Four Things Friday

{i made this santa hat cake for our family christmas party last weekend & it was a hit!}

We're in the home stretch to Christmas and I couldn't be more excited. I have 98% of my gifts purchased, about 65% wrapped and a free weekend ahead to enjoy the simple pleasures of Christmas that sometimes pass me be in the flurry of holiday prep. On tap for this weekend:

• watch Scrooged & Elf (we did Christmas Vacation last night, but it may make another appearance)
• build a gingerbread house with Penelope
• drink hot cocoa by the Christmas tree
• finish wrapping gifts
• take Penelope to the Turtle Back Zoo for Frozen weekend
• wear my mistletoads pajamas
• sneak away for a viewing of The Family Stone, if I can make it happen
• possibly get to the park, if the weather permits
• partake in some holiday baking therapy

I hope you all have a great weekend and soak up the holiday time! I'll be on blogging sporadically next week, and certainly before signing off for Christmas.

What are your weekend plans?

{simple teacher gifts: a sweet mug filled w/hershey kisses + a gift card}

{the sweetest/most amazing baby shower cake!}

{my favorite holiday album this year; it's sweet, soulful, subtle and simply christmasy}

Nothing formal this week for links, just a few things I'm digging:

how cute is this snowman cheeseball?

while we're on the subject of cheese, i'm dying over this epic cheese board

i need this red velvet hot cocoa

on this weekend's baking list: these christmas funfetti truffles! adorable!

also these creamy eggnog cookie bars. #whyiseggnogsoawesome

seriously? this christmas candy cheesecake is food porn at its finest

one of my favorites: eggnog crumble crunch cake. yum.

and since it's unlikely that anything i make will resemble the beautiful photos in the above links, check out these holiday baking/cooking disasters which had me laughing out loud.

and in non-food related news:

this article about how jersey city is the new arts & food powerhouse made me happy

an honest look at those flawless family holiday cards {ours is a photo of P that took over 100 shots to get just 1 that was good enough}

did you have your office holiday party yet? did any of these awkward moments happen? our office is tiny and we had a really nice, low key and special dinner at blue ribbon bakery & kitchen

'tis the season: 27 things you might not know about Christmas Vacation

and 20 facts you probably didn't know about A Christmas Story {one of my family's all-time favorites}

i haven't talked about it here yet, but entertainment weekly recaps Sons of Anarchy's final episode.