For me -- and for many Southerners, I presume -- Easter is the first real mark of spring. We dress our houses and tables (and even ourselves) to impress, pulling out all the stops from the freshest flowers to the fanciest flatware. We join together to celebrate a time of joy, renewal, and life. And then we eat! Here's a look back at my own Easter weekend celebration, with a recipe for a classic Southern ham, warm and glossy with a mustard glaze.

I've never in my life come across bad mashed potatoes. (I take that back. Potato flakes and a blender are coming to mind.) But usually my taste buds do not discriminate: cream, buttermilk, garlic, and Parmesan are all welcome additions to my favorite spuds, and I will never turn my nose up at cream cheese, truffle oil, even powdered ranch. I can assure you that I will eat any mashed potatoes — all mashed potatoes — with joyful glee. However after devouring these gouda smashed potatoes for the second time, my standards may have just changed. More

Most punch recipes cater to a single crowd: drinkers or non-drinkers. This one is delicious either way. Whether you fizz it up with champagne or mineral water, hibiscus ginger punch will put a colorful sparkle in your celebrations. More

There is entertaining, and there is entertaining. I hosted a formal cocktail party this past weekend for over 40 of my friends, with my event proving to be the latter. The dress code called for "sparkly attire", and I donned my mother's black velvet vintage couture dress, paired with big hair and lots of costume baubles! In keeping with a retro theme, I pulled out all of the stops, including a traditional Southern menu served in my mom's best silver. Here's a look at one of the hit recipes of the night — a cocktail meatball that needs no improvement. More

Every year in December, the Apartment Therapy staff gathers from the far corners of the country for our annual meeting and holiday party. This year, Maxwell wanted to invite you to join us! More

This holiday breakfast is warm, cheerful, and tasty. Everything on the menu is easier than it looks, so you won't wind up stranded in the kitchen all morning. Imagine actually sitting down to enjoy the meal along with your family and friends. With only a little planning, the pace can be as leisurely as you like. You can start some things the night before, giving you a jump on things come morning. More

Where I live, solstice day was bleak and cold. It rained hard all day and by 2PM I had already lit a few candles and turned on the sparkly white Christmas lights. I stayed mostly in the kitchen where I had put a pot of beans on to cook even though I had no immediate plans for them. The decision was spontaneous, so the beans hadn't been soaked and required a good long time on the stove. I added a little onion, a few whole garlic gloves, a bay leaf, some peppercorns, and a few pinches of salt to the pot and set it on the back burner where it quietly bubbled away for the rest of the afternoon. What old, half-buried instinct was I obeying when I did this? The only thing I know is that my need to have something (anything) simmering on the stove was as great as the need for the actual beans themselves. More

Q: I'm looking to cook Christmas dinner for my parents for the first time this year. They're very traditional in what they like to eat and my mother is also gluten-free. Can you recommend some traditional but interesting gluten-free recipes for sides and appetizers? More

Q: My husband has decided that we're having beef tenderloin for Christmas dinner. The only problem is, I've never made one before! I cook a lot from The Joy of Cooking so that's about my cooking level. Dinner is casual, but spruced up a bit for Christmas, with 8 people total. Do your readers have any recipes or ideas? More

This year's holiday card, designed by the fabulous Paulina Reyes.

Here at Apartment Therapy and The Kitchn, we want to wish you a very happy holidays. Because we're always trying to help and inspire people to do it for themselves, we sent out over a thousand holiday cards last week with the delicious Fox & Sparkler Cocktail Recipe (above and below). To an additional three hundred of our closest friends and contributors, we sent out a box filled with the recipe, a bottle of our own handmade simple syrup, sparkling candles, and fresh rosemary to kickstart their own party. This is the way we roll. More