Photo by Tj Turner
Picture the scene: it’s late December, and wisps of seasonally appropriate snow are lazily looping their way out of a cool gray sky. Boughs of pine and breakable glass decorations are snaking their way across every available surface. Friends and family members have gathered at your place, clustering chattily around a fireplace, a coffee table, or wherever it is that your visitors like to cluster. The soundtrack is festive, the sweaters are loud, and the mood is bright.
Boosting that mood: the not-very-difficult but utterly spellbinding job that you’ve done setting the scene thanks to this very collection of holiday-themed party hosting ideas!
Dive into these pages, and then light up your holiday bar with a Snowbird Spritz or a Warmth & Wonder; stock up on the very newest (and best) independently published board games; make one of the world’s easiest yet also most delicious pumpkin pies; find the area’s finest culinary gifts from stocking stuffers to jaw-droppers; set a lovely and distinctive appetizer plate, and so much more.
So relax, rejoice, and rev yourself up. It’s time to take the easy (but soulful!) way out, harness the power of this guide, and have yourself a very, very happy 2019 holiday season!
James Norton
Food Editor
The Growler’s 2019 Culinary Gift Guide
During the holiday season, our culinary horizons broaden a little bit—from entertaining to gift-giving, the kitchen is front and center for these winter-time festivals of feasting. Here are some choice picks plucked from the shelves of some of our favorite retailers in Minneapolis–St. Paul.
A great first bite can set the mood at a holiday gathering, and there’s a world of choices out there beyond deviled eggs or cheese and crackers. With that in mind, we reached out to a few of our favorite local food people for some of their go-to appetizer choices. Read More…
Family downtime is a blessing and a curse, and finding the right activity to span the generations (and make up for sometimes hostile weather) can be a challenge. Fortunately, the modern board game renaissance has (many) answers to the question of “what do we do now?” Read More…
“Easy” and “delicious” are two terms that are often at odds in the culinary world. First-rate recipes often involve time-consuming marinating, spatchcocking, toasting, proofing, and any number of other complex ways to turn precious minutes (and hours) into deliciousness. Read More…
Bartender and spirits writer Zachary Sapato offers up three holiday cocktail recipes that will raise the spirits of your partygoers. Read More…
