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Welcome to Holiday Living! Whether you're looking for recipes to wow family and friends, local gift ideas or festive events, we'll bring you a weekly roundup to help you enjoy the holiday season, hopefully stress-free!
I'm usually that person who waits until the second week of December before I drag my feet to local stores to get some holiday shopping done. Not this year! I've already started and hope to get most of my pre-work done early this year in case COVID-19 has other plans for a holiday lockdown. Is it easier to just fill an online cart and hit order? Sure! But does that have the same feel of browsing small shops for thoughtful gifts, enjoying the holiday music and decorations? Heck no!
To help you start to get into the holiday spirit, scroll down for two festive recipes, tips for packing for holiday travel in our bubble, a touching story of the true meaning of the holidays, how to take the perfect picture and more.
I hope you enjoy!
Jill, SaltWire Audience Team
Weekend weather
We're bouncing back from a little cold snap and the timing is great; we'll have mild weather to string out some Christmas lights this weekend. — get Cindy's latest forecast here.
Three cheers for three cheeses
I'm 100 per cent on board with any recipe that has three types of cheese as star ingredients. This recipe for a three-cheese onion tart might take a little time to make (caramelizing onions is an art form not to be rushed), but the steps are quite simple. The beautiful dish can be served as a light meal with an accompanying salad or cut into smaller pieces to serve as an appetizer for family gatherings. Enjoy!
Mom’s tourtière
Tourtière is a traditional French-Canadian dish often served on holiday dinner tables. Cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg come together with finely ground meat and potatoes for a flavourful, savoury spin on typical holiday baking spices. Make this recipe for Mom's tourtière now, pop it into the freezer until the holidays and check some meal-prep off your to-do list!
Picture perfect
Holiday photos have really upped their game since I was a kid. I remember my dad setting up the camera on a tripod with a timer, all of us scrambling to the couch before the flash went off and having to wait for the film to be developed to see if we made out OK. Now, Facebook and Instagram feeds are filled with creative, bright, focused shots of smiling faces in holiday attire. If you're looking for the perfect family photos, here are some tips and tricks to wow your friends and family with your own DIY photoshoot.
The art of packing
If you have plans to travel within the Atlantic bubble this holiday season, a little bit of organization makes packing for that holiday visit a lot easier. Kayla Short, a travel enthusiast and award-winning blogger, offers these great tips.
Spreading holiday cheer
Since 1994, John White and the Christmas Crew have been helping hundreds of Glace Bay, N.S., families in need by providing grocery orders for Christmas Day and up to six days after. But, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their annual dinner and auction, the primary fundraiser, was cancelled.
Without the thousands of dollars the event raises, White thought the Christmas Crew might not deliver this year and turned to virtual fundraising through a GoFundMe campaign.
Six-year-old Jersey Matheson didn't want to see the Christmas Crew’s efforts stop. So, with the help of her family, she’s doing online fundraising. Read their heartwarming story and learn how local businesses have stepped up to demonstrate the true meaning of holiday spirit.
Taking the stage in Truro
Three of Nova Scotia’s best-known performers head to Truro, N.S., in December when Classified, Ria Mae and Jimmy Rankin take part in the Homegrown Kitchen Party concert series.
The Rath Eastlink Cultural Centre presents a co-headline show with the Juno Award-winning rapper Classified and his friend and frequent collaborator, Sony Music artist Ria Mae, Friday, Dec. 18 and one of the region’s top singer-songwriters Rankin and his band on Saturday, Dec. 19. Both shows at the RECC will be conducted according to public health safety protocols, with measures in place to ensure proper physical distancing.
Admission is available for $29.95 each or for tables of six starting at $299.95. Tickets are available online via Ticketpro.ca.
Local reads
In Bottoms Up: A History of Alcohol in Newfoundland and Labrador, Sheilah Roberts Lukins dives into stories about the evolution of George Street, the genesis and flourishing of the Screech-In and the Georgetown Pub, which banned women until the late-1970s.
This volume’s nine chapters delve into the flow of alcohol along medical, economic and social channels. Topics include “Necessity,” “Trade,” “Excess,” “Control,” “Temperance,” Prohibition before and after, and profiles of taverns, bars and breweries.
Thanks for reading!
