Steamroll my Hungarian Pumpkin.

There are some traditions during the holidays that I just don't mess with. A few that come to mind are:

1) My mother's Hungarian Coffee Cake every Christmas morning. If things don't get too chaotic on Christmas eve, 1-3 of the Clevenger offspring will even help her roll the dough balls. If you haven't tasted the splendor, come over this year. It will take you to your happy place. It's essentially dough, rolled in butter then rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Yes, I know.

This isn't our cake, but you get the idea:



2) Manneheim Steamroller "Christmas in the Aire" and yes, Aire is spelled with an "e" on the end. No typo. If this cd doesn't get you in the holiday spirit, you may or may not be a dead person. As soon as I hear the first song on this cd, it takes me back to pretty much every Christmas since I was, say four years old (everything before then is blurry splattered with a few random images of things like first day of pre-school, pre-school musical performances and going to pre-school on Halloween when my mom forgot to put a costume on me). So if you don't own this cd, do yourself a favor and burn it, pirate it or just be old fashioned and pick it up from Amazon. Like, yesterday.

Here is a taste of the jubilee:



***Please note that I have never actually watched a Mannheim Steamroller video until this moment and I am well pleased. Well pleased, indeed. I'm seriously considering a swift purchase of the dvd boxed set.

Now, being so far from home during the fall (or as Los Angeles likes to call it, extended summer time with brief moments of 65 degree weather) I was really struggling with making our huge house in Venice more festive for the autumnal season. So what did I do? I did what any other sane person would do. I went to Rite Aid.

I picked up a pumpkin candle for five dollars. I purchased two Thanksgiving-inspired kitchen towels. One that is a burnt orange and one that simply reads' "Hey Pumpkin." I got both of them for 2 bucks. It was a 2 for 1 special. A twofer if you will, and yes, I will. It's really the little things, folks. It's amazing how these two very simple pieces have lightened the spirits in the home. I think every girl has either thanked me verbally or written me a note telling me how much they appreciate the new additions. Maybe it's because we're women, maybe it's because we're all aching for the leaves to turn and the opportunity to wear our scarves that have been hibernating since last January. For whatever reason, these things bring a great deal of joy to our lives.

I will always believe in the power of the candle. As I always say, ambiance is king.

P.S. Mom, I'm really not that scarred from the Halloween incident at St. Pauls. I mean, I've never really cared for Halloween but that can't be the reason right. I'll call Dr. B and get back to you.