Canadian Living The Complete Christmas Book is the ultimate holiday planner, with everything you need to have the perfect holiday essential recipes for family gatherings or intimate holiday entertaining dinners; gifts to make for family and friends; décor projects for all around the house; fun projects in the kitchen; and holiday crafts for the whole family to make. With countdowns and work plans, helpful cooking tips and step-by-step photos, Canadian Living The Complete Christmas Book is the one-stop guide to having your best Christmas ever.
I have a Christmas cookbook by Elizabeth Baird from her post-Canadian Living magazine period that is one of my top 3 Christmas cookbooks, so when I saw this one in the display of seasonal books at a local library I immediately picked it up. And I have whittled my recipe choices down to five to try next year - especially cake. Always especially cake with me!
I can see this being a five star book for someone else. This book was not written for a low income stay at home parent to three under three. (like any book like this is hahaha) I enjoyed taking a peek into another world though! I would love to attend one of these parties. I'll keep some of these ideas in my back pocket for when I'm in my 40s/50s and trying to entice the kids home for the holidays. The one recipe I think I'll ask my spouse to replicate this year is the chocolate stripe shortbread. That looked delightful.
This book has many good recipes but I would have liked more photos of the finished dishes. There weren't really that many craft projects or decorating ideas included so it didn't really feel like it was the "Complete" Christmas Book. I am still a fan of Canadian Living though.