cheer

the best way to spread christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. because i already had done this since thanksgiving and irritated everyone around me, instead of buying a normal gift for my family and close friends, i opted to cook for everyone. it was six hours in the kitchen for a whole lot of smell-goods and smiles as a final reward.

i made raspberry butter with black and white muffins, pumpkin butter with brown sugar cinnamon muffins, peach butter with praline muffins, and apple butter with caramel muffins. click each word for recipe links, i highly recommend trying any or all of the above.

and the following are a few more photos from the holidays, christmas eve and christmas day with my close family and the warmth that always opens the back door for a perfect mixture of cooking, sweaters, laughter, and fresh winter air. enjoy.

i absolutely adore my parent's house during this time of year. every corner has a decorative surprise with a history of ancient proportions that belonged to someone's grandma's cousin's aunt's daughter's goat that she lived with in viking land back in the day. and i love that. there's something so important about throwing everything aside and enjoying your family during this time of year. i couldn't be more blessed or more thankful for my parents, my brother and sister, their loved ones, and my close friends here in town. it's wonderful to have so much true and genuine love in my life. i only hope that this love is echoed in families all over the world because someone else needs to feel the joy i get from it. happiness is only true when shared. i hope you all had a merry christmas and a happy holiday. see you right before the new year and after.

breathe peace.