Christmas Wreaths of Native Materials

The December 1925 issue of Better Homes and Gardens included an article encouraging homemakers to construct their own Christmas wreaths using materials native to the areas in which they lived. Sensible advice for a live wreath expected to last the season—and perhaps even more fitting for a time when instructions on foraging felt far less suspect. Foraging in 2025 is more likely to earn you concerned looks from neighbors, if not a visit from law enforcement.

I did briefly consider making a wreath from the dried sunflower heads still lingering in our flower beds a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, it rained, they became soggy, and I simply could not bring myself to imagine a wet, pulpy wreath hanging on the door.

As I pondered alternatives, it occurred to me that the broader advice still holds. Exotic plants that don’t grow naturally in your area are harder to find and less likely to withstand the season. Much like friendships. We all have wonderful friends and family who live far away and whom we’d love to gather close during the holidays—but is that practical? Is it sustainable, year after year? Hard to say. Local friends, on the other hand, tend to be more readily available and better suited to weather daily life alongside us.

Then there is the idea of binding. Certainly, fancy ribbon or tinsel makes for a pretty wreath, but will it survive a storm? There is an obvious joke here about binding your friends with wire or zip ties, but I’ll move past it. Instead, perhaps the better binding is goodwill—shared memories, generosity, and laughter.

The article concludes with suggestions for keeping your wreath fresh and “evergreen.” While I might enjoy the idea of spritzing some of my friends with water to freshen them up after a few weeks, that seems ill-advised. Still, there may be something to be said for checking in on them periodically, just to make sure they’re doing alright.

How to Carve the Holiday Meats.

Holiday meats. Read that again. And Again. After a few times, it just sounds so very strange. Slow it down in your head Hollllllllllidaaaaaaaaaaay Meeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaattttsssssssssss.  Kinda makes me want to be a vegetarian.

Where was I going with this?  One of the articles of the 1925 BHG was titled how to carve the dinner meats and shows a photographic set of step by step instructions on meat carving.  Instructions for crown roast of lamb, prime rib, baked ham, pot roast, and chicken, turkey, duck, and goose are all provided.  

So many questions: Do people still do crown roast? Do people have prime rib for Christmas? Lastly, when you carve your turkey for the holidays how do you do it?

When I learned to carve a turkey, (from my Dad circa 1989), I learned to start with the breast and do thin diagonal slices across the breast meat over and over until you are up against the bone.  I thought this was how everyone sliced turkey, until Kat demonstrated her method which is to slice the entire breast off in one piece, place it on a cutting board and then carve that piece into smaller cross pieces.  

I tried to show my sons the way I was taught, but I’ll give you 3 guesses which way they do it.  The first two guesses don’t count.  But now I have the expert instructions of the BHG 1925 christmas edition to tell everyone that I Was Right.

Now that will put marzipan in your pie plate bingo.

I Want to Build a Home: Christmas from 100 years ago.

Have you ever wondered where the idea of a “traditional American Christmas” actually comes from? If our society is built on people immigrating from around the world and blending cultures together, shouldn’t our Christmas traditions reflect elements of the “old country”? For instance, if your family originally came from Mexico, or Greece, shouldn’t there naturally be bits of a Mexican Christmas or a Greek Christmas mixed in? But oddly… no.

For over a century, homemaking and lifestyle magazines have carefully crafted and curated the concept of the “traditional American Christmas.” It’s subtle, insidious, and absolutely rooted in consumerism.

Originally, Christmas traditions came with colonizers who simply recreated what they were used to back home. As the country grew, those colonizers clung tightly to their traditions while simultaneously oppressing and eradicating Indigenous peoples. Truly, they were multitaskers—but I digress.

Better Homes and Gardens, the flagship homemaking magazine began in 1922 as Fruit, Garden & Home before rebranding into the BHG we know. By 1925, they were already positioning themselves as arbiters of the “proper” American holiday. But what drove this communal compulsion to conform?

Based on some amateur internet sleuthing, I have a theory. History tells us the Great Depression ended when the U.S. entered WWII and wartime manufacturing jump started the economy (yes, wildly oversimplified). After the war, I believe the national sense of unity—“we all came together to defeat the bad guys”—combined with renewed economic stability helped fuel a desire for a homogenized holiday. A darker version of this theory is that fear of being labeled “different” or “un-American” also nudged people toward sameness.

And so, the traditional American Christmas was born—constructed, marketed, and sold. While I fully recognize that I’ve been influenced by it, and that my own traditions influence others, I’m struck by how intentionally this aesthetic was crafted. It didn’t evolve naturally. It was curated and promoted by the people selling magazines and, by extension, selling the idea of the ideal American dream.

I suspect this is one reason I’m so fascinated by how other cultures around the world celebrate Christmas. It’s also probably why I consume holiday lifestyle magazines at what could reasonably be called an unhealthy rate. The whole phenomenon is endlessly interesting to me.

All of this explains why I’m diving into the December 1925 issue of BHG: because even 100 years ago, the groundwork was already in place. I often applaud Martha Stewart for creating a market for her signature home goods by showcasing them in her magazines—but that strategy is far from new. In 1925, BHG was recommending popular gift ideas on the same pages where ads for those exact gifts were printed. Truly, nothing new under the sun.

The entirety of Better Homes and Gardens is available online, and I have spent a good deal of time focused on the 1925 Christmas edition.  What did Christmas look like 100 years ago?  What were the trends?  What has changed and what has stayed the same?  For the rest of my 25 days, I invite you to join me as I explore those 1925 articles and share my thoughts along the way.

This Will Be Our Year

This will be our year?

2025 has been a long year.  I have vague memories of new year's resolutions and goals I set for myself, but then… Look, this year has been challenging.  I had a steroid shot in my spine way back in January to correct some ongoing back pain.  My mother-in-law broke her ankle in February, Paul re-tore his previously repaired ACL in March, and had it replaced in April, followed by months of rehab.  I managed to re-injure my back, and my  doc implied I was an idiot.  Actually, what he said was “you are aware that the shot in January did not make you superman?” Matthew changed jobs twice.  The governor ordered all state employees working from home to return to the office.  That part wouldn't have been so terrible for Kathleen, except the number of state dhs employees outnumbers the number of seats in the sequoyah building by a few thousand. Friends and loved ones have had their own share of challenges this year as well.

Early in 2024 I went to a vision board party at my friend Erika’s.  I’ll drop a picture of my vision board here.   

When I got home, I set it on the bed to take a picture, and Shadoe kitty promptly attacked it, scratching it, pulling away paper with his teeth.  I should have taken that as a sign.  I’m trying to manifest for this year, and Shadoe kitty says, “sorry, the universe says NO.”

 

Spoiler alert:  We lived through it.  We survived.  I am not saying everything is all better because every day seems to have a new set of challenges. Yet, here we are.  I could say that our faith has helped, and talk about the power of prayer. (Yes I am mentioning prayer a few sentences after mentioning manifesting, just move on).  However if I start down that path, we get into my complicated relationship with prayer, which inevitably leads to a discussion of calvinism, then we are dipping our toes in fatalistic predestination. 

What is my point?  It may be a cold December, but it IS December, and in a few short weeks, this mess of a year will be done, and over.  2026 will be here soon and with it, another 12 months of opportunity.  Maybe part of the charm of this season is the promise of renewal is just around the corner?  December holds the shortest day, the most darkness of the year, but it is also the turning point, after that, the nights start getting shorter and the days get longer and pretty soon it is spring.  

So even though this year has been dark, I am forever hopeful that next year will be better.

Put a Little Holiday in your Heart

Have you  noticed a theme in the titles of the daily entries this year?  I am using the song title play list from Cher’s 2023 Christmas album.  For the last 2 years it has been my personal holiday soundtrack.  I am enamored of the combination of holiday classics and pop themed music like the popular DJ play a Christmas song, Angels in the Snow, and the title for today's entry “put a little holiday in your heart” - a duet sung with Cyndi Lauper.  The song serves as a catchy reminder during a busy time of year, when it is all too easy to get bogged down in the “to do list” of the season.

It is an annual argument at our house that I am “rushing the season” and that christmas talk before halloween is forbidden.  Certainly, I understand the point other people are making, and at the same time, as in the previous years, I am ignoring them. I admit, I go overboard, but I am not forcing anyone else to.  Mostly. 

I shared about Matthew and the lemon curd dutch baby holiday approach?  In the past I have shared that I am capable of dragging my family kicking and screaming through the holiday season with tinsel and matching pajamas, fuelled by egg nog and sugar cookies.  I can do it, but it is heavy lifting some years.  This year I am considering an alternate version of what is going on over here.  Maybe I am not trying to rush the season, or force joy and merriment on my family?  What if I am just trying to set the mood?

There are some painfully sad memories for my family in the months leading up to and during the Christmas season.  It is important to recognize that and honor the feelings that come with that.  My mom always said, when you are thirsty, have a drink of water.  AND, also, yet, however, still… for my immediate family it is sometimes challenging to open the door for the possibility of Christmas joy when you are experiencing sadness. Certainly, we aren’t alone.

I think sometimes, as adults, it is easy to get caught up in the regular life stuff.  Aren’t we already too busy on the day to day in a normal month?  So when December rolls around with parties, extra special church services, gift giving, decoration necessities and family expectations it certainly feels overwhelming.  I absolutely feel overwhelmed.  

This year, however, instead of dragging the family through the festivities and hoping something sticks, I am merely setting the mood.  Yes, I do play Christmas music in my car.  I’ll turn it down, and stop singing to you, but I’m not turning it off, I am setting the mood.  Yes, we are watching inane holiday rom-coms on tv at night, its background filler, because I am setting the mood.  Yes, as we prepare for our party, decorations have slowly been making an appearance at Matthew’s house.  I am not rushing the season, I am setting the mood.  Think of it as an invitation rather than an obligation.

I fully admit, I pulled the tree out of Matthew’s garage and set it up in his living room before November was over.  I am not rushing the season on him, I just needed it to stage the ornaments I have been crafting for the 25 days of day drinking and crafting videos.  I will get around to really decorating it soon.  I set it up, and I tested the lights, then I unplugged them when I was done.  I can not be held responsible if someone else turns them on and leaves them on in the background when he is home. We are just setting the mood. 

Santa Baby

Since we are reminiscing (back on the 4th) about inappropriate attire… Every December it is our custom to take the sunday school littles to “big church” at the beginning of the service for the lighting of the advent candles, and to hear/sing a few christmas hymns.  Then when the talking begins, we scurry back to our Sunday school class.  Last year, the children’s choir was also going to sing on one of those Sunday mornings.

Somehow a communication mishap occurred and one of the parents missed the memo that their daughter would be singing in big church.  Said daughter was also blithely unaware and dressed herself in a princess dress that morning.  Princess dresses are very popular with the pre-K crowd.  And for clarity, I don’t mean a dress that is reminiscent of a princess dress, I mean a dress that is an exact replica of the disney princess de jour.  All of the other children showed up in Christmas finery.  To stave off the meltdown, I offered up the solution that we do have children's choir robes, and that would be adorable.  However, apparently some people are really opposed to choir robes.  

The father of the daughter wearing the princess dress drove home and secured a change of clothes.  When he returned with a cute christmas outfit, you would think everything would be better.  You would be wrong.  The poor dad chose an outfit with a sequined llama wearing Christmas lights for his daughter.  What was wrong with that outfit?  His very serious princess daughter said that was too silly of an outfit to wear in BIG CHURCH to sing in front of everyone.  How could she be expected to sing about Jesus with a llama on her shirt and sequins?  By this time, church had already started and our class of littles was sitting on the front row.

I am not naming names, or casting aspersions, but children of a certain generation are aware that at this point, another generation of choir leaders, sunday school teachers, grandmothers, or parents might have resorted to that “that look” and a stern warning.  Javi’s own sainted mother might have kicked a child in her pointed stiletto heels. #allegedly

But that was a different generation.  As Matthew’s father I understood the whole “this is not serious enough for church” thinking.  He told the children’s minister in Colorado that their Sunday school didn’t meet his spiritual needs so he would just go to big church with the grown ups. So, I am familiar with that way of thinking.  

Ms. Kathleen took a different approach, she pulled the little princess under her arm and while we sat on the front row, she whispered how much she liked the Christmas llama top, and showed off the sequins on her own shirt.  She also pointed out the sequins on some of the other little girls outfits.  Tears stopped, everyone calmed down. And when it was time, the serious princess in the llama shirt got up and sang beautifully with the rest of the children's choir.

Ms. Kathleen is 100% a boy mom.  There is no denying that.  However, and, yet, still… I sometimes forget that she has also been a girl aunt for a very long time.  So maybe that was not Ms. Kathleen the Sunday school teacher, but Aunt Kathleen that stepped up and saved Christmas that time.

judgey disco llama

Christmas ain't Christmas

The return of the silver punchbowl.

Years ago I shared my famous eggnog recipe, which referenced the silver punch bowl that I bought on ebay.  Before that, way back in 1991 Kathleen and I purchased a cut glass punch bowl from Walmart for $5? to for our christmas sangria party that year.  We used it later for countless parties, school receptions, and of course our Christmas party.  Then in 1995? Wasn’t it? That my brother-in-law’s mother Dorothy gave us a second glass punch bowl with roses on it.  Then we created the cranberry orange punch to serve in one punch bowl for the folks who did not love egg nog, which was in the other punch bowl.  

In 2002, or 2003? The original punch bowl cracked down the middle and split in half. Luckily that year it was sitting on top of the buffet filled with christmas balls, because I had purchased the silver punch bowl off ebay.  

In 2011 we moved to Colorado, and both punch bowls survived the journey.  In 2012 when we held the party back in Oklahoma city we took the silver punch bowl, and borrowed a punch bowl from Kristi Swinney.  2013, the silver punch bowl was back in place for our last colorado christmas party.  In 2014 when we were getting ready for our party I found the rose punch bowl but could not find the silver punch bowl.  We had left a multitude of boxes in a storage unit in Colorado, so I thought I’d left it there.  At the last minute, we borrowed Kristi Swinney’s punch bowl again.  In 2015 we made a trip to Colorado and brought home ⅓ of the boxes, including, I thought, the elusive silver punch bowl.  

rose punchbowl 

Here is the absolute truth.  I saw the silver punch bowl, I DID put it in a box, (we were consolidating), and put it in our SUV.  Any box labeled Silver came with us, because I knew Christmas party 2015 would be our 25th party and I planned to lean in on the silver decor.  When we got home and put the boxes away, I could not for the life of me find the silver punch bowl.  I convinced myself I must have left it in the storage in Colorado.  When we finally brought home the Colorado storage unit items, I was sure I would find it.  But alas I did not.

silver party decor, but not a punch bowl

Since then, I have opened every single box labeled kitchen, or dishes, and of course silver. Still no silver punch bowl.  I have alternated between believing that our friends the Powells, who accompanied us on the trip in 2015, had stolen it, and suspecting that I had accidentally donated that box with other items we chose to leave in Colorado.  

Gramma Lucy's punch bowl

A few years ago, my former step-mom and mother to my siblings passed on her family's giant punch bowl.  A generous gift that I suspect was ultimately because no one else wanted it.  We have used that bowl, our rose bowl, and Kristi Swinney’s bowl (that I still have custody of) in regular rotation, every Christmas. 

Kristi Swinney's punch bowl

In October, while looking for a photo album in my boxes in my in-laws garage I opened a box labeled books and discovered the missing silver punch bowl!  I also found a ceramic christmas bowl (one of 3 that Kat asks about every year), and crystal dessert bowl (1 of 6 that I noticed was missing christmas 2022).  It was a Christmas Miracle!

When I shared with my friends Javi and Jodi that I had found the silver punch bowl in a box labeled books, Jodi suggested I should have looked there first, remembering the search for our dinner plates in the great unpacking of 2016.  11 boxes labeled plates and not a single regular stoneware, microwave, dishwasher safe dinner plate.  Every single blessed china plate, party plate, glass plate (not microwave safe) anyone could ever want, but no dinner plates.  When we finally found the plates? In a box labeled FRAGILE Books in Matthew’s handwriting. 

So be on the lookout for the christmas surprise silver punchbowl at this year’s party!

Merry ho ho ho.

Don't judge me!