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What is Christmas in July? According to legend, Christmas in July was first celebrated at a summer camp in 1933, when Keystone Camp in Brevard, N.C. decided to dedicate two days (July 24 and 25) to the holiday—complete with cotton fake snow, a decked-out tree, a gift exchange, and, of course, Santa. (Southern Living has the full story of how Christmas in July started.) It first hit pop culture in 1940, when the movie Christmas in July arrived in theaters....

The way it works is incredibly easy. Just pour some fresh water into the container until it hits the maximum water level, and then put the herbs in with their leaves facing up. Slide the container’s outer lid upwards, leaving a good amount of space between the top of your herbs and the lid, then simply put the whole container in the fridge. It comes with dividers, so you can prevent your rosemary and tarragon from getting mixed up....

Unfortunately, it’s a bit more complicated than that. According to the American Psychological Association’s “Stress in America” survey for 2022, 76 percent of adults indicated that they had experienced at least one stress-induced symptom in the last month, with headache (38 percent), fatigue (35 percent), and feeling nervous or anxious (34 percent) being the most common. On top of that, more than one-quarter (27 percent) of adults surveyed reported that on most days, they’re too stressed to function....

What Is a Wine Aerator? The point of an aerator is to expose a glass of wine to oxygen and enhance its taste and aroma. If a bottle of red says you’ll experience blackberry, cherry, and cloves, an aerator can help to make those notes more pronounced. It can also help soften certain flavors in wine and make it more palatable. “Aeration creates oxidation, which changes a wine’s flavors and aromas,” explains Cassandra Rosen, a wine educator for Tussock Jumper Wines....

Does Flour Go Bad? Have you ever noticed that flour almost always comes in a giant paper bag? While flour is considered to be non-perishable, it will certainly go bad if left in that bag for too long. In fact, flour will only stay fresh for about three months if not stored properly. That’s why you should transfer any store-bought flour to an air-tight container after you open it. By moving the flour to a designated food storage container, you can extend its shelf life for up to two years....

Chances are you’re already very familiar with these two ingredients, and may even have them in your kitchen at this very moment. If not, they’re very easy to procure, and typically cost less than similar foods like beef and quinoa. Thanks to the Instant Pot’s general awesomeness, all you usually need to do when using it to make chicken and rice dishes is utilize the “sauté” function. The result, for those who don’t already know, is tender chicken and perfectly cooked rice every time....

One of my all-time favorite Christmas movies is Elf. I’ve written movie trivia games with questions about Elf, included the movie in my Christmas emoji game, it has its own space in our Christmas movie bingo, and it’s even an answer to one of my Christmas Jeopardy questions! But before now, I’d never done an Elf inspired recipe, and I have no idea why. It’s such a fun movie with all sorts of talk about sweets and treats!...

Fresh Snack Idea A couple of years ago I had fruit salsa for the first time. Someone brought it to a party with store-bought cinnamon chips, and I decided it was my favorite new way to serve fruit at a party. I’ve taken fruit salsa to parties more times than I can count, and it’s always a bit hit, especially when combined with homemade cinnamon chips! People love it at parties because it’s fruit but not just your typical fruit plate....

I wanted to do all those things I never had time for—bake, play piano, plant a garden, and the list went on. As my New Year’s resolution, I vowed to do a hobby a day, and I’d post a photo of it on Instagram to track my journey. What could go wrong? On January 1, I pulled out a new cookbook and off I went. For the first time, I baked rosemary focaccia and crusty French bread....

One of the best things about getting married was marrying into a whole new set of traditions. My family really only does Christmas bingo and the 12 days of Christmas. For Christmas every year my husband’s family gets together and has a Mexican feast. White chicken enchiladas, tamales, posole, and homemade sopapillas. It’s totally different from the typical ham (or prime rib) my family normally eats, and I love it....

In order to reduce food waste, FSIS recommends that regardless of the date, consumers should evaluate the quality of the food before deciding to eat it or throw it away. (The one exception: Federal law requires a date on all infant formulas for safety and it should always be followed.) So what exactly do expiration dates mean then, and how long is food really good for? With help from experts and product manufacturers, Real Simple compiled this simple guide to reading expiration dates and when to worry about food safety, so you can shop smarter and waste less....

While no one food is a cure-all, and you should certainly consult a doctor if you think you’re exhibiting symptoms of depression, there are several foods that have been scientifically proven to give people a happiness boost. Some of these foods, like Brazil nuts, contain compounds that stimulate the production of certain feel-good hormones, while other foods, such as coffee, can actually block compounds that may make you feel lousy....

Okay so if you’ve read my blog ever before, you probably know that I’m a huge fan of scavenger hunt ideas. Like huge. I’ve done tons of clue based scavenger hunts (get my Christmas scavenger hunt clues here!) as well as tons of what I call seek and find scavenger hunts. This year with it being what it is, I thought it’d be fun to add a generic seek and find style Christmas scavenger hunt to my collection....

Halloween Candy Hands A couple of years ago my niece was given a plastic glove filled with little candies, toys, and other goodies for Christmas from one of my sister-in-law’s friends. My niece was absolutely thrilled, and I knew I wanted to try out the idea with my own kids. We made these candy hands for the very first time last year for the entire neighborhood as the prize at the end of this Halloween scavenger hunt and to say they were a hit would be an understatement....

We did it! Yesterday was the last day of school, and we finally made it to summer after what felt like a really long year. I don’t think I’ve ever been more ready for summer! We’ve already made our summer bucket list, and I can’t wait to get to it! This summer break we’re going to relax, play, but still have a little structure so it’s not just screen time and video games all day....

Super Bowl Party Ideas Super Bowl is one of my favorite days of the year whether or not I actually like the teams playing! These football party ideas would work for any football game during the game including a Super Bowl party! Our party was entire families, but all of these ideas would work for just as adults too! They’re perfect for hosting your very own Super Bowl party, even if it’s just with your own family!...

Last year I shared these Christmas pinwheel cookies using red and green, and it got me thinking – what are some other popular color combinations I could use to make more pinwheel cookies. They have to be good for something other than just Christmas cookies! Red, white, and blue of course! It’s the perfect color combination of the upcoming July 4th holiday, and I just love how the colors come together in these cookies....

Halloween pajamas are the best way to be cute, comfortable, and on-theme. Bonus? Halloween pajamas work beautifully for kids and adults—and there are plenty of adorable options out there. Looking for a little inspiration? We have some ideas below for three popular types of Halloween pajamas. Slip Into a Halloween Onesie For adults and kids, onesies and jumpsuits (aka footie pajamas) are the way to go. Try some foxy PJs....

Harry Potter Activities My son is finally at the age where I’m about ready to introduce him to Harry Potter. I’ve read all the books and watched all the movies, and he think he’ll enjoy them! To say I’m excited it a bit of an understatement. I thought it would be fun to put together some Harry Potter games to do as we start reading the books. This Harry Potter charades game is just one of them....

My son is getting to the age where we’re about to start reading Harry Potter together as a family. And next week we’ll be playing some of these Harry Potter games to celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday as a family! Since I have lots of best friends and readers who are huge Harry Potter fans, I thought it would be fun to create some Harry Potter trivia questions to test both the basic fans and the true fans....