Holidays…Dreher Style

My husband and I agree that this past holiday season was one of the most relaxed and enjoyable holidays we’ve had in quite a while.  We did some things differently this year that I think helped our family come together more and focus on the spirit of the season.

We kicked off the Christmas season with a trip to Branson the weekend after Thanksgiving.  We enjoyed all of the lights and the tree display at Silver Dollar City and had a wonderful meal as we watched the Christmas show at Dixie Stampede.

I picked up $1 Christmas crafts at Michaels during October and November so the kids had fun making their own Christmas ornaments and decorations.

We celebrated the Advent season by reading Scripture about God’s plan for salvation; from the beginning of creation until Jesus was born.  Each day during Advent, one of the big kids placed an ornament on the branch of Jesse.

The kids also had fun opening their Lego Advent Calendar everyday.  By Christmas, they had quite the Lego display built.

This was the first year we celebrated Hanukkah and we’ll continue this tradition.  Hanukkah is a time for remembering the miracles God has given us.  It was during the Festival of Lights that Jesus proclaimed himself to be both the “light of the world” and the Messiah.  The true miracle is that Jesus brought the light of salvation into our dark world.  Oh, what a meaningful celebration Hanukkah was for me.

For the kids, it was mostly about getting gifts for eight nights in a row…though they did enjoy lighting the candles and participating in the blessings.

I really enjoyed having my mom and step-dad, Gil, with us to celebrate my birthday and Christmas together.  This year, I made Christmas dinner on Christmas eve so that I could have all day on Christmas to play with the family.  That’s another tradition I’ll be keeping!

And of course Christmas morning was spent opening presents, laughing and playing.  We started a tradition several years ago where the kids each get three presents: something they really want, something educational and something they need.  We put the “something they really want” in their Santa Sack (that’s what Jacob is opening in the picture above).  They’re always excited to find out what they got!

Christmas Gifts are Here!

As promised, Christmas soaps and Gift Boxes are here!  Premade Gift Boxes are very limited, only THREE in stock!  You can choose the Mint collection, Ginger collection or Cranberry collection.

You  also have the option of creating your own gift box of soaps.  Each gift box can hold up to three soaps!  After you order a Make-Your-Own Christmas Gift Box, you can send me a message at check out telling me which three soaps you want in your gift box.  I’ll take care of the rest!

Don’t forget to check my blog regularly for Discount Codes I’ll randomly post between now and Christmas!  They’ll be good for one time, one day only.  Catch one if you can!

It’s in the Details

I found these adorable Christmas votive candles at Michael’s Craft Store about a month ago and thought they’d be a perfect part of my Christmas Gift Boxes!  The only thing I didn’t like was that they looked a little plain.  No problem!  I had fun dressing them up with cute Christmas bows!  The Christmas Gift Boxes are almost finished and will make great gifts for someone who loves a bit of pampering!

Cocoa Mint Gift Box: one bar of handmade Cocoa Mint Soap, handmade Peppermint Lotion and a votive candle in Evergreen fragrance.

A Day of Making Lotion

Handmade lotion is the BEST!  Sure, I’m a bit biased, but honestly, you can’t beat the rich oils and butters and lack of chemicals and alcohol when it comes to winter skin.  I spent Sunday whipping up 72 ounces of moisture-rich, creamy lotion and then divided it into five, fragrant batches.  Here’s a peek at how I did it.

The first step is to sterilize everything that will come into contact with the lotion.  Jars, lids, mixers, bowls, spoons, droppers…you name it.  I sterilized everything using a water/bleach solution.  Once it’s sterile, I set it out to dry.

Then, I start the measuring and melting process.  I use a basic lotion recipe that’s based on percentages.  You can find it here.  It allows me to use any variety of lotions and butters that I want.  For this batch, I used Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado Oil, Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E Oil.  Below, I’m measuring the Cocoa Butter.  It smells just like chocolate!  Mmmmm!

Next, it’s time to blend my water with my oil/butter/emulsifying wax/stearic acid mix. 

Once the oils and water mix and the batch starts to thicken, I add my preservative.  I use a paraben-free preservative.  Once it was to a thickness I liked, I divided and scented five batches.  Here are the final lotions; ready for Christmas!