Food

Our family food tradition for Christmas Eve is paella, an amazing Spanish dish that can be made with or without a ton of seafood.  I was first introduced to this tradition 10 years ago and fell in love.  Living in the desert southwest can present some logisitical issues in procuring the ingredients; this year I went to four different groceries in search of exactly what I needed.  In our house, we opt for seafood and that is the most difficult to find.  Last year was my first attempt at making the paella, to which I added lobster and it was fabulous. This year's addition was Moët & Chandon Imperial, making the entire paella experience more amazing!!

The preparation is not quick, nor it is easy, but the final paella is so worth the time. I usually start prepping 2 days ahead of time waiting until Christmas Eve morning to buy the mussels and clams. It takes no less than 3 different grocery stores (this year it was 4) to find the perfect ingredients for this dish. The seafood is the most difficult of all the ingredients to find, mainly because we live in the desert southwest.  Although I can not share our family paella (it is 3 pages long), we include chicken, chorizo (Goya, of course), mussels, clams, shrimp, lobster and a plethora of veggies.

As always, dinner was followed by a festive martini. This year we celebrated with the Christmas Cookie:

• 1 ounce of Bailey's Irish Cream
• 1 ounce of Kahlua
• 1 ounce of Goldschlagger
• Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker over ice, shake and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick to be a bit more festive.

This year, I was fortunate to share our family tradition with my family and a very dear friend.  Here's to many more years of paellas together. Chink, chink!! 

~c~

Fun

I've always loved Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  I remember being fascinated by the bottle labeled "Drink Me" and have always been drawn to little bottles ever since.

This past weekend, I found adorable little glass bottles in the jewelry department at Hobby Lobby. It cost $1.47 for two tiny glass bottles and cork tops. I thought these bottles would be the perfect, whimsical solution to the problem of loose gemstones and pearls from broken pieces of jewelry that I have accumulated through the years.

I placed several stones in the bottle, sealed it with craft glue, and in a matter of minutes I had my own little bottle to rival Alice's. On a silk cord, it was a sweet little necklace that made me smile. Later that day, I found a more expensive, less wonder(land)ful version at a store in the mall, filled with plastic rhinestones and crystals. It was bigger, clunkier, and much less muchier than mine (a Mad Hatter reference).

For someone who isn't particulary crafty, I have to admit I fell in love with this idea.

Now, if I could only find that rabbit hole... ~m~

               

Fabulous Finds

I'll admit it. I'm a total sucker for packaging. Slap a sticker that says "Rainbow Connection" on a bottle of overpriced nail polish, and I'm there. Well, apparently, the geniuses at OPI have done such a thing. A cross promotion with the new Muppets movie, OPI has released twelve bottles of nail polish bearing such awesome names as "Meep-Meep" and "Warm and Fozzie." Unbearable cuteness aside, a lot of these colors are really pretty for the holidays, which might be the only time I would wear glittery green nail polish.

A word of caution to all Muppet lovers/ makeup lovers/ OPI fanatics out there: many of these colors are selling out quickly (especially the glittery ones). Seems like I'm not the only one who's a sucker for packaging. ~m~

Fun

Chink, chink, it's time for another festive diva-tini.  This one is called Frosty's Going Down:

• 1 part vodka
• 1 part chocolate liqueur (it's a good excuse to buy some Godiva liqueur)
• 1 part Irish cream
• splash of cream
• chocolate shavings for garnish

Put all of the liquor into a cocktail shaker over ice and shake.  Strain into a chilled martini glass.  Gently drizzle the cream onto the drink and shave chocolate on the top.

I found the original recipe on the bottom of this adorable Lolita martini glass (since retired), but I had to tweak it a bit. 

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!
~c~

Fashion

Style Channel used to have a show, featuring Elisabeth Hasselbeck, called The Look For Less.  Seemingly normal women on a budget would choose one of two runway looks to duplicate in one hour for $100 or less.  I loved this show, and I loved the concept (other than the 60 minute part).
It started for me last Christmas, when I caught a glimpse of the Saks 5th Avenue Christmas catalog.  I fell in love with this top:  

It was paired with rather casual khaki pants rolled up a bit to reveal cute brown laced up ankle boots.  It doesn't look like much here, but I knew at that moment that I had to find a knock off version of this outfit, especially for the holidays!  One Saturday afternoon, I walked into a local consignment shop and found a similar gold and black shirt, not sequined, but still flashy, just waiting for me to try it on.  I was pretty excited about my find.  As I continued browsing, I saw a cute pair of gold cropped pants, a bit less casual than the khakis pictured, but perfect for my upcoming Christmas party.  Fortunately both were in my size.  I opted for a gold pair of slingbacks instead of the boots, again for a less casual look.  The best part??  I put together the entire outfit for $60, 10% of the Saks price.  The top alone was retailed at $295.

I am trying this approach again this Christmas season with this outfit:

This time, however, I didn't have time to go out to duplicate. I pulled from what I already have in my closet.  My dress isn't identical, but it has a similar feel, minus the sleeves. I have decided to layer it with a black long sleeved t shirt (thanks to Target) and steel gray ballet flats instead of solid black.  I always love a fashion challenge, especially on a budget!! ~c~

Fun

A few years ago,  I was leaving the El Paso Art Museum and saw It's a Wonderful Life written on the Plaza Theater's marquee. I absolutely love this movie and Jimmy Stewart, so I was beyond excited. My friends and I scrapped our plans for that night and decided to see the movie instead. Beautiful. After the movie, we walked through San Jacinto Plaza to look at the Christmas lights. It wasn't Rockefeller Center with its glorious tree and ice skating, but it was lovely in its own way. That night started a tradition that signals the true beginning of the season for me and my friends.

On December 3 and December 4, the Plaza will once again be showing It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story.  If you haven't seen a movie at the Plaza, you need to... this weekend. I know some people may not understand why you would pay money to see movies that are constantly on during this season (and, yes, even shown 24 hours consecutively), but seeing a movie in this renovated Art Deco theater is such an incredible experience. The seats are a little uncomfortable for those of us over 5'4, but that pales in comparison when you can sit under the stars and feel like you are in different time.  And, really, who doesn't want to see Ralphie leering at the infamous leg lamp on the big screen? ~m~

It's a Wonderful Life - November 3, 7:00 p.m.  $5

Swoon.

A Christmas Story - Novemeber 4, 2:30 p.m.  $5

Triple Dog Dare

Fun

If you are looking for a family adventure, a bit out of the ordinary, during the holiday season, you need to travel to Williams, Arizona to experience The Polar Express. WOW!  After seeing the movie, The Polar Express, some genius at the Grand Canyon Railway came up with the idea to create their version of this magical train.  The best part?  Everyone is encouraged to wear their pjs for the trip to the North Pole!  The Grand Canyon Railway employees have every detail covered: the hot chocolate served by chefs, the snickerdoodles made lovingly for the passengers by Mrs. Claus herself, the songs and, most importantly, a visit from the big man himself, Santa.  As we traveled to the North Pole, we were treated to a reading of The Polar Express.  It set the mood for what was to come.

We were delighted to be taking our trip to the North Pole in a vintage train, similar to those that have been traveling to the Grand Canyon since 1901.  The velvet seats, wooden aisle, and beautiful brass trim throughout the car made us feel as if we had jumped back in time one century. 

Now, the North Pole set up was a bit cheesy, but that wasn't the point. The kids on the train ooohh-ed and ahhhh-ed as the train inched up to Santa's village.  As we pulled through the North Pole village, Santa and his lead elf, Bernard, were standing next to the tracks waving at the train as we passed by.  The kids on the train could hardly contain their excitement.  The train stopped briefly, due to reindeer on the track, but the next thing we knew, Santa was visiting our train car.  It was simply magical to watch Santa greet each child on the train and hand each one a large silver bell from the strand of bells on his reindeer sleigh.

This was an experience that every child (and adult) will remember for the rest of their lives.  It is definitely something that will create special family memories and will make adults feel just like children again.
~c~