This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and Welch’s.
When my husband and I got married, I was the queen of stressing out over Christmas parties. Our first Christmas together I decided that I was going to throw a party for his co-workers, and I promise you that I cooked for about six days. I found all sorts of elaborate recipes in different cookbooks that we’d received as wedding gifts, and it took me a sweet forever to get all of the food prepared. And then, the night of the party, I spent almost all of my time in the kitchen – trying to remember when to put in this dish and take out that dish and find serving spoons for everything else – and as a result of that I barely spent any time with our guests.
So basically I wore myself out and missed all the fun. Merry Christmas, y’all.
These days I know better. These days I understand that the secret to a great holiday gathering is to KEEP IT SIMPLE. I make basic foods that I know people will love, and I try to think of people’s favorites when I’m planning a menu. I keep things relatively inexpensive, something that’s admittedly easier when you don’t harbor the foggiest notion of serving beef tenderloin and expensive wine. We tend to go with a low-key, no-alcohol plan – nothing too fussy, and nothing that will interfere with our guests’ ability to drive home at the end of the night.
(Right now I’m picturing my 27 year-old self looking at my 41 year-old self and saying, “So. At what point did you become PRACTICAL?”)
(The answer? Somewhere around my 35th birthday, apparently.)
One of my favorite things that I’ve done the last couple of years is to fix a special, non-alcoholic drink for the holidays. I always try to use cranberry juice in the drink because, well, it’s my mama’s favorite thing on earth, and last year I really hit it out of the park. But this year I’m going to try something new – something that you make with Welch’s sparkling grape juice – and I think Mama is going to LOVE IT.
Mainly because I love it. And because I might be a tiny wee bit just-a-smidge addicted. It’s the The Sparkling Cranberry Spritzer.
Hallelujah.
There’s also a Sparkling Cranberry Punch that we’ll use as a back-up. We like options. And if a cranberry drink isn’t your thing, you can rest in the peace of knowing that Welch’s has lots of other great drink ideas:
The Holiday Toasting Cup
Sparkling Holiday Punch
Spiced Grape Punch
So that’s pretty much my lesson-learned-the-hard-way philosophy about entertaining during the holidays. Keep it simple. Make a special drink. And above and beyond everything else, ENJOY YOUR GUESTS. Life’s too short to stay in the kitchen while everybody else is having fun.
If you’d like to win a $100 Visa gift card courtesy of BlogHer, leave a comment on this post that answers the following question: which one of the Welch’s drink recipes would you like to try this year?
Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post…Don’t forget to check out my review post next week for 2 more chances to win!
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) Follow this link (https://spreadsheets2.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGg5WXJTRGdUZEEtVzAxYTl0RmY5SGc6MA) and provide your email address and your response to the sweepstakes prompt.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.
Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.
You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
For Official Rules click here: http://goo.gl/PPqgR
Sweepstakes ends 5 PM PST on December 31, 2010.
Be sure to check out BlogHer.com exclusive offers page and visit the other 11 participating bloggers (you can enter to win a gift card on each of their blogs, too).
I tweeted too:
http://twitter.com/#!/benny8484/status/12347061026422784
Thanks!
The Sparkling Cranberry Punch sounds delicious.
Dove056 at aol dot com
Tweet – http://twitter.com/Dove056/status/12390326077489153
Dove056 at aol dot com
Sparkling holiday punch
The White Grape Melon-Mint Dazzler looks so refreshing, I will be trying that
I tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/eyzofblu63/status/12553954286108672
The Sparkling Cranberry Spritzer is one I’d like to try.
dogsrock at insightbb dot com
I would like to try the White Grape Juice Punch
I’d like to try the cranberry spritzer!
The Holiday Toasting Cup sounds wonderful!
The sparkling holiday punch sounds fantastic. Thanks for sharing!
A Sparkling Cranberry Punch
I love Welch’s Juice
The White Grape Melon-Mint Dazzler could be a winner. I’m going to try that one!
Sparkling Holiday Punch for me!!!
Tweet @ http://twitter.com/#!/nhartmann54/status/12652983313498112
spiced grape punch
I would like the The Sparkling Cranberry Spritzer.
Sparkling Holiday Punch would be a hit with us.
Tweet:
Welch’s Share Your Story Giveaway at BooMama. http://tinyurl.com/29fkzzp
OMG the White Grape Melon-Mint Dazzler sounds out of this world!
The Spiced Grape Punch sounds fantastic!
the sparkling holiday punch, for a holiday that sparkles
The sparkling Holiday Punch. Welch rocks anyways..they have saved me from many kidney dramas compliments of their cranberry juice. But I love the recipe of the sparkling Holiday Punch. Sounds like fun and something different to bring to the table..
Good Luck everyone!! :)
Spiced Grape Punch please!
sparkling holiday punch!!
Merry Xmas! Thanks!
Janna Johnson
jannajanna@hotmail.com
janna@feedyourpigblog.com
http://www.feedyourpigblog.com
sparkling holiday punch
sparlking grape!!!! Yummified!
The cranberry spritzer sounds good… but Cherry Smash for the adults after dinner!
I’d go with the Spiced Grape Punch basically because it’s easy and I’m lazy ;) A perfect match!
Please feel free to contact me at:
allrightyes at gmail dot com
I just tweeted this giveaway here :D
http://twitter.com/TimboSquad/status/13590190907985920
Please feel free to contact me at:
allrightyes at gmail dot com
sparkling holiday punch sounds yummy!
ape2016(at)aol(dot)com
I want Spiced Grape Punch
I’m definitely going to serve the Sparkling Cranberry Spritzer at our next party. [The Sparkling Holiday Punch looks great, too.]
Thanks for the link!
The spiced grape punch. Although if I were to use it, I might need to change the name. We have a split tray in our church…one with Welch’s grape juice and one with wine. Some folks might think I was talking about the “other”side of the tray and calling it spiced grape punch.
I love cranberry juice, and I think the sparkling cranberry spritzer sounds delightful!
Spiced grape punch sounds delicious!
Welch’s Grape- Apple Holiday Punch
Spiced grape punch – my son loves grape juice, so anything grape is always good.
ALL of them! Esp. the Cranberry one!
I’d try the sparkling holiday punch.
Sparkling Holiday Punch!
The holiday spice punch sounds good! or the cranberry spritzer.
I would love to make the sparkling cranberry punch!
I think the Cranberry Spritzer would be the hit of the season in our house. Welch’s sparkling drinks have been a staple in our holiday menu for a long time. My mother calls it “Baptist Bubbly.”
I am all about the cranberry!!!
Cranberry Spritzer tops my list!
We are classic grape juice lovers!
The Holiday Toasting Cup!! Sounds wonderful.
The sparkling holiday punch sounds tasty!
the cranberry spritzer
Sparkling Holiday Punch!
Leslie Mackey
hi
I’d like to try the Welch’s Grape- Apple Holiday Punch
I tweeted about this giveaway
http://twitter.com/bellows22/statuses/14144081747771392
Sparkling holiday punch will be perfect for our Santa party!!
spiced grape punch–because i LOVE grape juice, and “spiced” just makes it so Christmas-y!
Sparkling Holiday Punch
The holiday toastig cup sounds fabulous.
Sparking holiday punch. Yum!
I’m going for the Ruby Mulled Cider.
Sparkling Cranberry Spritzer
Cranberry spritzer sounds fun.
Love me some cranberry! Sparkling Cranberry Spritzer all the way!
Sparkling Holiday Punch… Because I’m all about things that sparkle! :)
I would like the sparkling holiday punch
Thank you
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net
I’d like to try Sparkling Cranberry Punch.
sparkling holiday punch
I’d like to try the Sparkling Holiday Punch.
tweeted: http://twitter.com/KerryBishop/status/14489034306887681
Toasting cup!
the spiced grape punch
Spiced grape punch….. (but of course, I like the sparkling grape juice all by itself!)
I agree the Cranberry Spritzer sounds so good!!!! I would try that one!!
msjem2001 at yahoo dot com
Sparkling Punch.
the sparkling holiday punch
The spiced grape punch would be a hit with my family.
I’d like to try the Sparkling Holiday Punch – thanks!
mandalarctic at gmail dot com
I really want to try the Spiced Grape Punch. Yum
I’d love to try the Sparkling Holiday Punch!
Thanks for the chance to enter!
The Spiced Grape Punch sounds wonderful.
The Sparkling Holiday Punch sounds tasty.
Spiced Grape Punch
I would like to try the Ruby Mulled Cider recipe.
Jeanette Huston
jeanette_huston@yahoo.com
The Sparkling Holiday Punch, yummo!!
I love grapes….will be trying the spiced grape punch.
The Sparkling Holiday Punch sounds good!
Tweet.
http://twitter.com/#!/mgoss123/status/16529576205221889
I would like to try the Sparkling Holiday Punch.
spice grape punch. yum!
The sparkling holiday punch looks delicious!
paigewiley16 AT gmail DOT com
sprkling holiday punch
I love anything with cranberry juice, so I’d have to say the Sparkling Cranberry Punch.
You had me at cranberry spritzer. Is there anything more tasty than cranberries? Well, chocolate, yes, but cranberries are awesome in their own right.
Although we love it plain the Sparkling Holiday Punch would make for a nice change.
Sparkling Holiday Punch is the one I would like to try
tweet
http://twitter.com/#!/Grandma3710/status/16974361227436033
sparkling holiday punch sounds good.
The spiced grape punch, because I love spiced anything!
I would love to try the Sparkling Holiday Punch! I love anything sparkling! :P hm….$100 can get me quite many bottles to share! :D
I def. would be a fan of the cranberry spritzer…love me some cranberry fizzy non alchoholic liquid…