Author Archives: Ann Kirsten

I remember the first time my mom brought one of those chocolate oranges home for Christmas. I thought it was the most unique and wonderful thing ever. We banged it on the counter and watched the secti...

For children, Christmas trees are magical things. And, although each family has their own traditions and styles, kids always think their family's tree is the most beautiful of all. When I was growing ...

I think every mother says to herself, "This year I'm going to simplify the Holidays, this year I'm going to make peace a priority." And then, life happens. This has been my story for as long as I've b...

When I was a young single woman, my wrapped Christmas presents could have been featured in a magazine spread. I bought designer paper, matching gift tags, and made bows from scratch out of beautiful r...

You probably know by now that I am a completely right-brained person. My life is full of chaos, clutter, and creativity. Anything that has to be done in a linear, clean way is beyond me. So, when I go...

Father, I thank you. I thank you for all the times I prayed so hard for something that I just knew I needed, only for you to say no. It was only in hindsight that I saw how wrong I had been, how catas...

Traditions are fun, aren't they? It's interesting to me that the older kids are the ones that want to carry on our traditions. My younger grandkids are happy to experiment with new recipes, games and ...

I grew up in the Norman Rockwell era. Norman was a gifted artist. His paintings were not only beautiful, but they also told stories. They made you want to jump in and live there for a while. He was al...

Does your family don matching pajamas at Christmastime? There's something wonderful about receiving new sleepwear in December. Somehow it makes it easier for visions of sugar plums to dance through yo...

This weekend it's time to "fall back". At 2:00am on November 3rd, we turn our clocks back one hour. Some people look at this as gaining an hour of sleep. But, in the days that follow, this is me: That...