Skip to Content

Here at the Gardening Cook , we love to celebrate with holiday decor and food! Each of the holidays is special here on the blog.

Our site has loads of decor ideas, recipes and gardening tips for each season and holiday of the year.

From special cocktails for New Year’s Eve, through to patriotic recipes, spooky Halloween projects and pretty Christmas decor projects, every holiday is so much fun.

These easy projects will dress up your home for the holidays and give your friends some special food treats in no time flat!

Check out these holiday ideas

If you are looking for some ideas for food and decorations for the holidays, one of these ideas may interest you.

Your kids will love to make this sweet snowman Christmas cake.  The cake will be the hit of your Christmas buffet.   He is made of a chocolate base and covered in butter cream frosting and then decorated. The cake is easy to make and kids will love to help you decorate it with their favorite …

Read More about Snowman Christmas Cake – Fun Dessert Idea

These cute M & M&M gingerbread Christmas tree cookies will make a great addition to your Christmas buffet table.  They would also be great for your annual cookie exchange. Gingerbread is a common taste during the holidays.  From cookies and houses made of gingerbread, there are lots of options. See my tips for the perfect …

Read More about M & M Gingerbread Christmas Tree Cookies

Two holiday plants that I love are cyclamens and Christmas cactus. Both of these make fabulous indoor plantsand give a lot of color to your decor during the cold winter months. During the festive season, there are many different seasonal plants on offer at most garden centers. They add a lovely touch to your seasonal …

Read More about Cyclamens and Christmas Cactus – 2 Favorite Seasonal Plants

These are 10 of the Best Family Christmas Movies that we watch in our home year after year. Are you a fan of watching Xmas movies over the holidays with family? At our house, the tradition starts on Thanksgiving and continues right up to New Year’s Eve! These are some of my favorite Christmas movies. …

Read More about Best Family Christmas Movies – Must See Xmas Films to Enjoy

These Funfetti peppermint chocolate truffles are my latest addition to a growing batch of truffle recipes. Truffles are as much a part of my holiday traditions as decorating a tree is.  I love to make all kinds of these bite sized Christmas treats.  They are fun to make, and look so great on a holiday …

Read More about Funfetti Peppermint Chocolate Truffles – New Christmas Sweet Treat

My latest creation is this Grinch Paintbrush Ornament. Yes, folks, it is getting to that time of the year. This is the time when my mind goes into overdrive trying to come up with ideas for fun craft decor items to make for the Christmas holiday. Keep reading to see how I turned an ordinary …

Read More about Grinch Paintbrush Ornament – DIY Christmas Project with Paintbrushes

Christmas wreaths are commonly used on front doors, but can also used on mantles and in other areas of the home and garden such as garden gates. Aside from poinsettia plants, Christmas wreaths are one of the most popular ways to decorate your entry for the holiday season.   And nothing quite sets the mood …

Read More about 12 Unusual Christmas Wreaths – Decorating Your Front Door

The sight of a Christmas cactus blooming is one of the joys of the season, for me. This plant is one of the traditional Christmas plants that are often seen for sale this time of the year. This holiday cactus plant is sold with buds on it each year, but how do you get this …

Read More about Christmas Cactus Blooming – How to Get a Holiday Cactus to Flower Each Year

This boxwood Christmas wreath makes a nice change from the traditional fir wreath often seen this time of the year. it’s easy to make and you can use items from your own yard. I enjoy decorating with Christmas plants during the holidays and am always on the lookout for something a bit out of the …

Read More about Boxwood Christmas Wreath – DIY Holiday Project

These Christmas plants will have your home full of color, beauty, and good cheer this year. Even though the outdoor garden season has ended for many of us, that doesn’t mean that holiday plants can’t be front and center right now. December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. It is fitting that the most popular Christmas …

Read More about Christmas Plants – List of 27 Flowers and Holiday Plants for Xmas

 A holiday cactus is a short-day plant which produces flower buds when daylight hours decrease. Fortunately for gardeners, this happens when much of the garden is not blooming, just in time for the major holidays – Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. There are three different types of holiday cactus plants, Christmas cactus – schlumbergera bridgesii, Thanksgiving …

Read More about Holiday Cactus Types – Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter Cactus

Would you like a list of winter spices or wonder what the best herbs for Christmas are that you can grow and use in recipes? This Christmas spices list is for you! The holidays will soon be here and a home-cooked dinner, along with all the trimmings, is on many menus this year. Whether your …

Read More about Winter Spices – List of Christmas Spices Plus Best Herbs for Xmas

Would you like to know the best herbs for roasting turkey? Thanksgiving is coming soon and a roasted turkey is on many menus. If you are cooking turkey for the first time, you may find yourself asking “What herbs and spices go with turkey?” You can just place a turkey in your oven and roast …

Read More about Herbs for Roasting Turkey – Best Fall Spices – Grow Thanksgiving Herbs

These Thanksgiving Tablescapes and holiday table ideas are so earthy and warm too, with all the colors of fall. Thanksgiving will soon be here and it’s the perfect time to bring out the big ideas for Table decorations. There is even a fall perennial (Chinese lantern plant) that produces small pumpkin-shaped pods, so making a …

Read More about Thanksgiving Tablescapes and Holiday Table Ideas

It’s time for Halloween, which means that we get to enjoy all of the Halloween plants this season has to offer. The list includes black plants, creepy flowers, and even smelly and carnivorous plants! The plants associated with Halloween don’t have pretty flowers or foliage. Instead, these evil plants are dark and dreary. They have …

Read More about Halloween Plants – 21 Scary Plants to Set A Spooky Mood

One of the best ways to make sure that your Thanksgiving dinner is a success is to make a plan, and stay organized. This Thanksgiving menu planner will be a great help. This free printable planner will help you figure out what to cook for your Thanksgiving menu from appetizers to desserts. There is also …

Read More about Thanksgiving Menu Planner – Free Menu Planning Printable

It’s time to pick your poison! This Crow’s Blood Drink is a red Halloween cocktail which is made even more gruesome by the addition of a lychee eyeball garnish. This Halloween champagne cocktail is a seasonal variation of the classic champagne cocktail, which dates back to the 1800s. The drink traditionally consisted of a sugar …

Read More about Crow’s Blood Halloween Drink – Champagne Cocktail Recipe

Fall is the time for decorating with Indian corn. These colorful ears of ornamental corn (also known as flint corn and calico corn) have been around for centuries. Indian corn is a natural element that can be used in fall decorations. I especially love the texture that Indian corn adds. Ornamental corn is available in many …

Read More about Decorating with Indian Corn for Thanksgiving – Easy Decor Ideas

Mother’s Day is right around the corner.  This easy DIY kitchen gift basket makes the perfect personalized gift for anyone’s mother who loves to cook. It is filled with fun, whimsical, and useful kitchen items made even more special because it includes items geared to your mother’s tastes. This easy cooking gift basket makes the …

Read More about DIY Gift Basket for Mother’s Day – 10 Tips for Kitchen Themed Basket ideas

With October comes the cooler temperatures, falling of leaves, and of course pumpkin carving time. For the perfect carved Jack O Lantern, be sure to familiarize yourself with this list of the best pumpkins for carving. When it comes to choosing pumpkins for carving projects, not all pumpkins are equal. As a matter of fact, …

Read More about Best Pumpkins for Carving – Tips for Picking the Perfect Pumpkin

How to preserve a pumpkin carving is a problem unique to fall. Autumn is the time of the year when temperatures drop, pumpkin harvest is here, and leaves start to change color. It’s also the time for homes to start decorating for Halloween and Thanksgiving and this includes carving pumpkins. It’s not unusual to see …

Read More about How to Preserve A Pumpkin Carving – Making Jack O Lanterns Last Longer

As Easter approaches, many families are looking for fun and creative ways to celebrate the holiday. One popular activity is an Easter egg hunt, but why not add a twist to the traditional hunt with some Easter egg hunt clues and riddles? In our blog post, we’ll be sharing ideas and tips for an Easter …

Read More about Easter Egg Hunt Clues for Teens – Easter Basket Scavenger Hunt

These tips for poinsettia plant care will make sure your pretty holiday plant will continue to delight you all through the holiday season and into next year.  More poinsettia plants are sold during November and December than the yearly sales of all the other potted plants, other than orchids. There is a good reason for …

Read More about Poinsettia Plant Care – How to Grow Poinsettias

One of my mother’s time-honored traditions was to serve a pumpkin cake each year, for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, with her special toasted coconut frosting. She is not with us now, but that does not mean the cake will be missing! My whole family takes turns making the cake for our Thanksgiving celebration. The pumpkin …

Read More about Pumpkin Cake with Toasted Coconut Frosting – Thanksgiving Dessert

This recipe for steaks with a Cuban mojo marinade combines spices with orange juice, olive oil and grill mates seasoning for an easy and spicy main course dish. I love the sweet, tangy and savory flavors.  It makes grill night or a camping trip meal something special. We grill every Saturday’s night at our house. My …

Read More about Steak with a Cuban Mojo Marinade – Easy Grilled Recipe