Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, my lovely, amazing, wonderful friends.
Thank you for being here. I know I say that a lot, but I mean it from the very depth of my soul.
Thank you.
I wish I could say 2020 was as full of smiles as that picture up there, but I don’t need to go into details in order to dispel that myth. I think the dead hanging plants and overgrown bushes in the background are a fitting emblem of this year as a whole.
While there have been plenty of laughs and many blessings, it’s been a weird, hard year, and a year of personal struggle for me – I have felt the lowest of lows and been challenged in many ways.
But I have also had the sweet, sometimes quiet, but always constant assurance that Jesus Christ is the bringer of hope. Of peace. Of comfort. He has gently quieted the worry in my mind time and time again and helped me move forward with faith in a better tomorrow…even when today feels impossible.
I am so grateful for this time of year that reminds me, yet again, that thousands of years ago, He came.
To the amazement of everyone from the lowliest of shepherds to the richest and wisest of men, He came.
He came for me. And He came for you.
For all who wait
For all who hunger
For all who’ve prayed
For all who wonder
Behold your King
Behold Messiah
He is the song for the suffering
He is Messiah, the Prince of Peace has come
From the words of one of my favorite Christmas songs
Merry Christmas.
I hope you enjoy what is bound to be a different holiday season than in year’s past. I’m taking a little time off from blogging and social media, but I’ll be back at some point in January – love your guts; thanks again for being the best readers on the planet. You keep me going in this interesting and crazy food blogging space.
Also, I shared this two years ago, but wanted to share again for those that are new. It’s an experience that greatly touched my heart; I call it The Parable of the Cheeseball.
Love your cooking site and just the example you are! Such a lovely woman and mama! Thanks for taking the time to share your awesome recipes with all of us! I’ve never made one we didn’t like!
Amen! When we don’t understand why things happen Jesus always does and has a plan far beyond what we could even imagine. Love your blog, my family loves your recipes, hope you get some refreshing time off and a renewed faith in our savior.
I remember you posting thermometer recommendations but can’t find them. Christmas was hard on my thermometers and both of them broke. Looking for replacements…
Mel, I have never commented but have been following you for at least 10 years.
I cannot convey my gratefulness for you and all that you do. The incredible recipes are just a small part of why I am drawn to your site every day. The honesty and real experiences you share make everyone feel like its okay to not be perfect, that sometimes things are just not going to work out, but you roll with it and move on. Thank you for that, the recipes and meal plans are a bonus to me. My whole family will ask as soon as I put something new on the table is this “A Mel” , to which the answer is always, Yes! I make at least one recipe from your site once a week. May you and your beautiful family be incredibly blessed in 2021. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being you!
Mel, you are the only celebrity that I want to meet! Thank you for all of the great recipes, the tears from the cheeseball story AND your gift recs! Bop it, the number robots and Guess 10 have been huge hits at our house.
Merry Christmas and God bless,
Jen
Thank you so much Mel! This has been my happy food space for 10 years now. You are my favorite person I don’t actually know. Your faith, sharing, stories, knowledge and recipes have blessed my life and family immeasurably and I hope you are as richly blessed for it as we all are. Merry Christmas. We love you too!
Merry Christmas to ‘my good friend Mel’ (the title you get when asked where a recipe came from). I’m so glad I found you and I feel I’d be lost without you!! Just getting ready to make Gloria’s rolls for a friend who’s dear brother passed this morning. You are interwoven into our life with all these recipes…that’s it’s almost crazy. Thanks a million…and blessings for your dear family in the coming year!!
Merry Christmas Mel (and Family). As I look at the photo of you and your beautiful family, I realize how much your children have grown since I first started visiting your blog site. You have become a welcome fixture in my life and I happily announce my Mel creations as I place them on my table. So, Thank You for your gifts of shared thoughts and recipes. They are always a bright spot in my day. May your new year be filled with the promise of better days ahead and with lots of love and big big hugs.
Merry Christmas! I hope it was a wonderful holiday for your family. Thank you for your testimony and all the good you do for so many people. Your recipes are fantastic, but even better is your kindness and light. May you be blessed with every good thing this upcoming year.
A good word! Thanks for sharing your heart. We both love Jesus, have kids, and have 4 boys and a girl…and make tons of your recipes! I love your family pic!
LOVE! I also have four boys and one girl!
Merry Christmas, Mel! Our breakfast menu for this special day was Cheryl’s cinnamon rolls, & sausage wonton bites. It was all so yummy! Thanks for inspiring me in the kitchen. I love others through food, & you help me do it in the best possible way! Enjoy your day with your precious family.
Merry Christmas!! I love following your recipes and have been for 8+ years now!! Thank you for continuing to post! You have helped me become a rockstar in the kitchen! So many recipes that are now family favorites!!! Thank you!!!
Time and time again, your recipes have “made” our meals. Once again our Christmas meal will be partially a “Mel” meal. Thanks doesn’t seem enough but that’s what I have. Thank you, thank you. The best and merriest of Christmas to you and your beautiful family
Merry Christmas Mel! Thank you for this wonderful blog that has been a lifeline for over 10 years in our family. I have learned so much from you and not just baking and cooking. Thank you for your faith and example of love. Hugs to you and your family and I hope you have a wonderful holiday and break. ❤
Merry Christmas, Mel! Thank you for being open about your life & most of all for sharing the good news of Jesus!
Thank you for sharing these comforting, inspiring, affirming words about Jesus Christ.
Merry Christmas Mel! We talk about you so often at our house that you feel like an old friend! We love your recipes and I love reading what you write about your recipes and your Friday thoughts. Your words are insightful and make me smile and laugh! The parable of the cheeseball makes me cry. ❤️ Thank you for sharing your testimony and being such a light! Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season for you and your family! ✨
Merry Christmas. Mel! Thank you for sharing your highs and lows, especially this year when most of us have had more lows than usual. And thank you for the reminder that our Savior promised us peace , love and comfort during our challenging times. He loves us and we can see it in so many ways. I LOVE the cheese ball story. In fact, I might use it this year for our Christmas message.
Enjoy your time away from blogging ! I look forward to seeing you again in January !
And just so you know, it kills me that I can’t use emojis in the comment section. Hahaha
Merry Christmas! It has been one weird year. Your recipes made it a whole lot more bearable. I can’t thank you enough for that. Enjoy your family and well deserved time away from the virtual neighborhood. Let’s hope and pray that 2021 is better than 2020… lol
Merry Christmas Mel! Thank you for all that you do! You help me keep my family fed and happy!!
Merry Christmas Mel to you and your beautiful family! Just wanted you to know every year we celebrate Jesus’ birthday on Christmas and bake him a birthday cake. This year we decided to bake your Chocolate Cake and it smells amazing baking in the oven. We have gone to your recipes so often during this pandemic. Thank you for your awesome recipes!
Merry Christmas!! Thank you for sharing these beautiful thoughts about Christ!!!
Enjoy a nice break (where you still do 10k jobs a day), right?! You are amazing…and such an example to me.
I love how you share your faith! You are a great example to me. Thank you for all the recipes over the years. You are my go to for recipes. Merry Christmas!
I love you Mel. ❤ Thank you for all you do. Your testimony, your amazing recipes, for your example of adding good in the world. I look up to you a lot.
Thank you, Mel. You are my go to site for recipes. I depend on you! I feel like we are friends, but of course, we have never met. Thank you for your talent in the kitchen, and your talent to in writing to make us readers feel exactly that way! Grateful for the birth of Jesus Christ and I loved the movie, too. I’ve never made a comment before, which almost seems ungrateful with the amount the two of us have “spent” together! #GiveThanks for amazing food and friendship! Merry Christmas from our full family to yours!
Love you, friend. Merriest Christmas Ever.
Love you Mel! What a beautiful family that has grown up so much as I have followed you for years and years! Enjoy your holidays and the break! We will be enjoying lots of your recipes over the holidays. Thank you for blessing my family! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I know that you will be missed by your readers, but we all need a break and some time with family to reconnect and just decompress, especially this year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to a great human.
Merry Christmas to you and your family! Thanks for the great recipes over the years, I’m sure I can speak for many others when I say that we see you as a friend & your name is well known at many kitchen tables! Hope your holidays are wonderful!
Merry Christmas, Mel! Thank YOU for so many great recipes and for this lovely space you have created. It feels like a community here. And thanks to all the people leaving helpful comments about the recipes, I so much appreciate them.