Molly's Favorite Christmas Traditions at the Sanchez House! | Personal | Saint Paul Wedding Photographer

I LOVE CHRISTMAS! Here are Some Christmas Traditions at the Sanchez House!

I have always had a big soft spot for Christmas. For me it is not just one day of the year but a whole month of preparing, considering my friends and family and what they might love under the tree, putting up lights that will light up our spirits every morning. I know I am not the only one; I remember back in 2020 when everyone started listening to Christmas music in June just to have an uplifted mood when they needed something good the most.

I think for the most part we keep Christmas pretty simple at our house, BUT doesn’t mean it has any less heart.
Here are a couple of Christmas Traditions that I LOVE doing every holiday season.

1

Wrapping Gifts. If you do it right you only need 3 stripes of tape!

My My Grandma Gertie would always show me how to perfectly wrap a present. If you did it in a hurry, she would get after me for wrinkling the paper. It takes patience and skill. I have no earthly idea where it came from but she had these two GIANT rolls of metallic Christmas paper she would bring up from the basement for years.: one green and silver and one red and silver. They lasted years and many gifts. Her love of Christmas definitely made me love the season more and more growing up.

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2

Collecting Christmas Tree Ornaments of Our Family Adventures

It happened more after I was married. Marcus and I would look for a Christmas ornament from our random adventures. We have an ornament from our wedding and one of our wedding venue. (We got Married at Como Conservatory!) We have one from our Mt. Rushmore Road trip, Mae’s First Minnesota State Fair Trip, Great Sand Dunes in CO, just to name a few). It is such a joy unboxing and reliving those memories every year when I decorate our Christmas Tree. I am greatly looking forward to when Mae will be able to join in on the fun of decorating our tree together.

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3

Christmas Music All The Time

We constantly have Christmas music playing in our house during the holiday season. I am not musically talented in any way, shape, or formed. But that will not stop me from enjoying and singing my little heart out at the top of my lungs. For Christmas specifically, I will play my small collection of Christmas Vinyl. Mae has been really loving this part of Christmas this year and asking for it to be played on repeat. My favorite Christmas Vinyl I have is Ingrid Michaelson’s Songs for the Season. It is amazing, stop everything and go listen. We also love hearing old Christmas hymns so we do have several of those as well. Ones I would still like to add to our collection: Peanuts Christmas, Dolly Parton Christmas (For Marcus), She & Him Christmas Party, Bing Crosby Christmas, ect.)

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Christmas cookies - For the love of sugar

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This tradition is one that I have really grown to love more and more. I try to have just a small group of family and friends where we get together and just enjoy cookie decorating. This year I am baking everything ahead of time and having all the decorations out to make it a little easier. I am still figuring out the best way for everyone to have an enjoyable time. Christmas Music will be played and sugar will be had. At the end of the night everyone takes home I giant plate of different cookies for their families and friends.

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5

Reading The Christmas Story From the Bible before Presents - True Meaning Of Christmas

This one is something we did growing up and I think it will be a tradition we keep alive. When we go over to my family’s home for Christmas, my grandpa would always open up his bible and read the story of Jesus being born and how he came to earth. I think even as a little impatient kid excited for presents it always brought us back to the real reason for the season.: The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

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Thank you for reading things that bring joy to my heart and my family!! Do you have any Christmas Traditions that are close to your heart?! I would love to hear all about it in the comment section.

A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU & YOUR FAMILY!

what has been on my heart lately | Minneapolis Wedding Photographer

Let’s Get A Little Personal

Hey There! It really has been a while since I have posted anything personal on my blog or on the internet in general. It has been harder for me to adequacy put my feelings into words. I thought that would always get easier as I got older. Although I wasn’t wrong in some ways like I am now able to tell people what I want or need when I need it, other things I have felt like are more important need to be kept closer to the heart. I have kept my daughter and our adventures off the internet for the most part because I have felt like it is something worth protecting, so I have chosen to not share. I want to focus my online presence to my wedding couples and all my new mom stories wouldn’t be relatable.
What might be more relevant is how God has been working in my heart the last couple on months. I have been feeling really inadequate in a lot of different areas of my life. I think it has really been God pointing to him and letting me know, I am inadequate and I need to be leaning on him for his grace. I think it has really come down to exhibiting His humility in my life.

I have been focusing on my bible reading in Philippeans 2. Just so I don’t loose you here is what it says:

2 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,  did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

‘‘Do Everything Without Grumbling”

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

I think what I have been mediating on the most was how different God’s version of humility is from where it feels like the world currently is. The internet says - If it doesn’t work for you, cut it out of your life. The Bible says- “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” I have been looking at how I am loving people around me a little closer and trying to use Philippines 2 as the base line.
What should be my example of humility - Christ and His example of coming to the world and submitting to the death of the cross. He did that for you and for me. And for me that is pretty humble.

I am in no way perfect. I am working on this daily in showing love to my family and friends and those around me. I hope that I can be a light and “shine among [others] like stars in the sky” to a world that feels dark.

This is what I will be meditating on this season of life. I hope this was a blessing to you if you needed to hear it too. <3

To my Brides: I know that not everyone believes this way. But please know this is what I believe and this is the bases of why I work so hard to serve you and your families on your wedding adventure and wedding day. I strive to serve you humbly and to the best of my ability so that I might be a blessing in your life.

The must have foods at the Minnesota State Fair for your first visit

Minnesota State Fair Food Recommendations from a Minnesota Girl Who Loves Food

The Minnesota State Fair is my personal Christmas in August every year! I make sure to go with my hubby, best friend and family if I can get everyone together! When that doesn’t work out I go multiple times! Totally worth it.
After going to the Great Minnesota Get Together annually there are a couple of foods that I dream about until opening day. If you are looking to make your first visits to the Minnesota State Fair these are the foods I think you HAVE to try at least once.

1) Apple POP

Do you love apples? Well I DO! Most Fair Days are hot and can be wall to wall people in the hot sun. To help cool down in the most delicious way possible I suggest heading over to the apple booth at the Agricultural Building and purchasing a frozen apple pop. It is frozen apple cider that is to die for. There has been multiple occasions where I have gotten more than one. It is delicious and has me going back every year! This is also one of the healthiest options at the fair.

2) Corn On The Cob

Hot, Steaming, and mouth watering, this corn on the cob is a MUST. It is roasted and right off the grill into your outstretched hands. They provide salt for a seasoning option and the line is one of the quickest I encounter at the fair. I don’t know if they put crack as a secondary seasoning but let’s just say I wouldn’t be surprised. I will always be making a stop here. It is located right across on the right side of the Grandstands Building.

3) Cheese Curds from the Mouth Trap

Located in the Food Building, it is the most packed at all times but you will not regret all the touching once you put a piece of their deep fried cheese in your mouth. If you are not from the Midwest this will be a new thing for you. This is 100% worth all your money. For a two person group simply getting the little dish will suffice. But if you are a group of 3 or more I would highly suggest splurging for the bucket. There are other locations that offer cheese curds at the fair. I do believe the best ones that Minnesota has to offer are provided at The Mouth Trap.

4) Deep Fried Pickles

At the west end of the Fair Grounds, you will find a booth offering you gigantic pickles on a stick or a handful of deep fried pickles with ranch dip. I have done the leg work for you and have tried deep fried pickles at all the restaurants; nothing has come even CLOSE to these deep fried pickles sent directly from heaven. They are thickly sliced pickles battered to perfection. You might burn your tongue being unable to wait any longer for your second bite. The regular is my favorite, BUT they do come in a sampler seasoned kind as well if you want to play the pickle field.

5) All You Can Drink Milk

Coming from a family of 7 who loves milk, My Family would shamelessly buy ONE cup of milk and then repeatedly go back to fill said cup until everyone was satisfied. After that we would wash the cup out with some water and return multiple times throughout the day. You know, to make sure we got our FULL Dollars worth out of that one cup. After many gallons of milk where consumed, I think they caught on because the last couple of years they raise the price to $2 per cup. But Options include both White Milk and Chocolate Milk.

6) Martha’s Cookies

With Multiple locations, your Minnesota State Fair Experience would not be complete without you having your first Martha’s Cookies. Worked by an army of youths, Martha’s cookies will be served to you HOT and Ready! You can get a small amount in a little white cone (these kind of remind me of a bigger version of the ones you have in a waiting room and you drink the water from) est 7 to 10 cookies. Or You can get a overflowing bucket of chocolatey cookie goodness to easily save for later as a midnight snack.


I hope you LOVE the foods you try and enjoy an AMAZING first time at the Minnesota State Fair!


Please share with my any foods you think I missed out on below that are a must have for any first timers!

Happy Eating!
Molly