Reviving the Sparkle of Christmas: Traditions, Togetherness and Tasty Delights

Speaker 1: 0:07

It's the holiday season, do do, do. What a data. But anyway, cuties, welcome back to 12 days of PODMAS on five years time podcast with your host, grace. I am so excited that you're here and I am so excited about PODMAS, and every time I want to say PODMAS, I want to say Vlogmas and it's just like my mind is trying to compute. Anyways, we're here for episode two. It feels so foreign to be posting and publishing on a Thursday, but we're here, cute, and I'm so excited. It feels like a warm hug knowing that I get to come and chat with you every single day. Also, I hope you noticed that I have switched up my camera angle of it. I think it's easier. I'm just grabbing my water. Yes, cutie, in my mouth there is some water, because a true podcaster needs a little water to get down Any of the, any of the throat stickers. I just need it to say if you are a YouTube watcher, please let me know how you're liking this new setup. I feel personally myself that for some reason I think, oh my gosh, clearly I am losing my marbles with the new set up. Anyways, what I was going to say was I actually feel like when I think I think this, this direction of the room, especially where this chair is like this, is the way that I'm thinking, and so it's easier for me to look into the camera when I'm thinking, when I place it where I'm thinking, and I also just kind of like this setup better. I just feel like it's kind of giving me cozy, wozy vibes. But you let me know, I also love this picture so much.

Speaker 1: 2:01

Who made Hello Dolly's cuties? Who made the Hello Dolly's? Oh my gosh, they are so good. Do you understand what I mean now when I say like, literally, it is the best recipe to have up your sleeve for any situation where you need something last minute. Yes, actually, okay, in the wintertime, it's not even that last minute. I strongly believe you have to make them the night before, like your event, in the sense that they do need that time to set at least 12 hours. Like the chocolate does need to become firm again.

Speaker 1: 2:37

When I first made these Hello Dolly's and shared a video, oh my gosh, the internet went wild. I swear at least 50% of the comments were like how are you going to wait that long? You can't wait that long. I just eat them right away. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I feel like a lot of the people hadn't made them before and thought it was wild the idea of waiting. So they didn't know. And then I felt like the other half of the people were, I don't know, just like have a different taste bud than me, because there is a big difference between the taste of a melted chocolate and a solid chocolate and I do believe that if you have it as a melted chocolate, it's too much, it's so much, it's too much.

Speaker 1: 3:15

Like these are pretty decadent bars in the first place, but like when you have it melty, oh, it's too much, you can only have like one bite. But if you wait until it solidifies and you really get the more complexity of it, it's not just like, oh, I'm eating a whole bunch of chocolate right now, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It's like I'm biting in and I'm getting the crack of the nut and then I'm getting that bite down into the chocolate, into the gooey, gooey, gooey center of coconut and then into that salty and delicious graham cracker base. Like it's a really complex, delicious flavor when you have it after it waits. So yes, they are great for last minute things, but like not last minute in the sunset. Oh my gosh, I got invited to something. I got to run out the door in an hour More so, like, oh, this week has been so stressful, I don't know what I'm going to bring to the party on Friday or Saturday that I know I have coming up. Oh, I'll just throw together Hello Dolly's before bed the night before the party. It'll be perfect. Like that is what it's great for.

Speaker 1: 4:20

And then in the winter, yes, you can do it the day of, because, well, at least if you're in a cold climate, because you can just throw them outside, I guess you could put them in the fridge. I never thought to do that, but I'll just throw them outside to sit. Hopefully no squirrels come. They'll cover them, but let them sit. I'll make them the morning of, if I have an afternoon thing, just throw them outside, let them sit in the cold, and that works out. But if you can make them the night before, it's the best. And then you're sleeping while they're waiting, while they're cooling off, if you really can't wait to dry. But if you haven't made them yet, obviously you've only had a day, but like, if you have made them, then you could probably be eating them now. I really hope that you do try them out this holiday season, because they're really delicious and I feel like they're a classic for a lot of people and it's so fun how many variations there are, like even to this day. Anytime I go to a cafe or a bakery that has a Hello Dolly, I instantly know that they probably have good baked goods because they get the vibe I like. But then I also am always so intrigued by how they make their Hello Dolly's different than my family does. It's always fun to see what the differences are. So, yay, okay, I'm so excited for you to be here Today.

Speaker 1: 5:31

We are going to be talking all about the magic of Christmas. Oh, the magic, right. What is magic when we really truly think about it? Magic in my eyes, like I don't know much about actual magic in the sense of like, doing spells and things like that, but like, when I think of magic and when I use the word magic, it's something that I used to describe just like this incredible, this incredible thing, that like is almost unexplainable and it just brings, it baffles me and it brings my mind to think and wonder and it sparks something in me that is new and almost like this unbelievable good Like I feel like that's what magic is to me.

Speaker 1: 6:27

And so when I think of the magic of Christmas, I think of being a kid and how easy it is to feel that magic, because children are overflowing with sparkle, like they are. They've come into this world as balls of joy, like. I believe that every child comes into this world bringing so much goodness with them, like truly we as adults who have become almost jaded to the world and to newness and to exploring new things around us, or even exploring old things to find new, I believe that kids come to show so much goodness. They come into this world to open our eyes in a way that we haven't experienced yet or since we were younger ourselves. They come to bring us this new view. It's really magical.

Speaker 1: 7:27

Exactly, kids themselves are magic, literally. I know there's science behind it, but, like in my mind, think about it. What, how does it work? How does a kid make? That's a conversation for another day. No, but actually, like it is magic in my mind, but everything is shiny and it's new and it's filled with possibility for kids. So automatically, when you have an event like Christmas or other holidays that are surrounded around that, it is literally creating magic. Think of Santa. I feel like that is magic. That is what that is describing, just everything.

Speaker 1: 8:15

Like one day you wake up and someone has started decorating your house and the smells of delicious home baking and those rich and winter filled foods like soups and stews and roasts and I could really go for a roast Like, oh, we have not made a roast yet. It is not officially winter yet. We will make a roast for one of our meals Spoiler. But anyways, I just feel like it's one of those things where I think that magic is the beauty of endless possibility. It's something that is so sparkly. I feel like I said that kids come with sparkle. That's what it is to me. It's like a sparkle, it's like a twinkle in someone's eye. It's when things align and everything feels like it is as it should be or fate has come, and I just love things like that. So I feel like kids.

Speaker 1: 9:26

And when you were a kid or when I was a kid I'm always just speaking from my own perspective, of course, and so when I say you, I don't necessarily mean you, but like you get what I mean. Anyways, when I was a kid, it was one of those things where that joy and that sparkle, it just existed, that wondering like, oh, one of the presents arrived, or just walking into a festive holiday with your friends and family all around, it just felt magical, like everything about Christmas felt magical. And then I felt, I feel, as we got older and experienced more and more, it was like, oh, everything's kind of just like the same thing and it's made up and it's something that it's created, and it's the same thing over and over again and it loses its sparkle for some reason. Like, I feel, like that is an experience that a lot of us have is that Christmas loses its sparkle. And I think I'm realizing like in life, life loses its sparkle when you have a perspective like that, like life is beautiful, every day is truly a gift, there is something good in every day, even on the worst day of your life. There's something there that is goodness, because that is the balance of life, the highs and the lows and I feel like I'm sorry, I felt like I was going to sneeze there. I feel like I have worked hard to try and ensure that I live life where I am searching for sparkle and every day where I'm looking for that goodness, and I am someone who naturally does see the silver lining, like I feel like that's something that's within me. I've always been pretty much an optimist in that sense and I've been able to find the silver lining.

Speaker 1: 11:19

But there was definitely a time in my life where I felt weighed it down, weighed it down with the thoughts of what is the point, or frustrated, or I get myself frustrated, I'm in a frustrating mood and things just don't seem to be working out and it's just like and I feel like this, this red heat inside of me that is just like boiling over with anger and disappointment, like I definitely have been there and I still will be there, times here and there, but definitely not as much as I used to be. I used to. I used to really let the weight of the world get me down, like one thing on top of the other equal to, and then on top of the other I equaled four, and I just like let the bricks pile up and I let that take me down and I try hard not to do that anymore. It takes a lot of work and we've spent this past three years on this podcast together, working through those to get to this point. But yeah, so I think the magic of Christmas, now that we are adults, is something that I believe is like within us. I do think it is.

Speaker 1: 12:25

As adults, we must open our hearts to feeling that sparkle, though it's like we have to let ourselves be kids again, let ourselves be whimsical and wonderful and imaginative, and be silly and goofy and feel things for what they are, without adding pressure or other people's perspectives or opinions into the matter. Like I think, sometimes when we experience something, our first feeling is joy a lot of the time, but maybe it's quickly covered up with other things like the what ifs? Or oh, these people around me, or oh, this isn't practical because of A, b, z, y, what else is that? But I feel like a lot of the time the very first surface feeling is joy, or is happiness, or is silliness and goofiness. But we have been over and over and over again told in society that it's strange or weird to be out there, like, oh, it's so, so, so boring when we do things like that, when we dim ourselves to make other people feel comfortable. But like, ultimately, the only reason we're making other people feel comfortable is because they've been dimmed by people that have been dimmed by people that have been dimmed by people that have been dimmed, like everyone has been dimmed, and I just think that we, as adults and humans looking for joy and happiness and the magic of Christmas within us, need to dig deep to allow that sparkle out.

Speaker 1: 14:07

And the more that we sparkle like I get comments all the time. I think this is such a great perspective for me to have because I felt like this for a long time, like I am weird and goofy and silly and I want to be that way and I don't. I have made people feel uncomfortable with it and they have told me and I've felt saddened by that. And then I've worked through that and realized, like I am good, I am worthy and who I am in my core is acceptable and I feel great and I can redirect myself to connect to people who match that energy or can vibe with that energy and feel and accept it into their lives.

Speaker 1: 14:50

But I get this comment all the time that says, like at the beginning, when I first started watching your videos I on TikTok I when I first started watching your videos, I felt you were too much, I felt like you were trying too hard, I felt like you were over the top. I get comments like this all the time. That's how they started it. And then they say but I've come to realize over this time of watching your videos are you popping up on my for you page Like this is just who you are? And at first they're so displeased because they think I'm trying too hard or they think that I'm being something I'm not or I don't know, like I'm too much. And then they come to this realization and I remember when I first started getting these comments, like it was kind of one of those things where I was like is this a back end to comment? Like are they telling me that I'm too much? But now they know that that's just who I am. But no, what they're trying to say is like we.

Speaker 1: 15:41

I felt that way. It made me feel something uncomfortable. And now I realize this is who you are and you're just general in general. Generally, you're just generally a fun, loving out there person who experiences joy in a way that vibrates through her and comes out in fun, funky videos that she shares on the internet with people and can spark joy in others. And it's like they're saying that at first they didn't like me because they perceived it as something, but now they see me for who I am and inside of them it's brought them some amount of joy and understanding. But they pushed past something that was discomforting to them, where they felt like, oh, that girl should get dimmed because she's a little bit too much. But then they I don't know if they continued to watch my videos or they popped up on their for you page and they were captivated in some way and had watched them longer. But then they, it turned something in them. They reached past their comfort level into discomfort and they realized like, whoa, there's people out there who, who are just living their authentic selves and it has nothing to do with how other people see them or have opinions on them or share opinions on them or perceive them like. They just feel the way they feel and are honest in that. And that brings me a sense of comfort.

Speaker 1: 17:15

Now, and it's one of those things where it's so wild, like that is all I've ever wanted in my life is for for people to to, if they don't meet you where you are right away, because that's not the person who they are like. You're not going to be for everyone, of course, of course, but I do think there's people out there who feel this self, this person inside of them, that they've dimmed and that they keep quiet and that they feel like they need to be more calm and and simple, almost and and I don't want to say boring, but I like that. They need to reserve who, what they feel, reserve their reaction, reserve themselves because they worry what others will think, when in reality it's like if we can live our most authentic selves, like we will vibe with the people we need to vibe with, but also you will help others to come out of that. Come out of that area of thinking where I feel like we've all been before. As I shared last episode, I have felt for so long like I have no good value to add and that has stopped me from sharing or opening, or being open to connection or being the person to open connection. I've always been fearful of being the person to open connection because I feel like, I felt like I would not be, I would not have anything to offer and I would like embarrass myself or I would feel be made to feel dumb or I don't know. Like you know what I mean. Fear, it's fear, but anyways, I just feel like we can all help each other.

Speaker 1: 18:58

So, anyways, this is a side note, but it is the real meat of the message is that the magic of Christmas and the magic of youthfulness and joy, the magic of joy. When you think of Christmas, you think of joy, like joy to the world, but anyways, that joy is within all of us, even in the grinchiest of us think of the Grinch but like it's there. There was a time in our life when we were free, when we felt freedom to explore and to be, and I'm so grateful to be a mom and to have a child in my life, because that is something where I feel every day. I'm reminded, even on those days when I feel like, oh, it's tough, it's tough, I'm, I'm feeling judged, I'm feeling I'm feeling like I'm overthinking interactions with people or interactions with the internet, or I'm just I'm overthinking. I can stop and I can look at Ro and we can connect and she can be that wild, fun, rambunctious human in my life and bring joy back to me. So I'm so glad for that.

Speaker 1: 20:09

But also before her, I have always surrounded myself with young, with young, young energy. I've always worked in childcare, I've always been a camp counselor. I've always just had young energy in my life, from being a young child to growing up, because that is energy that I want to keep with me. It keeps us young, like it really does. That's why that career path for me was so beautiful, because every day I would leave work feeling this, this joy, even on the hardest days, even on the days that were really tough and really difficult, and it was like I don't want to do this job anymore. I don't like it. But guess what? The only reason I never liked it was because of the connection with the adults. It was never the kids. Even the hardest day with the kids was always the most rewarding days, sometimes with the parents, not much, but anyways, I just felt like that joy in my life is something that I leech onto. That young youthfulness I never wanted to go away.

Speaker 1: 21:13

I don't care if people think I'm juvenile or like oh, that's lame or whatever. Like grow up, I am mature. I'm mature and I have wise women thoughts. Wise woman, me. Wise woman like no, but I do. I'm mature woman in the sense that I am a woman and I have lived in my life and I have felt deeply many different things and I have it. I have my experiences and I'm open to sharing and connecting and having those deep and serious conversations.

Speaker 1: 21:42

But at the same time, I am a person that understands that life is a gift and that we have only today, right now, this moment guaranteed to us, and so I'm gonna try my hardest to allow myself to live as authentically as I possibly can and feel as much joy as I possibly can, because we know those highs and lows. They come like waves. Like waves, and those lows, oh my gosh, when they come, they come and you can't see. You can't see clearly when you're in that dark place, you can't see. When you're feeling so low, when it's so dark, it's so hard to see the light, even though I train myself and I work hard to know and to remember and to put into place, place things that make me certain that I know the light comes again. It does, it always does. Blue skies they come again, but sometimes it can feel really really dark and it can feel really really alone.

Speaker 1: 22:37

So when I'm not in a place like that, I am going to embrace that joy like no other, that sparkle, that magic, that creativity. It is there for me, like I will live off of it. I will allow it to direct my life and the way that I am perceived through. That, I hope comes off as a light for other people and for the ones who just can't deal. You can't deal, but maybe you'll be the person who feels uncomfortable at the beginning, allows yourself to enter that on comfy space and then understands and can help yourself to feel more authentically true to who you are. So the magic of Christmas, it is within us, it is truly within us and it is only up to us to decide what Christmas means.

Speaker 1: 23:31

And I think that this is one of those things that I've seen conversations go around like oh, it's always put on the mom to make Christmas beautiful, like this for kids, whatever, but like ultimately, like sure, one person in your household can create Christmas magic, but who is she creating Christmas magic for? She's creating it for her family, which in return, would create it for herself, I would think in this scenario. But I think when we get to become adults, before you're a mom, before you have another family, whatever the situation is, or whether you are a mom and you feel like you're the only person making Christmas magic happen, like you got to switch the perspective there because, like, for yourself, okay, this, I just need to make a sign out here, like I think that all parties of the family, adults should make Christmas magic happen for the children. Like that I do believe that, of course, like I'm not saying it's just the woman or just the man or woman, man, woman, woman, man, whatever your makeup is like I'm not saying anything like that. Like I think everyone should, all adults in the family, should be equal parties, of course. Like equal in the sense of equity debating on, like you know what I mean. If you don't know about equity, you can look it up.

Speaker 1: 24:38

But like, yes, but I do think that, like, if we as adults move into like I remember moving into my adult life and Christmas is becoming so different, like what, all of a sudden, you're like, oh, you know what Christmas Day actually sucks. Hmm, does Christmas suck? I'm confused. Like is Christmas really lonely? Is Christmas feel like it's not the same as it was when you were a kid? But like I do think that like that does happen. Like yes, of course I do believe that, but I do think that, like, if you focus in and have a mental switch there, it's like, wait, christmas is different from what it was, because it's almost like you're trying to recreate something that was, whereas we are now moving into something that can be. It's new, it's exciting, and I think that Christmas is made up of sadness. We will have an episode all about the Christmas blues and Christmas sadness and feeling lonely at Christmas because, honestly, like, I kind of like that feeling sometimes, like I'm someone who embraces everything and I do love a good sad Christmas song and I do like to get into my feels and have a moment, but then I also do love a Christmas joy moment too, of course.

Speaker 1: 25:54

But yeah, I think the magic of Christmas is within each of us and we are in charge of our lives. We're in charge of our feelings and we can create our own magic. And that doesn't even have to be by buying things or by being extravagant or by having plans with other people, nothing like that. It could even just be going for a walk and noticing oh, is it starting to snow? What does that smell? Is someone having a fire in their house? How joyful is that? Like, just those little things like that are going and walking by a body of water, listening to the waves, being appreciative of the understanding and the knowledge that you have in your life, to know that standing by the waves is the most beautiful thing you possibly can ever do. Is that? Just me, like I love to be by bodies of water, but there is so much simplicity. That is magic. That is the magic. The magic is in those things. It's coming home and smelling your house. Is someone cooking? It's noticing those little things, like that is the true magic.

Speaker 1: 27:11

It's taking the warm laundry Me talking about laundry, I think it's magic cuties. You know how much I don't like leaving laundry, but it truly is. It's taking the laundry out of the dryer and folding it and smelling it Like it's the new piece of laundry that you've never smelled before. Embracing it Like that is a hug. Like seriously, this is something that's actually helped me to like. Like laundry is appreciating that little moment of laundry where you take it out and you fold this warm sweater and you breathe it in and you let it out and you feel joy in that and you feel you feel blessed and you feel grateful for this clean piece of clothing that you have. Like that is literally the magic of Christmas.

Speaker 1: 27:57

And, of course, giving being able to give a smile, going to your community fridge Guys, if you don't have a community fridge, you probably do in your neighborhood. You got to look it up. It's changed my life Going to your community fridge dropping stuff off, finding something to volunteer in, gifting something that a neighbor had once mentioned to you at one point in the year, and remembering and giving it to them. Oh, a little bag of tea, a little roll of film, some recipe cards, nothing extravagant but taking note of something that somebody had mentioned, remembering it or seeing something in a store and being like I remember. I really get stressed out about gift giving, scheduled gift giving, like I'm not good at that. I'm really bad at scheduled gift giving. It stresses me out. I also don't like it. I don't like having to get a gift because you wanted to get me a gift or because you feel like you had to get me a gift. I really like to be intentional with that stuff and I feel like my favorite type of gift giving is when I find something and it just reminds me and so either I buy it and I remember to say for Christmas, or usually I just buy it and give it to you right away.

Speaker 1: 29:18

But anyways, the magic is there, it's all there, and a lot of it is in our mindset. A lot of it is in ourselves. A lot of it is the way that we approach our days, and especially the day of Christmas. I feel like it comes off of a lot of dopamine. Is that what it's called Like, when you have so many highs? Because, like, I feel like the Christmas season is like high after high, like you're seeing family, you're seeing friends, you're experiencing the ice skating, the hot chocolate, the anticipation, the build up to Christmas, and then Christmas comes and it's almost like, oh, it's all done, and then we're entering the darkness of winter, like I think that's a lot that plays into that. Like that will come down. So if you can practice finding magic in those little things every day, you can continue to find that magic on Christmas day, on the day after Boxing Day, here and into the winter, because beauty is everywhere and magic is all around us. And it's not just the magic of Christmas, it's the magic of life, it's the magic of the gift, of giving to others Our gifts, our personal gifts that we've been gifted with. Like for me, I believe that I have the gift of sharing food. I believe that I have the gift of sharing conversation. I'm learning to be more confident in sharing that conversation, or at least being more confident in sharing with others in real life that I have good value to add. So I really think the magic of Christmas is within us and I hope that if you feel like you've lost that sparkle or that this year is feeling different from years past, or that you're trying to recreate something that you used to know, that you have the ability to touch into your childlike self and you also have that ability to look forward and create something beautiful for you and for your life, moving forward and where you are, and that it's not always about recreation.

Speaker 1: 31:23

I think a lot of people really love the idea of tradition. So do I. I think traditions are beautiful. I think they stressed me out as soon as I became a mom, because I didn't implement anything. I still haven't, I don't even know if we have a tradition, and I remember feeling a lot of stress about that, but they become natural traditions. I don't think traditions have to be decided upon and thoughtfully done right at the beginning, like I think that traditions can become a natural thing and it doesn't have to happen. They can come in at any point in your life and so like if this year there's something that all of a sudden it's like, oh, we did that last year and then we end up doing it next year. It's like, okay, this is perhaps a tradition, or maybe this year Rosie will mention something that she would like to create as a tradition, like I think that it's a thoughtful process that the whole family can work together, or you yourself, if it's something you're implementing.

Speaker 1: 32:14

But all of that being said, like I used to feel a lot of pressure on me to be like, oh, no, I need. In so many settings as like a new mom, like, oh, I got to do this, I got to do this. I didn't do anything. I remember the second I was pregnant. Like even through pregnancy, I was like, oh, I didn't take monthly pregnancy photos, I didn't do this, I didn't. I didn't do a baby walk, I didn't like. It's like I felt like I was letting myself down from the get go. But who was myself? That was none of my, that was none of my wants.

Speaker 1: 32:42

Sometimes I think we get clouded with, like, what the media wants us to want or what people are other people's families are doing or wanting, but like we can decide that for ourselves and it doesn't need to be. It's not do it all the first Christmas or never do it. You have lots of time to decide what you want to do, like it's not be all or be none. That's never how it is, it's always. Maybe I did it this year, maybe I didn't do it this year, whatever, but like You've got time. Anyways, the magic and Christmas of Christmas is within us.

Speaker 1: 33:18

Okay, I know, I know sometimes it can feel hard and sometimes it can feel overwhelming, but you just have to start a little bit at a time, even just putting on Christmas music, like sometimes I'm just like don't want to do it, and then I put on a Christmas song and the thing is there's so much different Christmas music. Like there's the sad stuff, the happy stuff, the dance stuff, the dub dub step. Have you listened to the dubstep Christmas? We used to do that with the kids all the time when I did before and after school. It was so fun. So if you haven't listened to dubstep Christmas and you aren't really vibing with Christmas music yet, like try that out. Like seriously, it gets you into some sort of move.

Speaker 1: 33:55

But I think, like, and I think like really filling your house or your space with a beautiful smell of food, like that, personally, is just like the biggest memory for me, like smells and the way that when you walk through the door it smells like something. So like definitely definitely cooking something, just something, even the Hello Dolly's or that brings us to this day, day to recipe of the day, and today we are making Scottish shortbread. Now I am a shortbread. Like I love shortbread. Literally it's just butter and sugar. Like I am literally obsessed with shortbread. It's so good, but I'm so picky, so picky about my shortbread.

Speaker 1: 34:44

Like we had the worst shortbread ever this year at the Royal Interfair. It was like a free sample that they were handing out. It was so, so gross. I don't even know how they categorized it in a shortbread like first of all, even remove the name of shortbread. Just as it as a cookie was not good. It was not good. It literally just tasted like I don't know. It was way too chewy. It tasted like so sweet, it's too sugary. No butter, I could not taste the butter. If I do not taste butter in the shortbread, then it's not shortbread, but anyways, it just like reminds me like how picky I am when it comes to shortbread, because even last year we got these cookie boxes that were like everyone had donated to different cookies and it's.

Speaker 1: 35:29

I love how everyone has a different recipe and everyone loves different stuff and what I like is not might not be what you like and what you like might not be what I like, but like I love a buttery good, like it melts in your mouth, also has a little bit of a crisp to it, but it like, it's almost like it just like. It's not even like it's a melt, it's like it disintegrates. I know that's probably the same thing, but I'm trying to like you can feel it going away. It's like a crumble, almost. It's like a crumble, disintegrate, melt into your mouth, like I am so picky with my shortbread and these boxes we got, these cookie boxes had like they were, so they were all different, like recipes that had made cookies and then they were all like put into the cookie boxes. It was for a fundraiser and so they were like donated and then you bought them and so lots of people had made shortbread.

Speaker 1: 36:16

So there was like six different types of shortbreads and that's when you can really tell like when you have six all at once, you can really tell which ones are your favorite and which ones are you good or like. I could live without that, and so I feel like ever since last year, I went on this like in, like I was trying to figure out the perfect cookie recipe and I've gone through or perfect shortbread recipe and I've gone through so many and I think I found the perfect ones. Not my recipe, I found it online, but like it is literally so good and I would love for you to try it. And shortbread is so easy as well. Like shortbread is another so easy, it's like three ingredients, it's super simple and it's so delicious. And like, honestly, it's like stress free to for cookie wise, because you kind of just like you can get as fancy as you want with it, but literally all I do is like pat it all down and then like chop it up or whatever you can use around cookie cutter or whatever you can literally do anything. So it's delicious, but yeah, we're having shortbread. Oh, my gosh, I love shortbread. So if you love shortbread, go head over to tick tock and Instagram and I am going to put it on YouTube to. I just want to make it as accessible as possible. So wherever you listen to a recipe like, oh, it's so good and I sure, but another delicious thing, like all cookies are I keep saying this but like you can freeze them and just like defrost them when you want them, but so so good.

Speaker 1: 37:42

I also have these really delicious cookies from the Danish bakehouse this year that someone had brought to. I don't know what we were hosting maybe it was Trevor's birthday, because I feel like it was right before we went to Italy, because I froze them and, yeah, I think it was Trevor's birthday. We had like a little pool party for Trevor and one of his friends, be or was it a pool party, but I think the pool was open. Anyways, we had a like backyard barbecue for Trevor and his friend, because their birthdays are really close to each other, and someone had brought baked goods from the Danish bakehouse and one of them were these oh my gosh, if they were these. Like it was just like a butter cookie but it was like a twist, it had been piped and it was a circle and it was like it wasn't shortbread but it was like in that realm because it was piped, so it was clearly like a thinner batter. It was so good and they were just so buttery and I froze them and because I was like I can't even imagine not enjoying these, and so I froze them and then when we got home from Italy, it was like every day I was eating one of these with my coffee in the morning, because we had like six of them and they were so good and I'd love to learn how to make those. But, on that note, I've heard that like Danish baking, I never even put these two things together. I've seen the Danish bakehouse but I didn't like I don't know much about.

Speaker 1: 39:05

What is that? Sweden? This is embarrassing. No, it's not great. You're allowed to experiment and talk out loud. Danish, oh no, copenhagen.

Speaker 1: 39:16

Danish country, denmark, denmark, okay, why did I think Sweden? Anyways, obviously Sweden is Swedish, duh sorry. Danish is Denmark and then Dutch is I want to say Amsterdam, but that's part of a bigger country. If you were Dutch, where you from? The Netherlands, okay, but I feel like it has multiple names the Netherlands, what is another name for the Netherlands? What is another name? Amsterdam? No, amps, what is another name for the Netherlands? Because Trevor is Dutch. I feel like I should know more things about this. Okay, the Netherlands consists of 12 provinces, but many Holland. Holland, I knew it. I, okay, I knew the word because I used to always say hollish, but you're Dutch if you're from Holland. But people use Holland when talking about the Netherlands, but Netherlands is like okay, the higher, you would call it the Netherlands, 12 provinces go together, but Danish is Denmark got it and I think Copenhagen is in Denmark. This is so random, but we're learning. I think they're all like close to each other. Anyways, apparently Copenhagen is like yes, copenhagen, but apparently Denmark is like literally the most mind blowing place when it comes to baked goods and I like me to go and try it out because, like in my mind I guess like France is like pastries.

Speaker 1: 40:54

I've only been to France once and I went to Paris when I was for like literally like three or four days, like we flew all the way there just for three or four days and flew back with my family friend who is like around my mom's age and she was visiting her niece or some family person who was going to school there and she wanted a companion. Like she was like I don't want to go by myself, so I was like I'll go with you. I was on break from school and it was so wild. We like Did so much stuff in such a little amount of time and it was great, but like the food was unbelievable, like every single meal. I could not wait for the next meal and every single bakery you walked into like I guess it yes, it was patisserie, so I guess it was more like pastries and breads and stuff like that but Apparently Denmark has like the most amazing baked goods and now I just like really need to go to Denmark, even though I just learned what Denmark was.

Speaker 1: 41:48

Thanks for being here, and that's what I mean. Like a conversation like that where I would speak about like oh, danish, and then where's that? And then I say Sweden, like that would make me feel so red in the face if I was to do that in Like a new setting with people that I didn't trust, where it's like why you're just, how do how do people learn? You learn by having Conversations, you learn by looking things up, you learn by doing research. But like if you never ask the question or put yourself in the place where you get to learn, like you don't need to enter a conversation. Knowing everything literally will never know everything. I think we need to work better on making people feel less insecure in those situations. So Everything's kind of playing it together in 12 days of Christmas. I'm kind of happy about that. Anyways, cuties, we are making Shortbread today. I'm so excited. Go check it out. Save the recipe for if you need any recipe for Just yourself Christmas Day, a holiday, or like a party you're going to, or if you're doing like a cookie exchange.

Speaker 1: 42:47

My mom used to be, and I think it was either. My mom one was in a book club when I was growing up and she was in I don't think they called a cards club, but she also had people where I feel like every month they got together and played cards, or maybe I'm pretty sure it was once a month, or maybe it was once a week, but it was other people's houses and it was our house once a month. I'm not sure, but that's pretty fun. Like I was actually thinking about that, like what's something I can implement in my life that would like be kind of an open ending. Drop-in my house or get people interested into cards could be fun. I never even thought about that. They played something I have no idea how to play, like Rummy or something like that Might not been Rummy, it might have been. There's another one. Honestly, I don't know many card games but I can learn. But, oh my gosh, that would be so fun. Maybe that's something I want to take into the new year with me. I'm working on, like trying to set my what do I want to take into the new year with me? Maybe it's gonna be a monthly card game when you get to have apps and nibbly bits and play cards and catch up with the ladies so desperate housewives, oh, I love it. Okay, don't let me forget that.

Speaker 1: 43:52

But anyways, there was a reason I was telling that story so they would play cards. I Don't know why I was telling that story. Can you remind me? Let's do a little backtrack. So we were talking about cards. We were talking about book club, we were talking about making cookies. Maybe I was saying you can make the cookies for your book club. Are your cards nice? I really don't know.

Speaker 1: 44:17

Anyways, if you're looking for a shortbread recipe, go check it out. And also, if you have any like really antique, like family Shortbread recipes, like I, would absolutely love it, because I am like on a mission. There's this one shortbread cookie I've had by this lady who, like I, have never crossed paths with again and it was the most amazing shortbread cookie in my entire life and it's like I'm trying to recreate that and I haven't perfected it yet, like I'm getting close but I haven't perfected yet. So if you have like an old or like beloved shortbread cookie recipe that you would like to share with me, I would absolutely love that, and I already kind of described what kind of shortbread cookie I love. You know I'm passionate about the foods.

Speaker 1: 44:59

These are the things I could talk about all day long, but thank you so much for coming to day two of 12 days of I always want to say vlogmas, of Podmas. I am so grateful for all of you. Share this episode with a friend. Let somebody know in your life that we are doing our podmas, because I would love to bring some new cuties into the podcast community. You know we have so much growing to do and I do believe that there's more people in this world who would vibe with this community. I love you all so much. I'm sending you hugs, I'm sending you kisses and I'm sending you Christmas magic. Wow, wow, wow. It lives within you.