The Best Christmas Idea + A Really Good Christmas Dessert

Somehow it's less than three weeks until Christmas. Did October even happen? I remember apple picking and overindulging on Halloween candy and my gorgeous niece being born, but seriously, where did these last few months go?

Brent had the best idea a few nights ago, during one of those conversations you have in bed when you're almost asleep and somehow everything you say is ground breaking. We were talking about how this is the best time of year for humanity. Don't get it twisted, fall is the best and September and October are my personal faves, but you can't deny there's something magical in the air the last month of the year. Holiday spirit and hope for the new year and nostalgia for when you were experiencing all the magic as a child does something to a person and I think we're all better versions of ourselves this time of year. So instead of cramming it all in and barely giving Thanksgiving a time to shine and the abomination that is Black Friday and Cyber Monday and whatever those days have all turned into, can we spread the joy out a little more? Brent sleepily suggested that we move Christmas to late January and I was like, omg you're a genius. 

It's so sad to see when all the Christmas lights and decorations go away that first day of January. It's still getting dark at 4pm for months after that, so why don't we enjoy the hard work that it trimming the tree and stringing up the lights and reap the fruits of our labor for another month? 

More time for Christmas music and movies is fine by me. I love Michael Buble's Christmas album and Hallmark holiday movies, but part of the magic is because it's Chritmastime. O Holy Night in April? Isn't the same. Part of the magic is the fact that you're hearing these classics and watching all these great movies leading up to Christmas, anticipating all the way. I love Elf, but I don't want to watch it in June.

Winter doesn't even start until a few days before Christmas, then we celebrate Christmas and the New Year all in one weeks time and leave ourselves with three horrible months to endure. If Christmas is, say, January 25, we get a whole extra month of all the festivities. We don't have to have that weird week between Christmas and New Year's where time doesn't count and we're all in a sugar and shopping fog. January 1st will no longer be the worst day of the year where we have to take down the tree and lose 20 pounds and save a million dollars.

Back when Trump was elected and we were trying to remain optimistic, Brent mentioned how maybe something good to come out of his term would be to abolish daylight savings time (Brent weirdly hates daylight savings time). He was like, if anyone is crazy enough to make a big sweeping change and piss people off, Trump is. I'm not sure that's how politics work, but what do I know? Moving Christmas seems like a pretty big deal, but our current President is up to the task of inserting himself right in the center of a big deal. 

As a (sometimes) practicing Catholic, I think this can work. December 25 isn't Jesus's actual birthday, it's just some day the new Roman emperor picked (not 100% sure about this). We'll still keep the reason for the season and figure out the details as we go.   

Leave up your lights and stockings and keep the Christmas music playing! In the meantime, make this cranberry upside down cake for your friends and family to eat while you're telling them we're going to move Christmas; the cake is so good it can do the convincing for you.

I was making individual cranny cakes and forgot to take the after picture; good thing no one actually comes here for recipes 

Cranberry Upside Down Cake
adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Ingredients:
1/4 cup melted butter, divided
1/2 cup brown sugar, divided
12 oz bag frozen cranberries, divided
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. Pour 1/4 cup melted butter into 9-inch pie dish or round cake pan (make sure it's a deep pan). Sprinkle in 1/2 cup brown sugar and mash together. Top with frozen cranberries, spread equally throughout the dish (you might not use all the cranberries)
3. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger and cinnamon. Set aside.
4. Melt butter in microwave, then whisk in the sugars, getting out any brown sugar lumps. Whisk in egg, yogurt/sour cream, milk, orange juice, and vanilla extract until combined. Slowly mix in dry ingredients until no lumps remain.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for at 40-48 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil if cake is browning too quickly.
6. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes, then invert cake. Cake is best served warm (with vanilla ice cream), so if you're making ahead of time, warm it up in the microwave.