25 Days of Christmas Summary

I had a lot of fun doing my 25 Days of Christmas challenge during the month of December. I'm proud to say I was able to keep up with it and posted something new for all 25 days without missing a day! I even have a bonus post! I have tons of ideas that I didn't even get to think about doing so stay tuned next December! Check out all of my posts below and I look forward to sharing more creative ideas next year!

25 Days of Christmas
Day 1: Advent Calendar
Day 2: Christmas Card Holder
Day 3: Hurricane Centerpiece
Day 4: Wine Glass Centerpiece
Day 5: Snowman Ornament
Day 6: "We Whisk You a Merry Kissmas"
Day 7: Graham Cracker "Gingerbread" House
Day 8: Holiday Manicure
Day 9: Winter Wonderland Martini
Day 10: Chocolate Dipped Graham Crackers with Peppermint
Day 11: Reindeer Beer
Day 12: Marshmallow Mugs
Day 13: Peanut Snowmen
Day  14: Candy Cane Vodka
Day 15: Reindeer Washcloth Gift
Day 16: Christmas Treats
Day 17: Mistletoe Jello Shots
Day 18: Holiday Cookies: Reindeer and Melted Snowmen
Day 19: Eggnog Cupcakes
Day 20: Holiday Sangria
Day 21: Holiday Photo Booth
Day 22: Snowman Gift
Day 23: Holiday Cocktail
Day 24: Snowy Votives
Day 25: Fruit Christmas Tree
Christmas Bonus : Santa Hat Brownies

25 Days of Christmas: BONUS

I have a bonus post for my 25 Days of Christmas challenge. I also made Santa Hat brownies but ran out of days so you get a bonus post!

Ingredients:
Favorite brownie mix or recipe
Strawberries
White chocolate chips

Supplies:
Mini brownie pan
Piping bag and tip

For these adorable treats, you start my mixing up a batch of your favorite brownie mix. Then divide it into the mini brownie pan. Once the brownies are cool, cut the stem off of each strawberry. Next, heat up a bowl of white chocolate melting chips. I used one cup for about 36 mini brownies. Next put the melted white chocolate in a piping bag and pipe a dot on the tip of each strawberry. Then proceed to put a large dot of white chocolate on the bottom of each strawberry and press onto the top of each brownie. The result is a delicious treat that is super cute and makes a great addition to any holiday party or family dessert table.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 25

For the final day of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I made a beautiful fruit Christmas tree centerpiece. This beauty was my masterpiece of the season. All you need is a styrofoam cone and toothpicks plus whatever fruit you think would look good. I went with kiwi, green grapes, blackberries, strawberries, melon and Craisins. I used a star cookie cutter to get the star melon on top of the tree. I cut up the rest of the melon as presents under the tree and also used cilantro as a garnish underneath. It's basically a free form project. You just start by putting fruit on and as it gets fuller, you pick which size fruit fits best. Once it started getting full, I started snapping the toothpicks in half to fit better.  The end result makes a beautiful fruit centerpiece for your Christmas dinner table or for a holiday party.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 24

For day 24 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I took a stocking stuffer gift I had received and made it more festive. Gary got me three clear candles and holders from Bath and Body Works. I had been wanting to do something with epsom salts for a "snowy" look and these were the perfect opportunity.

Supplies needed:
Tacky spray
Epsom salts
Jar, bottle, vase, candle holder, etc.
Candles
Paper plate

Pour some epsom salts on the paper plate and spray the outside of your candle holder ( or other decorative object) with the tacky spray. Then roll the object in the epsom salts until covered. If there are some blank patches, take a pinch of epsom salts and sprinkle over the spots. The end result is a pretty snowy look. You can display them on their own or make a centerpiece by putting them on a silver tray and adding some ornaments as decoration.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 23

For day 23 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I made holiday cocktails for me and my friend. I honestly think you can make any red or green drink a Christmas cocktail if you want but cranberry is also a big holiday flavor so this drink tastes festive as well. Plus if you put it in the right glass with the right decoration whether it be a fun straw, garnish, etc then you've got yourself a holiday drink.

Ingredients needed:
1 cup of apple juice
1 cup of cranberry juice
100 ml vodka
1 cup of ginger ale

The recipe I found for this drink has you blend the apple juice, cranberry juice and vodka in a blender. I guess it gives it a fun frothy look but honestly the look doesn't last long so this may be a pointless step. I tried it because it was my first time but you could honestly just shake it over ice and strain if you don't feel like getting the blender dirty. Then you top it off with ginger ale at the end and pour over ice. I used mason jars because they're cute and fun to drink out of. Then I topped it off with a festive candy cane patterned straw. Whip up a batch at your next holiday party or family gathering, these cocktails are tasty and easy to make!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 22

For day 22 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I have another fun gift idea for the holidays. You can get this really cute snowman wrapper for free from Aimee Asher of you can design your own. Wrap it around a gift of your choice to make it more festive. You also use gloves for the hat so you could use it to make the gloves more fun if they are the main gift or you can buy a cheap pair at the dollar store and include it with another main gift. I chose to wrap it around microwave popcorn which is perfect to pair with a dvd or blu-ray gift.

Supplies Needed:
Snowman wrapper
Microwave popcorn (or you could use a chocolate bar, etc)
Pair of gloves
Tape
Ribbon

Simply cut the snowman wrapper to size and tape it around your item, in my case, the microwave popcorn. Next take your gloves and put one inside the other so the person gets a pair still. Then place the gloves over the top of the snowman's head. Next tie a ribbon in a bow around the gloves and you have a cute snowman with a hat! You can add a scarf using felt if you want but I chose not to. Pair with a Christmas favorite dvd or blu-ray for an awesome gift!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 21

For day 21 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I made a holiday photo booth. Photo booths are a fun addition to any party or get together. All you need is a back drop and a box of props. People can use their own cameras or you could include a Polaroid camera so everyone can have a souvenir. The iPhone also has a fun app called PopBooth that actually takes 4 pictures in a strip similar to an old fashioned photo booth. You can order actual prints for 2.99 or you can post them on Facebook and email the pictures for free!

For a backdrop, a streamer curtain works well. It looks festive and it's super easy to make. I took a piece of string and cut strips of streamers and stapled them to the string. I alternated holiday colors of red, white and green. Then loop the ends of the string and hook them onto thumb tacks to hang on the wall.

For the prop box, you can print out hats, glasses and mustaches and glue or tape them to sticks or a better idea is just to buy a few props at the dollar store. You can get Santa hats, elf hats and reindeer antlers as well as big sunglasses and fake mustaches. I glued the mustaches to bamboo chopsticks so that they can be reused multiple times instead of sticking them to one person's face.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 20

For day 20 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I decided to whip up a batch of holiday sangria. The basis of sangria is a mixture of wine and fruit and the rest is up to you to come up with the right mix of spices, juice, liquor, etc to make your sangria complete. Because of this, sangria is one of those things that has limitless options of what you can do. There are so many recipes out there it's enough to make your head spin! I pinned a couple different holiday ones and this one sounded a little more festive to me so I gave it a whirl. This is another project that you need to start the night before because it needs 24 hours to seep.

Ingredients:
2 bottles Merlot (or 1 large bottle)
1 bottle ginger ale
1 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 large orange cut up
1 large apple cut up
6 to 10 cinnamon sticks
1/2 bag of cranberries

Just now reviewing the recipe, I realize I accidentally did a full bag of cranberries and I thought it was a little much! Now I see that the recipe calls for 1/2 a bag which makes a lot more sense since I was going to suggest doing half a bag. But onto the steps.

Step 1: In a medium pot, combine Merlot, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Let simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved.

Step 2: Pour immediately into a sealed pitcher or other container. Chop apples and oranges and add them along with the cinnamon sticks  and cranberries to the mixture.

Step 3: Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Step 4: Add ice and ginger ale to serve.

I served this at a get together I had with my cousins and everybody loved it. It was delicious and had the perfect holiday spice. I forgot to take a picture of it all pretty in the punch bowl and in the cups but above is an up close of it seeping in the fridge. You can also bottle this up and it makes a great gift!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 19

For day 19 of my 25 Days of Christmas I made a batch of eggnog cupcakes. Similar to holiday cookies, there are a million different options for holiday themed cupcakes. Last year I made these adorable Reindeer Cupcakes. This year, instead of picking a decorative cupcake, I decided to go for a holiday flavored cupcake. When I saw eggnog cupcakes on Pinterest, I just knew I had to give them a try.

Ingredients Needed:
1/4 cup dark rum or bourbon (I used Kraken Black Spiced Rum)
1 cup soy eggnog
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
scant 1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly ground
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350F.
Step 2: Fill a 12-cup muffin tin with liners. (get holiday ones if possible, more festive!)
Step 3: In a small bowl, mix together rum, eggnog, vegetable oil, vinegar and vanilla.
Step 4: In a large bowl, mix together nutmeg, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Step 5: Pour in rum mixture and whisk until just combined. Divide evenly into muffin tins (a 1/4 cup measure is a good tool for this).
Step 6: Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cakes spring back when lightly pressed.
Step 7: Cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Ingredients Needed for Eggnog Frosting:
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tbsp soy eggnog (or regular)
2 tbsp rum (I used Kraken Black Spiced Rum)
generous pinch of nutmeg, freshly ground
2+ cups confectioners’ sugar

Step 1: Cream together butter, eggnog, rum, nutmeg and 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar. Add in more confectioners' sugar if needed to make frosting stiff, but spreadable.
Step 2: Spread on cupcakes and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Step 3: My holiday liners came with little decorative picks so I added these for a more festive look!

 

25 Days of Christmas: Day 18

For day 18 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I made reindeer and melted snowmen cookies. As you can see from my previous posts, there are a lot of cute options for both reindeer and snowmen when it comes to holiday baked goods and crafts. Although I could have made these two separate days, I decided to combine them under a holiday cookie post.

Ingredients for Reindeer:
Your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe
Chocolate covered pretzels, white chocolate covered pretzels or regular mini pretzels
M&Ms - red and green ones or red and brown ones
Icing 

To make reindeer cookies, first make a batch of peanut butter cookies. You can use your favorite recipe or buy a mix or roll of pre-made dough. Once you take the cookies out of the oven, immediately press m&ms into the cookies. Use brown or green for the eyes and red for the noses. Then put the cookies on a rack to cool. I had originally read to also press the chocolate pretzels on immediately too but after trying this with the first two, I realized the pretzels were melting and looked sloppy. So I decided to wait until the cookies cooled and then "glued" the pretzels on for the antlers using a dab of white icing. If you're just using regular pretzels, you can probably press them in when you do the m&ms. I had a bag of white chocolate covered Flipz and a box of mini Godiva chocolate covered pretzels. I made a batch of each. I like the way the Godiva ones look better because they are smaller but I also really like the way white chocolate looks.

Ingredients for Melted Snowmen:
Your favorite sugar cookie recipe
White icing
Large marshmallows
Orange jimmies
Green, blue or black jimmies

These snowmen cookies are one of my favorite things I've ever made. They are just so darn cute! First start by whipping up a batch of your favorite sugar recipe, or buy a mix or pre-made dough. Once the cookies are cooled, cover each cookie with white icing. Next, place your marshmallows on a plate and put them in the microwave for about 20 seconds. I read a tip that you should coat your hand in cooking spray to help handle the marshmallows when you take them out of the microwave so I gave my hand a coat of Pam. Next take the slightly melted marshmallows and place them near the top of each cookie. Next decorate with jimmies. My bottle of rainbow jimmies didn't have any black so I picked out enough orange for the noses and a combo of blue and green for the eyes. I then took a bottle of Valentines Day sprinkles I had and picked out brown heart shaped ones for the buttons on each snowman. Place the buttons on the icing and press the nose and eyes into the marshmallow. The great thing about these is that they are supposed to look like melted snowmen so they don't have to be perfect at all when icing or placing the marshmallows and jimmies. Sloppiness just adds to their charm and helps them look more melted!

25 Days of Christmas: Day 17

For day 17 of my 25 Days of Christmas, I decided to make mistletoe jello shots. I am attending an Ugly Christmas Sweater party so I thought these would be the perfect treat to bring along.

Ingredients Needed:
2 cups of boiling water
1 cup of Apple Pucker Liquor
1 cup of vodka
1 box of lime jello (I bought a bigger box so this recipe is doubled, if you buy the regular box, use 1 cup of boiling water and 1/2 cup of each of the liquors)
Whipped cream or cool whip
Fresh mint leaves
Red hot candies

If you haven't made jello shots before, you follow the jello recipe on the box but replace the cold water with your alcohol. If you're using two different liquors like in this recipe, do half a cup of each or 1 cup of each for the bigger box. Then pour the jello into individual cups and put in the fridge for the recommended amount of time. Then when the jello is set, add a dollop of cool whip or squirt of whipped cream on top of each shot. Then decorate with two fresh mint leaves and two red hots on each one to look like mistletoe. These are super cute for a holiday get together and are quite tasty! It's definitely more fun to experiment with mixing flavored liquors with flavored jello instead of just using plain vodka in jello shots.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 16

For day 16 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I decided to make a batch of sweet and salty treats. These are super simple and can be made year round for any occasion. See my Halloween Treats for a fall version.

Ingredients:
Small pretzels (you can use round, square or regular)
Hershey Kisses (for a fun twist try candy cane kisses)
Red and Green m&ms (you can use regular ones also but red & green are more festive for the holidays)


Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and then line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Spread the pretzels out on the sheet and unwrap that many kisses. Then bake for about 3 minutes until the kisses are shiny. Once you take them out of the oven, quickly press the m&ms into each kiss. The mix of sweet and salty is the perfect snack for a party or you can put them in a pretty package and give them as a gift.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 15

For day 15 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I have another fun reindeer themed gift idea. This one can be used for a bath and body themed gift basket or to be paired with a spa, massage or nail salon gift certificate.

Supplies Needed:
Brown or tan wash cloth
Brown or tan pipe cleaners
Christmas colored bells (red, green, silver or gold)
Google eyes
Ribbon
Red pom pom
Hot glue
Bar of soap, nail polish or airplane size bottles of hand sanitizer, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc.

Take your bar of soap (or other accessories) and wrap up in the washcloth and tie with a ribbon, leaving some material at the top for "ears." Next stick a pipe cleaner on each side of the gathered material at the top for antlers. Cut smaller pieces of pipe cleaner and wrap around for additional pieces of the antlers. Finally add a bell or two if tiny onto the pipe cleaner for extra flare. Next glue on the google eyes and pom pom for a nose.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 14

For day 14 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I decided to make Candy Cane Vodka. I actually had to start the process on Day 12 because it needs to sit for two days.

Ingredients:
1 cup of candy cane pieces
Vodka
Mason jar

All you need to do is break up pieces of candy canes until you have about a cups worth. Next you put the pieces in a mason jar and pour vodka over them until the jar is full. Next seal the jar up and let it sit for 2 days.

After two days, you should have a red colored liquid. Add ribbon and a gift tag that reads "Candy Cane Vodka" if you are giving it as a gift. I used glitter letter stickers to spell out "Candy Cane Vodka" on the lid and tied a mini candy cane to the jar with a bow for added decoration. If you're keeping it for yourself, taste and enjoy! If you like this, you can try this recipe with a cup of your favorite sugary candy such as skittles or even candy corn for Halloween.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 13

For day 13 of my 25 Days of Christmas Challenge, I wanted to make peanut snowmen. These little guys {or gals} are adorable and can be used as a snack and a decoration or can be turned into an ornament or to add characters to your favorite holiday display.

Supplies Needed:
Bag of peanuts in shells
White paint
Black and orange sharpie
Ribbon, yarn or string - various colors
Acorn tops
Hot glue gun

You'll need to start by picking out decent looking peanuts out of the bag, I decided to make 3, but you can pick out however many you want to make. What I mean by "decent looking" is some peanut shells can look dis-formed and unless you want your snowmen looking that way, I suggest your classic peanut shell look. Next, paint your peanut shells white. You can do this with spray paint or with a paint brush. While you wait for the paint to dry, you will need to find some acorn tops outside. You'll need as many acorn tops as painted peanut shells you have, therefore I needed 3. Once your paint is dry, take a hot glue gun and glue the acorn top to the top of the peanut shell for his hat. Then take your black Sharpie and give your snowman a mouth, eyes, and buttons. If you're making any snow-women, use a red sharpie to give her sexy lips and rosy cheeks! Then take your orange Sharpie to make the carrot nose. Finally take the string, ribbon or yarn and tie around your snowman's neck for a scarf. You can take multiple pieces of string and braid them together for a fancier scarf.

If you're making a whole bags worth of snowmen and women, you can place the finished product in a clear or decorative holiday bowl for a cute display and a snack. You don't eat the peanut shells which is why they can still be edible, even after using paint and Sharpies! Crack 'em open and the peanuts inside should be unharmed. Or, if you're only making a couple like myself, you can tie a loop of ribbon or string around the back of the scarf and use them as ornaments. Or if you have a gingerbread house display or a holiday village, add these little guys as characters into your mini winter wonderland.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 12

For day 12 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I decided to make mini marshmallow mugs. These make a great addition to any winter themed party including a hot chocolate bar or are the great starter to making your own s'mores,

Ingredients: 
Large marshmallows
Cookies (I used fudge stripe cookies)
Mini candy canes
Vegetable oil
Sprinkles
Chocolate icing

First take the cookie, if you use fudge stripe like I did, place the cookie upside down. Then make a ring of chocolate icing around the middle hole and "glue" the marshmallow onto it. This is like a cup on a saucer. Then for the handle, break the curvy piece off of a mini candy cane and stick it into the side of the marshmallow. Next brush a tiny amount of oil onto the top of the marshmallow and top with sprinkles. The final result are adorable mugs. For a hot chocolate bar, toss the marshmallow into your hot chocolate and use the cookie for dipping. For s'mores, add another cookie on top and microwave for 10-15 seconds. You could also use these for place settings at Christmas dinner, stick a toothpick in the top of the mug and tape names onto the pick. The ideas are endless.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 11

For day 11 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I have another gift idea to share with everyone. This is a fun way to make a simple gift like a 6 pack more festive for the holidays. You can use this for the beer lover in your life or for your friends that prefer non-alcoholic beverages, this also works on 6 packs of root beer, classic coke or other beverages that come in glass bottles.

Supplies Needed:
Brown or tan pipe cleaners
Red pom poms
Google eyes
Hot glues
Your favorite 6 pack

All you need to do is wrap a pipe cleaner around each bottle for the antlers. Then cut up smaller pieces of pipe cleaner and wrap a small piece around each antler. Then glue two google eyes on each bottle and one red pom pom for the nose. It's as simple as that and you have a cute pack of reindeer! For another fun reindeer idea, check out my Reindeer Wine Cork Ornament.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 10

For day 10 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I made dark chocolate covered graham crackers topped with peppermint.

Ingredients:
Dark chocolate chips
Crushed candy canes
Graham crackers

All you need to do is melt the chocolate, dip the graham crackers, and sprinkle crushed candy canes on top. Then you let the chocolate harden and you have a delicious holiday snack! They look pretty and are quite tasty.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 9

For day 9 of my 25 Days of Christmas I decided to make a Winter Wonderland Martini. This is the perfect signature cocktail for your next holiday bash.

Ingredients:
2 oz Vanilla Vodka
1 oz White crème de cacao
2 oz White chocolate liqueur
1 oz Cream
½ Teaspoon of coconut flakes
1 White chocolate wafer stick

Supplies Needed:
Cocktail Shaker and ice
Martini Glass
Single and double shot glasses for measuring

All you need to do is add the vanilla vodka, white chocolate liqueur, crème de cacao and cream into a shaker and shake over ice. Strain martini into a martini glass and add half a teaspoon of coconut flakes. Stir martini gently with white chocolate wafer stick and voila, you have a winter wonderland in a martini glass!

On a side note, I couldn't actually find white chocolate wafer sticks so I got french vanilla ones. This martini is quite tasty but very sweet. It makes a great dessert drink that is meant for sipping slowly.

25 Days of Christmas: Day 8

For day 8 of my 25 Days of Christmas challenge, I decided to give myself a holiday themed manicure. As you'll see below, my technique is a little sloppy but hopefully the ideas are cute and people can execute them better on their own nails, or just give the ideas to their favorite nail salon for a more professional look!

My first, and favorite, nail design, is Santa nails:

Nail Polish Needed:
Red
Sparkly Silver
White
Light Pink
Black
Base & top coat, if desired

Start by painting your nails with a base coat or nail treatment polish that can be used as both a base coat and a top coat. Then paint your tips white. On your middle finger, give the white a slightly scalloped look as this is going to be Santa's beard. Next paint a stripe of silver on the bottom of the white polish on all fingers except the middle finger. Next paint the remainder of your nail red on each finger excluding the middle again. Then take the light pink and make a small circle directly under the white polish, this is Santa's nose. Then take the black polish and make two small dots under the pink circle for his eyes. If you have nail art pens, those might be best for the pink and black. Then paint the remainder of your middle finger red, closest to your cuticles. If you have space, you can add a white scalloped line to give his hat trim or I just added a small white dot on the side to look like the ball on the tip of his cap. Finally cover your nails with a top coat and you're done!

My second holiday themed idea is simply Christmas colored polka dots:

Nail Polish Needed:
Red
Sparkly Silver
White
GreenBase & top coat, if desired

For this look, start with your base coat again. Then paint all of your nails entirely white. Then make circles or dots with each of the remaining colors. I made two dots of each color on each nail.