In the spirit of the holiday season, our staff is sharing what brings them joy in the winter. Check out our tried and true recipes, favorite traditions, and more!
Noelle: My family loves making latkes to celebrate Hanukkah. Traditional potato ones are great, but we also have fun experimenting with new flavors. Carrot + parsnip, sweet potato + apple, and leek + kale + potato are great combinations. (I highly recommend any recipe by Martha Rose Shulman.)
Trish: My husband grew up enjoying his mom’s “pull-a-part” every Christmas morning. About 10 years ago, she gave me the recipe and I now make it for my family on Christmas. My entire family loves it, every year my sister calls me a week before the holiday asking for the recipe. For a present last year, I gave Ryan a cutting board etched in his mom’s handwriting the pull-a-part” recipe.
Josh: I have been trying to perfect my mulled cider recipe for the last few years and it has quickly become a staple of the time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. I’ve experimented with spices, juices, and cooking methods and am getting close to the recipe we will use every year!
Grae: Every New Years Eve for the past five years, my partner and I have made a feast of appetizers. The centerpiece is ALWAYS baked brie wrapped in puff pastry with a layer of raspberry jam.
Suzanne: I love to give homemade food gifts at Christmas and one of my favorite recipes is sweet and savory pecans. Each year I order a large bag of fresh pecans from a place near and dear to my heart and it makes the gift all the more meaningful. After college I lived on a farm on south Georgia called Koinonia. It was founded in the 1940s as an intentional community to protest racial segregation and environmental degradation caused by traditional farming practices. In the 1970s it was the birthplace of Habitat for Humanity. In the 1990s the community was dissolved and the resulting non-profit returned to the local community. I learned so much as the permaculture intern, and studying social justice. That year really shaped who I am today and I am always so happy to support their efforts.
Katie: This year, I started a tradition with my toddler- creating upcycled wrapping paper! We gave paper bags a festive makeover using finger paints. Most of the paint ended up on the paper, which was a true holiday miracle. I hope the wrapping brings just as much joy as the gift when the recipient finds it under the tree!
Francesca: I love holiday lights and decorations! There’s something so magical about seeing everything come to life in the middle of a cold, dark winter. I love how it brings so much light and warmth and makes everything more beautiful. I always blare holiday music and put on my most festive outfit when we decorate our home.
Trish: A new holiday activity in our house is packing up and going skiing/snowboarding over the break. We love waking up to the bright snow and warming ourselves in the evenings with a big bonfire.
Suzanne: Each year my sisters and cousins get together for an all day cookie bake. Each of us has our signature recipe and we are sure to carry on some family traditions. My favorite for many years was given to me by Lara Mulvaney - Chocolate Pistachio Sable from Bon Appetit. This year since we can’t get together, we are having a cookie dough exchange. Each person rolls out or cuts their dough and freezes it on a tray, then packages up 6 or 8 pieces for each person. This way we can bake a few cookies at a time all season long.
Josh: This time of year is all about knitting for me. As the days get shorter and I’m inside for a bigger part of the day, knitting allows me to feel productive. It keeps my finger joints loose as the temperatures drop and family and friends get the fruits of my labor as holiday gifts.
Grae: I love all things snow! Anytime we actually get snow in MD around the Holidays is my favorite. Sledding, making igloos, throwing snowballs, just going for walks in the silence of the snowy winter wonderland (especially at night when the lights twinkle off of the snow crystals).
Josh: My favorite Christmas song is God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman by the Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan. This version’s bass is great and the beat always makes me feel festive.
Trish: Every year my family watches A Christmas Story. We love little Ralphie's desperate desire for the Red Ryder BB gun and his mom telling him over and over again “you’ll shoot your eye out”. Our favorite scene in the movie: when the leg lamp shows up and seeing the family's reactions.
Suzanne: My favorite sustainable gift is shampoo and conditioner bars. These little bars have no plastic packaging and made from sustainable ingredients. They last an incredibly long time and make my hair feel great, and I love not having big plastic shampoo bottles. I like to order from Naples Soap Company because they are a woman owned business and do not use any palm oil.
Francesca: My favorite holiday album is Christmas with the Rat Pack...I can’t wait for it to be “A Marshmallow World” this winter!
Noelle: Our favorite Christmas movie to watch as a family is Home Alone! I love listening to my son’s non-stop giggles during the final scene when the bandits get caught by all of Kevin’s traps. Classic!
Katie: My favorite holiday album is A Charlie Brown Christmas. Nothing puts me in the holiday spirit like hearing it spin on the record player!
What’s bringing you comfort and joy this season? Let us know in the comments below!