The Holiday Starter Pack

Well folks, it's November. Tis the season for comfort food and flannels, lounging around, facing the elements, and knockin' a few back with old friends. However you holiday, it's time to belly up. We're just here to get ya started. Here's what you need to get your holiday season off to a running start. Slow Cookin' Tunes It all starts with good food. But good food starts with a swingin' kitchen. Keep the kitchen crew groovin' with our Slow Cookin Tunes playlist - consider it food for the soul (without the dishes part). Add these to your holiday playlist:

Build Me Up, Buttercup - The Foundations Mess Around - Ray Charles Mashed Potato Love - Chubby Checker Carolina Peach - The California Honeydrops Country Pie - Bob Dylan Green Onions - Booker T. & The MG's Sweet Potato Pie - James Taylor Spoonful - Etta james All that Meat and No Potatoes - Louis Armstrong Mack the Knife - Frank Sinatra Tennessee Whiskey - Chris Stapleton Tequila - The Champs

ricotta-stuffed-figs Crowd Pleasing Recipes With the aforementioned tunes cranking, it's hight time you got to perfecting that one recipe that you'll come to be synonymous with. You can never go wrong with Baked Brie, Roasted Brussel Sprout Dip, or Ricotta Stuffed Figs. But if you're feeling ambitious, do as Grandma would do and break out Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Pick one of Julia Child's 524 recipes and get to chopping. Just make sure you have enough butter on hand. Festive Flannels Where there's smoke, there's flannel. Spend your nights by the fire wrapped in buttery soft flannel (we like the Flannagan and the Lightfoot) or face the elements with double-ply flannel - equally suited for the rigors of the trail or the tavern. Gentleman, you can't go wrong with the Watchdog, known for it's killer warmth-to-weight ratio. And for the ladies, the double layer Mojacette is known for it's warmth-to-cute ratio. Pair with boots and a flask for tailgate parties or dinner at the in-laws. F16-FLANNAGANS DIY Thank You Notes The holidays are all about giving thanks - thanks for the invite, thanks for the gift, thanks for your unwavering friendship over all these years. So give thanks in your own way with homemade Thank You notes. Get a fun stamp and go to town on some colored paper, or buy local post cards and scribble down a note of thanks. It's a tradition you'll grow to appreciate when you're on the receiving end. So spread the joy, the old-school way. Hot-to-Trot Cocoa The right kind of cocoa will put some hair on your chest. Some involve booze (lookin at you, El Dorado Hot Chocolate), some involve ancho chiles (thank you Mexican Hot Chocolate), and some involve a flask of peppermint schnapps and a to-go cup of Nestlé. And if you like your cocoa with a side of bourbon and bacon, well we'll raise a glass to that. shotski The Ultiamte Homemade Shotski There are few things we love more than a great ski weekend – fresh pow, cozy nights, meaningful time with friends, and the hazy memories of the great shotski. And if you build it, they will come. Because friends don’t let friends shotski alone. Invest in a shotski now and it'll serve you well from first run of the season to the last run of spring. Here's our tried and true guide on How To Build the Perfect Shotski. "I'll Have Seconds" Leggings The holidays are a marathon, not a sprint. So keep your joints limber and your spirits bright with stretchy, comfortable (yet still totally socially acceptable) leggings that are ready for morning yoga and family dinner. Here's how we see our perfect holiday day: Wake up, lounge around, grab coffee with a friend, get in a walk or quick run, back to the house to whip up a side-dish, off to the family's house for dinner, then spend the evening reminiscing about holidays past and present. One pair of leggings, endless possibilities. leggings Deck O' Cards You know the uncle who always has a good joke and a fresh pack of cards? You could be that uncle. Brush up on a few knock-knock jokes and get yourself familiar with the basics - Rummy, Crazy Eights, Bridge, and Presidents. Bring some chips and watch grandma school the young'uns in a game of Texas Hold'em. Just remember the golden rule: The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket! The Old Pigskin Red nose, chapped lips, and the unbridled right to tackle your cousins are what holiday dreams are made of. Keep it civil, but by all means hash out family feuds with a rousing game of down home, Americana football. Keep your elbows in, keep your whits about you, and don't forget to pass. Here's a quick refresher on the rules so you don't get too rowdy before dinner. wk45a-blog-holidaystarterpack-slug