Mud & Magnolias Holidays 2020

Mud&Magnolias October.

November July 2020 Holidays 2020 2013

Holiday the

ISSUE

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE CHRISTMAS COLLECTIONS SEASONAL HOMES THANKSGIVING KINDNESS

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CONTENTS

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RECIPES

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GIFTS TO BAKE

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WELCOME TO OUR HOUSE

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DOORS OF HOPE

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We’ve got all the recipes you need to guide your family through Christmas Day. From breakfast, to the main event and, of course, all the goodies in between, we’ve got you covered this holiday season.

Famillies make new traditions by opening their doors for those in their area who have nowhere to go for Thanksgiving, ensuring everyone feels at home and has a proper Thanksgiving meal.

CHRISTMAS COLLECTIONS

We spoke to three households who have spent their lives procuring items to add to their collections; the ones they bring out once a year, and with them, the holiday spirit.

ALSO:

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Not sure what to gift the neighbors? We’ve got plenty of ideas for different goodies to give, for all different skill levels – the best part? Each one is tastier than the next.

Each year, a charity in Oxford that serves homeless or at-risk families, hosts a walkthrough open house Christmas fundraiser.

Here’s a peek at some featured homes and the charity’s plans for 2020.

TWC HOLIDAY TREE FEST

The Tupelo Women’s Club hosts its annual Holiday Tree Fest, which never fails to get people feeling festive.

Holidays 2020 ON THE COVER The entryway to the Perkins home, with a peek at their “signature tree,” page 79.

Make wreaths with us at mudandmag.com.

GIFTS TO BAKE

SPECIAL SECTION: INFLUENTIAL WOMEN 2020

DIY: CHRISTMAS IN COLOR

DIY: WREATHS THREE WAYS

GIFT GUIDE

NEW YEAR’S EVE

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fter all that 2020 has put us through, I am rethinking the holidays. I am letting go of the unrealistic expectations and focusing on what really matters. If being cooped up throughout the pandemic has taught me anything, it is to live in the present.

I tend to go into the season with unrealistic expectations and a long list of to-do’s. After everything is checked off my list, I am so worn down that I realize I missed all the fun. And, when you have a 4 year old at home, the holidays can be a lot of fun.

This year, I am vowing to be more mindful. I am focusing less on making the perfect memories and more on the time I get to spend with my family. I am going to count my many blessing and be thankful for each of them. I am seeking the joy in each moment.

I hope our Holidays edition helps you make the most of your celebrations. We have everything you need to enjoy sitting around the table with friends and family beginning on page 13. If you are searching for some new holiday traditions for your family, gain some inspiration from Christmas Collections (pg. 37). Put together some delicious sweet treats (pg. 56) for those special to you.

Whatever you do to celebrate this holiday season, I hope you will slow down and take some time to remember the real reason for the season.

1242 S Green St. Tupelo, MS 38804 662.842.2611

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sarah Brooke Bishop

ASSOCIATE EDITORS Lindsay Pace Kristina Domitrovich

FEATURED SALES CONSULTANTS Leigh Knox Teresa McDonald Nick Boone June Phillips Tyler Vuncannon Darla Webb Justine Stewart Angie Quarles

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Bobby Pepper

subscriptions@mudandmag.com advertising@mudandmag.com info@mudandmag.com mudandmag.com This magazine is a monthly publication of Journal, Inc.

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D I L A O H comforts

RECIPES

The holidays set a high precedent for appreciating well-worn traditions, like sharing a meal. And this year, relishing in those practices is a must for the soul. From a savory entrée to smooth, slow-cooker beverages, we’ve got everything you’ll need to savor the season.

Naughty Elf Cookies recipe on pg. 30

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RECIPES CrawfishHam with Savory Chowder Garlic Dipping Sauce recipe recipe on pg. on 22 pg. 29

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RECIPES Cheerio Cheese Soufflé Mounds recipe on pg. 29 recipe on pg. 21

Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Duck Poppers recipe on pg. 22

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Honey Pecan Crawfish Pear Loaf Chowder recipe recipe on on pg. pg. 31 22

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RECIPES Big-Batch Hot Buttered Rum recipe on pg. 30

Fondant Root Vegetables recipe on pg. 23

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RECIPES Cranberry-Cherry Crawfish Sauce Chowder recipe recipe on on pg. pg.

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RECIPES Slow-Cooker Cheerio Apple Cider Mounds recipeon onpg. pg.21 30 recipe

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Cranberry Crawfish Buckle Chowder recipe on pg. 31 22

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RECIPES Gruyere and Bacon Crawfish Brussels Sprouts Chowder reciperecipe on pg.on22pg. 29

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RECIPES Mushroom and Gruyere Hand Pies recipe on pg. 29

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RECIPES Chocolate CrawfishHazlenut Thumbprint Chowder Cookies reciperecipe on pg.on22pg. 30

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RECIPES Slow-Cooker Mulled Wine recipe on pg. 30

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RECIPES

SIDE DISHES CHEESE SOUFFLÉ Ingredients: 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted 1/3 cup fresh parmesan, finely grated 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 6 tablespoons AP flour 2 cups cold milk 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Pinch of cayenne 5 eggs, separated 2 cups gruyere, grated 3 tablespoons chives, finely diced

ENTRÉE SAVORY HAM WITH GARLIC DIPPING SAUCE Ingredients: 1 5-10-pound, fully-cooked ham For the basting: 1/2 cup honey 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons brown sugar For the dipping sauce: 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 cloves peeled garlic, smashed 3/4 cup water Directions: Preheat the oven according to packaging. Combine all the basting ingredients in a small bowl. Remove three tablespoons of the mixture for the dipping sauce and set aside. Bake the first half of the cooking time according to packaging; remove from oven, baste and return as directed. Once the ham is done, preheat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Then add the smashed garlic cloves, and cook for about two minutes, or until very fragrant. Scoop out any ham drippings, and add to the pot; add the water, followed by the remaining basting mixture. Whisk to combine, and let simmer for about three minutes before transferring to a serving dish. In the meantime, cut the ham for serving.

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter, and pour into a very large ramekin or other high-sided baking dish. Use a pastry brush to evenly coat the inside of the baking dish, then sprinkle on the parmesan cheese. Rotate the baking dish to ensure it’s completely coated in the parmesan, and dump out any remaining cheese. Set aside. In a large pot over medium-low heat, add 6 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour, allowing it to thicken in the process. Very slowly, add in the milk, mixing the whole time. Allow the mixture to thicken, then add the salt, pepper and cayenne. Add the yolks, whisking vigorously to avoid curdling, followed by the gruyere and chives. Whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks; use a rubber spatula to carefully fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture in three increments. Transfer to the baking dish, and bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is mostly deeply golden.

CRANBERRY-CHERRY SAUCE Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups water 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon whole cloves 1 sprig of rosemary Zest of one orange, peeled 4 cups cranberries 1 can (14.5 ounce) cherries, pitted and drained Directions: Combine the sugar and water in a large pot, and place over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is lightly simmering. Add in the cloves and rosemary, and continue lightly simmering for about 5 minutes. Discard the cloves and rosemary, and add in the cranberries, cherries

and orange zest. Cover to prevent splattering as the cranberries burst, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes, or longer if a thicker consistency is desired. Discard the orange slices (optional). Transfer to a dish and serve immediately, or let cool. Top with grated orange zest.

GRUYERE AND BACON BRUSSELS SPROUTS Ingredients: 6 strips of bacon 1 pound Brussels sprouts 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 3 tablespoons maple syrup 1/4 cup gruyere Directions: In a pan over medium-low heat, cook the bacon until very crispy. Transfer to a paper towel, and cool completely, then roughly chop into 1/2-1-inch pieces. Wash and clean the Brussels sprouts, then trim off the stem and cut in half. In a large, clean pan over medium heat, preheat the butter, then add the Brussels sprouts cut-side down. Season with salt and pepper. Sautée for about 10 minutes, stirring as needed, until the Brussels are browned. Add in the bacon bits and drizzle with maple syrup, stir and transfer into a bowl. Top with grated gruyere cheese, and serve immediately.

MUSHROOM AND GRUYERE HAND PIES Ingredients: For the dough: 3 cups AP flour 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed and chilled 1 egg 4-6 tablespoons water, more if needed For the filling: 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 shallots, diced 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, diced 1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 3 sprigs of thyme, diced Salt and pepper 1/8 cup white wine 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere 1 egg + 1 tablespoon water Directions: For the dough: In a food processor or using a pastry blender, mix together the dry ingredients for about 10 seconds. Add in the butter, one tablespoon at a time, followed

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RECIPES immediately, or store in an air-tight jar in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

SLOW-COOKER MULLED WINE Ingredients: 2 bottles cabernet sauvignon 1/2 cup brandy or bourbon 1/2 cup maple syrup 5 whole cloves 3 star anise pods (or 1/2 teaspoon anise extract) 3 cinnamon sticks 1/2 orange zest, peeled Directions: In a slow cooker, combine all the ingredients. Whisk until the maple syrup is dissolved, then turn on high for 5 hours. Serve warm.

DESSERTS a time, mixing between each addition, until a ball forms. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to two days.

For the filling: In a large pan over medium heat, preheat the olive oil. Add the shallots, and sautĂŠe for about five minutes, until starting to caramelize. Add a tablespoon of butter, followed by the mushrooms, garlic and thyme.

Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the mushrooms have browned and shriveled. Deglaze the pan with white wine, and continue to sautĂŠe until the moisture has been cooked off. Transfer to a bowl and let cool for five minutes. Add the walnuts and cheese, and mix until evenly combined. Assembly: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and line two baking sheets with parchment. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out half the dough to be about 1/8 of an inch thick. Use a large biscuit or cookie cutter to cut out circles about 3 inches in diameter. Use the rolling pin to get each circle a little bigger and thinner, then place a heaping spoonful on half the dough. Fold over to create a crescent, and crimp the edges together. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat this process; combining the dough back together as needed to re-roll and cut. Brush each hand pie with egg wash before baking, for about 18-22 minutes, or until the hand pies are golden.

DRINKS BIG-BATCH HOT BUTTERED RUM Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsalted butter

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2 cups brown sugar 2 cups spiced rum 8 cups water 1 pinch salt 3 cinnamon sticks 6 whole cloves 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg Directions: In a large pot over medium-low heat, combine the butter, sugar, water and rum, and whisk until the sugar dissolves and the butter is melted. Add in the seasonings, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

SLOW-COOKER APPLE CIDER Ingredients: 5 large Fuji apples 2 oranges, sliced 5 cinnamon sticks 1 teaspoon whole cloves 2 teaspoons allspice 1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled Water, about 6 cups 1/2 cup brown sugar Directions: Remove the stems and cores from the apples, and chop into 1-2-inch cubes and place in the slow cooker. Add in the remaining ingredients (except the brown sugar), and cover in water, about 6 cups. Cover, and set on low for 10 hours. Around 8 hours, use a wooden spoon or potato masher to break up the large remaining pieces, and stir in the brown sugar; then continue cooking for the remaining two hours. Pour through a colander to remove large pieces, and a cheesecloth to remove all leftover pieces (if desired). Serve

NAUGHTY ELF COOKIES Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 3/4 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups AP flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups rolled oats 1 cup craisins 1 cup pecan halves, toasted 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips Directions: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda, and set aside. In a stand or hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Add in the dry ingredients, followed by the oats; mix until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the craisins, pecans and chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, or overnight. Line a baking sheet with parchment, and space out 1 1/2-inch rounds of dough about two inches apart. Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes, or until lightly golden on the edges.

CHOCOLATE HAZLENUT THUMBPRINT COOKIES Ingredients: 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 2/3 cup sugar 1 large egg

RECIPES 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups AP flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 cup sugar Toppings: 1/3 cup chocolate hazelnut spread 1/4 cup whole hazelnuts (optional) Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line two baking sheets with parchment. In a medium bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, and set aside. Using a stand or a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.

Scoop the dough into 1-inch rounds, roll in 1/4 cup sugar, and place on a baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Use your thumb or the back of a teaspoon to press an indent in the center of the cookie dough. Scoop or pipe chocolate hazelnut spread into the indent, and top with a hazelnut (optional). Bake for 12-15 minutes.

BREAKFASTS HONEY PECAN PEAR LOAF Ingredients: For the Dough: 2 3/4 cups AP flour 1 package yeast 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt 1 ⁄3 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk, warm 2 large eggs, room temperature 2 tablespoons honey Zest of one orange 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature For the Filling: 1 ⁄3 cup packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 ⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon cardamom 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 large Bosc pears, barely ripe 1 ⁄3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 ⁄4 cup clover honey 1 ⁄3 cup finely chopped toasted pecans 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water Turbinado sugar for sprinkling For the coating: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 1 tablespoon honey

low for 30 seconds. Slowly pour in the milk, and continue mixing until just combined.

Scrape down the sides, and add the eggs, honey and orange zest, and mix for a minute.

Scrape down the sides, and change to a hook attachment (or continue using the spoon).

Beat on medium-low speed for about five minutes, or until visibly smooth. Increase the speed to medium, and add the soft butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing for about one minute between each addition. Once all the butter is added, turn out onto a lightly-floured surface, and knead for three minutes. Transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover and let rise for an hour until doubled in size. Once doubled in size, punch down the dough and set aside.

Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Combine the butter and honey in a small bowl, and mix in all the spices.

Leaving the skins on, remove the stems and cores from the pears. Finely chop the pears, and transfer to a large bowl; add the pecans, and stir until evenly distributed. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into about a 16x14-inch rectangle. Spread the entirety of the honey-butter and spice mixture onto the dough, leaving about a 1/2 inch on all sides.

Evenly spread the pear and pecans on top. Beginning on the short side, carefully roll up the dough into a log; then, gently twist the log to create a spiral. Transfer to the loaf pan, coiling as needed and desired, to create more spirals.

Lightly cover, and let rise for 35 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (the internal temperature should be 190 degrees). Cool for 15 minutes; in the meantime, mix together the remaining honey and butter, then brush on the loaf. Slice and serve.

CRANBERRY BUCKLE Ingredients: Streusel topping: 1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup AP flour 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled For the buckle: 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups AP flour 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 cup milk 3 cups (fresh or frozen) cranberries Zest of one orange Directions: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a glass 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside. In a small bowl, use a fork to combine all the streusel ingredients – it will be very crumbly. For the buckle: Combine all the dry ingredients and set aside. Use a hand mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla, and continue mixing. Add a third of the milk, followed by a third of the dry ingredients, incorporating between each addition until just combined; continue until the ingredients are incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the cranberries and orange zest. Transfer to the baking dish, and use a spatula to spread evenly. Evenly sprinkle the streusel on top.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. M

Directions: For the dough: Using the paddle attachment on a stand mixer (or a wooden spoon by hand), mix flour, yeast and salt on

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WELCOME TO OUR

table

by BOBBY PEPPER story photos by LINDSAY PACE

Famillies make new traditions and ensure everyone has a proper Thanksgiving meal by opening their doors for those in their area who have nowhere to go for the holidays.

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This page, from left: Alivia, Ken, and Teresa Roberts outside of their home in Pine Grove; Melissa Garrett (right) and Sharon Dunaway have been hosting Thanksgiving dinners for over 20 years now. Last Christmas, they hosted over 40 people from the community: friends, family and strangers. Growing up, their grandmother hosted holiday dinners and told family members to invite anyone who needed a place to eat.

THE ROBERTS FAMILY | PINE GROVE Teresa Roberts likes to communicate with her six sisters and one brother each year to find out who’s coming to the family’s Thanksgiving meal.

Roberts, however, has discovered that the guest list for the annual holiday feast is subject to change up to the moment when the meal is placed on the table.

“We never know who’s going to bring who,” said Roberts, who lives in the Pine Grove community in southern Lee County. “We don’t know.”

Just like turkey and dressing are Thanksgiving traditions, so is the tradition of Roberts and her siblings to invite people outside of their blood family for a meal and time of fellowship. Together, they give thanks for their many blessings.

It’s all part of giving back to help others, something Roberts and her siblings learned from their parents, Clyde Sr. and Shirley McMorris Fields.

“This is the kind of stuff we do,” she said.

Thanksgiving rotates between the homes of the siblings, who all live in Pine Grove except for one sister who lives in Tupelo. On occasion, it winds up at the Fields’ home place, which is located in the section of Pine Grove east of U.S. 45 in Monroe County.

There’s no formal method of deciding who’s invited, according to Roberts, just whoever the family member wants to welcome to the gathering. Roberts says the invites help the guests feel connected at a time when holiday loneliness can lead to depression.

Roberts recalls several of their holiday guests, like Lajuanda Griffin, an attorney who moved to Tupelo from Jackson and opened a restaurant. She and her two children were invited for the festivities. Another guest was a classmate of Roberts’ daughter, Alivia, at George Washington University

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in Washington, D.C. When Alivia found out her classmate, who is from the Dominican Republic but lived in New York, wasn’t going home for the holidays, Alivia invited her to spend the holidays in Mississippi.

“Someone might say, ‘Somebody doesn’t have anywhere to eat this year.

Let’s invite them,’” Roberts said. “We don’t know who it might be. It might be someone whose family member just passed away and they’re by themselves, or somebody new in town.”

Roberts recalls one instance about nine years ago when one of her sisters, Janice Fields, told about another family that was in need. After inviting them to the family’s holiday meal, Roberts and her siblings made a commitment to support the family.

“My sister called me saying, ‘Teresa, I just ran across this woman,’” she said. “We brought them Thanksgiving dinner. Later we moved them into an apartment in Shannon. We adopted this family. They now spend all holidays with us in some form.”

MELISSA AND SHARON | GUNTOWN & SALTILLO On the north end of Lee County, sisters Melissa Garrett of Guntown and Sharon Dunaway of Saltillo also learned from their parents how to share their Thanksgiving with others.

“Our mom and dad said, ‘If you know someone and they don’t have anywhere to go, open your home,’” Garrett said.

Garret said she and her sister have made two men who reside in a Saltillo assisted living facility a part of their holiday gatherings.

“My sister and I get them on Thanksgiving and Christmas,” she said.

“They eat with us because they don’t have any family. We’ve been doing

this for about 10 years. We had another lady who would come, too, but her health declined and she was moved to a nursing home. We always ask if someone new comes in there that doesn’t have family. We would be glad for them to come also.”

Garrett and Dunaway alternate hosting the events, but Garrett said Thanksgiving is mostly at Dunaway’s home because there’s more room.

In addition to the usual Thanksgiving meal, Garrett said the family has another tradition following the meal.

“We always play Bingo after we eat,” she said. “They get some enjoyment out of that. They get to take things back home with them. At Christmas, they receive gifts just like we do.”

This year, COVID-19 is causing families to rethink how they gather for the holidays. The last thing they want to do is cancel, so they’re making plans to adjust.

“Because of COVID, everybody will wear a mask and social distance,” Garrett said. “For Christmas, we’re going to do it in the Saltillo United Methodist Church family life center, so that we won’t be sitting close together for a long period of time.’”

Like Roberts with her family’s gatherings, Garrett said she wants their guests to experience the joy and warmth of feeling welcome in a home for a nice Thanksgiving meal. She gives thanks for the opportunity to share it.

“It makes them happy, and it’s wonderful to see that,” she said. M

This page, from top: Each year, Teresa Roberts makes a special pound cake for guests. “My friend Virginia, she gave me this pound cake recipe. You can barely see it, but I kind of know it by heart. This is the piece of paper I pull out every Thanksgiving, every Christmas,” she said; This teapot was given to Alivia by a beloved senior citizen named Leona.

The Roberts serve tea from it during the holidays. “This year, when we use it again, we’ll take pictures and say ‘We’re using your teapot,’ just to bring her a smile,” Teresa said; Roberts gives each Thanksgiving dinner guest a photo album of events and significant moments with family. “Whenever you come to Thanksgiving or Christmas, you’re going to get something to make you remember the year before.”

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collections Christmas

stories by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE

Whether it’s nutcrackers, themed ornaments, Christmas mice or a corner full of snowmen, we all have our favorite holiday decorations. These are the items that are mourned when lost in a dark corner of the attic and celebrated when found, are most preciously packed away for the next year’s festivities and are as familiar as a favorite Christmas song.

The following three stories hightlight people who have curated Christmas collections over their lifetimes. Some of these collections include antique items, some can fit in the palm of your hand, but all are sentimental and embody the spirit of Christmas in the eyes of the beholder.

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Miracle for Church Street

lose to the midnight hour on Nov. 5, 2018, a tornado touched down in Tupelo. One of the homes damaged belonged to Spencer and Jess Gray; included in the damage, the storage shed in their backyard was overturned and in a creek. In it were their Christmas decorations. What would be a heartbreaking reality to any family was intensified, because their Christmas decorations include a collection of Department 56 Snow Village pieces. This is a collection Spencer helped to curate throughout his life, dating back to the -80s, when his father started a tradition of gifting a piece to Spencer’s mother for anniversaries, birthdays and Christmases.

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Previous page: Trucks lined up outside of the Village’s Court House. This page clockwise: Jess and Spencer find it best to work on one collection at a time, hunting down the pieces to complete that set.

Currently, they’re working on the Griswolds from the 1989 holiday classic movie, “National Lampoon’s Family Vacation;” The Corner Café; Jess and Spencer Gray; The Village children playing in the snow; The Village children getting presents from Santa.

Each year growing up, being the 11th out of 13 children, Spencer would assemble the Snow Village with his father.

“It was kind of our thing,” he said. “It’d be like, ‘You want to help me put up the Snow Village?’ and I was like, ‘Sure.’ So it just kind of became this tradition for me and him, and so it was fun. I love doing it every year.”

Each year, they would assemble the Village, and each year it would grow. His dad usually went to Village Green in Tupelo to find the new pieces. Spencer remembers the Village stretching throughout his parents’ home growing up, usually with certain things grouped together: the farm scene would go in one place, they would have to tables set up in the dining room and, eventually, his father installed shelves around the whole room to holdd the village.

“We would set it up the same way every year,” he said.

No matter what, one scene was never going to change: Church Street.

Spencer’s parents’ home was and still is on Church Street in downtown Tupelo. One of the Village homes his father bought was, in Spencer’s words, “Identical to my mom’s house where I grew up.” There was another Village house that looked “identical to the house across the street.”

There’s a school building called Jefferson School, and Jefferson Street and Church Street run perpendicular to each other in downtown Tupelo; Spencer attended Church Street Elementary, adding to the sentimentality of it all. Then his father bought a church piece, which Spencer said closely resembled the Calvary Baptist Church in Tupelo, before it burned down Dec. 22, 1992. He and his family attended the church, and he said he remembers standing outside of his childhood home, watching the church burn down the street.

This little scene of Village pieces reminiscent of downtown Tupelo does not change from year to year, and it is always displayed in the same order on the mantel. That’s how it was each year in his parents’ home when he and his father would assemble the Village; and that’s how it is in he and Jess’ home, now that his father has passed away.

The first Christmas after his father’s passing, Spencer set up the village in his mother’s home on Church Street. After that, it would be about another five years before he put the Village up again, between starting college and the amount of work it takes each year to put up and take down, and it being hard on his mom, as they were married for 48 years.

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The year Spencer and Jess started dating, he assembled the Village once again in his childhood home that Christmas.

“So I got to watch the whole process,” she said, joking that she knew what she was getting into.

When the two married in 2012, his mother said they could have the collection. Since then, Spencer devotes the Saturday after Thanksgiving to assembling the Village.

“My dad, he would videotape the Snow Village, and then I would stand there and go, ‘This is my Mom’s Snow Village,’” Spencer said, laughing.

Aside from the video, Spencer mostly goes off of his own memory to figure out where the different pieces go when he’s assembling the Village each year. But now, he does “cheat a little bit” and takes pictures of the Village each year.

The couple has it down to a routine now, and Jess has basically learned to wait until the end before getting involved.

“Our first year we were married, I was like, ‘Oh, let’s put this here!’ And he was like, ‘That doesn’t go there,’” Jess said, laughing.

Now, she sprinkles the snow around the Village at the end. That’s one trick Spencer has learned over the years: He gets the thin blanket of snow for the base, so the pieces won’t topple over like they do when they’re standing in the fluffy snow; then, they said they sprinkle on the fluffy, “glittery snow (as) the last layer.”

Another trick, or rather a challenge for Spencer, is trying to hide all the cords, and rig it to flip as few switches as possible. He joked that it adds to the wow factor.

“I always like to see if I can hook it all together,” he said. “Because the less buttons you have to do, and less stuff you have to plug in, it’s just that much cooler when somebody walks into a dark room and you go push a button and all these lights come on.”

Each year, they’ll have people come visit the Village, usually their friends who have children.

“It’s part of some of our friends’ notecards for special things they do,” Jess said. “Come to our house and see the Snow Village. So that, for us, is special (seeing it) through a child’s eyes.”

Left: The Village offers familiar scenes, like the 1983 classic holiday movie, “A Christmas Story;” Right: A Coca-Cola delivery man works through the cold to load a delivery truck leaving the Coca-Cola factory. Next page, left: Spencer keeps all the notes his father attached to each village piece before giving it to his mom; Right: The church on Church Street, which is assembled on top of the mantel each year.

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Each year, Spencer said his mother will come by their house to take it in.

“That’s always sweet, like she kind of sits and looks at them,” he said, smiling.

Over the years, the collection has expanded. Jess now buys new pieces for Spencer, at least one a year.

Finding the pieces is no longer as easy as going to a local store, though the couple did buy two pieces from Relics Antique Marketplace downtown, they usually have to hunt pieces down on eBay or Amazon. Jess said whenever she happens upon a piece, she buys it then and doesn’t wait to “snag it.” With the original pieces from his father, which include the original packaging and some hand-written notes like, “From the old rooster and all your little chicks,” Spencer guesses the collection includes about 50 pieces.

For Jess and Spencer, their favorite part of the

holidays is when they turn off all the lights, except for the Snow Village and Christmas tree, and turn on a Christmas movie, with Church Street sitting below the TV on the mantel.

For Jess, each year she’s excited to share the magic of the Village with Spencer, but in a way, with his dad, too.

“I’m very sentimental, too. There are so many things I call my treasures that were my grandmother’s or my mom’s or things like that. We both very much echo, any kind of sentimental — we both love it. My sister’s like, ‘Oh, you picked someone perfect for his outlook on Christmas.’ I know how special it is to him, and I never knew his dad. And so it’s just a part that I get as a piece of this guy that I get to know,” she said tearing up. “His dad was such an influence on the man that he is.”

So when the tornado hit their home in 2018, and it threw their storage shed with all the Christmas décor into the creek bed, a special pang of worry struck them both. When friends came over to help clear the rubble, they got into the shed and began pulling out the Snow Village, one storage box at a time.

Nearly the whole collection was unscathed. Some suffered water damage and had to be dried out, but only a single piece was cracked, and it was a newer addition, not an original piece from his father.

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Dreaming of A Silver Christmas

n 1974, Joan Ball moved to Starkville and started working at Montgomery Jewelers. In her time there, something caught her eye: a sterling silver ornament.

She decided to buy it.

“I really never thought I would really get into it that big, and that’s just how I got started,” she said.

Since then, Ball’s accrued just a few more, and now has a total of 83.

“Through the years,” she said, “people have given them to me (and) I bought them on trips.”

Last year, on a trip with friends through France, she stayed on the hunt for a new piece to add to her collection, until she finally picked up a sterling silver French Santa. She gets excited about the new pieces, and likes to show them to visitors.

“The little French Santa, he’s so cute. Isn’t he darling?” she said. “He’s just absolutely the cutest little thing.”

But friends have gifted her a few over the years, like this past year, when a friend gave her a duplicate snowflake she had in her own collection. Ball, who has duplicates of some of her

own ornaments, saw the gesture as incredibly meaningful.

“She said, ‘I know you would just really love it, so I want you to have it,’” Ball said. “And I just squalled and squalled.”

One of her favorite ornaments came from her friend and next-door neighbor, Patty, who gave her a sphere made of two intricately detailed flat pieces that are connected together in the center, forming quadrants in the sphere. Ball has learned over the years that people who used to design jewelry usually design some of the “more ornate” pieces.

At one point, she was “obsessed” with getting the same number of ornaments as her age; she was hoping to get 65 ornaments by the time she turned 65. She said she turned 69 last month, and laughed that so far she’s still ahead. When she surpassed that goal, she set a new one reaching for 100. She joked that her friends are hoping to see her add the remaining 17 to her collection soon.

“It’s almost like they’re going, ‘Please get to a hundred and shut up!’” she laughed.

While they are ornaments, Ball doesn’t hang them on her

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Previous spread, Left: Joan Ball sometimes displays her ornaments by category, like grouping all the snowflakes together; Right: Some ornaments are detailed scenes, while others have sayings, like the ornament that features festive reds and greens; This spread clockwise, starting top left: Ball used ribbons to string her ornaments; Some ornaments are 3D, like Christmas balls or the lamp shaped ornament; Some of her ornaments are pieces of a designer’s 12 Days of Christmas set, like these two turtled doves; Ball holds some of her favorite pieces from the years, including this detailed horse-drawn cbuggy scene on a ball, or the 3D divided sphere gifted to her by her neighbor and friend.

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tree, at least not anymore. Each year, she finds new ways to display them near a window. One year, she hung them from decorative birch branches, another year it was detached Christmas tree limbs, this year it will be copper pipes. She hangs them from the rods, and attaches them with hooks, “so I can take them off and polish them, because I usually put them up (around) Thanksgiving or before,” and leaves them up until the middle of January.

While the ornaments are usually on display for about two months, Ball said she polishes each piece of the collection before she puts them up and after she takes them down for the year, but it’s a shot in the dark on which pieces will need to be polished, and how many times, while they’re on display. She “loves to polish” though, so she doesn’t mind.

“It’s very satisfying, but you see, I’m a Virgo, a true Virgo,” she said. “I think it’s seeing it all dull and tarnished, and then seeing it nice and shiny.”

The designs of the ornaments vary, as new options are realeased each year. Because sterling silver ornaments are no longer necessarily a staple, they’re getting kind of hard for Ball to find. Outside of the annual releases from the staple companies, she said she usually has luck at estate sales or pawn shops selling them for their metallic value. A lot of times, there might be a running series over the years, a series like the 12 Days of Christmas.

Other times, it might revolve around an item.

“I kind of went through a snowflake stage, and then a cross stage and then the it-didn’t-matter-what stage,” she said giggling.

Some years, she’ll group the ornaments by category for their display — all the crosses together, “all stars, all snowflakes” — but some years, she’ll “hang them up every which way.” Since 2020 has been so crazy, she’s leaning toward that option this year. Some ornaments are engraved with the year on the back, but some aren’t; for those, she goes to a local jeweler in Tupelo, where she was born and raised and returned to in 1987 — and buys a little sterling silver tag or coin engraved with the year to attach.

Ball, a retired teacher, spends her days with her Cocker Spaniel, Elvis, gardening, sometimes cross stitching little ornaments — another collection and tradition she keeps with her sister — and reminding her friends tokeep their eyes peeled for sterling silver ornaments for her.

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Top: Joan Ball cozzies up with her dog, Elvis, who she says everyone around town knows; Above: Just a few of the crosses in her collection.

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Christmas in Tupelo

n the timespan of just a few weeks, Don and Susan McGukin eloped in Hot Springs, Arkansas, moved to Tupelo and started a business, Don’s family medicine practice. That was about 23 years ago. The couple met in their college town in Georgia, where they’re both from — Don’s house in college was next to Susan’s apartment, and one day they stumbled into one another.

In 2019, the two celebrated 22 years in Tupelo and spent their first Christmas in their own home.

“It’s so ironic,” Susan said, because the two have always made the holiday voyage back to their families in Georgia, usually alternating which days to spend with their different families. But last year was different, after having lost their parents.

“We were like, ‘We’re going to start a new tradition, and we’re going to be at home,” she said.

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Far left: Bubble lights are some of the couple’s favorite traditional Christmas decorations, which they have had success finding in a store in Verona; Left: The “Vintage Tree” sits in a nook at the bottom of their home’s staircase, filled with bubble lights, a few ornaments and old Christmas cards dating back to the early 1900s. These cards were exchanges between Don’s grandmother, her friends and cousins. Above: Some of the cards displayed on the tree. Don said the greeting card with the dog on it is maybe one of his favorites, which he believes is an image of one of the president’s dogs, like one of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s two Scottish terriers.

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They decided to make the most of their first Christmas together in Tupelo, going all out with the decorations; which, as it turns out, was pretty easy to pull together. While they usually decorate each Christmas with their main tree no matter what, they wait to put it up until two to three weeks before Christmas because it’s a real tree.

“If you put them up too early,” Don chuckled, “they just become fire hazards!”

Between their individual collections, like Susan’s collection of Santa Clauses, the house was decked out for Christmas.

“I had no idea 25 years ago I would collect Santas that long,” Susan said. “It’s just kind of fun.”

One year, a friend suggested Susan group them all together, so now she puts them up in the same room. Her favorite is an Irish Santa, dressed in green, holding shamrocks and rocking a leprechaun hat.

“Don and I are both into genealogy,” she said. “We both have Irish ancestors, so that one’s just different and special.”

In true genealogy-loving fashion, a part of the decorations include a collection of letters from Don’s grandmother. When his family was going through her things after she passed, he came across all of her letters, which his family was just going to throw away.

“The stamps and the dates and just the history of them,” he said. “That was much more important in that era than it ever has been in my lifetime.”

The letters date back to the early 1900s, and Don usually displays the

This spread clockwise, starting at the top left: One of Susan’s Santa ornaments of him taking a bath – she actually has two comical ornaments of Santas in bath tubs; A framed photo of Santa fixing a red truck hangs in the couple’s bedroom during the holidays; The Santa figurine collection was largely contained in the couple’s bedroom, where a festive collage is centered over their bed, adorned with Christmas pillows; A table’s centerpiece in the couple’s library, where most of the birds are kept, as they both enjoy bird watching and collecting bird décor.

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Christmas notes during the season, last year placing them on a separate tree.

They called this one the “Vintage Tree,” because down below are toys from Don and Susan’s childhoods, a few dolls and trucks and tractors. On the tree itself, in addition to the letters, are bubble lights. Bubble lights, which Don remembers seeing on his grandmother’s Christmas tree, is a holiday staple for the two, who enjoy watching the liquid bubbling and imitating a candle’s flame on the tree.

“Not vintage lights, because we wouldn’t want to put electric vintage lights on it,” she said with a laugh.

“But they’re replicas of what were used back (then),” Don added.

Bubble lights illuminated the tree with the letters, “So that was sort of a tribute to her,” Don said about his grandmother. They usually add a bubblelight candolier on the mantel as well.

The two also love the outdoors, both avid gardeners — Susan currently works with the Mississippi State Extension Services Master Gardener program, after teaching for 18 years, along with private tutoring — which Don has really been enjoying this year, in his first year of retirement. And they both enjoy bird watching. A few years ago, this hobby turned into a new portion of Christmas decorations, too, as they would stumble upon a bird — “we like the ones that look like real birds,” Don added — they’d pick one up here and there. Over time, they decided they had enough birds they could decorate a tree.

Each year, they tend to host a get together with neighbors and friends, and give out their favorite holiday goodies. Together, they make homemade fudge with Velveeta — which Susan assures only tastes like chocolate — cheese wafers and chocolate-covered nuts, plus a slew of other sweets. For their Christmas dinner, which Susan used to make with their families, they stick to the classics: turkey, dressing, Susan’s sweet potato soufflé and a pound cake, “the secret is you measure out everything exact,” she said. M

Top left: A metallic scene on the buffet table in the couple’s dining room; Middle left: The couple’s main mantel in the living room, which is decorated in blues and metallics each year; Left: Ornaments on the main Christmas tree, a live tree, in the living room. Above: Don and Susan McGukin with their festive longhaired dachshund, Sassie.

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this year,

GIVE THE GIFT OF

y a d i l o h g n i k ba photos by LINDSAY PACE

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NOUGAT 2 egg whites, room temperature 2 3/4 cups granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons 1 cup honey 1/3 cup water 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup roughly chopped pistachios 1 cup craisins Directions: Line a baking sheet with silicone baking mats or edible rice paper, and set aside. In a very tall-sided pot, add the honey; in a medium pot, add the sugar (reserving two tablespoons), corn syrup and water; use a spoon to gently move the sugar around until there are no dry spots. Place candy thermometers in each pot (being sure they are not touching the bottom of the pots), and bring to a light simmer over medium-low heat.

Do not stir either pot during the process. Increase the heat to medium-high, and begin whipping the egg whites (a stand mixer works best to multitask), starting at a low speed, and increasing over time. Once foamy, sprinkle about a half tablespoon of the remaining sugar and beat for another minute. Continue to increase the speed, while continuing to incorporate more sugar, until stiff peaks have formed. Around this time, the honey should be 250 degrees; (if the egg whites are already stiff beforehand, simply decrease the speed to avoid overbeating) if so, slowly pour the honey into the mixer while it’s beating on high. Continue to beat on high while waiting for the sugar-water pot to reach 300 degrees; then, slowly pour it into the mixer while it’s beating on high. Once all the liquid has been added, continue beating on high for 5-10 minutes, or until the mixer’s bowl is cool enough to touch. Then, use a spatula to fold in the pistachios and craisins.

Pour onto the lined baking sheet, and smooth out the top. Let it cool at room temperature for at least 4 hours, or until set. Use a knife to cut into bite-sized pieces (pro tip: Consider spraying the blade with non-stick baking spray for cleaner cuts), and wrap in edible rice paper, or the shiny side of parchment paper.

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PUMPKIN BREAD 2 cups AP flour 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree Directions: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two loaf pans with parchment paper (with overhang on the longest sides), and spray with non-stick cooking spray; set aside. In a bowl, add all the dry ingredients, and mix until combined. Beat together the sugar and butter until slightly fluffy, then add in the vanilla followed by the eggs, one at a time. Add in the pumpkin and stir until combined, and scrape down the sides; then add in the flour and stir until just combined. Pour evenly in two loaf pans, and bake for about 1 hour and 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

BAVARIAN PECANS 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 egg white 1 tablespoon water 1/2 cup sugar 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 2 cups pecans Directions: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil, then pour the butter onto the foil, making sure to spread evenly. In a bowl, whisk together the egg white and water, until slightly frothy. Add in the pecans, and toss until every pecan is coated. Add the sugar, cinnamon and salt to the bowl, and toss until all the pecans are evenly coated. Pour onto the buttered foil, and bake for 25-30 minutes, taking the pan out of the oven at the 10, 20 and 25-minute mark to toss the pecans, ensuring they will not burn. Once done cooking, cool on the sheet for five minutes, before transferring the pecans to a bowl or plate to finish cooling.

Store in an air-tight container.

FUDGE 2 cups chocolate chips of choice 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Flaky sea salt Directions: Line a 9x9 baking dish with parchment paper, and set aside. In a medium pot over very low heat, combine the chocolate and sweetened condensed milk, and stir continuously with a rubber spatula until it is completely smooth. Stir in the vanilla, and pour onto the parchment. Spread evenly with a spatula.

Sprinkle with salt, and let set at room temperature for about 4 hours, or until the fudge is firm enough to cut. Cut the fudge into bite-sized pieces.

SHORTBREAD COOKIES 1 cup unsalted butter 1 cup sugar 3/4 teaspoon almond extract 1/2 teaspoon Kosher 2 cups AP flour Zest of 1 orange 3/4 cup toasted, chopped almonds Sugar for dusting Directions: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. In a medium bowl, add the flour, salt, orange zest and almonds, and mix until combined. Beat together the butter, almond extract and sugar until fluffy, then add in the remaining ingredients; mix until just combined (the dough will be very crumbly). Use your hands to pack it together; then, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick. Use a small cookie cutter to stamp out the cookies, then transfer to the baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Sprinkle with sugar, and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until just starting to brown. Cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling before packaging or serving. M

Thankyou

We appreciate your continued support of our Future Influential Women scholarships.

While we usually celebrate these leading ladies’ contributions with a luncheon, this year, due to COVID-19 precautions and health administrators’ suggestions, we were unable to celebrate together in person. Instead, we’d like to highlight these women for all they do, in this special section and congratulate them for being the Influential Women of 2020.

In addition to recognizing these influential ladies, Mud & Magnolias and Barnes Crossing Auto Group presented two “Future Influential Women” with scholarships. The recipients are Tupelo residents and seniors at Tupelo High School, Khaoula Kamal and Avery Tate (pg. 67).

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communities. After submitting a detailed application to confirm their nomination, each girl boss was reviewed by an independent panel to determine 20 finalists. These finalists were chosen for being the most influential in their community, and for putting in the work and time to improve Mississippi as a whole.

This year, women across North Mississippi were nominated by the public for making a wide-spread difference in their

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EBONY HATTIX is the Senior Manager of Box Office Operations for the Memphis Grizzlies. She oversees the daily operations of the FedEx Forum Box Office. Ebony volunteers with the Grizzlies Community Engagement Department to assist Meals on Wheels, AARP Meal Prep, Girls Summit and the Salvation Army Angel Tree, among many others. Formerly of Blue Springs, Ebony likes to support events in the area, like Empty Bowls. Ebony is a member of the International Ticketing Association and the International Association of Venue Managers.

County Tax Assessor and Collector.

In her role, she abides by the laws set by the State of Mississippi to provide fair and equitable tax assessment on properties. She previously served as a public school teacher for almost 25 years.

Professionally, Tameri is involved with the Mississippi Assessor and Collector Association, International Association of Assessing Officers and Kappa Delta Pi. She volunteers with the Pilot Club of New Albany, New Albany Garden Club, is a lifelong member of New Albany Junior Auxiliary and a member of New Albany First Baptist Church.

KATINA HOLLAND is the Founding Director of Wear It Well Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to providing dignity, hope and self confidence to those facing cancer and other life altering events through educational programs. She is responsible for the vision, strategy and fundraising efforts. Katina is involved with Camp Bluebird, Youth On The Rise, the Community Development Foundation, Minority PUL Alliance, B.O.N.D. Small Business Group and National Association of Professional Women. She also serves on the executive Board of the Black Business Alliance and received their Humanitarian award. She volunteers for Make-A-Wish Midsouth, St. Jude and Stand Beside Her North Mississippi.

TAMERI DUNNAM is the Union

WINDY FAULKNER is the Assistant Superintendent, Curriculum Coordinator and Homeless & Foster Student Liaison for the Union County School District. Windy is a member of Mississippi Professional Educators, National Association of Elementary Principals, Mississippi Association of School Superintendents, Kiwanis, Delta Kappa Gamma and a lifelong member of Junior Auxiliary of New Albany. She serves as District Leadership Coordinator for Pilot Club of Mississippi, and the former President of Pilot Club International. Windy is also the Certification Manager for Excel by 5 Organization and the Director of Union County Leadership Academy. Windy is active in her church through mission trips and volunteering for Vacation Bible School and Bible Drill.

and pharmacist in charge at North Mississippi Vital Care, which she created after seeing a need for patients to receive infusion and medication therapies at home. Leah is a part of the Mississippi Pharmacist Association, Tupelo Women’s Club, Pontotoc Kiwanis Club, American Pharmacists Assocation, Tree of Life Free Clinic, Good Samaritan Free Clinic and First United Methodist Church of Pontotoc.

LEAH SIMMONS is the owner

Emily’s Home, which provides mentorship for young girls age 13-18. She is also the CEO and Founder of Responder for Responders (R4R), a coaching and consulting company that provides individuals and school districts training and tools to create an enviroment of social and emotional wellness. Zowee also works as a Prevention Specialist at Region IV Mental Health Services. She boasts over two decades worth of experience in grief and trauma counseling. Zowee volunteers with the Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Mississippi.

DR. ZOWEE JAMISONSHANKS is the CEO and Founder of

Executive Vice President of Reed’s, where she has been a full time employee for 45 years. Camille is a member and past president of the Downtown Tupelo Mainstreet Association, Tupelo Junior Auxiliary, United Methodist Senior Services, Family Resource Center and Church After School Association. She also volunteers with TCT, United Way, CVB and Helping Hands Food Pantry. Camille is a member of First United Methodist Church.

CAMILLE SLOAN is the

HANNAH MAHARREY serves as Director of the Mississippi Balance of State Continuum of Care Homeless Coalition, where she works to address and alleviate homelessness in the state of Mississippi. Hannah is a returned United State Peace Corps Volunteer to Mongolia.

She volunteers locally with countless programs, including but not limited to the City of Tupelo Homeless Task Force, Tupelo-Lee County Hunger Coalition, City of Tupelo Community Outreach Committee, Lee County Democrats, Saints’ Brew Community Breakfast Progam, Red Cross of North Mississippi, Keep Tupelo Beautiful and the United Way.

Financial Advisor with Baird, where she works with clients to help determine and achieve their long-term financial goals.

Laurie serves as Senior Vice President and Branch Manager. Laurie is a member Mississippi Society of CPAs, Baird Women Advisors and Baird President’s Club. She volunteers with the First United Methodist Church of Amory, Quality Education Foundation of Amory, Amory Main Street Association, Fidelia Club of Amory, S.A.F.E., Tupelo, Amory Food Pantry and the Christian Mission Team.

LAURIE STEVENSON is a

CHERYL WHEELER is the Director of Child Care at North Mississippi Medical Center, where she manages their employee-based child care facility with a capacity of 365. She has worked with North Mississippi Medical Center for 28 years. Cheryl is a member of the Tupelo/Lee County Early Childhood Coalition, where she serves as chairperson, and Kappa Alpha Psi Silhouette.

is the founder and leader of Belinda Stewart Architects, P.A., where she provides architectural services for projects and communities in the region. Belinda is also the Mayor of the Village of Walthall. She is a member of the American Institute of Architects, AIA Mississippi, Mississippi Heritage Trust, National Register Review Board, Mississippi State University School of Architecture Advisory Council, MSU Carl Small Town Center Advisory Council, the North Mississippi Medical Center Eupora Board of Directors and the National Trust for Historic Places.

Belinda also volunteers with Eupora Arts, Inc., and Eupora Rotary Club.

BELINDA STEWART

details ironed out yet, but she’s on her way. In middle school, she took a career aptitude test, and received high marks in the field of psychology.

“I couldn’t tell you why, but after that, I really got interested in it,” she said.

And it snowballed from there. Though she’s still finding a college that fits her best, she knows she wants to study psychology, “it’s just so fascinating to me.”

But she’s not disillusioned, she knows, maybe better than anyone, that students often change their majors. She laughed that her father changed his seven times, but says her mother was steadfast in her major from before school started, until after she earned an MBA. She thinks people are either “one extreme” or the other, and said she thinks she’ll more closely resemble her mother’s collegiate career.

“I think everybody in their heart of hearts wants to make a change in the world, but nobody really knows how to go about that,” she said. “You just have this broad, ‘Oh, I want to make a difference,’ and I think if I go into psychology, I can make a difference just on a person-to-person level. And in my opinion, if I am able to treat and help one person, that’s one more person in the world that’s better off.”

In the meantime, she plans on continuing to make a difference in her community. Tate is a dancer, and as a senior, she gets to choreograph a senior dance. She has dance on Mondays, which makes Mondays her favorite day of the week, though “it’s the opposite answer that anyone would (give).”

Aside from school, work at the Tupelo Country Club, Diamond Girls and other school clubs and dance, she’s also involved in the Mayor’s Youth Council, which is “a mini political organization.” Through the council, she’s focused a lot on community service because of its “hands-on-the-ground, work-to-make-adifference” nature. She’s also learning how municipal governments operate, and she’s been able to master public speaking, as well. She’s introduced the mayor and superintendent at various events, and she was able to give a State of the School Address.

Wherever she ends up for school, she wants to get involved in the honors college, and plans on pursuing her master’s degree, too. Maybe one day, she’ll add a Ph.D. to the list while she’s at it, but for now, she’s just excited to learn, as she has a true passion for “the attainment of knowledge.”

AVERY TATE is a 17-year-old at Tupelo High School who has big dreams. She may not have all the

KHAOULA KAMAL was born in Morocco, and her family moved to the U.S. when she was young. Now at 17, she has a passion for culture and global matters, but knows when to focus on the home front. This senior at Tupelo High School has logged over 350 community service hours, and is quite the well-rounded individual. From student government, to the broadcast journalism program at THS, DECA and the Rotary Club, Kamal believes in getting involved with her community.

“One of the most important things, in my opinion, is taking initiative,” she said. “If there’s anything you could label me, (it’s) as someone that’s going to jump the gun and start to get things going.”

And she has. She called attention to a place Tupelo was lacking: A way to unite people in the community based on children’s extracurriculars and events. It turns out, Tupelo had the effort in place, but it wasn’t publicized, nor was it user-friendly. So, she helped fix it.

“What’s important is that you start these things, not just to take or participate within those organizations that have already been established,” she said. “Go out there and kind of create one yourself.”

So she did that, too. She helped spearhead a community-giving project to help the homeless through selling raffles and merchandise, and helped to raise $4,300. She has also shadowed at the Northeast Mississippi Medical Center for the past three summers. She’ll be attending Mississippi State University next year, and plans to study biomedical engineering with a pre-med focus. After that, she hopes to become a surgeon or physician, maybe in pediatrics.

A few years ago, if you would have asked Kamal if she would stay in Mississippi, her answer may have been no; but last year, her family unexpectedly lost her father in a car accident, and it’s shifted her perspective.

“I realized the importance of family connections and making sure that those bonds will never be broken, because you never know,” she said. “Now I’m trying to make sure that all the memories I make with my family are something that we can remember forever.”

She hopes to leave Mississippi after getting her undergraduate, and complete further studies elsewhere to cultivate her worldly perspective. But she knows about the state’s brain drain, and has plans to return.

“I’m very big on culture and meeting new people,” she said. “But I’m for sure coming back to Mississippi to help out in any way possible.”

Mud & Mag

step-by-step holiday decorating

• show stoppers • pom-pom trees + Electric wreath

a rainbow

practical tip

UPSIZE YOUR ORDER

christmas

If you plan to make more than one tree, consider buying pom-poms in bulk from your local craft store.

by LINDSAY PACE

T his year, we appreciate the joy of color through

holiday decor. We swapped classic crimson and evergreen to chase rainbow hues, and we picked soft and playful shapes to complement them. These bright and cheerful holiday decorations will inspire your creativity all winter long.

• cheerful garlands • Pom-pom pinecone garland

ELECTRIC WREATH: MATERIALS: one evergreen wreath • one pack of battery-operated Chinese lantern string lights • one zip tie INSTRUCTIONS: Weave light cord through wreath, careful to cover wire with branches as you go, securely hiding with a zip tie as needed. Zip tie battery holder to back of wreath to hide.

POM-POM TREES: MATERIALS: two cardboard cones, 11 and five-inches high • one jumbo package of 1-inch pom-poms • hot glue gun and sticks INSTRUCTIONS: Starting from the bottom of the cone, glue pom-poms to tree. Make a full circle, stacking pom-pom layers closely as you go, careful to vary colors along the way. Glue one pom-pom to tip.

• statement settings • Felt Dinnerware Holder

POM-POM PINECONE GARLAND: MATERIALS: 10-12 pinecones • one package of 1/4inch pom-poms • one premade pom-pom garland • hot glue gun and sticks • clear craft string INSTRUCTIONS: Starting at the bottom of each pinecone, tuck and glue pom-poms slightly within branches, skipping a branch or two in between. Work your way toward the top, and glue a pom-pom to the tip of each pinecone. Once these are complete, use hot glue or clear craft string to secure them to garland. Attach garland to wall hooks, drape over mantels or use to dress dining room table.

FELT DINNERWARE HOLDER: MATERIALS: one 9x5-inch felt sheet per table setting, in various colors • Christmas tree stencil or printout • fine tip pen • sharp craft scissors INSTRUCTIONS: Start by printing out a Christmas tree from online and cutting it out, or use a stencil to then trace the shape with a fine tip pen. Cut out with scissors, and create two symmetrical, horizontal slits in the center. Slide dinnerware through and enjoy.

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DOORS of

HOPE

CH R IST M A S HOM ES

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE

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or the past three years, Doors of Hope Transition Ministries has hosted a Christmas walk-through home tour, featuring five to six homes usually within walking distance, as its sole fundraising event of the year.

“People have really enjoyed going into the homes and feeling the community coming together,” said Susan Bartlett, the program’s fundraising chair.

Last year, the tours brought in about $15,000 in ticket sales and $45,000 in sponsorships.

The money stays in the organization and goes toward program costs. The program? Helping homeless or at-risk families achieve financial stability through a rigorous program, executive director Mary Margaret Andrews said.

Andrews explains there are two versions of the program: The transitional housing program, or housing-in-place program. The transitional housing program serves to offer four to six months of shelter along with the educational program, and the housing-in-place program helps families before they are evicted, so they can stay in their home while completing the program.

The educational side functions the same for both programs: Doors of Hope will help its anonymous clients calculate a budget that will work with their income and insure they stay within that budget each week, teach them how to eat and prepare fresh foods to create healthy habits in the household, and sometimes even

help participants earn education requirements they may need in order to secure a better, higher-paying job.

“It’s a pretty comprehensive program,” Andrews said.

During COVID-19, Doors of Hope faced a challenge of determining the best way to help those in Lafayette County needing assistance.

“We kind of shifted gears and we did a COVID-19 assistance program,” Andrews said. “So far, through that program, we have helped 85 families in Lafayette County with their rent and utilities. That’s six times more than the usual number of people that we’re able to help — we typically help 15 to 20 families per year.”

Though these families aren’t out of the woods yet due to hours being adjusted and other hardships posed by COVID-19, Andrews said it’s been very humbling to “talk to them and hear their stories, and most importantly be able to help them.”

In addition to shifting its program’s gears, Doors of Hope will also shift its fundraising event due to COVID-19. Instead of a walkthrough home tour, they have partnered with about 40 businesses in the area to design wreaths that will be auctioned off. Naturally, the event is called Wreaths of Hope, and will include a raff le. The wreaths will be up for display in various stores Nov. 7-21, and the virtual auction will take place over Nov. 18-21.

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DOORS of HOPE C H R I ST M A S HOM E S

T H E WA L K I NGTON home

L

esley and Brian Walkington met in San Diego at a swing dance class. The Mississippi-raised southern girl moved out there to pursue her master’s degree, and he had always lived in California. When he proposed, she told him, “‘I’m a Southern girl,’” she said. “‘Just understand at some point in your life, you will be living in the South, that’s not a question.’”

Their big move back to her homeland came sooner than expected. The plan was for her mother to move to California once the Walkington’s daughter Ruby was born, but her mom died when she was just six months old. “‘I’ve got to get back to the South,’” Walkington remembers thinking. “‘Who’s going to help me raise my daughter to be southern?’ Because I wanted her to have that wonderful southern upbringing that I had, and I wanted her to experience small-town life and just know her community.”

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“

I think that’s important during the holidays, when people don’t have a home, and that’s what Doors of Hope is all about, is trying to find a home for people, and get people transitioned into their own home and to have their happy ending.

”

They settled on Oxford after spending a weekend getaway there, because, “I just needed my southern fix because I was missing my mom really, really bad.” Though she grew up in Jackson, her grandparents often took her to Oxford to see her aunt and where her father grew up. She had never taken Brian to the little college town before.

While they were there, they fell in love with the town. They bought their 1939 house sight-unseen when they got back to California, and began the remodel.

Once the majority of the renovations were done, save a few odds and ends, Doors of Hope approached the couple, asking if they would participate in the Christmas home tours.

“I hope that everybody can focus on the joy of Christmas. We all have family, whether it’s blood-related or friends that we kind of adopted as family members,” she said. “I think that’s important during the holidays, when people don’t have a home, and that’s what Doors of Hope is all about, trying to find a home for people, and get people transitioned into their own home and to have their happy ending.”

With about six months out from the tour and enough time to finish a few painting projects and anything else, they agreed, and made it their “mission activity.”

Opening spread: Christmas ornaments serve as coffee table decorations in the Walkington home. Previous page: Greenery and decor decorate the Walkington’s dining room table. This page, from top: The Walkington’s Christmas decor has a classic, vintage feel to it. Lesley has been collecting nutcrackers for years, and says they remind her of a few her grandmother had.

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This spread, from left: The Walkington home features a mother-in-law suite, which they rent out for game days or to host visiting friends and family. The retro kitchen is fully functioning and has a round kitchen table in classic red; The master bathroom is embellished with plush accents and metallic trees on the vanity.

Walkington brought Christmas spirit to the room by trimming the mirror with garland.

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The Walkington’s Christmas decorations are “very traditional, and very red and green and gold and some silver,” and stem largely from Lesley’s childhood, or were inherited from her grandmother or mother after they passed away.

“My Christmas China I’ve had since I was 21,” she said, laughing. “My grandmother, Ruby, gave me that when I had graduated from college and I’d gotten my first apartment. I’m like, ‘Grandmother, why are you giving me this China?’ I said, ‘You know, it’s not like I have a family, I’m not getting married anytime soon, so why are you giving me this?’ And she said, ‘Well, you should have it, every girl needs a set of Christmas China.’”

Other things came from her grandmother as well, like Santa’s red sleigh that she filled with her daughter Ruby’s toys, a namesake to her grandmother. Along with the sleigh is Lesley’s favorite Christmas staple: A little Santa with skis on his shoulder, ready to hit the slopes, “Oh, I just love him!” Some other collections stemmed from memories at her grandmother’s home during Christmastime, like her nutcracker collection she adds to each year.

“My grandmother always had nutcrackers, and she always had them on the hearth on each side of the fireplace,” she said. “Hers were these big, heavy-duty nutcrackers, and so I’d crack pecans with it, and she would let me and I didn’t get in trouble or anything like that, and I’d make a terrible mess, but it was okay.”

The family’s tree, keeping with the theme, is also very traditional and sentimental. Each year, there’s an ornament added for Ruby, there’s an ornament “from her little handprint, it’s a reindeer.” Lesley collects ornaments with her brother, who often spends Christmas at her house.

She and Brian started collecting crystal ornaments when they were first married. She kept ornaments from Washington D.C., from her grandfather’s time working with Sunny D. Montgomery.

The rest, she remembers hanging on her family’s tree growing up: The angel they got when she was in the first grade, colorful glass ornaments from her mom that she now hangs from a wreath over

her fireplace, “beautiful teardrop ornaments that she had and they’re hand-blown glass and they’re about seven inches long and they have gold handpainted stripes on them — really beautiful.”

“My mom was the biggest kid I’ve ever known, and so I think she made me appreciate the holidays so much more, because she would get just as excited as we kids were, or probably even more excited,” she said. “She would decorate, and I always thought she was decorating for us, but then the older I got, I’m like, you know what, she was doing this for her because she just loves it so much.”

Now that she has her own daughter, she says she can see Christmas in a new way and through Ruby’s eyes. Since her daughter’s birthday is a few days after Christmas, each year, Lesley tries to make the home particularly magical during Christmastime. Two weeks before Christmas, the Walkingtons usually throw a birthday party for Ruby, where even Santa makes a guest appearance.

On Christmas Eve, they invite friends and family over for their big dinner, which includes chicken piccata and Lesley’s famous pecan pie — “everybody loves my pecan pies,” so much so that the first year she made it for Thanksgiving when she was younger, her mother insisted she make two more for Christmas.

Then, for Christmas day, the Walkingtons will spend about three hours opening stocking stuffers.

“We are big on stockings and stocking stuffers,” she said. “The stockings are stuffed to the brim and then there’s gifts upon the mantel, and then there’s gifts down on the hearth, and they’re just falling all over the floor.”

In their house, they open gifts one at a time, stockings first, then the gifts under the tree. It’s usually about 1 o’clock before they’re finished, and then it’s off to make Christmas brunch.

“Food is a big deal, and my mom was this wonderful amazing cook, so we always make what she made,” she said. “She made homemade biscuits, fried apples and country ham, so that’s our signature Christmas brunch.”

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DOORS of HOPE C H R I ST M A S HOM E S

T H E PER K I NS home

W

hen Doors of Hope first approached Jessica Perkins and asked to feature her home in the Christmas home tour, at first she declined. She said she prefers to keep her and her family more private, and opening her home would seem to negate that; plus, she wasn’t planning to decorate too much because her family would be spending Christmas in the Bahamas. Naturally, she had a few reservations. But she mulled it over for a little while, and agreed.

“You know, it’s really for a good cause, because it really is, it supports so many in our community that I just couldn’t not do it,” she said.

In the process of preparing for the open house, Perkins became very excited to decorate. Not only was she pulling out her family’s staples — like her signature Christmas tree — but she was adding to the décor, in part, for her five-year-old daughter Anne Hayden.

“This little girl we had late in life has just made everything so much more fun

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again,” she said. “Because she’s excited about the holidays, and she’s excited about decorating.”

In fact, their main tree, which is a live, giant tree under the 11-foot ceilings in the foyer where “everybody sees it,” came about because of her pregnancy with the youngest, which has sort of turned into a running joke among she and her friends.

She was pregnant with her daughter, and wasn’t feeling well when she walked into Oxford Florals and saw a tree decorated in “all these real colorful, big, fat, colored glass balls” with “all the different colors like pink, green, clear, different shades,” and told the employees, “‘I want all of those.” And the rest is history. She pairs the Christmas balls with ribbons, like a velvety gray ribbon to pull the eye to the ornaments.

The Perkins’ house in Oxford — where she, her husband Dr. Hayden Perkins, daughter and two retrievers Penny and Poppy live — was once Dr. Wayne T. and Pat Lamar’s home (notable surgeon and Oxford’s first female mayor), which was built in 1842, with various add-ons over the year. The bones of the home have “traditional lines,” which Perkins tries to complement with her “colorful eclectic” style. Thanks to Anne Hayden, now that all three of her boys live elsewhere in Oxford while attending the University of Mississippi, Perkins has been able to play with even more color, especially during the Christmas season.

“With her, I’ve started, instead of doing all the reds and greens and everything, I’m doing the pinks and the turquoise,” she said, “and the glitter and everything like that, that maybe (the boys) wouldn’t have appreciated. I’m getting to go super girly, and (the boys) love it too, I mean they love their little sister so much. (She’s) the baby we never thought we would have, and the little sister they never thought they would have, and so we’re just kind of obsessed with making her a wonderland.”

“ ”

This little girl we had late in life has just made everything so much more fun again, because she’s excited about the holidays, and she’s excited about decorating.

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Opening page: Perkins’ front door is decorated in greenery. She said she tries to incorporate fresh decorations like pomegranates or green apples because, “I love fresh.” But most notably, her go-to are fresh magnolia leaves. This spread, top to bottom: Perkins eclectic style is shaped by her love of art. Bold pops of color are found throughout the home. Here, a sitting room upon entry; Her daughter’s nightstand is decorated with whimsical pinks. An elf waits to be found.

This spread, clockwise from top: The Perkins’ deck offers a neutral, earth-toned palette; A huge window brings sunlight into a hallway decorated in evergreen; Her china features a southern twist.

And during the open house, she noticed the visitors picking up on the wonder of it all.

“I’ve noticed with people walking through that I didn’t know — people who know me probably know that’s my personality,” she laughed. “But they just kept saying, ‘This house is so happy,’ and it is the best compliment.”

But for Perkins, she’s happiest when her “whole crew” comes home over the holidays. One thing she said most people don’t realize is because they live in the same town her boys are attending college, and since they live on their own, they don’t come home for the whole month. They all come home for “at least one night” on Christmas Eve, but she joked that she likes to lure them

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home as much as she can during the season with their favorite foods, like “bacon and pancakes, every morning,” a family-favorite coconut cake, chocolate pecan pies.

Perkins is from New Orleans and her husband is from the Delta, so on Christmas Eve, the family sits down for red beans and rice, gumbo or her father-inlaw’s shrimp boil, “the whole nine yards.” On Christmas morning, cinnamon rolls are a big staple, followed by a formal late lunch in the dining room, with the classics: turkey, dressing, spinach casserole, squash casserole — her favorite and her mother’s recipe — and of course cranberry sauce.

“I love cooking and I love making them everything that they love,” she said. M

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Mud & Mag Video

DIY:

Wreaths Three Ways

1.

two-toned mistletoe rings

what you’ll need:

•two different-sized embroidery hoops •a hot glue gun & glue sticks •red-berried mistletoe foliage •two shades of red crochet thread

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE

Brighten your home’s exterior and your neighborhood’s spirits with a new wreath this year that you can make yourself.

Head to our website to follow along with our how-to video at mudandmag.com.

2.

candy cane stacked hoops what you’ll need:

•three differently-sized foam wreaths •red & white widestriped ribbon •hot glue gun & glue sticks •invisible wire

add some bows to make this wreath more playful – and who made the rule that interior doors can’t have wreaths, too? this would be perfect hanging off of a child’s bedroom door!

3.

the big & skinny what you’ll need:

•a hula hoop or giant embroidering hoop •striped fake foliage, like these watermelon peperomia leaves •hot glue gun & glue sticks

the bigger the better with this one! try hanging it above the mantel or over a table. M

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HOLIDAY

gift guide a special advertising section

For Comfort on the Go

Reed’s Department Store in Tupelo: Barefoot Dreams outerwear, $15-$235

For the Grandmother

Southern Charm Boutique in Baldwyn: Earth Grace custom family birthstone jewelry, prices upon request a special advertising section

For the Host or Hostess

Keep it Casual in Tupelo: Bourbon-infused merchandise, $15-$40

For Your Little One

Shoe & Boot Outlet in Tupelo: Ariat boots that grow with your kids, prices upon request a special advertising section

For the Wife

Xtreme Tan in Baldwyn: Ronaldo jewelry, prices starting at $51

For the Expecting

Baby’s Kickin in Tupelo: Heartbeat Bear with two black and white pictures. Scan and record baby’s heartbeat starting at 12 weeks, $65 a special advertising section

For the Fashionista

Black Sheep Boutique in Tupelo: Diba and Chinese Laundry Booties, $79-149

For the Neat and Tidy

Varsity Vacuums in Tupelo: Chemical free & easy cleaning, $6.99-199.99 a special advertising section

For the Well-Dressed Person on Your List

MLM Clothiers in Tupelo: Scarves for men & women, prices upon request

For His Stocking

Westside Hardware in Tupelo: LitezAll Rechargeable flashlights, headlamps and more, prices upon request a special advertising section

For Refreshing and Renewing

Bell Ame Salon & Spa in Tupelo: Spa packages, $137-$289

For Her Stocking

Sydney’s Jewelers in Tupelo: Necklaces, earrings and rings, prices upon request a special advertising section

For Anyone on Your List

Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association: Downtown Dollars, starting at $5

For the Adventurer

Core Cycle & Outdoor in Tupelo: LaCrosse Uplander and Trekker boots, $110-$130 a special advertising section

For the Diamond Diva

Way-Fil Jewelry in Tupelo: 14k white gold designer tennis bracelet, 14k two-tone gold bead necklace and diamond earrings, $172-$5900

For a Brighter, Whiter Smile

Main Street Family Dentisty in Tupelo: Zoom! Teeth Whitening, prices upon request a special advertising section

For the Forever Young

Main Street Family Dentistry in Tupelo: Botox, prices upon request

For the Decorator

Corner Gifts & Florist in Booneville and Okolona Gifts & Florist in Okolona: Capri Blue Glam Collection candle, 19oz, $32.00 a special advertising section

For the Mother

Tupelo Trophy & Gifts in Tupelo: 8x10 hot plate with handwritten recipe engraving included, $20

For the Epicurean

Weezie’s Deli and Gifts: Merry Christmas gift cards, prices vary a special advertising section

For the News Lover

The Daily Journal: Subscriptions, call 662.842.2611

For a Welcoming Space

The Stone Yard in Tupelo: Natural stone, architectural stone and decorative gravel, prices upon request a special advertising section

For Your Holiday Home

Corner Gifts & Florist in Booneville and Okolona Gifts & Florist in Okolona: Aromatique potpourri in The Smell of Christmas, $17.50

For the Southern Belle

www.mudandmagnolias.com: Mississippi print, $4.99-$6.99 a special advertising section

BUYER ’S GUIDE

BUYER ’S GUIDE

Read more about North Mississippi’s top young leaders

Featured in The Daily Journal December 13

BUYER ’S GUIDE

BUYER ’S GUIDE

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE

SubscriptionsAvailable for $24 a year For more information, visit www.mudandmagnolias.com

Tupelo Women’s club:

Holiday Tree Fest

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH photos by LINDSAY PACE

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T

his year, the Tupelo Christmas staple put on by the Tupelo Women’s Club, the Holiday Tree Fest, will look a little different. The ticketed event usually hosted at the Tupelo Country Club is shifting to an online virtual event to accommodate COVID-19 precautions.

Each year, around August and September, the roughly 140 women involved in TWC, start reaching out to local businesses to sign sponsors. This year, they reached out even earlier and were delightfully surprised by the feedback.

“We thought it was going to be more difficult,” said the club’s president for two years, Megan Johnson. “We have found that we have had even more sponsors willing to help, so that’s actually been great.”

Each year, there are around 15-20 decorated Christmas trees up for silent auction, according to Kimberly Jeffares, the marketing chair who has organized the fundraiser in the past. The trees come in three sizes: 5 feet, 7 1/2 feet and 9 feet. Jeffares said these auction items usually go for around $275-$400 for the smallest option, $500-$750 for the 7-foot tree, and anywhere from $750-$1,000 for the 9-foot tree.

There’s also a stocking and ornament grab, which Johnson said is particularly fun. The concept is simple: Participants can purchase a stocking for $25 or an ornament for $10, and they’re guaranteed items that price-match their investment. However, some lucky participants may find a Christopher Radko ornament, or something like a Bose speaker or a Kate Spade purse in their stocking.

The event usually offers a band, food and a cash bar, and last year, even Santa made an appearance. But this year will be a little different, as people can host virtual watch parties. Each party will have a total of 10 people, and each person attending will receive $5 off their registration fee. TWC will also throw in a party package, with items like a bottle of wine or restaurant gift cards, “something fun like that,” Johnson said. During the party, the host will have the live event up on the screen, so their guests can follow along with the fun while keeping an eye on the items they’ve bid on.

Throughout the evening, to keep the party rolling, there will be pop-ins from a TWC member and Santa.

“We’re really excited,” Johnson said. “We were nervous at first, but the more planning (that) goes into it and the more we see how people are reacting to it, I think it’s really going to be fun.”

Previous page: Some trees include artificial snow. The event takes a few days to set up. The TWC will begin set up the Sunday before the event, and will work up to the last hour before the Holiday Tree Fest on a Tuesday evening.

Right: Each year, there is an overall theme, last year’s was Ho Ho Holiday Tree Fest to welcome Santa for the first time, this year’s will be Making Spirits Bright, but each tree will have an individual theme as well to accommodate differernt Christmas décor styles.

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But the fun doesn’t have to be on hold for the main event, which will be Nov. 10, and the theme is “Making Spirits Bright.” TWC members went around Tupelo and set up a few trees in local businesses, and registered participants can begin bidding or even out-right buy a tree now.

Winning bidders can expect a delivered tree to their home the day after the event. The Holiday Tree Fest benefits TWC’s five listed charities: Regional Rehabilitation Center, Helping Hands, Tree of Life Clinic, S.A.F.E. and an annually rotating charity that is nominated and voted on

by TWC members. Last year, the event brought in $45,000, and each charity received a check for $9,000. This year, TWC hopes to bump the event’s total up to $50,000.

“It’s kind of kicking off the holiday season right before Thanksgiving, and everybody’s excited about decorating their houses for Christmas,” Jaffares said. “I love walking into a room full of decorated Christmas trees, it just puts you in the Christmas spirit immediately; but I love getting to know our charities at the same time. My favorite part would be at the end when we deliver the checks to the charities, and just seeing the joy and the appreciation on their faces.” M

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This page clockwise, starting above: The TWC will wrap each tree with plastic wrap to keep things in place, before the larger trees are delivered to the winners the day after the event; A lot of the trees are decorated with plenty of Christmas ribbons, on theme with each tree’s individual theme; Some sponsors will donate merchandise to decorate the tree with; Each tree’s topper is different from the last.

Happy New Year

by KRISTINA DOMITROVICH 2020 did its best to put us through the ringer. At a certain point, it felt like “It’s 2020,” was a response to the unthinkable, a way to justify the unjustifiable. It seemed like the only logic left: “Of course fill-in-the-blank just happened, it’s 2020.” No matter what your individual standpoints are, we can agree this year has been divisive, it’s been unnerving and worrisome, and it’s been exhausting on us all. Whatever 2020 looked like for you, it’s safe to say that we’re all ready to turn the page – more like close (or slam) the book on the year. So, it’s only right that we give 2020 the biggest going away party possible (with whatever confines may apply, come New Years Eve). I suggest we pull out all the stops this year, even if you’re a household of two. Here’s a list of things we here at Mud & Magnolias suggest doing to truly set the night apart.

Here’s to 2021, and hopefully better days ahead (which may be a little gutsy to put in print, so knock on wood, just in case).

1. Go all out on the confetti, and maybe a glittery photo wall, too.

2. While you’re at it, even if it’s not traditionally your style, get

the crazy hats, silly glasses, photo booth props, balloons, noise makers – do the whole thing.

3. A little accent lighting never hurt anyone, right? Get the white string lights out and light it up.

4. Fill up a table with everyone’s favorite hor d’oeuvres to snack on throughout the night. Make your best party dips and throw together a charcuterie board, too.

5. Décor pro tip: Get a helium-inflated balloon in the shape of a champagne bottle, tape it to the wall, and have white, gold and silver balloons “bubbling” out of it.

6. Stock up on champagne or sparkling grape juices/ciders, and don’t forget the champagne glasses! Set it all up on a high table to make it seem like a bar, even if it’s just a sparkling juice.

7. Dress to the nines!

8. Hook your phone up to a bluetooth speaker, and find a NYE playlist that sets the party off right.

9. Take it outside: Get some sparklers or some fireworks (the gold ones that look like fairy dust are my personal favorite, and they’re very on theme!)

10. Don’t let anyone tell you there’s such a thing as too much glitter! M

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