Brunch With Babs Shared a Surprising Tip for a Smooth Holiday Season
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"Hi everybody, it's Babs!" That's how Barbara Costello greets her millions of followers and friends she's found on Instagram on TikTok over the past few years.
Known as Brunch with Babs, Costello has become the internet's favorite resource for learning tips, tricks, and traditions that one might typically learn from their mom or grandma. The internet's grandma, if you will. She's shares everything from what not to do with your live Christmas tree, a recipe for an easy but delicious sheet pan cake, how to keep flies out of the house, and of course, her viral Christmas Breakfast Casserole.
Everyone goes to Babs for her hosting tips and fabulous recipes, but where did Babs herself learn it all? Turns out, she's been at it since she was a little girl.
"I think I just observed my parents a lot," she told Country Living. "Even though they weren't the most patient people," she laughed. "I was raised in an Italian household and my grandparents lived very close to us. It was like everyone had their own role in the kitchen like, ‘here, do this while I'm doing this.’ It was a lot of business and there was always a lot going on. I was so close to my grandmother and my mom and so I picked up a lot of things from them, like how to stretch a dollar and how they cooked without a recipe. I got to see their creativity, the energy and the thriftiness of it all. They really made an impression on me.”
And from a little girl to her early married years to even now, she's still learning.
“I’ll be married 55 years next year, but as a young bride, in the newlywed stage, I would go to somebody’s house and get ideas and get recipes from people that I still have today in a recipe box. You learn from life experiences.”
As I’m in my first year of marriage, I told Babs I couldn't relate more. And as I'm always sniffing around for a new favorite recipe or decorating tip, I was eager to hear how Babs does the holidays. For starters, it takes her about three days just to decorate.
"We get all the boxes up from the basement, we go through things, the Santa Claus collection comes out, the Nutcracker collection comes, everything comes out and the whole house gets transformed into Christmas. And we leave our decorations up until January 6."
Her house is decorated from top to bottom, a wreath in very window, a candle in every wreath, and greenery and lights line the staircase. If you follow her on social media, chances are you may have already caught a glimpse of some of that holiday magic.
And as for her favorite recipes? Well, she has her own cookbook full of those. Literally.
“I wrote a cookbook called Celebrate with Babs, and for Christmas I have an entire chapter on cookies! And there are three different menus, Christmas Eve, Christmas Morning, and Christmas Day. I have an overnight Christmas Breakfast Casserole which is really the thing that put me on the map, but it really does mean so much to my family because it's what my kids woke up to every Christmas morning. And now, my children make that for their own kids on Christmas morning."
Her family tradition turned viral recipe is included in Celebrate with Babs. And if you really want all her best recipes, her next cookbook, Every Day With Babs, comes out in April 2024, and is already available for pre-order!
Celebrate with Babs: Holiday Recipes & Family Traditions
And while we all love tradition, she's all for trying new things, too. In fact, her biggest must-have for helping her through this holiday season may come as a bit of a surprise —it's Meta AI. That's right, Babs is down with the latest tech.
“I was a little hesitant at first," she admits. "I was like, how does all this work? But I’ve been using Meta AI and I’ve been really impressed because I realized... I’ve got a helper! I have something that can help me with questions that is so quick! All the answers and suggestions I need come up right away!”
A little helper is exactly what most of us need this time of year.
“For instance, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Say you're entertaining and you have a recipe for 4, but you need it for 20. You can ask Meta AI for help with that. In a split-second it can give you exactly what you need and you don’t have to spend forever trying to figure it out. It helps you so instantaneously."
Babs makes a great point. But her tips don't stop at the recipes.
"Also, we’re in the season of gift giving and gift giving is hard for me. It stresses me out. But to give a good gift you have to know someone. So, the more information you give Meta AI the more suggestions you're going to get back. It's actually helped me very much with planning gifts. It’s been a stress reliever for me. And sometimes you may just need somebody to organize your schedule. You can ask Meta AI, here’s what I need to get accomplished today, organize my day for me. This time of year, it’s all about enjoying what's important during the holidays, so let something else handle the stressful issues.”
On the topic of holiday gift giving, Babs, fellow readers, might I point you in the direction of our handy, dandy Country Living Gift Guides? I may be biased, but they're great!
Shop Country Living's Holiday Gift Guides
Since we're in middle of the holiday season and there's so much to look forward to, it's inventible that some good 'ole seasonal stress might try to creep in. So, I had to ask Babs if she could offer a "Slice of Peace" for this time of year. "Slice of Peace" is a a series she does on her social media as a way to encourage her audience to find moments of rest in the middle of the chaos.
“Sometimes we get so wrapped up in perfection," she said." Even if 88% is perfect and 12% isn't, we always dwell on that 12%. Life is not perfect, no one is perfect, that’s for sure. So, it's important to refocus on what's truly important in your life and the people you love. For me, it's faith and family, so we start with going to church and spending time with family. Take a breath, focus on what’s important, give thanks, and count your blessings. When you do that, life takes on a different perspective."
Well said, Babs.
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