I promised you yesterday in the Salted Caramel Cake post that I’d be sharing plenty of delicious cake ideas that only take a few steps to throw together. Nothing is worse than having to work extra hard during the holiday season, so quick and easy Christmas cakes are a must… your guests will LOVE this Candy Cane Crunch Cake that, with the help of a cake mix and some pre-crushed candy cane pieces, will only take you a few minutes of hands-on time to create!
Raise your hand if you’re already feeling stressed this holiday season. Now that all of our hands are up, let’s put them down and make this no-stress cake instead. Seriously– this salted caramel cake has all of the delicious salted caramel flavor you love, but it takes no effort. The holidays are busy, and holiday desserts shouldn’t add to that stress. This one is a show-stopper, and if you can make a cake mix, you can make this dessert.
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Bee-do-bee-do-bee-do… In case you didn’t know it yet, your favorite yellow little creatures are coming out on DVD tomorrow, and I know we’ve already pre-ordered the Minions movie. That meant making the perfect dessert for our Minions watch party, and trust me, you’re going to love this one. Take a break from holiday stress and make these delightful minion mini cakes for your family to enjoy during the movie!
This recipe started out with good intentions. I had a fantastic recipe in my great grandmother’s handwriting, a classic recipe that just makes me think of Christmas morning– sticky buns. The recipe, referred to as “Mama’s Travelers” for some reason, looked delicious… and called for biscuit dough. Luckily, my other great grandmother had left a recipe for melt-in-your-mouth biscuits, making a perfect biscuit dough for this sweet recipe. And all went well, until I went to roll it up… and then I realized these wouldn’t be sticky buns after all. However, what resulted was the best. darn. mistake I’ve ever made (because, well, with some quick thinking, it became a cake).
The holidays have always played a really important part in my life, and I really want to try my hardest to keep that magic alive for my son as well. That’s why, during the holiday season, I want to share a few thoughts on it with him.
My sweet boy,
Christmas is almost here. We’ve been counting down the days since Halloween, it seems, and I’m just thrilled to be celebrating the Christmas season with you. This season brings so much joy, and seeing your eyes light up with every twinkle of the Christmas tree just makes my world so much brighter.
I just want you to know that I will always try my hardest to make this season as magical as possible for you. I remember the magic of Christmas; though as you get older, sometimes the magic fades a little, part of the beauty of having a sweet son like you is that we can experience that magic all over again– together.
I know that so many people think that I’ve been this mean mom to ban toys at Christmas time, but I think you have seen the benefit of this in all of the unique gifts you get. Didn’t we have so much fun last year going to the science museum with our annual pass? Or doing our projects from the KiwiCrate boxes?
But to be honest, the best gift of all isn’t what we find under the tree, is it? The magic is in those activities we get to do together leading up to Christmas… our train ride with Santa, and our special activities together… doing things like baking Christmas cookies and decorating the tree and the house with our favorite things… and even just snuggling up and reading your favorite Christmas books. I know we’ve been reading a lot of that Duck and Goose Christmas tale– and I love hearing you read it to me, as well.
While I certainly hope we get some snow this winter so you can finally make the snow angel you’ve been dreaming of, I know even if we don’t, your spirits will be bright.
You see, the magic of this season isn’t everything about this season. We’ve already discussed the reason for the season and told the tale of how the Candy Cane relates to Jesus. You know the tales of our Savior’s birth, and why we celebrate this special holiday. The magic lies in our Savior, but it also lies in the time we spend together.
I just want you to know that the best Christmas gift of all, the one I look forward to the most, is the time I get to spend with you.
I love you, my best guy ever.
_____________________________________________________
I wrote the letter above as part of an intentional habit to write more letters to my son. I’d love it if this inspired you to write a letter to your child this season, too. You can check out my previous posts on writing letters to your child– parts one, two, and three can be found at the links there.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #ShareTheHoliday #CollectiveBias
![I love sharing Christmas candy with neighbors and friends, and this is one of my all time favorites-- Holly Berry Candy! It's so easy to make, and everyone loves it. Plus, it's just delightfully festive-- it's the perfect Christmas candy recipe to save for yourself and to share with friends, too! #ShareTheHoliday [ad]](http://i.imgur.com/KWYjbbj.jpg)
I love Christmas candy. I grew up making a few favorites with my mom, and have so many fond memories of sitting on the counter each December making a variety of cookies and candies to share with neighbors, family, and everyone we love. It’s a tradition I love carrying on with my son even now. But the shining example of a perfect Christmas candy that’s so easy to make and delicious to enjoy and share is Holly Berry Candy.
Looking for the perfect breakfast for Christmas morning? This isn’t your grandma’s fruitcake– these pancakes have all of the great flavor of fruitcake, without the craziness. Fruitcake kind of gets a bad reputation, but done right, it can be flavorful and a whole lot of awesome. Plus, these fruitcake pancakes are super easy to make, so the whole family will love them! I’m so excited to share this easy recipe with you– try it this Christmas morning and let me know what you think!
Are you always on the lookout for an easy breakfast? So am I… that’s why these overnight oats pies are such a treat. They’re so easy to make (you just prep them the night before!) and they taste great in seasonal flavors like pumpkin spice and white chocolate cranberry! They’ll only take you about 5 minutes to toss them together at night, and about 2 minutes to finish up in the morning. It’s totally no-fuss, and that’s the best!
Last Christmas, as I loaded up some of the toys my son was no longer playing with to get rid of, I finally stepped on the LEGO that broke the camel’s back… With toys tucked in every corner, I simply couldn’t take adding another one to the house at Christmas time. Zach has a tendency to get toys throughout the year, of course, and our over-stuffed toy bins were clear indicators that he wasn’t exactly hurting for toys. So, I made a decision: No. More. Toys. We weren’t getting rid of the toys he loved, and we certainly weren’t eliminating toys from the house, but instead, my entire family agreed that we would make a conscious effort to purchase a little more creatively for Christmas, and that meant not buying any new toys.
We are still having a blast with Inside Out here, and since my son is a huge fan of being in the kitchen, we decided to make some awesome Inside Out Emotions cupcakes together! It’s so simple to do that almost any age can make Inside Out cupcakes of their very own, inspired by your favorite characters, like Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Fear, and even Bing Bong!