Cinnamon Honey Butter Roasted Almonds

Bring in some Holiday Cheer with this perfect Christmas snack.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (2)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325º F
2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine honey, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and bring to a boil. Cook and stir until the butter is melted. 
4. Pour the almonds into the mixture. Stir until the almonds are fully coated. 
5. Place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until the almonds have glazed and are slightly browned.
6. Let the almonds cool then place in a bowl. Mix 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and mix with almonds until evenly spread. 
7. Serve to friends and family! 

Pssst! These would also be a great addition to a holiday salad.

Thanks to Allrecipies for the idea.

Tags with Swag

Gift tags are an easy way to spruce up your gift wrapping, and the possibilities are endless. Here are a few ideas we picked to try this year!

Keep it Simple: 

Black, white, and gold always make an elegant and sophisticated statement. 

Try a Fun Shape:

Draw out a simple shape you like and cut it out of cardstock. We chose sweaters, of course, and added some fun Christmasy fair isle prints to them. 

Another interesting shape to try is feathers. There are printable ones here, or you can make your own out of any printed scrapbook paper. Simply slip them under the ribbon for a unique look. 

Hang a Banner:

Choose a fun word and make a banner to hang across the whole present! It's something different than the usual ribbon, and doubles as a memento that can be kept and hung up.  

One last tip: just because you aren't confident in your crafting skills doesn't mean you can't have cool gift tags, too. We handmade these tags, but there are tons of printable tags available online, all it takes is a quick search on Pinterest!

Cinnamon Nutmeg Old Fashioned

The men of Kiel James Patrick have always had and will always have a favorite drink: The Old Fashioned.

Having been around since as early as 1829, the old fashioned is a timeless classic. And in the spirit of Christmas, we put a holiday spin on this drink with a garnish of cinnamon and nutmeg. It's Christmas in a glass.

What you need:

• 4 oz. bourbon (we like Woodford Reserve)
• Angostura bitters
• An orange
• Cherry
• Sugar cube
• Cinnamon sticks
• Nutmeg
• Big ice cubes

Procedure:

1. Combine sugar, orange slice, cherry, three dashes of bitters into a glass. Muddle the ingredients together. 
2. Add bourbon and pour contents into a shaker full of ice.
3. Shake vigorously.
4. Pour into glass over a large ice cube.
5. Garnish with orange peel, two cinnamon sticks, and nutmeg. 
6. Sit by the fire, smoke your pipe, and enjoy. 

To add an extra dose of Christmas spirit, we served our old fashioneds in Ralph Lauren glen plaid double old fashioned glasses.

Henry's Christmas Tree Farm

The holiday season is teeming with time-honored family traditions, and there is perhaps none more central to Christmas than a family trip to the local Christmas tree farm. Kiel's family has hunted for the perfect tree at Henry's Christmas Tree Farm, located in Hope, Rhode Island, every year for his entire life, a tradition that he continues now with Sarah. Spread across 131 acres of land that has been owned by five generations of the Henry family since 1851, the farm has had a variety of uses over the years, including logging and vegetable farming. At one time it was even the largest poultry farm in Rhode Island, but is now dedicated solely to growing high quality Christmas trees.

Picking a tree is just as much, if not more, about the experience than the tree itself,  and supporting a local, family owned business like Henry's Christmas Tree Farm is the best choice you can make. Henry's Christmas Tree Farm is currently in the able hands of jovial David, who grew up working on the poultry farm until he was 23, when his father fired him. He eventually returned to take over from his father in 1978 and has since meticulously maintained the farm. Christmas tree farming is a time-intensive, year-round business, but David says it's easy to find workers to help on the farm. It's not hard to imagine why- the farm and its workers have a magnetic sense of charm and holiday spirit that draw people in, warming even the coldest December day. If you're looking for that feeling of authentic Christmas magic, you'll find it amongst the acres of trees at Henry's.  

Essential Christmas Movies

One of the best parts of Christmas is cuddling up by the fire and putting on classic Christmas movies. Here is a list we compiled of our favorite Christmas movies. Be sure to include them in your holiday movie marathon.

Penguin Poppers

Baby penguin appetizers! We don't need to say anything else!

What You Need:

• Jumbo black olives 
• Small black olives
• Big carrots
• Cream cheese
• Red pepper (for scarves)
• Toothpicks

How To Make 'Em!

1. Cut the carrots into 1/4 inch round pieces. Then cut tiny triangles out to create feet. Set the triangles aside to use for the nose.
2. Carefully cut into a jumbo olive. Carefully spread open the olive and fill with cream cheese. 
3. Get a smaller olive and put carrot cutout into the olive.
4. Carefully cut a small sliver of red pepper to use as a scarf. 
5. Stack the pieces together to make the penguin and secure with a toothpick. 

Thats it!