fridays with oscar | holiday inspiration

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Southern Living®. The opinions and text are all mine.

have your holiday traditions remained steady and sure through the years or have they evolved decade by decade? growing up as a young girl, there were certain things that never varied in our family. turkey for thanksgiving, standing rib roast for christmas day. gifts were opened christmas eve, not christmas morning unless you counted santa’s goodies–but only if you were nice. and a honey baked ham come new year’s day.

there’s something to be said about steadfast traditions. these were the things that you could count on year after year. when november arrived, i knew freshly baked snickerdoodles and russian tea cakes would soon be stacked high on the spode cookie trivet.  and i began to count down the days for a christmas tree to appear, boughs heavy with ornaments.

there are so many fond memories of my mother decorating our house for christmas. she loved it so:  it was her time to shine. weeks before thanksgiving, she would pour over magazines cover-to-cover for new recipes or yet to be discovered trim the tree tips. her official kick-off for the season was the day after thanksgiving.

no, we never went shopping on black friday. instead, my mother would haul out her treasured decorations which were carefully stored in christmas crates. one by one  the boxes would make an appearance, and ornaments collected over the years would make their yearly debut.

hands down, her favorite decoration was her byers’ caroler collection. it was a joy to watch her face light up as she carefully lifted the figurines from their box. she would place the carolers on the living room table snuggled between two striped wing chairs. after they were in place, wisps of cotton appeared, replicating freshly fallen snow. then miniature evergreen trees were scattered around the table. wrought iron fences were anchored into place as were round mirrors reminiscent of frozen skating ponds.  what a delight to see the tablescape slowly transformed into a winter wonderland.

my mother loved every single christmas decorating detail! red bows that adorned fresh evergreen wreaths; a noble fir tree trimmed with silver holiday garland; white twinkle lights; and let’s not forget those stockings hung by the chimney with care in hopes that st. nicholas soon would be there.

what fun to travel down memory lane. but now it’s time to make new memories and transform my home into a winter wonderland. but where to start? my family and i have been vagabonds for many years. we’ve spent many a christmas on a south sea island with blue waves crashing over pristine beaches, or traipsing over hill and dale to xian, china to pay a visit to the terra cotta warriors. it’s been quite some time since i had an entire house to decorate. i need help! thankfully there’s southern living magazine. if, by chance, you haven’t heard of it, then it is my great pleasure to introduce you to their december issue--annual white cake. it’s available in stores now and filled to the brim with holiday gift ideas, tried and true recipes, and more than one decorating tip.

with southern living in hand, i feel my decorating mojo come back. remember y’all, i live in georgia now with a proper southern porch. it just wouldn’t be right if i didn’t give my friends and family a festive welcome. after a quick pit-stop to target where i picked up a few outdoor decorating essentials, oscar and i are ready to roll our sleeves up! are you ready to take a peek? watch your step and rest your feet. the djalalis are ready to unveil a holiday treat.

now it’s your turn to pick up your copy of december’s southern living. i promise you won’t be sorry. not only is it chock full of holiday inspiration but there’s a fabulous sweepstakes to boot.(www.Southernliving.com/HolidaySweeps2016). between 11.1.2016-12.19.2016 you can enter to win one of two $1,000 visa gift card shopping spree grand prizes! and seven first prizes: each first prize will be one $25 visa gift card and one southern made living fresh cookbook. all entrants will receive a coupon for $1 off a southern living magazine to purchase in stores and a pdf copy of the southern living recipe booklet “10 recipes every southerner should know.”

so what are you waiting for? oscar and i can’t wait to hear how you found some holiday inspiration with the special double issue of southern living. and let us know what you think of our finished project.

a big thank you to Southern Living for this supported collaboration! and thank you, lovely readers, for supporting the brands that allow me to bring you fresh ideas daily!

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Beth Djalali

is the Founder and CEO of Style at a Certain Age. She writes Sundays-Fridays on all topics ranging from fashion, health, wellness, home design and more.

She’s 65, 5’8, and size 8.

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