Friday Five: Holiday Highlights for December 2025

Happy New Year, Everyone!
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope your holidays were joyful and restful — or at least filled with a little sparkle! I stepped away for the last two weeks of December, but this month deserves its own highlight reel, and I couldn’t let the year end without sharing it. This post is filled with all the festive favorites: hosting Christmas Day in our home, a breathtaking Bible study Christmas party in an 89-year-old historic house, a Christmas pop-up bar date night with Brian, and even a new moms running group I tried over the break. December was full, festive, and honestly a little magical — and I’m so excited to document it all here, both to share with you and to remember later. Let’s jump in!

One – Christmas Day Recap

We hosted Christmas again this year — I say it every time, it’s a ton of work but totally worth it! We even took our family photo by the new fireplace mantel instead of the tree because the lighting was so much better. Also… 70 degrees on Christmas?! I didn’t put my Christmas sweater on until guests showed up because the house was already roasting (Brian was baking his cherry pie and the oven was working overtime!). Was it warm for you, too?

Since we host Christmas at lunchtime, we like to keep things pretty casual and easy. I order a tray of dollar roll sandwiches with assorted meats and cheeses, and this year I added my homemade poppy seed strawberry salad with candied sliced almonds (recipe HERE!) — it’s SO good and always a hit. My mom brings her famous mashed potatoes and gravy, and we round things out with pasta salad, chips, and plenty of dips. Simple, delicious, and perfect for a laid-back holiday lunch!

This was our second year ordering a charcuterie board, and I went with a local favorite — Charcu In the Lou. It turned out so cute! Brian and I actually took a charcuterie board class with them a few years ago, so when they emailed me photos of their Christmas boards this year, I knew immediately I had to order one for our party !I also picked up a handful of different crackers and had so much fun arranging a second board dedicated just to crackers.

I still bake Christmas cookies every year using my favorite sugar cookie, gingerbread, and royal icing recipes (ask if you want them!). Now that the kids are teens/young adults, I mostly do it solo—though Brian helped decorate this year! It’s a lot of work, so I’m never sure if I should keep the tradition going… but my cookie cutter collection says otherwise. Do you have any traditions you’re unsure about now that your kids are older?

Our first year playing the Saran Wrap Ball Game! This hilarious holiday tradition is so much fun — everyone sits in a circle and unravels a giant ball of Saran wrap filled with prizes while the dice are rolled to try to stop them. It made for so many laughs and kept everyone entertained!

I couldn’t resist making the cutest little Saran Wrap Ball Game graphic for you to pin, save, and share. It’s just too fun!

Next up — my Christmas Day outfit! 🎄 In our group photo, you’ll see I wore white flared denim with my Christmas sweater (a favorite!). Later that evening, we went out for Christmas dinner, so I swapped the jeans for a stretchy skirt, leggings, black booties…

…and the cutest bow boot socks. I mean… ADORABLE. Eek!

Our sweet ragdolls got in on the Christmas fun, too! They unwrapped a few gifts of their own — the Christmas Tree Purr Pops were a huge hit. I also picked up a new string toy, some ball toys, and the cutest gift-shaped box with a scratching pad in the bottom. Spoiled and loved!

Autumn snapped the cutest photo of Ollie trying to catch the string toy, and I managed to get one of him licking his treat pop — his little tongue just melts me!

Two – Christmas Fun with the Family (AND a date night!)

I’ve always wanted to visit a Christmas pop-up bar, and I FINALLY made it happen this year! Brian and I booked a date night at Shack the Halls (at The Shack’s Frontenac location), and it was such a blast. They even had a big lit-up photo op right when you walk in—how fun is that?!

This was my ‘dessert’ cocktail. It was delicious with the ice cream blended in it!

The entire restaurant—inside and out—was decked out in holiday lights and festive decor. I was obsessed with the giant red bow behind me! On our table, you can see what we ordered: stuffed mushrooms, mini bar burgers (brisket and beef), and fries with queso. SO good!

We visited the Garden Glow light display at the Missouri Botanical Garden on a really cold night—so cold, they actually canceled it the following evening! We ended up cutting our visit a little short because we were freezing, but it was still so pretty to see. And in true St. Louis fashion, it was back in the 70s the very next week. Classic!

Here are a couple of photos from the light display at Garden Glow.

We finally made it over to the new London Tea Room! The original owner closed the shop a year or two ago, and now her sons have reopened it in a brand new location. It’s only been open for about a month, so I was excited to visit while the kids were home for Christmas break. Everything was delicious and the tea selection was incredible!

The chicken salad croissant is still on the menu (thank goodness!) and just as good as I remember. The pumpkin cranberry scone with jelly and clotted cream was amazing, and the desserts were plentiful and delicious. We’ll definitely be back!