♥️Find Your Little Friday♥️
*Be warned, we curse a little in this one*
Have you ever met someone who lights you up like a Christmas tree just by looking at you? That person in my life is my dear friend Reid. We have known each other for the better part of a decade and have always found a way to be either baking together or going to see the most ridiculous movies at the theatre, queue SATC 2! We have also lived together, traveled together and have always been able to laugh thru the tough times.
What’s something you look forward to making for people at Christmas?
“Well I would have to say it is 3 things; buttermilk pie, dirty rice and seafood gumbo. With buttermilk pie, it is the simplest pie to make and the first one I learned how to bake. I think I’ve made it for you? Wait, I definitely have made it for you because I taught your brother how to make it one holiday! It’s a staple that my whole family knows is going to be around!
Dirty rice is something you serve on the side of other things and it comes from my dad’s side, the Cajun side. Everyone from my extended family makes it a little differently and that is what makes it so special, even family on my mom’s side. Some like it a little spicier, some like it with sausage, everyone has truly adapted it to their family.
Seafood gumbo is something I learned to make just this past year. My mom learned from my dad’s dad. The interesting thing is that my dad’s dad learned it from his wife, my grandmother around the time she got very sick. It has really become a food memory in my family, a way to hold onto my dad just a little bit longer since his passing.“
Reid is 100% right with regards to the pie, he taught my brother how to make it one year during the holidays. That’s just the thing about Reid, whenever you’re around him you know something magical is about to happen. My brother now asks me to make this pie but I tell him every time to call Reid to ask him how to do it if he wants it that badly. I’m a sucker for tradition and learning, what can I say?
Alright, so you’re a man who hails from Beeville, Texas- just an hour between San Antonio and Corpus Christi. So, when was the first time you saw snow?
“The first time I saw snow was when I was around the age of 7-8? It was just a half an inch and my mom grabbed a cookie sheet from her kitchen to scrape snow on to it. She gathered enough snow for us to make a 10 inch snowman that we adorned with twig arms and I want to say button leaves.”
Swoon, this is for sure a magical Christmas memory. How do you compete with a memory like that? I push thru and ask, What does Christmas signify most for you?
“Christmas for me signifies a difference in the overall temperament of people for the month of December. People are just generally nicer. When I’m driving I find that people let me into their lane easier, someone offers up their parking spot while walking to it and people in general are just smiling that much more. To be honest, I haven’t experienced this as much these past weeks. Maybe it is because I have been traveling more or maybe it’s just that people are having a little harder of a time this season. I know I feel that way this season, I wasn’t even going to put up a tree. I am so glad that I did because for me it made my home feel so much warmer.”
I know that this doesn’t only apply to Reid, the holidays can be unexpectedly tough. How he went about making it feel a bit better is a part of a much bigger piece of Reid, his overall creative nature.
What is your advice for those trying to bring more creativeness into their life big or small?
“I’m going to respond to both. Small, I would say remembering to make the time to have self-care. Making my bed, preparing my lunch or 20 minutes of meditation, these are my self proclaimed moments of perseverance. These small tasks help me to be better prepared for the world, they are my rituals.
A big personal ritual for me is to not be afraid to try something and fail. Confidence and failure are so important. Failure is only something that happens after you quit, try - just try to defy failure. For example, I am learning to write music electronically and I have 5-6 songs ready to write. I’m trying to continue to grow them in my mind while I expand my knowledge of electronic writing.”
What are your top five host with the most tips that you have inherited thru your hostess with the mostess mama Donna?
1) Always buy more alcohol than you think you need, people are thirsty bitches! Worst-case scenario, you have extra and it won’t go bad. It’s alcohol so there really isn’t anything “worst” about it.
2) Try to have everything you’re going to be serving be done before people come over.
3) Be a honeybee and move from flower to flower (person to person) at your party. Have short meaningful conversations, don’t stay too long in one, everyone came to see you so try and give everyone that quality time.
4) If you can, try and have a co-pilot. Be it a significant other, appointed bff, hired help or flying your son in -- like my mom has done in the past. You can’t possibly freshen every drink, light every candle and not loose your mind if you’re doing it alone.
5) Don’t forget to smile and have a good time. People don’t tend to notice all of the things you’re giving yourself a hard time for not doing. My number one goal at any party or just a life in general rule is to make everyone feel welcome. No matter what you’re wearing or what they have on, the definition of class for me is to make everyone feel welcomed.
At the end of this thoughtful conversation Reid asked, would you go to this type of party. My resounding response was an, absofuckinglutley.
Now go find your own little moments of delight
#findyourlittlefriday ♥️