This year for the holidays, I wanted to do something extra special for a few of my close girlfriends. As you know, Alex and I just moved into our new house, so I was itching to have a few friends over for a holiday brunch.
I LOVE entertaining, and I LOVE the holidays.
Growing up I remember watching the Food Network, and I was completely in love with a show called “Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. I loved how she made the most delicious and easy meals, accompanied by a gorgeous tablescape design and dinner party after her meal was prepared. I remember thinking, “this is exactly what I want to do for my girlfriends one day.” Fast forward 15 years and here we are. I was able to have a beautiful holiday brunch for my friends, but to make this one even better than Sandra Lee’s, I made each of my guest’s a custom basket full of gifts that I knew they would love.
Want to know the best part? I didn’t waste 3 days planning for the party! The difference with this year as opposed to past years, is that I don’t have alllll that extra time hanging around due to having a vibrant 1 year old by my side. These days I try my best to make my life easier, without lacking any of the fabulousness. This party was a huge success because I knocked everything I needed for the party out at Whole Foods, including all of the gift basket items!
Here is a rundown of all the goodies I chose for their gift baskets:
Derma E Rosehip Cranberry Face Oil
Derma E Microdermabrasion Scrub
Green Vibrance Green Superfood
Soy Vanilla Holiday Candle
Here is how YOU CAN WIN this gift basket for yourself $100 value!: (CLOSED)
- Watch the video! ❤️
- Follow @DERMAE and @MISSASHLEYDIANA on Instagram!
- Comment below and tell us you favorite thing about the holidays!
We will choose a winner from the comments below on Friday 12/22 at 10am PST.
Please be sure to check back on Friday to see if you’ve won!! (Rosalee, you’ve won the giveaway!)
I hope this video inspires you to get creative, have fun, be healthy, and to focus on doing things that make you happy this holiday season!
Seeing the world through Lily’s eyes as well as my own reminds me of the things I’ve always believed:
- Everyone can be happy
- The world is amazing, interesting & beautiful
- The food you eat and the things & people you surround yourself with impact your physical and emotional health more than anything
As we celebrate the holidays, and as we move into 2018, I encourage you to spend time with the people you love, nourish your mind and body with the best products you can get your hands on and remember, that you’re deserving of the best love, health and happiness.
Happy Holidays from Vegas,
Ashley
43 comments
I love the holidays because I can spend quality time with my family! This year is extra special because it’s our first Christmas with our baby!
Happy Holidays MKenna! What a special year! We feel the same way. Although last year was our first year with baby, it’s so awesome this year because she’s interactive and can enjoy what is happening! We started giving her a Christmas present per day starting yesterday…so she can open one per day. So fun! Enjoy your family. Sending love & hugs from Vegas.
Fellow NC lady here! I love that I am able to spend the holidays with my family. I’ll be bringing some plant based dishes for the first time 🙂 this will be my sons second Christmas but the first he will really get to enjoy. Positive vibes and well wishes to your family this season!
Hi Jamie! Sounds so fun! What kind of plant based dishes are you making? Sending ❤️ to you in NC from Vegas!
I’m going to be making an artichoke dip and some vegan shortbread cookies! I need both the sweet and savory ????
My favorite thing about the holidays is cooking all day for my family on Christmas Day! ???????? Loved this video by the way, and I really want to try the Dermae products. Merry Christmas from Kansas!
Hi Diane! I love cooking too, although this year I am going to make it easy since I cooked so much on Thanksgiving! Love to you in Kansas! xo!
Thank you about the video! I love how Alex edited it 🙂 You’ll love Derma E!
Hi Ashley! I used to love that show Semi-homemade too!! My favorite thing about the holidays is all the fun traditions we have…decorating gingerbread houses, baking cookies, parties and spending time with family! Happy Holidays!!
Hey Lisa! Wasn’t that the cutest show? I love your traditions. I am really looking forward to starting some nice traditions like yours with our family! happy Holidays to you too! ????❤️
I absolutely love the magic of the holiday season!! Growing up holidays were always so sad for various reasons, but I never let it damper my holiday spirit. It only ignited my love for this season even more!!
Now that I’m an adult I literally count down the days until I start decorating and celebrating. I think it’s so important to reflect back on the year, bring some magic into our day to day, celebrate with friends and family and start the countdown all over again…oh and of course, I love…Christmas cookies, Christmas movies, Christmas music, Christmas decorations, Christmas parties, Christmas sweaters, Christmas sweaters for my dog, Christmas lights…I could go on, but I think you get the idea!! ❤️❤️❤️???????????????????????????????????? Lots of happy positive holiday thoughts going your way! Keep doing what you do lady, I love following you on social media!!
Hey Melissa! This totally made me smile! I could not agree with you more. Thanks for bringing such beautiful light into the world. Merry Christmas!
As a teacher, I love being off work! ???? But my favorite thing about the holidays are all the traditions! ????
Haha I totally feel you! Xo!
Omg omg omg!! Firstly, I must say, I loved your video and enjoyed every second of it!! (Per usual ????). You are a ray of sunshine! ????
During the Holidays, it seems as though the whole world just turns into a better place. Just the other day, I was in the passengers seat of my boyfriends car, and I looked over to the right and saw the driver next to us wearing a Santa hat. Behind us, was a truck that had its front lit up with CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. I looked all around and saw the buildings lit up with lights.. along with the trees… the Christmas SPIRIT is what makes me love the holidays the most! ???????? Oh, and spending time with my family of course! ???? haha!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Houston, TX! Big ol’ hugs! ????????
Hi Rosalee! I LOVE seeing all the happy spirited people around too. It just makes me feel warm & cozy! Aww Texas…I miss that place! Sending love from Vegas! ????????????
Rosalee, you’ve won the giveaway! I’ll reach out to you via email to get your mailing details.
Love this time of year because of combination of American and Ukrainian Christmas and New year traditions in our family. Our daughter loves both St. Nick and Santa. So sweet to see her learn traditions from both cultures and to respect and cherish them.
My favorite thing about the holidays is seeing the joy and wonder in my boys faces. They are 7 and 9 and the holidays are a time of magic for them. I want to hold onto that magic for as long as I can. Another favorite thing is watching my son play the piano with my dad on Christmas day. It’s something they started doing when my son was 5 (he’s 9 now) and started learning how to play the piano. They play the same three songs – Silent Night, Rudolph the red nose reindeer and Deck the Halls. It’s a joy, personally, for me to watch them play together and to see and hear every year how much he’s grown on the piano. This year he’s learned how to play Star Wars to surprise his grandpa! Can’t wait to see his face. ????
I also love the fact that I get to spoil my parents with goodies. It’s always fun to me that I sneak their stockings into my room and fill them with goodies to make it look like Santa came. Plus I love that I get to take time off to spend time with my family.
I love the holidays because it’s the one time out of the year that my family is open to eating my vegan food. I love cooking plant based food for them and would love for all of them to at one point go vegan. I also love it because the holidays are about spending time with our loved ones and I just wish we could all be together more often.
My favorite part of the holiday season is how much more of my family I get to see . We live all around the U.S some in Texas, New York and even in Las Vegas☺️ it can sometimes be hard to make the time to meet one another. Honestly The gingerbread house contests are always the best part! Well I hope you and your family enjoy the holiday Ms Diane !
Hi Ashley. Wel, let me begin by saying how much I loved watching you evolve and becoming a mom. I was never big on the holidays but this year has marked the 1 year of my moms breast cancer diagnosis and she’s been Vegan ever since and headed straight to full healing and I have used many of your health recommendations and even recipes. You inspire me everyday and I’ve decided to further my education in plant based nutrition and even
begin a blog myself.
Anyway, my favorite thing is sharing my new holiday delicious plant-based recipes with my mom and rest of the family. Love seeing them devour the food and then letting them know that it’s Vegan.
Well*
Hi Ashely!???? My favorite part a bout the holidays is that we spend with the family. We do alto of traditions things from mexico like food, sing, games. And that for the first time I will send Christmas ????has a new mom with my baby ????????. He is experiencing all the fun and joy. He love to see you and Lily he always ???? smiles.
Happy holidays!! My favorite part of the holidays is being together with family and cooking for my family. I absolutely love Christmas and everything about it!
Hey Ashley! My favorite thing about the holidays are of coarse the quality time you get to have with family but also seeing my little ones faces when they see what Santa???? has brought them, that alone tops off all the hectic running around all of us experience! There is no doubt that Christmas time is the most cherished and special time of the year! Hope that your family has a very merry Christmas????❄????????
My favorite thing about the holiday is how magical it feels. I feel that anything can happen, magic, miracle, you name it!
People are more loving and caring! It’s just happiness all around!
I love all of the lights and watching the city become festive. I love that GVR is doing a winter wonderland this year! I love that my nephew is 3 years old this year and that he remembers the Ethel M cactus garden and that he says “Hi lights!” When we walk around. Merry Christmas!!!
Hi Ashley,
I just love your blog and Instagram stories, such beautiful entertaining ideas! I will be using some of them at my Christmas Eve party this year. I absolutely love entering and being surrounded by family. Happy Holidays to you and your beautiful daughter. ????
Hi Ashley,
I love the holidays for the Magic it brings. When lights and decorations are put up everything seems prettier and nicer. Families and friends find time for each other. Smiles and good cheer seem to be ever where. ????
Every year since I can remember my family always sets one day aside to bake all those horribly delicious candy and cookies. We make tins layered with sweets and bring them to all our gatherings. Now I have my boys (18months and 6 years) to share this wonderful tradition with. Also simply watching the joy of Christmas magic on their faces is priceless.
I LOVE the holidays because
1.) I get time off to be with my family and puppies.
2.) The food. Dessert queen ????
3.) The spirit of joy and happiness.
The best thing that I love about the holidays, is that I get to see my whole family. I am so busy working three jobs, not to mention my husbands a Dairy farmer so we don’t get to see our families that much !
I love spending time with my family during the holidays. My fav uncle and grandparents and cousins all come in town and we just chat and eat and have fun! I loved your video so cute!
Seeing my hubby who works out of state year round!!
Being with family is my favorite part of the holidays!!
Merry (almost) Christmas! I stumbled across your blog last year when I decided to start transitioning my life to a more plant based eco-friendly lifestyle. Your beautiful hair color is what caught my eye first 😉
My favorite part of the holidays is baking tons of cookies to share with friends, neighbors, teachers etc and buying my boys and I matching pajamas to open gifts in. ❤️
Hello!
My favorite thing about the holidays is that I get to reflect on how the year has gone by and the things that I will do to make the following year even better. This year has brought me some wonderful experiences. I became a mother to a wonderful baby boy and I cherish his soul immensely. In addition, I celebrated my first year of marriage with my wonderful husband; my best friend; and I got to grow as a person, a woman, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a granddaughter, a.. well you get the picture. In other words, my favorite thing about the holidays is growing and celebrating that growth with those I hold dearest to my heart . XO
My favourite thing about Christmas is that our whole family comes together most of us are spread across different countries making it very hard to meet often. I am extremely grateful for those moments as this year is very different: it’s the first Christmas after losing my baby sister. In her memory and for her love of food my mum and I have been baking vegan cakes and cookies. Christmas comes once a year and I hope it’s not too bad to indulge in all these amazing noms but the process of making them is even more fun. I hope you have a lovely Christmas with your awesome family. Much love xx
Hi Ashley! First of all I just want to thank you for sharing your pregnancy story on your blog. As a first time mommy your advices has really come in handy, from the tea recomendations to the prenatal vitamins, you have really helped me out. So thank you, hopefully I too will have a healthy beautiful baby like lily goat! ???????? She is just the cutest! The one thing I love about the holidays is the baking. I just love listening to Christmas carols and baking with my niece. I can’t wait till I get to do that with my daughter. I think it’s really nice of you to do this, hope you an lily have a Merry Christmas ! ????⛄️❤️
Family , of course is my favorite. Seeing all the smiles and hugs.
I love the holidays because we get to spend time with friends and family. And the food!! Hahaha love the holiday food ????