WinterFest has a different theme each year.  This year it was Russia. We loved the theme ideas many of you posted – and for next year, we were inspired by the suggestion of Lori B from IMK,IML to think outside the box of theme by country.  We’ve already decided for next year, and I thought it would be fun to play a little game here to see if you can guess the theme!

I’ve posted 8 pictures below, all tied into next year’s theme – and then the 9th image has the answer!  So, scroll down slowly and see how many picture clues it takes you to figure out the theme! Post in the comments how quickly you got the answer – did you figure it out after 2 photos? 5? 8?  Not till you saw the answer? I’ll be curious to see! :)

(The first eight photos are all lovely items from Etsy, just click on the photo to check them out!)

So have you figured it out? Next year’s WinterFest theme is:

I’m very excited about a Grimm’s Fairy Tale WinterFest!  There are so many fun possibilities with this theme … and plenty of food options, even though it’s not a country: porridge from Goldilocks and the three bears, a basket of goodies from Little Red Riding Hood, and so forth.  Plus, I just love the folklore woodland feel!

So how quickly did you get the theme? Let me know in the comments!
If you have any ideas about what we could do with a Grimm’s fairy tale theme, too, I’d love to hear them too! :)

Tomorrow is WinterFest, so everything is bustling with cozy-winter happiness around the Starr home!

WinterFest is our family’s celebration of all the things that make winter a special, beautiful and cozy time of year.  The holiday colors are ice blue, cranberry red, black and white (one of the reasons I love ElleMoss’s photo, above, is because it has three of the four colors!).

Each year has a different theme, usually a country, and we celebrate in the style of that culture.  This year’s theme is Russia, so our kitchen will be filled with the aromas of Russian cooking and baking.  I have never been to Russia, but I did live in Eastern Europe for a while growing up, and in researching Russia for WinterFest, I found many similarities between the two cultures.  And that makes this year’s theme even more fun and nostalgic!

The morning of WinterFest starts off with hidden clues … the first one will be hidden on the child’s bed.  This clue will lead to other clues throughout the day, which eventually will lead to presents at the end of the day! Yay! (WinterFest is when we do our family’s gift exchange). Right now, with just a four year old, the clues are pretty simple, but as our kids increase in number and get older, the clues will get trickier, and will probably involve the theme … like part of the message being in the country’s language, etc.  Our little daughter loves this part of the day!

My husband, Tim, is in charge of breakfast on WinterFest.  Last year the theme was Spain, and he made a delicious Spanish potato omelette .  This year, I believe he is planning to make blini, which are thin, buttery Russian pancakes. I can’t wait! Plus, it’s a treat for me to not have to cook that morning, since I will have been cooking and baking up a storm in the days leading up to WinterFest in preparation for the official feast!

The main meal on WinterFest usually is a middle of the day feast, kind of like Thanksgiving, but with food from the theme country. I’ve been reading up on Russian food, both on traditional dishes, and how the courses are served.  I love this part … its a fun way to get into the spirit of things leading up to WinterFest!  I love to learn, so discovering how people all over the world eat and celebrate is just my cup of tea.  Here is what this year’s menu looks like:

Zakuski: (a small buffet of Russian hors d’oeuvres)
– Eggplant Caviar (which is not really caviar!)
– Assorted pickles
– Salad Olivier in tartlets
– Aromatic meatballs with pine nuts and raisins

Soup Course:
Pomegranate Broth, served with bread

Main Course:
Roast Pork Paprikash, served with garlic potatoes

Dessert:
Tea and Cheese and Blueberry Pie

I can’t wait! Most of these came out of a Russian cookbook I found at the library, but several I came across online, too.

That menu means that today, on WinterFest-eve (say that outloud, its very fun to say … fest-eve sounds like festive with a funny accent), is a cooking marathon.  My Etsy shop is on vacation, we have fun winter music like Frank Sinatra’s “Marshmallow World” playing in the background, and my little 4-year old helper and I are having fun in the kitchen preparing all these festive Russian dishes. And don’t worry, I’m not taking time out of this special day to blog … I wrote this a few days ago and scheduled it to post today.  Technology, for the win!

I’ll look forward to posting pictures of tomorrow’s festives here on my blog, hopefully next week.
But until then, Happy WinterFest to all of you!

Or, Huzzah WinterFest!, as we like to say.

Or this year, we could say Khleb da sol!, a Russian well-wish that translated as “bread and salt”.

But however we say it, you get the idea. :)

The day after WinterFest, we decide what the next year’s theme is going to be – any suggestions or ideas?
Post them in the comments below! :)

Don’t forget to leave your suggestions for WinterFest themes! So far we have done Italy, Japan, Spain and Russia.  But it doesn’t have to be country … it could be a time period, a literary theme, or so on! Some time I want to have a “High Seas” WinterFest … or perhaps a Agatha Christie mystery WinterFest.  If you have any ideas, let me know in the comments!