Gina Alfani: holidays

Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts

Saturday, December 13, 2025

Are You Ready For Christmas?

All I can say is that I don't have to watch television commercials anymore since I cut the cord. My main channel is You Tube Premium. I pay to not have to watch commercials and I love it. Thinking back to my cable television days, the Christmas commercial bombardment started around Halloween. They tortured me and I hated them so much.

No, I don't hate Christmas. It was just my choice to not celebrate it anymore since my first husband JR passed away. For he and I, the Christmas/Thanksgiving holidays were as special as it gets. We had huge parties for both days. We decorated to the max. A week after he passed away, a huge tree fell on the storage shed where all the decorations were and destroyed them. For me, it was a sign from God. Christmas is about the birth of Christ for me anymore. JR passed away in October as the commercials started. Anyway, when The Captain and I got together, it was a relief to find out he felt the same way about Christmas. Another sign from God.

I'm all good with it now, but no commercials or celebrations. It does bring me joy to see other people celebrating the holidays as I once did. That is why I am focusing on Christmas posts, to help others enjoy the holidays to the max as JR and I did.

Speaking of the Christmas posts, I've posted a lot of them from recipes, cooking and Christmas decorating tips/ideas. Below is a list of all the new blog posts. I sincerely hope they touch even one person's life. This is the time before Christmas that I always enjoyed the most.

Happy Holidays to everyone! May God bless you all . . .

NEW BLOG POSTS

LaBelladiva

Unique Christmas Tree Ideas for Every Decorating Style

Is It OK to Leave Your Christmas Tree Lights on All Night?

Subtropical Gardening

How To Water Poinsettias – Why You Should Be Misting Your Poinsettia Plants!

Peace Love Happiness

Live For The Moment

Gina's Italian Kitchen

How to Freeze Cookies and Cookie Dough

Secret To Silky Smooth Melted Chocolate

How to Quickly and Safely Bring Butter to Room Temperature - And Only Way to Store Butter

Leftovers That Spoil Faster Than You Think

White Chocolate Bark

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Smothered Chicken

Pecan Pie Coffee Cake

Foods You Didn't Know You Could Cook in an Air Fryer

Baked Two-Cheese & Bacon Grits

Fried Potatoes And Onions

Raspberry Crumble Bars

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Butter Pecan Cheesecake

Deep-Dish Apple Pie

Roasted Pork Shoulder (Italian-Style)

Basic Thumbprint Cookies

White Chocolate-Cherry Shortbread Cookie

Hot and Spicy Hush Puppies from the Neelys

Chicken Tater Tot Casserole

Cherry Fudge Truffle Coconut Cheesecake

Ground Beef Taco Dip

Cheesy Crab Poppers

Baked Stuffed Shrimp

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Collection of Ham Posts from Baking to Leftover Ham Recipes - UPDATED

Ribs - Informative Info and Recipes

Sunday, December 7, 2025

Excuse me while I pat myself on the back

Happy weekend everybody! We are having a rainy weekend in Florida, but we need the rain. I'm sorry for you guys experiencing all that snow.

That is Kiki's photo posted . . . I just wanted to see her precious little face. I miss her so much! The photo is blurry, but I took it with my phone in a dark room. It turned out to be one of my favorites.

As promised, I have gone wild with posting Christmas sweet treats that are great any time of the year. Many of these items are perfect for gift giving. Make up tins of cookies for situations like giving to a host of a party you are going to, for example. It was something I always did and I have posted the fudge recipe I used year after year. People started asking for it. Homemade treats are awesome!

It has been easier to manage the grief and I am feeling so much better emotionally and physically too since I have made several lifestyle changes.

The biggest thing is that I have continued to be a non-smoker, it has been over 2 years. Giving up sugar has proved to be equally as difficult, but my discipline is holding up great. Of course I will treat myself for a job well done for Christmas as I did for Thanksgiving when I had one piece of pumpkin pie and that was it. Pepsi that I was addicted to . . . no more! It has been weeks since I had one. My discipline has been strong and I'm proud of myself.

Have a great week everybody. Below are new blog posts.

NEW BLOG POSTS

Gina's Italian Kitchen

Cherry Cordials

Brownie Bonbons

Almost Famous Molten Chocolate Cake

Amaretto Almond Bundt Cake

Gina's Chocolate Fudge

Peppermint Fudge

Chocolate Cream Pie

Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Holiday Cookie Recipes from the Food Network

The Best Christmas Recipe Guide

Christmas Cannoli Cake

No-Bake Peanut Butter Pretzel

Copycat Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple Cheesecake

Coconut Macaroon Blossoms

How to Make the Best Sugar Cookies from Martha Stewart

Chocolate Peanut Butter Buckeye Cookies

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

The Ultimate Snickers Pie

Babyboomer Flashback

Marilyn Monroe . . . Suicide Blonde?

LaBelladiva

Should You Bring A Gift To A Family Member Who’s Hosting The Holiday Meal?

How To Make A Sunglasses Case

Monday, December 1, 2025

Holiday joy and blahs

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Every Thanksgiving I enjoy a delicious feast that Door Dash brings to me from Bob Evans. It is the next best thing to having to cook for a family. I'm thankful for a tradition I enjoy.

Since the holidays are not a pleasant time for me, my mind is lured to the thought of food and cooking. The things you are supposed to do for the holidays. Something I loved so much, but will never have again. So, writing in my food blog is the next best thing I guess. It is a release for all those food and cooking related desires. One day I will enjoy actually cooking again.

Yes I have gone crazy with the food blog. Now you know why. And it keeps my mind occupied. I'm thankful for having the desire for something, anything. Since The Captain died it was all nothingness. So I'm thrilled to have some desire for something coming back. I've delighted my mom with my renewed sense of humor and laughing again. Even telling her funny stories. That is what he left me with. He would have wanted me to laugh and find humor with life like he did. Trust me, this is progress!

The sadness I can't get rid of is missing my little doggie girl Kiki. That is killing me still. Oh the anxiety! I'd love a lot of little Kikis, but I can't.

My desire for this month is to find those things of holiday joy to share with everyone on all of my blogs. Get ready for the holiday-ish posts. Yes, and the desserts since I have cut sugar from my diet if I care to live a longer life.

Have a great week everybody! Listed below are my new blog posts.