Pile it high
I found a magazine that had a lot of Halloween inspiration and ran with the ideas. I loved how one of the displays had crates stacked with little trinkets inside and out. So I decided to do the same thing. It was hard to get out to buy them, because of the current situation, but I found these crates online at Xenos. They’re sturdy and I want to use them for my November decorations too! I always felt like my Halloween displays lacked something and this is the first year that this space feels complete.

Cute little pumpkins
I’ve been slowly collecting pumpkins over the years and this year I got to add a beautiful velvet one. Together all of these guys make the space so bright with their vibrant colors. What’s wonderful is that they can be used into November too. I love when decoration items can double up for holidays because it means less spending on season goods. Don’t get me wrong, I love decorating our home for the holidays. But seasonal items make me sad when we pack them away. I’m still embracing the minimal lifestyle (in our own way) and for us, less is more.

Nightmare Before Christmas Jars
I’m so happy to say that even after a few years, I still love these jars! I never did a lot of crafting when I lived in America so I threw my heart into these jars. The result is something that can be used year after year and holds fond memories for me. The Nightmare Before Christmas movie was a popular one during my childhood and we even owned the VHS! Haha, VHS, that takes me back… If you want to make our own jars, you can see how I made them here.

Add a little fire
If you’ve seen the movie Hocus Pocus, then you know that there’s a little legendary candle that causes a big problem. Candles always have two meanings for me, warm and cozy and then ancient and spooky. We don’t use candles to light our homes anymore, so the idea feels outdated… Which is perfect for Halloween! I don’t light these candles often so don’t worry! I won’t burn the house down. The little flames just looked too good for a photo and I couldn’t resist.

And speaking of which…

It’s all just a bit of Hocus Pocus
I was over the moon when I heard that Hocus Pocus is popular again. But of course in The Netherlands, it’s difficult to get American goods. I was super lucky to find these POP Figures of my favorite witchy trio for sale in NL! However they’re super expensive compared to the American stores and I opted for the flying versions of them instead. It was much cheaper and honestly, I love this version more. The figures I have are of the ladies on their broomsticks and I can’t help but laugh when I look at them.

I know Halloween this year is going to be hard on a lot of people. This whole year has been rough for a million different reasons. Celebrating in small ways helped me coped with living abroad in my first years in The Netherlands, and I still do it to this day. I discovered that I had to make myself happy if I wanted to be happy. Decorating our home like this makes me happier than ever and I smile whenever I glance over at what I’ve made.

I hope you too, dear reader, can infuse some happiness into your life. Find ways to make yourself happy and pursue them. And remember that anything worth it is worth fighting for.

The post Our Minimal Halloween Decor for 2020 appeared first on A Daily Lee.

I’m so far away from home, in a country that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving so I knew at some point I had to do something. Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for life and everything in it. Family, friends, everyone who makes my day brighter.

So this year we were a little more prepared! This was my first Thanksgiving preparing and cooking for the family. I wanted it to be stress free and simple. What does that mean? It means less is more. Our menu consisted of very simple items, cooked and prepared.

The turkey meat was slathered in butter and put straight into the oven. No muss, no fuss. There are so many ways of preparing a turkey but this year I only wanted a turkey that was edible and delicious. The butter kept it moist and tender, which worked out better than I had expected.

I didn’t want to worry or stress about what flavors everyone liked so I left that up to them. I didn’t add salt or pepper and somehow the food turned out so good! We had traditional turkey, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potato fries, and white rice. There was so much food that we were all able to take seconds!

We had the dinner at Sander’s parent’s house because our flat would have been too small. Their oven is a beast compared to ours as well. It was kind of them to let me take over the kitchen.

Dessert was homemade apple pie with homemade whipped cream! Sander’s mom was so nice enough to make us her delicious pie from scratch. The entire house smelled so delicious when I arrived and I’ll admit my mouth was watering!

As for the homemade whipped cream… I’m taking Dutch language lessons from a wonderful neighbor and she offered to show me how she makes it at home! I was so grateful because the flavor was fantastic, like nothing I’ve ever had before! But that’s for next time!

If I can help it, I want next year to be at our place. There were a few more people I really wished I could have invited. Yet, these they were in my thoughts and as we remembered what we were thankful for, I thought of these folks. Individuals who care about me and have changed my life! Some are old friends and some are new, but they are a huge part of what I am and who I will become. And Thanksgiving is the perfect time to be thankful for these people!

How did you celebrate with your family this Thanksgiving? If you don’t celebrate, what are you looking forward to for this holiday season?

The post Thanksgiving in Holland appeared first on A Daily Lee.