I have found THE PERFECT Christmas gift for the holiday enthusiast.
This is a thick coffee table worthy book filled with the most gorgeous photographs of food, homes, decorations... anything Christmas in the South.
I now have a goal, which is to be in New Orleans for the holiday season. Maybe not for Christmas itself, but looking through those pages and reading about it, there's no way you wouldn't be in full festive swing by the time you left.
My Mother-in-Law swooned when she saw this book. She was engrossed for several hours, looking at the lovely pages. She is a true lover of the "Christmas decorated home" and this book hit home with her. If I didn't own a copy that she had already rifled through - I would surely grab one for her gift list.
While I adored the photographs, I also started tabbing certain pages of delicious looking recipes. The last section of the book is chock full of goodies to prepare for guests, or even simpler recipes just to enjoy the holiday spirit with family.
I don't always get into the heavy decorating spirit during the holidays, but I believe this book may have inspired me to put a little more effort into it this year.
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Book Description:
SOUTHERN LIVING
CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH: Joyful Memories, Timeless Moments, Enduring Traditions
By The Editors of Southern Living
Oxmoor House
November 4, 2014
$40/Hardcover
400 pages
978-0-8487-4256-0
For
immediate release (BIRMINGHAM, Ala.) – No one does Christmas like the
South, and the editors of Southern Living have outdone themselves this
holiday season with their inspirational coffee table book, CHRISTMAS ALL
THROUGH THE SOUTH (November 4, 2014;
Oxmoor House, $40/Hardcover). Combining all the elements for which
Southern Living is known and revered – food, travel, and gorgeous homes –
this book is a joyous journey around the region that showcases the
unparalleled hospitality, rich history and larger-than-life celebrations
that are the Southern holiday way.
As
Southern Living editor-at-large Kim Cross writes in the book’s
introduction, “The South may not be the only region that goes overboard
for the holidays, but we like to think we do it with inimitable style.”
That same unbridled exuberance that Kim describes is also what makes
CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH an endless source of inspiration for
decking the halls and planning this season’s festivities. This book is
meant to be read, flipped through, book marked, and shared as your
holiday season is illuminated by a kaleidoscope of these merry
traditions.
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Whether
it’s finding the perfect tree at a North Carolina tree farm, watching
the boats festooned with colorful lights at Homeport Marina on Alabama’s
Gulf Coast, or enjoying the sparkling lobby of The Roosevelt Hotel in
New Orleans, CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH captures the beauty of the
holidays from beginning to end. As you flip through the pages of this
book, you’ll be transported on a breathtaking visual journey with over
400 full-color photos that bring to life the joyful memories, enduring
traditions, local authenticity, and open-armed warmth inherent to every
Southern holiday celebration.
Woven throughout the book are also menu ideas and recipes for every festive occasion:
• Start
the season with A Hearty Picnic In The Pines while fetching that
perfect tree with a menu that includes Rosemary Scented Cold Cider,
Skillet Fried Chicken, and a Caramel Drop-Banana Bread Trifle.
• An
impressive Merry Christmas Eve Dinner spread of Honey-Rosemary
Crostini, Spice-Rubbed Smoked Turkey Breast with Mushroom Gravy, Pecan
Cornbread, and a White Chocolate-Peppermint Mousse Pie will bring
everyone happily around the table.
• Stacks
of Hummingbird Pancakes, Red Velvet Pancakes, German Chocolate Pancakes
and Caramel Cake Pancakes for a fun and festive Christmas Morning
Brunch.
• A
Lucky Oyster Roast on New Year’s Day also features “lucky” Southern
dishes like Cumin-Spiced Black Eyed Pea Dip and a Collard Green and Kale
Salad.
It
also wouldn’t be a deliciously Southern Christmas without an abundance
of sweets and the famous white cake. CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH has
more than ten Christmas Cake recipes including a Snowy White Layer Cake
with Fondant Snowflakes, Bourbon Eggnog Cake, and a five-layer Red
Velvet-White Chocolate Cheesecake. And after a festive evening of
caroling, enjoy a Cookies & Cocktails party with Spiced Sorghum
Snowflakes, Coconut Snowballs, and a Chocolate Cream Martini by the
fire.
With its charming
destinations, Southern Living-tested recipes, elegant decorations, and
gracious hospitality, CHRISTMAS ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH is bound to be the
keepsake every Southerner will want to own and look to, year after
year. As Rick Bragg writes in the foreword, “The Southern Christmas is
rich in its traditions, its own beauties, its own recipes and notions
and, yes, peculiarities. It is why, no matter where we live in this
world, we yearn to come home as time draws near.” Just reading CHRISTMAS
ALL THROUGH THE SOUTH is like coming home for the holidays.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern
Living celebrates the essence of life in the South, covering the best
in Southern food, home, garden, and travel. Reaching more than 16
million consumers each month, Southern Living connects consumers with
the region’s rich culture through a variety of print, digital, mobile,
tablet and event platforms. Headquartered in Birmingham, AL, the
rapidly expanding Southern Living brand is part of Time Inc., one of the
largest content companies in the world and the largest publisher in the
United States. Time Inc. is a Time Warner company.
Oxmoor
House is an imprint of Time Home Entertainment Inc., a Time Inc.
company, and publishes books and special edition magazines for Time Inc.
brands such as Southern Living, Cooking Light, Health, and Sunset.
Oxmoor House publishing partnerships also include Weight Watchers,
Gooseberry Patch, and Weber. With more than 300 back-listed titles, it
is recognized as one of the leading lifestyle publishers in the
country. Oxmoor House books are distributed to the trade by Hachette
Book Group and are available wherever books are sold. More information
is available at oxmoorhouse.com.