Making Spirits Bright

Transform your Home with Holiday Cheer with Katrina Hess

As the holidays approach, Victor resident Katrina Hess welcomes them with creativity, comfort, and nostalgia. As a registered nurse and creative mom of two, Katrina brings the magic of the season to life through baking, crafting, and decorating, all with her children by her side. Inspired by her mother and grandmother, who filled every season with joy, Katrina now carries those cherished traditions forward, adding her own modern touches along the way.

Tradition Meets Creativity

Katrina’s approach to the season blends modern style and timeless tradition. Her days are filled with small, joyful moments such as baking cookies, sipping warm drinks, and curling up to read Christmas stories. She shares her seasonal inspiration on Instagram, mixing vintage keepsakes and Pinterest-worthy ideas that celebrate slow living and the beauty of what she refers to as “romanticizing everyday life.”

Her kitchen becomes a hub of holiday cheer and sweet scents from such as her grandmother’s spritz cookies and steaming mugs of German mulled wine, a delicious red wine infused with citrus and spices. Classic sugar and gingerbread cookies shaped like cozy sweaters, mittens, and stockings bring sweet memories to life throughout the entire holiday season.

Savor the Season

For Katrina, the true magic of the holidays is found in slowing down. For her and her family, it’s not about grand gestures, but rather simple joys like sipping coffee in a festive mug, making holiday crafts, heading outdoors each day (no matter the weather), and baking together as a family. “It’s when I truly slow down and just be with my family, whether while playing, baking, or even making nature crafts, that I realize just how lucky we are,” she shares.

To create a cozy, welcoming atmosphere, Katrina fills her home with natural elements and seasonal scents. A simmer pot of cinnamon, glowing beeswax candles, fresh-baked cookies, or a pot of mulled wine on the stove help set the mood, especially when hosting friends and family.

Make the Season Merry & Bright

Katrina’s story is a reminder that the holidays don’t have to be hectic. With a little intention and creativity, anyone can infuse the season with warmth, wonder, and holiday cheer. Here are some of Katrina’s favorite at-home holiday crafts and treats you can try for yourself!

“We love making a hot chocolate station for Christmas movie nights. We each choose our toppings such as whipped cream, marshmallows, candy canes, festive sprinkles and even Irish cream for the adults!”

Simple & Joyful

Katrina’s philosophy is simple yet meaningful: only plan things that genuinely bring you happiness or hold special memories for you. This can help make the holidays feel more personal and fulfilling. She also encourages spacing out activities (even at home) to avoid burnout and keep it enjoyable. “It’s not about doing everything – It’s about doing what you love,” she shares. “If it doesn’t bring joy, it’s okay to let it go.”

She inspires others to fully embrace the spirit of the season, reminding us to slow down and cherish the little moments. Whether it’s baking cookies with your children, sipping mulled wine by the fire, or simply enjoying a quiet afternoon with a good book, make space for what truly matters. That’s where the real holiday magic lives.

. . .

DIY Cinnamon Play-Doh

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

¾ cup salt

4 teaspoons cream of tartar

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 cups water

2 tablespoons oil (vegetable or coconut)

Instructions:

1. Pour flour, salt, cream of tartar, and cinnamon in large saucepan and stir until combined.

2. Stir in water and oil.

3. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture becomes a ball of dough that no longer sticks to the sides of the saucepan (this step should only take a few minutes).

4. Set the playdough aside to cool.

5. Once cool enough to handle, knead the dough with your hands until smooth and elastic. (Note: Do not consume)

. . .

Salt Dough Ornaments

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

½ cup salt

1 tablespoon cream of tartar

1-2 teaspoons of olive oil or avocado oil

½-1 cup water

Instructions:

1. Mix flour, salt, and cream of

tartar in a bowl.

2. Add ½ cup water, stir with a spoon

until combined (use more water if needed, up to 1 cup).

3. Knead 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil or avocado oil into mixture until smooth.

4. Sprinkle surface with flour and roll

out dough until it is 1/4-inch thick.

5. Place hand in dough to make the handprint and cut out with knife

or cookie cutter.

6. Bake in oven’s lowest setting (170-200 degrees) for a few hours until dry or

let it air dry overnight. (Note: do not consume. Do not let animals consume.)

. . .

Christmas Punch

Ingredients:

7 cups water

6 tea bags

4 cinnamon sticks

4 whole cloves

3 lemons, squeezed

6 oranges, squeezed

1½ cups sugar

2 cups rum (plus more)

8 cups inexpensive red wine (Katrina’s favorite: use a whole bottle of Bully Hill Sweet Walter Rosé)

Instructions:

1. In large pot, bring water to boil and steep tea bags for 10 minutes.

2. Remove tea bags. Add all ingredients except rum and wine (boiling these will burn off the alcohol).

3. Boil mixture for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour through strainer to remove pulp, cinnamon sticks, and cloves.

4. Add wine and rum. Keep punch warm.

. . .

New Year’s Headband

Supplies:

NYE or plain headband

Pipe cleaners

Pom poms

Hot glue gun/school glue

Directions:

1. Wrap pipe cleaners around the headband of your choice so both ends stick up.

2. Style pipe cleaners by twisting the two pipe cleaners’ ends together and/or wrapping the pipe cleaner around your finger.

3. Add in pom poms with glue to the extra spaces in the headband.