrate another Christmas with my family and keep our Noche Buena traditions going. 

Wishing you all a blessed Christmas!

Source: amazon.com via Ondina on Pinterest

Creating a Sophisticated Rustic Christmas Theme

As promised, I'm sharing photos and DIY tutorials of how I created a "Sophisticated Rustic" Christmas theme.

I started off with a natural 6 foot Fraser Fir tree to give the whole house a fresh outdoorsy scent.



Using a roll of 4" wide burlap for tinsel gave my already blinged out tree a more rustic feel.



I stuck with gold and copper toned ornaments to play off of the brown in of the burlap.

Adding a pop of color here and there...

 

Check out the tutorial for these really cute pinecone topiary trees.

 

 

 Added some natural elements

I found this dried grass at the Dollar Store







Check out the tutorial for these cinnamon stick votive holders 

 

 

Wrapped gifts using kraft paper and pretty ribbons and various embelishments 

 

 

 

Hope you can find some Rustic Sophistication Inspiration for your Christmas!

What my daughter’s letter to Santa taught me

I know I haven’t written a post in quite some time. At first I was just really busy with work and holiday preparations and I kept putting it off. Then after what happened in Connecticut…I honestly just haven’t had the desire to write about anything. Like many other parents throughout the country, I’ve taken what happened at that school pretty hard. Having a school-aged child myself, it’s been hard not to imagine myrself in the shoes of one of the parents that lost a child so tragically and inexplicably. But, in an effort to move past the grief and sadness, I’m writing this post in the spirit of Christmas, Childhood and Innocence lost too soon. I dedicate this post to my daughter—whom I’ve held extra close, loved extra hard and thanked the lord for many, many times these past few days.

This is my 9-year olds letter to Santa (I added a transcript at the end in case it's hard to read): 

Leilani is her name. It means heavenly flower in Hawaiian and when I first heard it, I knew it was perfect for her. So far she’s lived up to her moniker effortlessly. Ever since she’s been old enough to write letters to Santa she has never forgotten to thank him for the gifts she received the year before. I love this about her. You can teach your kids to be polite and show them manners, but gratitude is something that cannot be taught. She has a grateful soul and a compassion for others that far exceeds anything I’ve been able to teach her. Like all children she will test her limits—she knows she’s not getting an iphone or a Soda Stream! But she’ll never get angry or upset about it. She’s always happy and thankful for whatever she receives. Her witt and cretivigy shine through her personality...I don’t know where she got the idea that Santa’s mailing address is “Santa’s Groto, North Pole” lol. This year she was also thoughtful enough to write a letter to Santa on behalf of her 1-year old half-brother. Again, nobody asked her to do this…it’s just the type of kind-hearted soul she is.

I never thought I could get so much out of a letter to Santa! Reading it really brought me joy this year. Perhaps it’s because of what happened in Newtown. Perhaps it’s because she’s at an age where she definitely questions whether Santa is real and I know there won’t be too many more of these letters to come. Whatever it was, it really struck home with me and reminded me to really treasure what I have…the little things…the subtleties.

Letter to Santa Transcript
Dear Santa,
This year for Christmas I would like...
1. Soda Stream with powdered soda
2. iphone
3. Shimmer tattoo
4. American Girl doll Josefina with accesories
5. Movie-The Nightmare Before Christmas
6. A new sled
P.S. Thank you for last years gifts
I live at ____________
(heart) Leilani N.

How to Pull Off a Pink Christmas Theme

I love the idea of pink Christmas decorations. It’s different…I like different; and it’s beautiful…I like pretty things. I honestly don’t know why I hadn’t given it much thought until now. Then I saw this picture which totally inspired me to give it a try.

Source: dotcomwomen.com via Maria CraftyMACJ on Pinterest

Although non-traditional for Christmas décor, pink colors can work because they can give off a soft frosty look or a fun pop of unexpected color. I’m  totally inspired to give pink a try for Christmas…not this year but maybe someday!

Ok so, first thing’s first; let’s discuss pinkness. There are so many shades! But basically you have the following:

You've got your baby pinks, frosted pinks, Pepto Bismol pinks, and hot pinks.

 

But, unless you have a design background or a natural eye for color schemes (of which I have neither) I assume the best way to go about it is to pick a palette and stick to it.

 

Here are some ideas I think work well:

Pearlized or Frosted Pink

From top left: Pink Ornaments w/ Pearls, Pink Wreath, Pink Ornaments,  Fluffy Fairy Lights





 

Iridescent and Glitter 



From top left: Hanging Iridescent Ornaments, Glitter Reindeer Ornament, Ornaments in Bowl, Glittery Gifts

 

 

Hot Pink and Darker Shades of Pink

 

 

From top left: Hot Pink Ornaments and Tinsel, LED lights, Star Tree Topper, Tree Skirt

 

 

Accents: Just a Hint of Pink Here and There

 

From top left: Pink Candlesticks, Baby's First Christmas Ornament, Ribbon, Cranberry Mojitos

 

 

Pick a Pink Dessert Theme: 

 

From top left: Christmas Candyland, Nutcracker, Let it Snow, Gingerbred House

 

 

Despite all of the pretty pink-power shown above; here are some things that I want to avoid:

 

Too Much of a Good Thing

 



Pink Trimmings on a pink canvas is just too overpowering. Also, don't overdo it with the trimmings (of any color); leave some "white space".

 

 

Pink on a Light/White Tree

Pink on a background that is too light can end up looking washed out, too 80's, or give off a harsh contrast.

 



There is nothing wrong with these looks, it's just not what I'm going for. So in the end I think I will be brave and bold and give pink a try (someday). I hope these tips and ideas encourage you to try it too!

 

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Holiday Gifts for Teens/Pre-Teens

If you are the parent of a teen/pre-teen you probably already have a pretty good idea of what types of gifts they want this holiday season. But if you have a teenaged niece, granddaughter or family member on your list that you are a little clueless about what to get for the holidays, here are some simple guidelines to help you:

If you ask me, the best types of gifts for this age group are gift cards and gift certificates. Teens and pre-teens are at an age where they are trying to assert their independence; giving them the power to make their own buying decisions will surely go over well with this age group. They also happen to be old enough now to appreciate the value of getting, well… basically money. But unlike cash, with a gift card you have some control over the type of merchandise they can purchase, and this tech-savvy generation will appreciate being able to make purchases online. Here are some suggestions for gift cards that will definitely keep you out of the lame zone this holiday season:
 

• Movie Theatres
• Amazon
• i-Tunes
• Bookstores
• Department Stores
• Mall Gift Cards
• Cosmetic, Bath or Jewelry Boutiques
• Specialty Sports/Athletic Stores
• Specialty Gaming Stores
• Electronic Stores
• Restaurants
• Specialty Hobby Shops
• Summer Camps
• Spas, Hair/Nail Shops
• Facebook Credits

Photo via Flickr by Mr. T in DC

Now that you know what’s hot, here are some gift-giving pitfalls you will want to avoid:

Fashion- Avoid buying clothes, shoes etc…unless you are sure it is something they want. At this developmental stage adolescents are trying to find their identities and fashion provides a sense of identity for many teens. But with this age group, clothing is much more than just style. Fashion also serves as a way of identifying which social groups (jocks, preppy, goth, etc) they belong to or wish to identify with. Rebellion, pop culture, peer pressure and many other factors also influence what teens want to wear. Needless to say, no matter how good your sense of style may be, picking out clothes for adolescents is never simple.

Beauty Products- Beauty product gifts are usually popular with teen girls because most of them want to explore new looks and they want to get noticed. But, unless you know what rules their parents have about wearing makeup, nail polish etc… it’s best to stay away from this type of gift. To be safe, go with non-makeup beauty products such as soaps, lotions, shampoos and perfumes instead.

Cell Phones- The same rationale in paragraph above also applies to cell phones and electronics. If the teen you are shopping for doesn’t already have their own a cell phone, tablet, TV etc.; find out first if it’s because their parents don’t want them to have one yet.

Shopping for the teen/pre-teen age group (which usually covers ages 9-19) doesn’t have to be a nightmare as long as you keep these few simple rules in mind. As with anything else, use your common sense when picking out age-appropriate gifts and if you’re ever in doubt ask the parents. I hope some of these tips will help you make that special young person in your life exclaim OMG! this holiday season.

Christmas Inspiration Board-Sophisticated Rustic

For my holiday decorating this Christmas I’m going for a sophisticated rustic look. What is Sophisticated Rustic you ask? Well, check out my inspiration board below for my take on what it looks like. A variety of natural, woodsy elements give it a “rustic” feel and a bit of gold or sparkle here and there for the “sophisticated” part and voila!

Check back with me throughout the month as I share photos and DIY tutorials of how I’m bringing Rustic Sophistication to life in my holiday décor.

Fluffy Tail Squirrel Ornaments,  Shimmering Stones Centerpiece, Christmas Tree, Birch Bark Candles, Gilded Pear Basket, Christmas Log, Cookie Mix Gift,  Linen Poinsettia Garland, Cream Berry Wreath.