Something More Than Nothing: Combat Shopping? Decorating For Christmas Is More Fun!

It's almost time for this. I have been comparing prices of food for the past few days. I am planning on putting together gift platters for Christmas. I have in mind all that I want to include in these. I will post pics when I assemble them. I love planning and budgeting.

Like most cooks, I am gathering my recipes and planning out the Thanksgiving feast. I think that this year I will buy a prepared pumkin pie from Sam's Club. I always make pumpkin pie and I think it will be nice this year to enjoy a Sam's Club pumpkin pie. My daughter Britt raves about this store made pie. She keeps telling me how delicious it is. She makes wonderful pumpkin pie and if she says it's good, I trust her! I may however make a cherry pie just to have something for those who aren't crazy about pumpkin.

I will be most likely cooking for 12 of us. My Gram had some really great jello salad recipes so I always try to include one of those in our big meal. Either a cranberry salad or a fun apricot jello salad with a unique cool whip topping that is topped with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. This one is my personal favorite... My Grammy Ruth was a wonderful cook and decorator. I admired and appreciated her efforts always.

I make my stuffing with celery, onion, mushrooms, cornbread, cream of mushroom soup and I throw in a handful of craisins. Delicious! My family asks me to make deviled eggs to add to our feast. I usually just bake yam rounds with butter and salt and pepper. I love fluffy, creamy mashed potatoes. I found a nice roll recipe in Ree Drummonds Year Of Holidays cookbook. I think I will keep it simple with steamed broccoli. I have made green bean casserole for years. I always end up throwing so much of that away that I decided to keep it simple this year.

We will toast with wine and sparkling cider for the kids and non drinkers like me... Coffee and dessert will finish off the evening. Hopefully a nice walk around the neighborhood too. It is back into the 80's all this week. I know that much of this country is freezing their tails off. We are still overheating here lol. Waiting for cool weather! Not looking forward to having the oven on all day cooking my turkey in a small house when it is close to 90 degrees outside.

Since we moved to AZ it has been my tradition to decorate for Christmas the weekend right after Thanksgiving. No shopping involved! The Phoenix area is crazy on Black Friday! I remember abolutely cracking up when my then 16 year old daughter Delcee and I tried to shop during the holiday season. Women were getting aggresive and pushy in an isle... Delcee looked at me and with an annoyed teenage look she exclaimed, " Combat Shopping! " OMG that was so funny to me. I couldn't quit laughing. It was just...funny and so insightful... Lol Combat Shopping... So, this taught us that shopping Black Friday in Phoenix is too frustrating. I would rather decorate anyway!

This was my other life...Single Mom of 3. Delcee was the youngest, Lexie in the middle and my oldest Britt.

All of my lovely daughters will also be cooking for their families for Thanksgiving. I am a proud Mom! They all enjoy cooking, and are gifted with mad culinary skills lol!