A Winter Retreat for Your Guests
Your home is ready for the holidays, with some help from our previous issue, and it’s time to invite guests over to celebrate Christmas!
"Whether your Christmas table is filled with dear family, old friends, or new faces, Christmas is a wonderful time to share timeless traditions and create new ones. One tradition I love to carry on from my family is our Christmas table centerpiece. When my grandmother was living through the Great Depression, she used to fill a basket with little wrapped trinkets such as a comb, a small candy bar, or a set of jacks.
"Each little gift was attached to a string and each string was attached to a plate on the table. To the unknowing guest, it just looked like pretty strings with a festive centerpiece. However, after dinner, my grandmother would tell everyone to pull on the string and a present would pop out, giving each guest a small gift to take home.
"I love to continue this tradition today. It’s the perfect opportunity to give each guest a little extra something. It never gets old seeing the look of surprise and delight on people’s faces as they pull on that string attached to their plates and open one more gift. My daughter, who now lives in Peru, carries on this tradition whenever she hosts Christmas, passing the tradition to another generation." -Laureen Skrivan, President
Wren & Willow Annual Christmas Sweater Party
Everyone enjoys a good party, and at Wren & Willow, we look forward to our annual Christmas party. With good food, great drinks, and some festive sweaters, we love the way Christmas brings our team together as a family.
Watch the video below to see how we celebrated on Saturday; maybe something in there will inspire you as you prepare your own holiday party.
See how we celebrated Christmas this year at our annual Christmas party.
Handcrafted Eggnog
What is a Christmas party without some great old-fashioned eggnog? Here is our favorite eggnog recipe, taken from our cookbook, 100 Eats by Wren & Willow. You can still order your own copies, available for pickup before Christmas, by clicking here.
Handcrafted Eggnog
by Paige Price, Whole House Remodel
Ingredients:
12 Eggs, yolks and whites separated
1/2 C. Sugar
4 C. Brandy
8 C. Milk
1 C. Whipping Cream
Nutmeg, freshly ground
Directions:
Begin by whipping egg yolks and half the sugar in a very large bowl until ribbons in the whipped yolks appear. Add the brandy and mix well. Whip egg whites in a medium bowl until firm peaks form, then fold the yolk and brandy mixture. Add milk, cream, and remaining sugar into the large bowl and mix well. Transfer to a container with a lid and place in the refrigerator overnight. Before serving, stir well and dust with nutmeg.
The 12 Days of Christmas
We know how hard our Ruston Police Department work to protect and serve us in the City of Ruston. Each year, for the past four years, we have delivered a tower of twelve boxes to the Ruston Police station. Each box is filled with some kind of goodie that they can open and enjoy on the days leading up to Christmas. We love having a way to give back to our local police and we know it means a lot to them.
Twelve Days of Christmas Giveaway
We want you to have a chance to experience this fun tradition as well, so we are giving away another set of the 12 boxes of Christmas! Winner will be notified via email on Tuesday, December 19th.
Congratulations to John T. for winning the
Thomas Kinkade Christmas village wreath!
Photos by: Effie's Photography and Aleksandr Akinshev