Delia Hauser Is On Santa’s Good Side [Fierce Anticipation]

Fiercely Anticipating: Santa

I am 30 years old and I believe in Santa. If you are snickering right now because you think I’m probably kidding (or completely crazy), you are wrong. I come from a family of believers, including my mother who also believes in gnomes. Our motto is, “why wouldn’t you want to believe in something so wonderful?” So, if you don’t love the big man as much as I do, you may want to press play on this video, because this soundtrack will really get you in the mood.

Which Leads Us To…

Fiercely Anticipating: Santa Research

Even though I dress up and really love candy, Halloween is just an obstacle between Labor Day and Christmas movies. I start watching them on November 1st and although I adore all of the classics, I prefer to stock my DVR with every movie that even hints of the holidays, no matter how horrible they may be. Luckily, there are three channels that never fail to air them the second our pumpkins are smashed and skeletons are packed away. There is the “Countdown to the 25 days of Christmas” on ABC Family which airs weeks before the ACTUAL Countdown to Christmas on December 1st, “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” that starts a little too late for my taste around Thanksgiving, and my favorite, Hallmark Channel, which airs a new holiday movie every Saturday and Sunday at 8pm. If you have ever wondered, “What ever happened to (insert 90’s star here)?” They are still working!

These horrendous (but AWESOME) made-for-TV holiday movies starring Lauren Holly, the bully from the Breakfast Club, and James Van Der Beek, can be broken down into three categories; Romantic Comedies set at Christmastime, Fish-Out-Of-Water (i.e. big city lawyer ends up in a small town and learns what the season is all about OR lonely exec is sent to an alternate universe where she is a happy house wife at Christmas), and finally, those that involve the man himself, Santa. The Santa made-for-TV holiday movies can be further broken down into their own sub-categories, some more effective than others. There are the popular memory-loss Santa movies, low-Christmas-spirit Santa movies, and the ones where Santa falls in love himself. The Santa genre is my personal favorite because I always enjoy getting to see the North Pole and researching elf-behavior and habits, but some are even too ridiculous for me to watch. My mom called me three times last week to ask if I had watched a particular movie yet, claiming it was very touching and that I would love it. The description on the cable guide was “a talking dog and an orphan must save Christmas after old Saint Nick loses his memory.” I thought she must be kidding. I mean, even I have standards.

ALSO Fiercely Anticipating: Alleviating Some of Santa’s Burden

Santa doesn’t put ALL of those presents under the tree because that would just be impossible. I’m thrilled to help the big guy out a little by doing my own shopping to fill in the gaps. As a shop owner and maker, I am an advocate for handmade goods and small business, so I’m also going to challenge you to buy at least 75% of your holiday wares from somewhere other than those chain stores. I know it’s hard, but come on, you can do it. Find a local toy store, craft fair or even just buy your holiday party groceries from a local market. As screwy as our economy is right now, we can make a huge difference by buying directly from each other. Here are some of my favorite shops in my own “local market”, Etsy!

1. Catnap Cottage  2. Paloma’s Nest  3. Yee-Haw Industrial Letterpress  4.  A.Heirloom 5. Recent History 6. AM Radio 7. Take Me Homeware 8. 86 Home 9. Red Leaf Bath and Body 10.  Zara Carpenter 11.Oh Hello, Friend 12. Ohhh Lulu… 13. ISWAS+WILLBE 14. Norwegian Wood 15. Scout & Catalogue

And Finally (For Realzies) Fiercely Anticipating: Properly Hosting Santa and the Reindeer

You might not know this, but Santa, and other Northern elves, actually metabolize sugar in a very different way than humans. He turns cookies, fudge and candy canes into protein, vitamins and fiber. We don’t leave treats for him on Christmas Eve merely as gift; he needs this fuel to get him through the night. Some health nuts out there have convinced their kids to put out “good” food for him to balance the sugar intake from the other houses, but instead, they have been poisoning him for years. He needs sugar to survive, so don’t ruin Christmas for the rest of us by leaving veggies out for a veg-intolerant man. Now, the reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are a different story, so you may want to label the dishes separately. Surprisingly, many people forget to leave food for Santa’s flight team. I suggest leaving out some arctic char with mushrooms on a bed of moss, leaves, and mixed grasses. And for the Jolly Old Elf himself, I’ve put together some of his favorite cookie recipes from Smitten Kitchen for you to try out this year!

Apple Pie Cookies

Ginger Snaps

Chocolate Toffee Cookies

Roasted Chestnut Cookies

Iced Oatmeal Cookies

He’s up there right now, making his list and checking it twice, so you might want to reconsider your faith in the Claus sooner rather than later. Get to your watching, shopping and baking and don’t stress out this season, y’all…it’s CHRISTMAS!!! Happy Holidays!

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