Sugar Plum's World

When 2 Holidays Collide...

2005-10-17T00:19:00.000-07:00

In Celebration of both halloween and Christmas, Disneyland Park in Anaheim has decked the halls of the Haunted Mansion for the holidays in a style inspired by Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas again! The attraction (Haunted Mansion Holiday) will stay in "holiday" mode with spiders, skulls, Jack-o-lanters, and creepy crawlies of every description through the Christmas season, and features Jack (AKA Sandy Claws), Zero, Sally & Oogie Boogie in all their yule finery. In addition, there are twisted Christmas Carols being played over the P.A. system while you wait in line with lyrics posted on the lamp posts so you can sing a long!. This event started in 2001, and is always a hit with locals and tourists alike - best bet is to get a FastPass early in the day...

And enjoy it while you can, there are rumors circulating that 2006 (next holiday system) will be the last time the NBX overlay will be used.

If you're lucky enough to live in or near San Francisco...

2005-09-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Gump's (the store and the catalog) is in full Holiday swing!

They have everything from gorgeous Murano glass ornaments to full size, life-like, pre-lit Christmas trees!

I particularly like the 'naughty' and 'nice' guest towels.

Check out the website, and request a catalog, even if you can't afford all of their stuff, it's great for inspiration.

Gump's San Francisco
135 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94108
(800) 766-7628 or (415) 982-1616

Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 5 p.m.

to set the mood

2005-09-23T14:29:00.000-07:00

It doesn't feel like Autumn at all, and in LA, we very rarely get a white Christmas. To celebrate the sun, I suggest Kenny Chesney's All I Want For Christmas Is A Real Good Tan. This disc contains a bunch of classic holiday tunes (Jingle Bells, Pretty Paper, Silent Night, etc.) and a few new Kenny songs, the title track and The Angel at the Top of My Tree.

If Kenny's a little too country for you, give Jimmy Buffett's Christmas Island a try. It's a little less traditional, a lot more Jimmy. The title track, A Sailor's Christmas and Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum are my faves.

Gingerbread architecture gets the royal (icing) treatment

2005-09-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

It's time to at least start thinking about it, if you haven't already set your game-plan in motion.
I myself build fantastic structures full of creative details that make people weep with their beauty... in my head.
If you're a gingerbread house builder, I salute you.

You see, I've never actually made a gingerbread house.

I've dreamt of them, planned out on graph paper floor plans and elevations, studied Martha Stewart's window techniques, made shopping lists months in advance for the most perfect candies to adorn my creation... all for naught.

It always turns out that I never seem to have enough time, or I'm afraid the dog will eat it, or I go away for the holidays, so why bother with that much effort if no one will be home to enjoy it... basically a lot of excuses.

This year I'm going to try to make a small house.
I may purchase a kit for the basic structure, and decorate it my own way, we'll see.
From what I can figure out, much like planning a wedding, the amount of time required to design, build and decorate a decent sized gingerbread house is months in the making.

The 'gingerbread architecture' world is HUGE (I had no idea)!
There are recipes, kits, plans, lighting techniques, books, conversations about support, classes, special pans, contests, and I'm betting there's even a festival of some sort.

Below is a list of links that will help all of us, remember that there are tens of thousands more places online to look, and don't forget that asking family members and friends can yeild some great results as well:

Holiday Fun! by Donovan has recipes for 'Architectural (gingerbread) Dough' and 'Architectural Icing'.
Not Just For Kids at Knowledge House has some general information & history about gingerbread houses + recipes for Royal Icing and Gingersnaps (one of my favorite cookies).
All Recipes has a 'Gingerbread Fever' feature worth checking out.
The Gingerbread Patterns Home Page has everything you could want: pattern, recipes, pictures for inspirations, cartoons to make you laugh, tips & tricks, a message board...just go - you'll thank me later.
The Gingerbread House Workshop reviews gingerbread house cookbooks andhas links to various sites for patterns, recipes and tools needed for your project, as well as a Holiday Crafts Message Board.
A History of Gingerbread is here.
Anther resource that traces the origins of gingerbread "ever since Medieval Crusaders returned from the Middle East" - site includes lots of gingerbread recipes too, from ancient to modern.
The Historic Cookie by Virginia Johnson offers insights into gingerbread's evolution, links to more books and videos and information about The Annual Gingerbread House Contest and Exhibit (see, I knew there would be one).
The Gingerbread Lady has been at it for 20 years - GingerBreadLand.com has the 3 videos she's produced as well as an award-winning book.
Nabisco has recipes/instructions for a darling little Holiday House made out of Graham Crackers and Nilla Wafers - so much easier than baking and building your own gingerbread slabs.
The White House has a gingerbread replica on display every year, the White House staff chefs work on it for months, and last year's house was made from 100 lbs. of gingerbread and 150 lbs. of chocolate.
A cute 'blog posting with a recipe for Gingerbread House Poppers: "Mark thought it would be funny to make gingerbread houses you could eat whole. Like you were a monster or something." So cute, easy and festive!
The American Food Safety Institute has photos on their site of a huge and gorgeous gingerbread lighthouse that was built inside the Ritz Carlton, Amelia Island (this link's basically just for inspiration for me).
Here's a mouthful: Making Great Gingerbread Houses: Delicious Designs from Cabins to Castles, from Lighthouses to Tree Houses by Aaron Morgan and Paige Gilchrist. From the reviews on Amazon.com it seems like a pretty picture book of inspiration, but not really a step-by-step instructional manual - I don't care, they look like dollhouses on the front cover, and I dig the inside pictures I saw with the 'Look Inside' feature - it's going on my Wish List.
Totally Useless Knowledge is a 'blog about the sci-fi movie The Blob. Not sure what gingerbread houses have to do with that film, but there's a cute story about a gingerbread house that was preserved and displayed for 17 years! It's actually a great house - worth a look just for the picture.
Someone who builds house for the video game The Sims built a ton of Christmas & Holiday themed properties, including a gingerbread house with red and white swirled peppemint floor tiles (another link just for fun).
Ginger Lane Kitchens has pages full of gingerbread houses - no instructions, but LOTS of inspiration!
More inspiration - wow!
Crafts for Kids has a non-edible gingerbread house project that uses foam, and will last much longer! Full plans and directions are provided.
Martha Stewart Living has a Sugar Cube House project that may be easier than all of the gingerbread houses, and it's just as festive!
For all of us heading the 'kit' route... Sugar Craft has lots of options, from pre-baked individual wall panels to complete kits. Creative Cakes has a complete package, and if you're in Maryland, they have classes! DVO Enterprises has a kit that's currently on sale for $16.95. Stash Tea offers a charming kit that just requires confectioner's sugar, and Awesome Care Packages' comes with everything you need, even candy!

2005-09-22T11:18:00.000-07:00

Autumn oficially begins today!
The Halloween stuff is out in force adnd will be here before you know it.
WalMart actually has started to change the Garden department into their 'Winter Wonderland' for Christmas!

it's kinda like porn...

2005-09-16T17:33:00.000-07:00

The new Pottery Barn catalog came in the mail at work today. Not usuallly that big a deal, but the 'title' of this one is "let the Season begin" and it's crammed full of Christmas stuff!

The Kris Kringle Room (The Artist's Inn)

2005-08-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

During the Holiday season (and all through the year, actually), the Inn's owners (Jan and Bruce Garrabrandt) host special events (Christmas cookie baking, tours of the area's Christmas decorations, etc.), but any night of the year (any night you can get a reservation that is), you can enjoy the coziness of

The Kris Kringle Room

Decorated in French antiques, Waverly fabrics of forest green and cranberry, a child's sleigh from 1850, and Kris's favorite things, including paintings of Christmas.

Amenities: Queen-sized bed, private bathroom with shower, and a gas stove/fireplace.

Rate: $115 nightly

The Inn's website is very imformative and updated regularly with links to local (Lancaster County, PA) attractions, a calendar of "Things To Do", online reservation tool and recipes. Don't miss the Chocolate Chip, Toffee & Walnut Scones!

The Artist's Inn & Gallery
117 East Main Street
Terre Hill, PA 17581
Toll-free: (888) 999-4479
(717) 445-0219
Email: Relax@Artistinn.com

I've been naughty...

2005-08-24T15:35:00.000-07:00

Oops.

It's been more than a month since I started this blog and I've posted nothing. I feel like I deserve a lump of coal in my stocking. I think the near-100 degree temperature outside may be part of the reason I'm not in a Yuletide mood...

However, it's only 4 months until Christmas Eve!

I realized this glorious fact this morning on my commute to work, and it made me smile. I will do my best to post as often as possible, as much as possible, and I will try to move my brain into a more festive area.

"I want you to get married. I want you to have nine children. And if you only spend five minutes a day with each kid, that's forty-five minutes, and I'd at least have time to go out and get a massage or something. "

BOOK: Merry Kitschmas

2005-07-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

Merry Kitschmas
The Ultimate Holiday Handbook
By Michael D. Conway / Photographs by Peter Medilek

Rejoice in the gaudiest gifts of the season with Merry Kitschmas, a glorious inspirational guide for Santa's hapless and hopeless little helpers. Sure to awaken fond memories of a tackier, spanglier time, the dazzling decorating ideas in these pages put the ho ho ho (or the oh, oh, oh) back into the holidays. Send tastebuds tripping on a sentimental journey with the delicious Yes You Can! straight-from-the-can-to-the-table Kitschmas feast. Dee-licious! Save a tree, and set the house aglow with a glittering aluminum White Trash Christmas Tree. And finally bring those nagging carolers that Frigging Figgy Pudding they've been yapping on about for decades. Merry Kitschmas provides a sleighful of holiday inspiration for anyone itching to craft with fruitcake, frolic in a tree skirt, and wow the neighbors with a spectacular lawn lighting fantasia. So, don you now your gay apparel -- it's beginning to look a lot like Kitschmas!

Welcome!

2005-07-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. I realize it's trite, but I do believe in Santa Claus, and the magic of all things Christmassy. It's never a White Christmas where I live, but I've had some of those in my past, and you don't need snow to feel the spirit of the season. I love the lead up to Christmas of Advent, and gift selection, wrapping, shaking & unwrapping. I love the majesty of Midnight Mass (I was raised Catholic) and the silliness of mall elves dealing with crying kids.

This blog will be all Christmas, all the time. I will have a Christmas reading list; iPod playlists that are great to listen to while you're driving around in September wishing it was December; hints on where to see some killer light displays closer to the big day; recipes for everything from cookies for carolers to what to do with leftover fruitcake; and so much more!

I hope my entusiasm for this special time of year is contagious, and you fall head over heels in love with the joy of the season as much as I have!