MOMents....creating a memory.

winner:

I used to be a crazy person, insisting i "make" everything for the holidays, cookies, bars etc. Instead I am embracing the "short cuts", slowing down and realizing the dessert can have some help. The memories are sweeter!!!!

Posted by: Andrea T | 12/08/2010 at 07:15 PM

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As a Sara Lee MOMent Maker, this post is part of a series on making family moments.  Sara Lee has provided me
with compensation and coupons in return for this post. Participation in this program is voluntary;
all opinions are my own.

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it is a crazy scene at our house decorating the tree.
this year we were a little less prepared and the tree wasn't even put together.
craig enlisted some helpers....


not quite as picturesque as going out to the field and cutting down your own tree....is it?
well we never did that anyway.
we went to home depot....with the cold wind and the fork lifts beeping non-stop.
bleh.
this is as fabulous as that was...and it's paid for.
i miss the REAL tree but after the tree is up i never think about it again.

as soon as the tree went up i stepped back and let the kids put on their special ornaments.


(yes....there are still pumpkins on my mantle....i know i know)


 



oh my.



even though this evening every year is loud....intense...and dare i say....stressful??
it's still an important part of making memories. 

each child has their own box filled with their own personal special ornaments.

 
no one is allowed to hang anyone else's ornaments.
because each one is special only to them.
the one who loved spiderman....or thomas the train...dora...harry potter....hannah montana...basketball.
special to it's owner.

after sean was done i snuck him into the kitchen to help me make a quick dessert.
we had everything except whipped cream.
he loves to make that himself.




making whipped cream is so easy (my friend pam taught me this year...it's embarrassingly easy)
whip together heavy cream, vanilla and powdered sugar for 3 -5 minutes.
that's it!
it was just the perfect touch for our fancy, special (simple) dessert.


 
i pulled all the yummy things we had in the pantry...and let them go crazy.
what made it all come together easily was the sara lee pound cake.


i have never bought this product until today.
it was so easy and the kids thought it was quite a treat.

instead of spending time baking i was able to decorate the tree...take pictures...be a part of the memory.
not stuck in the kitchen.



this was mine!
pound cake, bananas,  whipped cream and glazed walnuts.
YUM.


annie chose the chocolate chips and BOTH kinds of syrup...caramel AND chocolate.


talby added chocolate to her bananas and cake.

and we sat at the table all together.
all of us.
by choice.
and they stayed quite awhile.
it was nice.

do you use dessert to keep your family together longer?
I DO.

it works.
they sit and eat and we laugh and talk about silly stuff....together.

do you have an easy recipe or an idea that makes family time special?

leave a comment today with your idea.

one of you will win sara lee products.

winner will be choosen randomly on saturday, december 11.

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Comments

[Elizabeth]

My kids' favorite thing to do as a family is Movie Night. We always have pizza or lasagna (not sure how the lasagna thing started) and I bake cookies during the movie. My kids really love it.

[Leonie]

I LOVE the idea about the kids each having their own box for their decorations!
I just did a blog post about our tree and I need to learn to let go and let my kids help ... their own box is a perfect idea.. Ikea here I come.

[[email protected]]

I think the boxes of their own ornaments is great. I might have to start that this year. The dessert looks so yummy.

[Keri ~ Forever Folding Laundry]

Our together time is movie time as well. All 5 of us pile on the couch and it's popcorn and cuddling and "please don't put your feet in your sister's face" and "you need to sit on your bottom because there's not enough room for you to lay on top of your dad & I". So relaxing - ha. But good stuff, all the same. :)

Also LOVE the ornament box idea. Totally copying it.

:)

[Jenn Shock]

Our family time is usually spent playing Mexican Train dominoes. Everyone loves it and will stay seated around the table for hours playing. My husband played with my family once and now he tries to incorporate the game into everyone's family. He's even bought a few people a game set :)

BTW...I still have a pumpkin sitting outside our front door. It's a white pumpkin, so I think I'm going to paint something Christmasy on it! Maybe you could paint yours white and do the same. I hate tossing them when they still look good.

[Jenni Carlisle]

My favorite is fruit pizza! We whip up sugar cookies and spread it on a pizza pan and bake according to directions. When it is ready and cooled we slather on cream cheese frosting and add in combination of sliced fruit. Yum-O!!!

[Nicole]

I have a tradition with my son every Christmas season, we bake sugar cookies and decorate them with frosting, sprinkles, colored sugar, everything! Then we save some for ourselves and give away lots to friends and teachers. He is 4 now and this will be our 3rd year doing it. I think it may be time to start to include his 2-year old sister in the fun, too :)

[Janna]

Looks so yummy!!

[PaisleyJade]

I love having dessert as a family together. When we don't have anything 'dessert-ish' in the cupboard I make up this super easy and tasty treat - beat together 2-4 egg whites until soft peaks form, add a few tablespoons of sugar and beat until mixed in well. Next is the fun part - folding in anything delicious you have - yoghurt works well, melted chocolate, fruit chunks, chocolate chips. Such a quick and easy treat that everyone loves.

[Jessica]

Family time is special for me. I live far far away from my family, and when I'm at home, I like to bring everyone together over.... tapas! Nibbles, special nibbles, maybe some sparkling wine... but yes, tapas work. You eat for ages, and get to talk a lot.

My favourite tapas(not only spanish though) are: tzaziki, pita bread, olives, stuffed cherry tomatoes, meatballs, cheese

Enjoy!

[Jen R]

We love to make cinnamon rolls on Christmas Eve (along with decorating cookies) so they are ready to go in the morning. They are DELISH and we look forward to them all year. :)

LOVE the individual box idea too!

[Rachael B]

An easy recipe my family makes is Twice Baked Potatoes. They are fun to make but require a lot of small jobs. This is great because then everyone in my family has one or two small jobs so we are all working together and having a great time laughing while doing it!

[[email protected]]

We always make a host of finger foods on christmas eve and everybody mills around the kitchen and talks and just enjoys being together.

[Tracy]

What a great tradition, Meg. I love your tree and love how organized you are with the kid's decorations! I think I will have to borrow your ornament box idea so that when my kids move out in a couple of years, they can take their stuff with them! :) We love movie night here at my house. The 4 of us will sit on the couch curled up together under blankets and the hubs will make loaded nachos for us all to share - yum! :)

[Molly Pearce]

Me and my husbands favorite meal is popcorn, cake and icecream! On Saturday nights we rent a movie, get our fave icecream and I either make a small cake or we get a huge cupcake to share. We love Saturday nights, it our ritual and gives us time to spend together and enjoy our cake, icecream and popcorn and whatever movie we rented!
~Molly P

[Libby]

I like to use Sara Lee pound cake for strawberry shortcake. Poundcake, strawberries and whipped cream--yummy! Poundcake is also great with Nutella.

[Holly]

actually last night we needed an easy dinner so we made bbq chicken pizza. It takes less than 5 minutes to assemble and we ate it casually (which means we were all in the kitchen but not sittingt at the table). So good!

[Meg B.]

One night a week is dessert night at our house. The pound cake would be yummy with some of my home made danish cherry sauce or chocolate raspberry ice cream topping!

[Kerri]

oh I LOVE the idea of having a box for each kid's ornaments!
Now, the Sara Lee Pound Cake has been a STAPLE at my family's dinner gatherings. SERIOUSLY. Growing up, as my grandmother would say, I "ate like a bird". It would drive her nuts that I didn't eat a giant plate of food like a true Southerner should :). But, she knew that I loved the Sara Lee Pound Cake and so she always had - and still has - it at every gathering to make sure I "get enough to eat" HA! I think it it too funny that she is a wonderful cook & can bake, too, but has always took the easy route with the Sara Lee Pound cake - that let's you know, in her expert Southern Cook Grandma mind, it is GODD and definitely "fit to eat"!! :))

[rosemarie]

my mom has been using sara lee pound cake since i was little. strawberries and whip cream. my family loves pizza night on fridays.

[Karen]

I've used Sara Lee poundcake before. Usually with strawberries& whipped cream. Soooo good!

[Amy Lynne]

Awesome! I love sitting at the table with my boys! The conversations that come along are pretty hilarious!

[Talia]

I've used Sara Lee pound cake before. We added raspberries and blueberries w/whipped cream (with a bit of almond extract) - YUM! We are a big chocolate cookie family. Cookies and milk - or coffee for the honey eaten warm from the oven. Bliss! :)

[deb]

Hi Meg,

Cube up the poundcake, and layer in a trifle bowl or compte. raspberries, pouncake, and a mixture of vanilla yougurt and cool whip( that has been blended together first}...Delicious! Sometimes I add lemon pie filling as well...scrumpdillyicious!

[sara @ it's good to be queen]

love this post. i l-o-v-e sara lee pound cake! yummm....so rich & buttery. We cut it into bite size pieces and dip it in chocolate fondue. i could eat the whole pan.

also, love that your son is giving the double peace sign, my boys always have to do something goofy in pictures.

also this post made me feel better...we tried to do our Christmas tree last night. I finally just sent everyone to bed and we're going to try again tonight. just too much whining and fighting....wasn't exactly what i had in mind for our fun family evening of putting the tree up. ;) it helps to know it's stressful for other people too!

merry christmas megan!

[Michelle Burke]

That dessert looks so yummy. I try and do 1-2 recipes a week, that my kiddo's can get their hands in or on....: ) No matter if it's stiring, drizzling, flippng,tasting,choosing colors or flavors, I want them by my side. My oldest is 16 and I am alreay boo-hooing the loss of his constant "companionship" in the kitchen....even just to hear the words...MOM WE HAVE NOTHING TO EAT IN THIS HOUSE.....love, LOVE, LoVe reading your words...thank you for sharing!

[katie knoll]

My families still kind of small, so any dessert or meal will work. We love to be together. Thanks for sharing

[Suzann]

What a terrific idea for the ornaments!!
I love that each child has their own ornament box!!!

[Jill]

My kids love when we do chocolate fondue. I put out pound cake also, bananas also, strawberries, graham crackers, apples, oranges, pretzels, marshmallows.... The only time it didn't go well was the first time because we had a naughty girl that day who had to watch and couldn't participate. Meanie mom and dad!

[Jill]

Hmmm...no recipe comes to mind except microwave popcorn. Somehow my boys still think microwave popcorn is an amazing treat! Yay!

[Anna Marie]

Our special time is usually movie night. We pop popcorn and grab at least one other snack along with soda or juice. Lately it has been pickles and potato chips since Mama is pregnant and CRAVING them. Lol!

[courtney]

My brother is 25 and my mom STILL sets aside his ornaments! He lives in his own home now, but he still goes over to our parents house to hang his ornaments. Love it! DO you ever make dump cake? So easy! Just mix a yellow cake mix with a stick of butter. Pat a portion of that mix in the bottom of a pie plate, pour in a can of fruit pie filling ( i always use blueberries), crumble the remaining cake mixture on top. Bake for 30 mins and top with cool whip. So easy and delish.

[Lisa]

My kids love when I make a chocolate trifle, cut up Sara Lee pound cake, chocolate pudding, whip cream, and chocolate chips or toffee all layered in a trifle dish. Easy and they love it!!

[Julie]

we have a lot of fires in our fireplace in the winter, and it never fails that someone will ask for marshmallows to roast. So messy, but we do it together, and spend that time enjoying each other. couldn't be a simpler recipe than that.

[Jennifer Rivers]

I agree that anytime we have dessert the family sits around much longer together! We love ice cream and pretty much any kind of dessert you can imagine! We also "try" to play board games as a family. That is usually a fun family time.

[Crystal Swoverland]

I've never tried the Sara Lee pound cake, but I think I will! All these ideas are wonderful! Really love the separate boxes! I'm doing that from now on! (starting next year!) Thanks for the great post! Love the post, you are so down to earth and I love that about you!

[jess]

I've gotta get some of that sara lee! Looks delish! We have a fake tree too. I was starting to think i was the only one!

[stacie]

i love this idea ... a big dessert to keep those sweet loving kids around the table. i'm a much simpler dessert girl ... brownies or choc. chip cookies (often made with the bought cookie dough). thanks for sharing!!

and the christmas tree looks great too!

[Allison]

i love sara lee pound cake. like you said, so easy. we use it with fondue. cut it into little squares and dip it in chocolate. along with strawberries, bananas, marshmallows, pretzels... yum. i'm getting hungry!

[cheryl]

I do the frozen pound cake, too. Only I cut slices and then cut shapes from them with cookie cutters. We top it with berries and whipped cream. Love it!

[Donna]

We throw a blanket on the floor to eat. It doesn't matter what it is that we eat, the kids just love eating on the floor. And if we have the TV on, they are in heaven.

[rosie at 3 rosebuds]

First, I love the ornament idea-love the individual boxes and my old plastic ornament box has seen better days. Second, during advent, we use an advent wreath at meals. We take turns lighting the candles, reading a daily scripture and praying for each other and friends. It's so relaxing and such a good way to keep us all together. We don't get up from the table until the candles get blown out and no one is in a hurry to do that-so we linger a little longer than usual and it's wonderful!

[keely]

Homemade waffles and a movie work for us!

[heidi @ wonder woman wannabe]

LOVE it! I've made their pound cake before - YUM!! Love all the individual creations.

And, may I also say I so appreciate that you make decorating the tree a family affair. While it's nice to look at a beautifully appointed tree all glammed up to perfection, I'm like you - letting my family put up ornaments special to them wherever they please (well maybe some get re-arranged for better balance - ha!)

We get a new ornament each year to represent a monumental event that happened each year. Last year it was a book to commemorate hubby finishing his dissertation. This year we'll be looking to add an ornament to remember our move to Minnesota this past summer. I write the date on the ornaments and it's so fun to remember our journey as a family while putting the ornaments on the tree each year.

[Jill]

Great ideas Meg! My son and I like to make Monkey Bread together before bed and then enjoy it the next morning for breakfast. Good times!

[Angie Donaldson]

That looks delicious! Can I have it for breakfast:)

[Becky @ Farmgirl Paints]

i'm getting fat just looking at that picture...oh my word. i think it's hilarious everyone has their own ornament box. genius way to keep the peace. you can certainly tell you're a seasoned pro mom of 5!

[julia]

Great post (still you with the Sara Lee angle and everything). But couldn't they have come up with something better than MOMet maker? Ick. You're so much cooler than than. I can see some ad guy saying "Get it, there's MOM and then we add the 'et' to the end.

[Niki]

Building a fire in our fireplace always makes an evening seem special and sometimes we even roast marshmallows and make s'mores inside! That keeps the kids around and engaged for sure!

[Lynette]

In the summer we do Sunday Sundaes and sit around after dinner eating our decadent creations. So much fun and so yummy!

[Stacy]

We like to have special desserts when we have a movie night, one of our favorites is bananas foster, we like to put it over vanilla ice cream and it is sooo yummi!!!

P.S. When we put our tree up the other night I had bought a couple of packages of mini candy bars and layed them out on the counter, you would have thought they had never had candy bars!!!

[Lisa]

We too use the yummy Sara Lee poundcake for dipping in chocolate fondue! Which, by the way, is a great way to get family to linger around the table - I'm all about bribery for a little family time!

[Kelly]

We had tears this year from our littlest who realized he, at all of 3-years old, doesn't have as many ornaments in his box as his brothers. Actually our whole tree decorating night was a disaster. There was no dessert. There were children sent to bed early but no dessert. I posted all the gory details yesterday. I've been told it's a bit dramatic but whatever. :)
We do have family nights often. Friday is our pizza & movie night and we do family game night about once a week or so too. I know it's important to get these times as a whole family in before they get too big to want to be with us.

[Deb Moorman]

We have a "special plate and glass" that we use to celebrate a good thing happening in our lives. Often, my boys fight over who gets the "special plate" especially at report card time. We try and take turns, but it does make them feel special.

[Shauna Reed]

i love the bell piture!
you are so rad.
is it just me or would you be sorta rad as a 1950's family in this post?
you could rock a Donna Reed style dress to prepare your Sarah Lee dessert in.
OR you guys could burst into song!
I know you secretly REALLY want to burst into old cheesey christmas songs and since them right into each others faces!
Merry Christmas!
You guys are so fun.

[Jennifer]

We have pizza night on Fridays, where we all go in the kitchen and make homemade pizza together. Everyone one in my family likes something different, so we usually make 2 large half and half pizzas so everybody is happy. Then we rent a movie and just enjoy being together and making memories!

[Jodi]

I love baking and decorating cupcakes. Everyone always asks for them and I've even been able to sell some to help my daughter pay for a trip to Sweden this past summer.

The cupcake reciepe is SIMPLE... I buy the boxed cake mix (haha... yep)... and I buy the canned, whipped icing... for shame, I know... but the fun part is decorating... I use all kinds of things: molded chocolate, fondant, bagged icing, edible food coloring, edible sparkle dust... whatever I can find...

I look forward to my daughter helping me this year as I tackle making Cake Pops for the first time... I plan on making some as gifts for her teachers...

[Roberta]

I LOVE pound cake with ice cream on it. Toasting it makes it even yummier- it's crispy the ice cream melt into it. Think I need to pick some up the next time I shop. It's been a while.

[Shelley Laming]

It's too cold for ice cream so this is perfect for replacing a Sundae bar ... top your own pound cake! Your tree is gorgeous!!

[sarah]

My parents put all of our ornaments in our own boxes also. Only problem, they arent marked so every year its a battle of who's ornament is which. You would think they would get marked by now...

[Amanda]

My kids love it when we make grilled pizzas. I make and grill up the dough then they all get to "decorate" their own small pizza. I then throw them back on the grill to melt the cheese. They all love pizza night and eat it better than take out pizza :)

[Christy]

Pizza rolls, for movie night. yummy!

[kristine]

i like the idea of topping the pound cake with anything you want. i would have just used strawberries but not everyone loves that all the time. a variety of toppings is more fun!
my go-to cookie recipe is yellow cake mix, a can of pumpkin and cinnamon chips. that's it: three ingredients. easy peasy and soooo delicious!

[Amy]

Each year, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we order pizza in and watch one of our favorite Christmas movies (there are MANY) before we dive into the tree decorating. Each kiddo gets a turn, youngest to oldest, putting their special ornaments on the tree.

[jennifer]

I LOVE pound cake! YUM!
I love to put fresh strawberries and whipped cream on top.
Easy and SO yummy!

[Laura]

There's a super easy mousse that you can very quickly whip up (like, literally 5 minutes and you're done) that is SO incredibly tasty.
1 large tub of whipped topping (or make your own whip cream, enough to equal a large tub)
1 bag chocolate chips (to change the flavor, change the chip - mint chips are delicious!)
1 pint heavy cream (works fine with lighter cream, but not milk)

Pour the chips and cream into a microwave-safe bowl and heat for one minute. Stir well. Place back in the microwave for one more minute. Stir very well. Gently fold in whipped topping.

Put in the refrigerator to set, or eat immediately for a looser mousse (hee hee).

Part of the charm is that some of the chips won't completely melt, so you'll have tiny bits throughout that add little pops of flavor.

Delicious, quick, kids can help, everyone loves = win!

[bobbie]

The Ruby Red Slippers Cake I made in this post was made using two frozen Sara Lee pound cakes. It's great for making 3D cakes in a pinch.

[Shawna]

Saw you this weekend, which made me want to start looking at your blog again. LOVE IT! We also do the individual ornament box for the kids, makes life easier. We usually have pizza night, from either Pizza Hut, frozen from the box or better yet made from the kids themselves. Like the dessert idea but my stomach says no!

[bobbie]

Probably need to add the link huh?

http://clumsycrafter.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-last-post-was-january-13th.html

The ruby red slippers cake I made in this post was made using two frozen Sara Lee pound cakes. Great for making 3D cakes in a pinch. I've also done fondant decorating classes using them.

[julie]

We have many different family traditions, but the one that comes to mind right now is the addition of sparkling cider to make a meal extra special. I stocked up on Welch's sparkling cider last year after Valentine's day when it was 75% off.......have a whole stash in the basement. Then, when a birthday or other special occasion rolls around, the girls set the table with the nice china and wine glasses for the non-alcoholic cider. The girls feel so grown up......this year on our 6 year old's birthday we put her 9 year old sister in charge of the toast. Very sweet the things sisters will say about each other as they hold the sparkling glasses up in the air:)

[Kate @ Songs Kate Sang]

Each year, we pull out the nativity pieces one at a time. The kids put them up as we read through the Nativity Story.

They are so proud that they get to handle the breakable pieces. And I love that for a few minutes we are all together, relatively calm and peaceful and making memories!

[Jerusalem Greer]

we always have a cookie making day, and everyone gets involved - then we fill all our Christmas tins full and keep some and give some away! it is one of the most fun days!

[Sharon]

I like to make gumdrop trees with my girls - styrofoam cones, toothpicks and multi-colored gumdrops and we're good to go.

Happy Holidays!

Thanks,
Sharon
[email protected]

[Rebecca Kriner]

I like Sara lee pound cake plain!!! it's so good, why would you put anything on it?

[jennifer delossantos]

Sara Lee pound cake with whipped cream and strawberries is YUMMY! I haven't made a pound cake since discovering how yummy that one is. Kate (2 years) loves to help me in the kitchen. Everything gets some sort of topping...sprinkles, cinnamon, pepper, chocolate chips. She is the topping adder.

[Amy James]

Love little Annie putting her decorations on the tree. Great idea giving each child their own box of special ornaments. They can take their box of ornaments when they leave the nest for their own home. It will help them remember all the great MOMents.
I also make trifle with Sara Lee pound cake. You can go chocolatey layering chocolate pudding, whipped cream, nuts with the cake or fruity layering vanilla pudding, whipped cream, strawberries, blueberries etc.
My kids had a great time making that as well.

[TonyaElise]

I ALWAYS serve dessert and coffee after family meals or when family is over. It encourages everyone sit together for so long. Sometimes I'm not really prepared, so I whip up some whipped cream (like you) and pair it with anything I have...fresh fruit, cookies or brownies (even if they're store bought) - whipped cream makes almost anything yummy. Once I had absolutely nothing, so I just made chocolate whipped cream and topped off coffees and hot chocolate with it, and it still worked!

[Toni :O)]

I make brownies or cookies and then we make ice cream sundaes with those at the bottom...so yuumy...they always stick around for those! Thanks for the chance to win! [email protected]

[Lindsey]

Making pizzas together for us! It's fun to customize them and be creative with it.

[sharron]

when our older two children were little my son ( he is 25 now with a son of his own)...would eat one of those sara lee poundcakes right out of the freezer ..just plain all by himself..then he would put the empty container back into the freezer..arghhh..oh the memories!! i think i may get him a few the next time i go to the store for old times sake.
loved your tree trimming post!
blessings~

[jen smith]

we watch a lot of christmas movies together in december. five of us piled on a couch eating popcorn and spending the evening together.

[Karen]

Loved the tree and the idea of the kids own box of decorations. I love Pound cake but I have never bought a Sara Lee one. It looks yummy!

[Alicia]

Having a Greek heritage, I started making Baklava at Christmas several years ago. It's not exactly easy but there are plenty of steps our 4 kids can help with and they love to help and eat it. We make 2 pans and package it up to give away! :)

[Kathryn]

1. I still have two pumpkins out on my deck that have froze, and gone to mush - disgusting. But my husband said he'd take care of it and I'm holding out even if it takes till spring.
2. The white distressed cupboard in the background. How did you do it? I want to paint my forest green kitchen cabinets ivory/whitish and then distress, or stain, or whatever. Need some tips. ThANKS.

[Amy G]

My older daughter doesn't like to cook very much but, My youngest daughter LOVES to cook. She helps everytime I cook! I love to the time we spend together. My older daughter even pokes her head in sometimes.(jealous I think) We have the pound quite often with different toppings. My favorite topping is melted peanut butter with a little maple syrup and bananas.

[Jen]

We make a fondue every new year's eve and my kids talk more to us than any other time of the year while they eat it. Priceless.

[Nicole Q.]

Recently I bought "Chat Packs for Kids". It's a box with questions and the kids love to pull one and then they all answer it. Sometimes they answer seriously and we learn something about each kid and other times the answer silly and it turns into silliness and laughter. Both are great!!
You're tree is beautiful!

[Arlene]

Caramel popcorn...so easy even a caveman can make it.
2-3 bags (depends on how gooey the caramel needs to be)microwave popcorn - popped and unpopped kernals removed.
In microwave one minute 1 cube butter - 1 cup brown sugar
Remove stir - stir - stir
Add 16 big marshmellows
Back to microwave 1 minute.
Remove stir- stir -stir
Pour over corn...to kick it up a notch - add M&M's. I always buy them after the Holidays.
We just had Easter at our house. Easter - Christmas VERY related.

[Jeannette]

Our family tradition is to make Christmas cookies BUT I love Sara Lee pound cake with just melted chocolate over it........very yummy!!!!!!!

[jennibell]

I *love* your idea of everyone having their own specialornament box. I'm going to do that this year when we take the tree down. Glad it was such a special afternoon for you!
We keep our family together with special "family" movies. . .we turn off all the lights, pop popcorn, and snuggle all together. This works for my 2nd grader as easily as my 6th grader. Love that time together!

[Blondiestarr101]

I really like the idea of each child having their own ornaments! I don't have kiddos yet, but I might steal that idea from you when our time comes. And I love having the tree up, even if it isn't real. :)

[Cathy]

Decorating the tree was and is a big deal at our house. Every year, my kids get a new ornament that started with "Baby's First Christmas" and needless to say... they have quite a collection. Now that they're nearly grown, the big deal is to go to this Christmas store here in St. Louis and pick out their own. This year's selections were a poodle (our daughter's nickname), and a tiny golf bag with clubs (our son's new favorite pastime). When we hang the ornaments each year a flood of memories comes back. Pretty soon now dad and I will go back to a small tree because the kids will move on and STRIP the the big tree of ornaments.
P.S. My son is 18 and if I want to really make his eyes light up I buy him HIS OWN Sara Lee Pound Cake. He LOVES it plain....and will eat the whole thing... himself... in one sitting.

[Heather]

I like playing board games together. It's one of the only times everyone stays in the same room, focused on the same thing with everyone involved for more than a few minutes.

[Stephanie Janes]

For dessert a suger cookie pizza, it is super yummy with lots of fruit so I feel like it would be more healthy. It is hopw I justify it, YUM

[Ashley]

I am in college, and I STILL make it known that the tree better not be put up without me. I love those hours of decorating, because its something that I have done every year for 21 years. Just today I was thinking about what my Daddy Jack (what we call my granddad) use to do for me and my brother. In the winter, when he knew it was going to be a really cold night, he would turn on about five sprinklers in the yard and let EVERYTHING FREEZE! Bushes, flowers, chairs, parts of the shed, EVERYTHING. Me and my brother would play outside for HOURS AND HOURS eating icicles and "skating" on the snow, and he loved doing it just to make us happy. He has since developed Alzheimer's and it just breaks my heart into a million pieces to see him so lost in a world that he doesn't even recognize!! Family time means a lot more to me now than it use to!

[jodi @ back40life]

love the pumpkins on the mantel...we still have one on our side porch :)

such a fun idea for dessert - cookies usually work best with our kids...we have one who's not very adventursome...even with sweets :)

[Alice H]

During the Holidays we like to add to our special family time by having Hot Cocoa with marshmallows and watching Christmas movies.

[Sarah B]

I grew up eating Sara Lee pound cake at my grandparents house, it was always a treat!

[Valerie @ Chateau A La Mode]

What fun! Your desserts look amazing! Our family traditions usually include some sort of eating. There will be one day set aside for baking this Christmas season. That's definitely a family tradition. We all have our "specialities". Looking forward to a night with everyone home and spending time in the kitchen together.

[Denise]

That dessert looks yummy... and so easy! We love having movie or game nights. During the holidays it is a tradition to visit Downtown Disney and drive around looking at Christmas lights in our neighborhood too. Although, this year Bass Pro Shop's Winter Wonderland has become a tradition as well.

Love your organized boxes. :)