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The anticipation of the holidays

Yael Lektser
Dec 20, 2016
3 min read

In our home, a Christmas tree is the main decoration of the winter holidays. My favorite Christmas tradition is the selection of the tree. I really love real Christmas trees, because of their unique smell, soft needles, and the way they remind me of my childhood. Now days, at a time when everything is made of plastic, I want something live even more!

Today was a nice sunny day in Calgary, and we decided to march out on a mission to find a tree with an important member of the family.

Tip: The best place to buy a Christmas tree in Calgary is Ikea. The tree cost 20$ and you'll receive a coupon for 20$ that you could use until February, if you buy Ikea product for 70$. Therefore, not only is the tree one of the cheapest you can find, if you need to buy household items before February, then your tree becomes free.

Here are our beauties:

and this is my daughter, with our chosen tree.

Now the tree is warming up in the house and slowly opening up. Tip: it is important to cut of the end of the tree and add water twice a day at the begining and let the tree open up slowly, especially if it has been sitting outside in the cold for a long time, otherwise, the branches could break.

While the tree is opening, I wanted to show you how we celebrated previous holidays, including the food we put on the table, and give you some tips.

Here's a few examples:

My youngest daughter made these cute chocolate covered Oreos with chocolate covered raspberries and a kiss, that look like little mousses. This is really easy, and fun recipe to do with kids. Most importantly, it is a sure party hit.

Candles always give ambiance and romantic lighting. We have them all over the house, especially on the tables. My daughter Irina, also likes to add naturally scented candles in the bathrooms during parties, because it brings a nice touch to the house.

Fruits and berries are a natural art and are full of vitamins. Plus, they are great as a last minute dish when guests come. You can get creative and make towers out of fruits, bouquets, or simply lay them on a beautiful dish.

Below is a home made - Rowan tincture infused vodka I like to prepare during the winter time. Just like the Italians have Lemoncello (infused Vodka with Lemons), we have infused vodka with barriers, or herbs. Each one has different health benefits, and some are used as antiseptics instead of drinking purposes. I will include a separate article about the health benefits, and preparation of this drink soon.

This is a beautiful cake that a friend brought for new years a few years ago. You can easily find your favorite cake recipe online, cut it in the shape of a snowman (or any other character you like), and then prepare a simple frosting made out of sour crème with sugar and lemon zest, and cover it with coconut flakes.

Mr. Snowman :-)

Duck with apples and potatoes, our traditional family meal. We simply roast the two with herbs and oil.

Puff Pies pastry with potatoes and cabbage. These are really easy, as we buy the puff pastry and add the cooked potatoe and cabbage filling, and bake on 350 until golden brown.