Whipped cream is a holiday staple! Its light, airy texture and sweet flavor make it the perfect accompaniment for desserts such as pies, cakes, and hot chocolate. While easy to grab and affordable in stores (it's less than $3 at my local grocery store), it's important to consider what goes into those convenient cans. Many brands contain a surprising number of ingredients, even as many as 10, including whatever "mono- and diglycerides" is...So yes, store-bought whipped cream

Cultivating Gratitude and Presence in Preparation for Christmas The countdown to Christmas is often a race to a single day of excessive gifts and overindulgence. What if, instead of "counting down," we spent the weeks leading up to Christmas in a practice of being present and grateful each day. I'm all for the chocolate Advent calendars, so this is my way of leveling up the experience. While I enjoy my chocolate of the day, I spend 3-5 minutes reflecting on a daily prompt and

In America, we love our holiday season. While it technically kicks off with Halloween and continues through New Year's, we stretch that start date up to the first day of fall in September when all things pumpkin spiced descend upon us. Actually, love is probably the wrong word . It's more like an obsession. ..or a mania. The holidays have become less and less about faith and family and more and more about the hustle and bustle. From holiday shopping to football games to obl

You did it; you made the decision to celebrate differently this year. You're imagining, dreaming, and hoping for a fun, slow, reflective, joyful holiday season. You just don't want the same kinds of overwhelming and overstimulating experiences you've had in the past. That intention is a great and necessary place to start. To progress, it's important to reflect on what happened in years' past. While you can't control everything, there are some decisions and actions that are wi

You know that feeling where your schedule starts to feel really tight? It's one event after the other, last minute grocery trips, and the kitchen's a constant mess. You keep yourself going by telling yourself "it's just a season." Then suddenly, it's over. You're not sure when Thanksgiving and Christmas lost its magic, but that feeling of regret settles in because you spent so much time just trying to get through everything that you didn't stop to enjoy it. The reality is tha