December Calendar and Tortellini Chili

Christmas now surrounds us, happiness is everywhere.

Our hands are busy with many tasks as carols fill the air.

Shirley Sallay

Growing up, we made Christmas memories. Legit Christmas memories. We’re talking core memories. Christmas core memories. Mom and Dad made everything so special for us. There were Christmas oranges, candy canes, sledding, hot chocolate, loads of presents, family, carolling, the Nutcracker, and setting up the tree. There was so much music and so much laughter. I remember driving down to the train station and later the bus station to collect the giant cardboard box, filled with presents, knitting, and my Nana’s delicious baked goods! I remember my Mom spending a whole day baking at our neighbour’s house, her and Lil filled our basement fridge with cookies, chocolate covered cherries, and rum balls! I remember how pretty my Mom looked when she dressed up for Christmas parties. I remember how excited my Dad got to give us our “family present”, that always came from the electronic store and always seemed to be a present that he enjoyed much more than the rest of us 😂.

Now that I’m an adult and have a family of my own, I realize how much effort and work went into making those Christmas memories! Of course, I want my Kids to look back on their Christmases, the same way I do, with love and confidence that those were The Days 💛. Ninja and I try to put the same amount of energy into Christmas as our parents did. They taught us that you don’t need to spend a ton of money to make lifelong memories. Nope! You just need to be organized!

Every year I put up our family calendar for December. Each day has an activity on it that will help to get us into the holiday spirit. This year, I thought I would share it with you! This calendar is not set in stone. It is just a premade plan to get you in the mood! If you would rather go skiing instead of sledding… Invite me! 😂 If you don’t drink alcohol, don’t make yourself a cocktail maybe make yourself a fancy hot chocolate instead! Again, these are just festive suggestions to help you all make Merry Memories!

Also I tried SO hard to embed the calendar in a PDF. It may have worked but yesterday I lost all my notes on a system update and I had to rewrite this today. I actually had 2 months worth of posts and ALL my book reviews on there. Oh well, they are gone now, no help crying about it. Anyways, I was in a rush to rewrite this wording and dint’ finish with the PDF. If it worked and you would like my printable December Calendar. You may be able to find it HERE! 😆

December 1: Start an advent calendar! Over the years, the advent calendar sensation has gotten out of control! Maynard, our Elf on the Shelf, (thanks for that fun gift Sis) brings me and the Kids yummy chocolate advent calendars, both of the Kids usually get an advent calendar for their birthdays as well. I do a craft beer advent calendar, focussing on BC craft breweries for Ninja and of course, we begin this calendar, our December activities calendar!

December 2: Have a merry Mocktail! We love making the Kids fancy mocktails on Christmas movie nights! I will have a Mocktail guide coming out mid December, so keep an eye out!

December 3: Take in the Santa Claus Parade! This might not be the day your town is having their parade, but feel free to move the activities around to suit you and your family’s Christmas needs.

December 4: Visit old St. Nicholas. Santa Claus doesn’t just visit the malls anymore! This year he is hitting up wineries, breweries, pet stores, and all the craft markets! Make sure to say hello to him for me!

December 5: Read a holiday book. Check out my winter read suggestions for some fantastic seasonal novels!

December 6: Decorate sugar, cookies! We love sugar, cookies! My mother-in-law makes the best cookies, check out her recipe here!

December 7: Hanukah begins! Eat a fried dessert! This year I was looking at a way to incorporate Hanukah into our celebrations. It is not a religious holiday, it’s a celebration of freedom. In honour of Hanukkah, Jewish people eat fried desserts to commemorate the oil that lasted 8 nights. So, this is your excuse to go out and have a jelly filled doughnut!

December 8: Build a festive fort! My Kids love building a fort, especially in front of the Christmas tree! If you’re feeling up to it, maybe even have a family sleepover inside!

December 9: Go for a winter walk! While you are out, taking in the beauty of December, collect fir branches, pinecones, and greenery for decorations.

December 10: Bake festive bars, or squares! Everybody does cookies, this year, make some delicious squares! I will have my complete baking guide for your holiday needs out in a week or two, until then check out these marshmallow peanut butter squares that my Kids love!

December 11: Craft with pinecones! Use all the bounty you collected on your winter nature walk and make beautiful Christmas decorations that will leave your house smelling absolutely wonderful.

December 12: Take a deep breath and get organized! The Kids will be home on break soon so make sure you are prepared! Make sure your out of town family members received their gifts on time and get them out in the mail ASAP! Stock up on baking supplies, plan your Christmas menu and grab those stocking stuffers while you can.

December 13: Make a gift for a loved one! Every year we do a Secret Santa handmade family gift exchange. We love the creativity it takes to make a gift for your secret somebody. I can’t wait to show you my gift I will be making this year for… shhhh I can’t tell… yet 😉.

December 14: Give a gift to a stranger! Every year we donate to Toys for Tots, or another group that is taking in gifts for people in need. There are too many people out there that do not get to celebrate Christmas the way I am describing. Help make their holidays just a little bit better by donating today.

December 15: Watch the Nutcracker! This year HBear’s good friend Alyx will be performing in the Nutcracker right here in Penticton! HBear is excited to watch him shine!

December 16: Raclette or fondue! The Kids love to raclette! Ninja uses our double dozen cupcake tray and fills it all up with little foods to eat, slowly, one by one, for hours on end. Fun! 😜😂

December 17: Family game night! Some of my earliest memories are sitting around the kitchen table, playing cards, dice, and the Family Ties board game 😂 (I was always Alex P. Keaton… Of course).

December 18: Cut down/decorate the tree! We like to decorate our tree the first weekend of December. However, the last few years we have started going out into nature and cutting down a tree for the basement. Of course, we always make sure we are going to a place where we are legally allowed to cut down a tree, and it is so much fun! It has become a new tradition! We made all the ornaments for our real tree and love having that real smell of pine wafting through the house!

December 19: Make gingerbread houses! For my Kids this is a yearly tradition with Grandma and Grandpa. They love building them and treating themselves to all the candies that are meant to go on the house and not in their bellies😂.

December 20: Build a snowman! If you have snow, of course 😉.

December 21: Winter Solstice! Surprise the family and have dinner by candlelight to celebrate the darkest night of the year.

December 22: Sing carols! As a kid we used to go to the old folks home and sing carols for them with my Brownies unit. I always loved it. If you’re not part of a group going out carolling this year, that’s OK! Turn up Spotify loud and clear and sing for all to hear! I will have my winter playlist coming out next week if you need any suggestions!

December 23: Go ice-skating or snowshoeing! Some places have skate with Santa, the wine village has a new synthetic rink, or you might even take your chances on the lake, if you live somewhere that’s cold enough for lakes to freeze of course😆. Let the Kids blow off some steam before the big guy makes his appearance.

December 24: Hunt for Christmas lights! This is our Christmas Eve tradition. This year I will find a blowup of Snoopy’s dog house with Christmas lights on it! 😂

December 25: Merry Christmas! Our tradition is to always eat the mandarin orange from our stocking before presents get opened. I think it was so my parents had a minute to go to the bathroom and refill their coffee lol That’s probably how it started and that’s definitely why it is still going 😂

December 26: Go shopping for sales! If you dare, brave the crowds, and do some Boxing Day sales shopping! If not, stay in your pyjamas and shop for everything that you didn’t get… online!

December 27: Have a movie marathon with a big bowl of popcorn! Now that the excitement of the holidays is starting to fade, today would be a perfect day to sit in and watch movies with your loved ones. Stay in your pajamas, order out, and Netflix and chill!

December 28: Go sledding or tubing! This was SBean’s request, she loves sledding! Find a hill, take some spiked hot chocolate, and enjoy the thrill of the ride!

December 29: Have a Minute To Win It Tournament! I always see those fun games that families play that look absolutely ridiculous, and think, I should get my family to do that! 😂 Now is the chance!

December 30: Have a festive cocktail! You made it to the end of the month! Congratulations! You deserve a festive drink, I will definitely be posting my top 10 festive cocktails later this month, I have been taste testing already and you will not be disappointed!

December 31: Happy New Year! You made it through 2023! Congratulations! Give yourself a pat on the back and kiss the ones you love! 💛💋

Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Ep.355: Grey Bowl Super Cup HERE! This week, we get together before the big football game. Topics: shopping, hair loss, Mistletoe Margarita, Kevin visits, Traylor, the Grey Cup, more Traylor, girl bands, & piercings.

What happens when you mix 2 of your favourite ingredients together? You get Tortellini Chili! Yum! Double Yum! This dinner was absolutely delicious! Super easy, super enjoyable, and super agreeable for everybody in the family! When nobody complains and everybody is too busy shovelling food into their mouths, that makes me one happy Mama!

Tortellini Chili
Adapted from Closet Cooking

1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 lb ground beef
6 cups beef broth
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon oregano
8 ounces fresh cheese tortellini

salt & pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the onions and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, paprika and cumin and cook until fragrant, about a minute. Add the beef and brown, about 6-8 minutes, before draining any grease.

Add the broth, beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano and tortellini and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the tortellini is tender, about 10 minutes.

This chili benefits from simmering for longer so if you have the time, hold off on placing adding the tortellini and simmer for up to 2-3 hours before adding the tortellini and cooking until tender, about 10 minutes.

This was a busy week because Ninjas’s brother was in town visiting and I worked. This was my busy work week, 2-2 hour clients. That’s right, 4 hours. I work Tuesday morning, sleep for the rest of the day. Take it easy all day Wednesday, so that I am able to make it to work on Thursday for 2 hours. Then I come home and sleep for the rest of the day and for the majority of the next day. Hopefully, my disability will be approved at some point because this lifestyle just isn’t working for me and my family 😆.

The Kids had Monday and Tuesday off school so HBear helped Ninja in the garage, tidying it up for future birthday parties, while SBean practised saxophone and her sewing skills. I worked on the computer, made homemade soup, and Ninja brought me home beautiful red roses 💛. This weekend HBear was in Kelowna at a curling bonspiel! My Sis and her family stopped by to support her. On Sunday we hit up a few Christmas craft markets, made my Mom’s famous Grey Cup Taco Dip and tried out the new coffee shop in the Cannery. Ninja was lucky and had a few days off this week and was able to spend some quality time with his Brother. Everybody went out for dinner at Shaughnessy’s Cove (while I slept) and Ninja, checked out the new Okanagan Virtual Golf, which he absolutely loved, and now wants to join a team! Lol It was a great week, and I am finally in the mood for Christmas!