It's Christmas time in Burgundy and I am surrounded by all the reasons I moved to France: friends, family and a life rich in simplicity. It's hard to believe that we have just a couple more days until Christmas and then in a flash, 2009 will be over. To add to the Christmas spirit, we've been blessed with several days of snow and Beaune is festively lit with garland and twinkle lights that illuminate the cobblestone streets. More

At some point in my childhood, my parents became the proud owners of an electric fork.

Not an electric knife — a commonplace item by the mid-70s, every modern kitchen had one — but an electric fork. It looks a lot like any other gadget of its era, but unlike my mom's pastel pink Sunbeam rotary mixer or our avocado green General Electric automatic can opener, this kitchen tool was (and is) a rather convincing fake.
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In addition to decorating mountains of gingerbread and sugar cookies, a beloved Christmas tradition in my family was eating lefse on Christmas Eve. My Norwegian Great Grandmother would cook the thin potato pancakes every year in her tiny apartment on a piping hot griddle. As soon as the pancake was golden and toasted, we would slather on some salty butter and sprinkle a bit of crunchy sugar. More

One of my favorite parts about the holiday season is making homemade gifts for friends. Ninth grade marked the beginning of this tradition, when I handed out clear bags of my simple chocolate-covered toffee to classmates. Doing this made me realize that giving handcrafted gifts with a personal touch felt more unique and heartfelt than anything I could buy at the store. I know my friends agreed. I received requests for that toffee every Christmas until graduation, and we all remain close to this day. More

Throwing a holiday party is one of my favorite things to do. The holidays provide excellent opportunities to cook up wonderful recipes and share good food with friends. The only problem is the expense. Holiday parties can be pricey. Luckily, my partner and I have devised ways to keep our costs down without sacrificing holiday cheer! More

Our holiday guests today:

• On Chocolate Cake, Candied Oranges, & Hilarious Disasters by Hannah of Honey & Jam

• Add an Extra Ingredient to Your Holiday Recipes: Love by Art of Pleasant House More

I'm honored to be a guest at The Kitchn. I've gleaned so much useful information over the years from The Kitchn, Apartment Therapy: Chicago, and the rest of the sites, and from their friendly and intelligent community of followers. I could name many instances when, because of the sites, I've learned something useful or bought this or that to make my house more pleasant and organized. I'd even say that my life has become a little more enjoyable from the non-material things that I've absorbed from their ideas and feedback. More

This cake was hilariously disastrous.

I'll start from the beginning: I was making this cake as a test for my annual prime rib Christmas dinner with friends. Since sweets are my thing, I try to make something different every year. More

Our holiday guests today:

• King Cake, Boiled Codfish, and a Portuguese Christmas by Gasparzinha of No Soup for You

• Christmas Croquembouche by Liz of Zested More

Croquembouche, a spun sugar tower of cream puffs, is French for "crunch in the mouth." Of course it's French - who else would concoct such a perilous pile of pastries?

Traditionally served at weddings and holidays, it's made of cream-filled pâte à choux pastry and anchored with caramel. And, along with most things having to do with weddings or French pastry, I have always considered cream puffs firmly outside my area of expertise. More