Buffalo Check Christmas
One of my first blog posts was called Christmas Trees in April, Pumpkins in May … It was a stressful time in our lives, and I was poking fun at the fact that we were months behind on our holiday decor. Here I am, a year later, doing it again.
Last fall, we decided that we were going to host Christmas for both of our families, and we were excited. We immediately started planning the decor, the food, and what traditions we wanted to carry forward or start fresh. We decided that buffalo check would be our “theme”, and we started the search right away. Around that same time, I fell in love with Rae Dunn pottery and added that element into our plans. (Rae Dunn pottery is a whole other story… definitely its own post)
Right after we made all these grandiose plans and started making all the purchases…. BAM!… Morning sickness hit, and we find out we’re expecting baby #3!
You know those women who just glow during their whole pregnancy? Who can’t stop beaming from excitement, and their positive attitude is practically contagious? Yeah, that’s not me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m beyond excited, and we feel so incredibly fortunate. But man, pregnancy hurts. I usually struggle with migraines and nausea for the first half, feel tired but functional for a month or two, and then the extreme physical discomfort sets in. It’s rough. And hosting a major holiday right in the middle of the sickness was hilarious.
We still attempted, and somewhat managed, to pull off the stuff that had already been purchased and planned, but we definitely cut it off there.
The Table
We still haven’t gotten a dining room table (and it honestly keeps moving down on the priority list), so we put together our makeshift table using craft tables and all the metal chairs we have in the house.
Since I had spent so much time at Homegoods searching for Rae Dunn, I naturally started coming across other fun holiday stuff. I found the buffalo check napkins there, as well as all the wrapping supplies.
We did a nice dinner on Christmas Eve, but I highly recommend keeping Christmas dinner easy when small kids are in the mix. I made lasagnas a couple weeks prior and kept them in the freezer. Christmas dinner consisted of throwing them in the oven along with garlic bread and a salad (another delicious recipe I need to get from my mom). Dessert was Christmas cookies and other treats also made ahead of time. It gave us time to just enjoy the kids enjoying their gifts. (And time to focus on putting toys together… That’s no joke!)
I had visions for a much more exciting centerpiece, but we went with simple. Probably a good call since the “table” is so thin. We can aim higher/larger once we get a real table in the mix.
A Couple Traditions
One of the biggest Christmas traditions in my family is fondue. My mom makes a HUGE spread with three to four fondue pots going at one time. There’s usually a pot of broth and a pot of oil for chicken, beef, and shrimp. Then of course there’s at least one cheese pot for bread and apples, and we’ve even done the chocolate fondue pot for desserts once or twice. It’s more than just a delicious spread, it’s a full-blown experience.
Sadly, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to replicate this tradition in its entirety, but I do love the idea of pulling a piece of it into our holidays when we host. This year, we did a cheese fondue (recipe here) as our appetizer on Christmas Eve, and it was delicious!
Another new thing that we did this year was hot chocolate in a crock pot on Christmas morning. I had big plans for a full blown hot chocolate bar, but that will have to be next time. I served marshmallows alongside it and had a couple liqueur options. It seemed to be a hit!
The Mantel
More Homegoods! I really do love that place, but one of the most annoying things is that they never seem to have all you need. I can’t even tell you how many different stores I had to visit to piece this stuff together. I also learned that if you see something you like, don’t hesitate because it’ll be gone when you come back to purchase it. Just buy it right then and there and return it if you need to.
We wanted to add some greenery around the mantel, but that purchase hadn’t happened before sickness set in, so that was a no-go.
The Tree
First Christmas in the new house, and Joe and I couldn’t agree on where our tree should go. He felt that it should be by the fireplace since it’s where we spend the most time. I wanted it in the future dining room for two reasons. One, the room is pretty much empty besides our makeshift table, so I thought it would make the dining area feel more festive. And two, because I thought it would be easier to spread out and open presents while also eating breakfast and drinking hot chocolate. Maybe someday I’ll be less nervous about allowing dark colored drinks and foods on our couch and carpets?
I technically “won” the argument, and we put the tree in the future dining room. However, we decided that going forward, we need a tree in both rooms.
We found these decals on etsy, and I absolutely love the ornaments that we made with them. They matched the Rae Dunn decor, and I thought it gave a really clean look to the tree with the buffalo check.
I was in extreme migraine pain for most of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the week following, but all in all, I considered it a success!
These photos were taken weeks beforehand, but we even went as far as pulling our buffalo check theme into our Christmas card…
Belated happy holidays everyone!
Love it, Annie!! Well Done!! And while powering through migraines….amazing!!