Non-Alcoholic Homemade Eggnog

'Tis the season for holiday parties, and if you've got a whole group of eggnog drinkers, you might want to try making a batch of homemade eggnog.

This classic, old-fashioned, cooked eggnog recipe will impress your friends and family at your next Christmas party. The recipe (as written) is non-alcoholic, so kiddos can drink it too. But, if you'd like to make an adults-only version, you can also serve this beverage alongside brandy, rum, bourbon, or whiskey, and let each guest at your party spike their eggnog to taste.

Non-Alcoholic Homemade Eggnog

12 eggs
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 cups whole milk
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
dash of cinnamon (for topping)

1. Whisk together the eggs and the sugar in a large bowl until light and creamy. (Make sure the bowl is large enough to add five cups of additional liquid.)
2. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir constantly and heat until the mixture reaches a simmer. (Do not let this mixture boil.) Remove from heat.
3. Place a kitchen towel underneath the bowl that contains the egg mixture to prevent it from slipping while you work. Start whisking the egg mixture with your dominant hand while you grab a ladle of the hot milk with the other hand. Slowly drizzle a steady stream of hot milk into the bowl of eggs. Make sure to keep whisking the entire time! Constant whisking will keep the eggs moving, raising the temperature of the eggs slowly enough to prevent them from cooking. Follow this process until all the milk has been added to the egg mixture.
4. Then pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place it back on the stove.
5. Heat on medium-low heat and constantly whisk until the mixture reaches 160 degrees on a candy thermometer and is slightly thickened. (It will thicken more as it cools.)
6. Remove from the heat and then stir in the heavy cream, salt, and vanilla extract.
7. Store in the mixture in the refrigerator overnight until chilled and thickened.
8. Serve topped with fresh whipped cream and additional cinnamon if you prefer.

Notes:

You have to be very careful when heating milk and eggs. During both heating steps, remember to stir and whisk constantly to ensure that you don't end up with scalded milk or scrambled eggs.

Another part of the process that ensures your eggnog comes out correctly is heating over medium-low heat and heating slowly. If you increase the temperature to try to speed up the recipe, you may end up with lumpy eggnog.

To decrease the cooking time (slightly), you can measure your milk and cream and leave them out with a dozen eggs for one hour before starting your recipe. Because these are dairy products, it is not recommended to leave them out for a very long time before starting the recipe.

If you are new to tempering eggs (step 3), you might want to consider asking another person to help you. It's easier for one person to whisk the eggs while the other person ladles and streams milk.

Store leftover eggnog in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-7 days. If it separates during that time, give it a spin in the blender before serving.

"Can I refill your eggnog for you? Get you something to eat? Drive you out to the middle of nowhere, leave you for dead?"

We served this at our Christmas Vacation-themed party, and it was a hit. The Cousin Eddies sure seemed to enjoy it!

Vintage Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas

As the holidays approach, you might be looking for some simple ways to decorate for Thanksgiving. In our family, we always decorate BIG for Halloween and Christmas. And with only 3 weeks to take down all of the Halloween decorations and put up Thanksgiving decorations (before Christmas decorations go up), we want to make sure that we keep those decorations simple, since these decorations are short-lived. But of course we wouldn't want to overlook this important holiday!

However, since we only gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving for one day (rather than an entire season with multiple celebrations), any decorations that we plan for Thanksgiving need to be:

1. Easy to put up
2. Easy to take down 
3. Easy to store

Using this criteria, I mainly only decorate my dining room, since that's the room that sees most of the Thanksgiving day "action." 

Vintage Honeycomb Turkeys and Vintage Thanksgiving Die Cuts

These just might be the easiest Thanksgiving decorations ever! You can often find them at thrift stores starting around the end of September (usually around the same time you're scouring the aisles for vintage Halloween items). Or if you'd like to buy several at a time, you can purchase them in lots on eBay or Etsy. Look for brand names like Beistle, Eureka, and Hallmark.

And the best part about these decorations is that the honeycomb pieces fold flat for storage, but they make a big impact when grouped together for a display. I've displayed them here with some hodgepodge Pyrex bowls (that will be filled on Thanksgiving day with side dishes).

Here are some close-ups of these vintage Thanksgiving decorations. The adults in your group will surely appreciate the nostalgia of these decorations, and the kiddos will love the bright colors.

Vintage Linens

The other items I always use for Thanksgiving decorations are vintage linens. 

The majority of these heirloom aprons were handmade by The Harris Sisters' Grandma Elizabeth, and a few of them were handmade by our Mama. They, too, provide a splash of color that mimic the turkeys. They are the perfect thing to display for a holiday that involves a lot of cooking. I usually keep these on display right through Christmas.

And the other vintage linen item that I add to my Thanksgiving display is a vintage tea towel that was a gift from Harris Sister Misty. While it probably didn't start out life as a Thanksgiving decoration, it certainly fits the bill with its prayer and harvest of fruits and vegetables.

The aprons adorn the upper left corner of our dining room Hoosier cabinet, and the tea towel is displayed on the countertop.

Because all of these pieces are vintage, you can find them at yard sales, thrift stores, antique stores, flea markets, estate sales, or maybe even your own attic. 

I hope this post gives you a few ideas for how to display vintage pieces in a new and different way for Thanksgiving decor. 

Happy 10th Anniversary to Our Blog!

Can you believe it's been TEN years already? We can tell you without a doubt that those years have literally flown by. On September 2, 2012, we published our very first blog post. What we didn't know was that by launching that first post ten years ago, we'd be gaining thousands of followers - across multiple social media platforms - in every state across the US and in countries across the world! 

The subject of that first post captured what was popular in the world at the time: remake photos. And it also gave you a glimpse into who we are as sisters and how we cherish not only our time together, but the memories we make together as well.

To commemorate our blog anniversary, here's another remake photo for you, ten years later. 

The Harris Sisters (2022)

And here's the original remake that we kicked off the blog with:

The Harris Sisters (2012)

And here's a walk down memory lane with the photo that started it all:

The Harris Sisters (Circa 1995)

In the ten years since we hit the publish button on that first post, we've met great people, made new friends, acquired new readers, and learned so much about blogging and social media. Each one of us is able to use our talents to contribute to the blog in a meaningful way, and we're able to share that with you.

A BIG Thank You!

We want to dedicate this post to all of our readers, without whom this blog would simply not be what it is today. 

Your comments always motivate us, and we will always be grateful for the community that we've created with you!

So, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts. For reading our blog posts. For following us on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. For liking and commenting on our posts and sharing them with others to help grow our audience. For praising and inspiring and making suggestions and being kind when so many people in the world are not.

We thank you. We appreciate you. We couldn't do it without you.

Here's to the next 10 - 

Donna, Deanna & Misty
"The Harris Sisters"

DIY Gift Idea for Your New Teen Driver

Our son Aidyn has recently turned 16 and will soon be getting his driver's license. While he'll be getting a new (to him) car, we wanted to also give him a personalized gift to help him remember this milestone event. 

DIY Gift Idea for Your New Teen Driver

The DIY gift that we decided on was a photo book that included photos of family members with cars and advice for new drivers. Many of you may remember getting similar types of advice from relatives when you got married or when you had your first baby. We used this same thought process (just geared toward a new driver) while including photos of family members with cars to make it into a keepsake photo book.

Since we have a BIG family, I got lots of photos and advice to include in this photo album for Aidyn.

FUN FACT: We have 14 family members on the Harris side of our family and 12 family members on the Walkush side of our family. (4 of those family members are our family and represent on both sides.) But you can see how it would be easy to collect lots of content for this book! (We ended up with 81 photos and 45 pieces of advice - not too shabby.)

Tips for Making a Custom Photo Book for Your New Driver

Collecting Content for the Book

First, you'll want to contact anyone who you want to contribute photos and advice for the book and give them a due date to submit their content. Make sure to leave yourself enough time to assemble the book, have it printed, and shipped to you. 

If you have old printed photos that need to be converted to digital (I did), I would recommend downloading the PhotoScan app by Google Photos to your phone. You can use this app to digitally capture your printed photos without the glare that you sometimes get when you just take a photo of them with your phone. Pro Tip: The app will automatically save a version of the photo to the app and to your Photos on your phone. The version saved in your Photos on your phone will be higher resolution and won't have the PhotoScan frame around the edges.

As tips and advice rolled in from different sources, I saved it all into a Microsoft Word document. That way, I was able to gather it all in one place before starting the project. This also gave me one document to proofread before starting. Once I proofread that document, I then copied and pasted directly from that document into the photobook. Make sure to re-proof the photobook before purchasing, though, because some special characters, like colons and apostrophes, may be removed from your text in the copy-and-paste process. You'll need to manually insert those if that happens, but that is still easier than typing everything again from scratch.

Designing the Book

• I used Shutterfly to create our book, but other online vendors also offer this service, so you might want to shop around to compare pricing or designs. (The design that I chose for this book is Outdoor Adventures by Sarah Hawkins Designs, and the size that I used was 8" x 8".)
• When designing your book, remember to save early and often.
• Make sure to customize the book with the new driver's name and the date. 
• Make sure to add the name of the person giving the advice after each piece of advice so that the new driver knows who said what.
• Make sure to include at least a few photos of the new driver in or with a car. (We had photos of Aidyn with different cars from many stages of life, from toy cars when he was young all the way up to driving actual cars with his learner's permit pre-license. That photo of Aidyn on the front cover? That's him behind the wheel of Granddaddy's 1964 Chevrolet C10, Pretty Boy!)
• I added a Memorabilia Pocket to my order. This is a clear plastic pocket that adheres to the inside back cover of the book. I thought this would be a good place for Aidyn to keep his previous learner's permits and any of his old driver's licenses through the years. 
• Include a dedication at the front of the book, just like a real author!

Advice for New Drivers

If you're asking a bunch of adults for driving advice, you're bound to get duplicates, right? You'd be surprised! I emailed everyone on the list and had them email their advice back to me. The beauty of this project is that with everyone sending their advice back in their own words, we really didn't have any duplicates. (Of course, since the advice is in everyone's own words, this is why it will be important to note their name beside the advice in the book for reference.) 

The advice was far and wide, and it was just what I was looking for! 

Here are a few of my favorite tips that rolled in:

• Don’t turn right in front of someone who has their blinker on to turn. They could just have their blinker on and could plow right through you.
• Don’t tailgate; it doesn’t make them go any faster, and you will not have enough time to stop without hitting them.
• Always pull over for emergency vehicles and funeral processions, even if no one else does. It’s the right thing to do. 
• Cup holders are the most essential thing to look for when buying a car. 
• Your car is a fish bowl. Other people can see directly inside. So don’t pick your nose. 
  
  

Photos of Vintage Cars

We had all sorts of photo submissions for this book. We were originally looking for photos of family members with their cars (previous cars or current cars), but what we received was SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT! Family members dug deep and submitted no only those photos but also photos of themselves with other types of vehicles too. So we dedicated an entire two-page spread to other types of transportation.

And, of course, my favorite photos were the ones of vintage cars. Here are some of my favorite photos that we included:

Mama when she was a little girl (Aidyn's Grandma Harris)

Gram when she was a young lady (Aidyn's Great Grandma Lopresti)

Daddy circa 1980's with his beloved conversion van (Aidyn's Granddaddy)

The Harris Sisters circa 1990s with the Wayne's World car (Aidyn's Mama and Aunts)

The Walkush Brothers circa 2004 with a vintage car (Aidyn's Dad and Uncles)

Collecting and passing down these words of wisdom and photos allows you to share important life lessons that you and your family members have accumulated throughout the time you've been driving. Sharing these pieces of advice creates a personalized gift that will make a one-of-a-kind family heirloom that will be cherished for generations to come. I hope you'll try recreating this gift idea for your new teen driver. 

The 12 Vintage Days of Christmas

As Christmas fast approaches, we thought we'd count off some of The Harris Sisters favorite vintage decorating items in the famous Christmas-carol style. Starting with 12 and counting down to 1, we'll show you some fun treasures that we've incorporated into our holiday decorating over the years. Not every item on the list is strictly a holiday item, but they all blend into Christmas decorating seamlessly.

12. Shiny Brite Ornaments

The Shiny Brite company produced their most popular ornaments in the United States in the 1940s through 1960s. These are the ornaments that The Harris Sisters remember putting on our tree when we were children. Now we collect these vintage ornaments! 

Vintage Shiny Brite ornaments are becoming increasingly difficult to find as collectors compete for them. Because they're breakable, many didn't survive until now, which makes the ones that did survive even more valuable.

Even though Shiny Brite might be the most familiar name in vintage ornaments, keep in mind that other manufacturers also made glass Christmas ornaments that are perfect for collecting too. If you collect a few at a time, you'll have enough to decorate a whole tree in no time!

Take a look at some of our prized possessions:

11. Milk Glass Pieces

While milk glass may not be the first thing you think of when Christmas decorating, it's certainly the perfect color to pair with the traditional red and green colors of the season. Whether you fill it with candles to cast a nighttime glow or with some of your more treasured ornaments, a vintage milk glass collection can provide some interesting holiday display opportunities. It's easy to build a collection of milk glass piece by piece. You can find pieces find at yard sales, flea markets, and antique malls.

If you'd like ideas for how to decorate your milk glass collection for Halloween and Thanksgiving, pop over to our Halloween Home Tour post for photos and ideas. And stop by our Vintage Easter and Spring Decor Ideas post to see ideas for how to decorate milk glass for Spring.

10. Punchbowl and Punch Cups 

The holidays are always a time of gathering together with family, and one heirloom piece that we bring out every holiday is a vintage Anchor Hocking Arlington punchbowl and punch cups. This is the same punchbowl set that we used growing up, and we still use it to this day. I've put this one at #10 specifically because by the time I inherited this punchbowl set, two of the punch cups had broken and there were only 10 left with the set. But we still brought it out on special occasions to use! 

Since then, I've replaced those two broken cups with matching cups that I found at our local thrift store (and added even a few more to the set to accommodate our BIG family). But, even if I hadn't been able to replace them, this serves as a good reminder to use your vintage items rather than saving them away. (I'm sure those original cups were broken at a family gathering while we were enjoying ourselves.) Make sure you try our Party Punch recipe to fill your punchbowl!

9. Santa Mugs

Vintage Santa mugs are some of the most sought-after Christmas collectibles these days. The Santa mugs date back to the 1940s. You can find them at thrift stores, antique stores, estate sales, yard sales, and even online at sites like eBay and Etsy. But, just like other items on this list, it's easy to acquire this collection slowly over time. Look for different varieties like left eye closed, right eye closed, both eyes closed, and both eyes opened. They also come in different sizes and by different makers. If you're just interested in the vintage "look" - many vintage-inspired options are available at different retailers.

8. Christmas Albums

This particular collection of Christmas albums are the ones that The Harris Sisters grew up listening to at Christmastime, so they carry a heavy dose of nostalgia along with them. They originally belonged to our Mama, and now I bring them out at Christmastime to infuse our house with the same sounds we enjoyed growing up. 

The graphics on the sleeves of vintage Christmas records are often kitschy and make great additions to your Christmas decor, even if you're not interested in the music on the albums themselves. If you'd like to start your own collection of Christmas vinyl, you can find them at thrift stores and used book stores around this time of year. Estate sales may have Christmas records mixed into record collections throughout the year. 

Make sure you bring your Christmas records out to enjoy and to introduce to the next generation. Nothing can compare to the sound of original artists on original vinyl.

7. Christmas Drinking Glasses

Vintage Christmas drinking glasses are a festive addition to your holiday barware. Mix some pretty Christmas cocktails and serve them up in these drinking glasses to add some vintage charm to your next party! 

Fun fact - beginning in the late 1940s, jelly companies like Welch's and peanut butter companies like Boscul and Big Top started to put pretty designs on their jars knowing they were later being reused in households as drinking glasses. (Some of you might remember drinking out of jelly jars when you were a child? We sure do!) These companies released promotional designs in the hopes that families would continue to buy more of the same design to "complete a set" of glasses, and some of those designs were Christmas patterns. Since these jars were made out of thicker glass, they have the best chance of surviving until now, so often those will be the ones you'll find. 

You can find full sets of Christmas drinking glasses on eBay or Etsy, or if you're interested in the thrill of the hunt and don't mind mixing and matching holiday patterns, you can often find singles or pairs at your local thrift store. Some glassware brands that you might want to keep your eyes peeled for are Anchor Hocking, Hazel Atlas, Indiana Glass, Libbey, and Luminarc. Happy hunting!

6. Christmas Tablecloths

Christmas tablecloths are a fun collection to build, and Harris Sister Deanna has started a collection of some of these beautiful linens. Because these items were holiday-specific and only brought out once-a-year, you've got a good chance of finding them still in good condition. 

Mid-century vintage Christmas tablecloths had many different designs. Designs included Santas, angels, bells, ornaments, candy canes, cookies, poinsettias, candles, florals, wreaths, Christmas trees, Christmas villages, carolers, sleighs, and holiday greetings. So you're sure to find a design that matches your favorite holiday theme!

5. Other Christmas Linens

If you're not quite ready to jump in the deep end and start a Christmas tablecloth collection, there are all sorts of smaller vintage Christmas linens that also have beautiful graphics. Just like Christmas tablecloths, other types of vintage Christmas linens were only brought out for the holidays, so it's easy to find them in excellent condition. These include linen cocktail napkins, handkerchiefs, table runners, dresser scarves, tea towels, and aprons.

If you're not sure that you would use them for their original intended purpose, here are a few decorating ideas for you: 

• Tuck napkins or handkerchiefs underneath other Christmas displays and let the vintage graphics peek out. 
• Line napkins or handkerchiefs up to create a one-of-a-kind table runner.
• Fold napkins or handkerchiefs and display them in a circle underneath a small tree to create a unique Christmas tree skirt.
• Drape napkins or handkerchiefs on the diagonal to create a mantel scarf or curtain valance.
• Display tea towels over cabinet doors on your dining room hutch.
• Drape a tea towel or an apron over the side of a big bowl and then fill it with vintage cookie cutters for a fun display.
• Hang aprons from your kitchen cabinet knobs.

4. Family Photo Ornaments

This one's an easy DIY project for you to do! Simply print out vintage photos of your loved ones and frame them in small frames for hanging on your Christmas tree. The ornaments shown here were the handiwork of Harris Sister Misty, and each of The Harris Sisters have these hanging on our Christmas trees. She took old photos of Mama and Daddy and "framed" them in cookie cutters to make unique ornaments that we enjoy every year.

3. Hometown Christmas Decor

Show your hometown pride! A few years ago, a gentleman on Facebook Marketplace was selling 3 unused coal bags from The Harris Sisters' hometown of Roxboro, NC. He'd had them in his family forever, and he just wanted to make sure that they went to a good home. I immediately snatched them up to use as Christmas decor, keeping one and gifting the other two to Harris Sisters Deanna and Misty. 

I don't know much about the specific age of these bags, but I was able to find a newspaper notice dated March 7, 1946 from the Roxboro Courier Times newspaper announcing the sale of the company and the new name City Ice & Fuel Co., which is printed on the bags. The seller had them in his possession for 52 years before selling them, and his dad owned them before that.

Of course, hometown Christmas decor will be a little different for everyone. Does your town host a holiday festival or light show with unique souvenirs? Or, if you happen to be from somewhere like Bethlehem, PA or Santa Claus, IN, you might have great luck finding Christmas items that others might not have a special connection to. 

2. Wooden Sleds

If you're looking for a big statement piece to add to your Christmas decor, look no further than your old wooden sled. If you don't happen to have your own sled from your childhood, it's easy to find one on Facebook Marketplace, especially around this time of year. (Harris Sister Misty is the proud owner of The Harris Sisters' original sled now.) Wooden sleds offer lots of decorating possibilities. Here are a few Christmas decorating ideas for your vintage wooden sled: 

• prop a sled up against a wall as-is (many sleds have graphics painted on them and you might not want other decorations to "compete" with those graphics)
• string it with lights
• hang a wreath, a Santa hat, ice skates, mittens, or stockings from it 
• use it as a base for a Christmas tree
• lay it out flat and stack wrapped presents or vintage toys on it

1. Costume Jewelry Tree

Here's another craft project idea for you. If you've got lots of heirloom costume jewelry pieces or Christmas brooches and you're not quite sure what to do with them, you can craft them into a costume jewelry tree like Harris Sister Deanna did. You'll have a beautiful tree that is unlike any other and you'll be able to see your family's jewelry pieces beautifully on display. If this sounds like a project you'd love to complete, we have the full step-by-step DIY tutorial for you to follow so that you can create one of your very own.

There's something about the holiday season that makes us feel nostalgic. When we decorate with vintage Christmas decorations, it can remind us of our childhood. If you're lucky enough to have the original heirloom items passed down through generations of your family, make sure to incorporate those into your decorating. Or recreate those memories by shopping thrift stores, antique stores, estate sales, yard sales, and flea markets for vintage Christmas decor pieces that will bring the nostalgia back to the holiday season.

Hope we've given you some good ideas for how to incorporate vintage pieces into your Christmas decorations!