Good Housekeeping December 2016

Presented by M&M’S® Brand SWEET WREATH COOKIES PREP: 10 MINUTES DIFFICULTY: MODERATE YIELD: MAKES 10 COOKIES ½ cup flour 1 16.5 oz roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough 3 cups M&M’S® Brand Milk Chocolate Candies for the Holidays 4-inch round cookie cutter 1-inch round cookie cutter Preheat oven to 350°F. Break the roll of dough into pieces. On a floured board, knead the flour into the cookie dough until smooth. Roll the dough out to ¼-inch-thickness. Using the 4-inch round cookie cutter, cut out circles. Using the 1-inch round cookie cutter, cut out hole in center of each slice. Roll scraps; cut into 2-inch squares. Cut triangle from the base of each square to form a bow. With a spatula, gently transfer the cookies and bows to a baking sheet. Freeze…

Not a day goes by that I don’t hear someone I know — colleague, friend or family member — tell me how busy her life is. And for most of us, the holidays bump our normally hectic lives to a whole new level of frantic. On top of all the stuff you have to do, there are all the special things you want to do: string the lights, decorate the tree, stuff the stockings, not to mention cooking, baking, visiting! Sure, it can start to feel a little overwhelming — but it doesn’t have to. When we started planning this issue of GH, our goal was to help you pull off the most beautiful, exciting, delicious, stress-free holiday ever! Our team went to work uncovering the best tips and tricks…

1 GRAND PRIZE! GIRLS’ GETAWAY TO NYC Good Housekeeping and Flower Beauty want to send you and a plus-one to the Big Apple! Your prize includes: • Airfare for you and a guest, car service to and from the airport and two nights in a luxury Manhattan hotel • A tour of the Flower Beauty showroom • Lunch in the historic GH dining room in the iconic Hearst Tower, plus a sneak peek inside our GH Institute Labs • Tickets to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall • A Flower Beauty goody bag 3 MORE CHANCES TO WIN! Three readers will win a $200 Walmart gift card and $100 in Flower Beauty goodies. Enter today at goodhousekeeping.com /nycbeauty.   YOU COULD WIN A $2,900 TRIP TO NEW YORK…

Everything you need to take the stress out of the season and... KEEP ALL THE FUN! seal spotlight PRE-LIT WREATHS Use Balsam Hill’s faux-fir wreath year after year — it’s such a perfect time (and mess) saver, since it doesn’t shed and looks like the real thing. Lab lowdown: Branches proved flameresistant in our Engineering Lab’s ignition tests, and even if one bulb burned out, the others stayed on. Balsam Hill BH Fraser Fir Wreath, $89 to $419, balsamhill.com a “tuxedo” blaszzer The classic black jacket dresses up jeans and warms up a cocktail dress. “It’s great if you’re wearing a slinky top but want to hide your arms,” says Kristen Saladino, GH’s fashion director. Blazer, $250, lisettel.com. Top, Who What Wear, $30 ($33 for plus sizes), target.com. hostess gift…

HOP THIS ISSUE Find it now at keep.com/GH. $12 Gourmet ”Stockings” Stuff an oven mitt full of grocery goodies, then invite yourself over for dinner! Feed Kitchen Oven Mitts, from $12 each, westelm.com WE’RE GIVING AWAY IN GIFTS $10,000 10 Chances to Win! bit.ly/2cRbKzL Details, page 168 under $10 $5 Tea-rific Poppers Give one — or all — of these cute crackers, packed with favorites like black tea. Party Crackers With Tea, $15 for three, davidstea.com $6 Bubbles With Benefits For each sudsy bar sold, Hand in Hand donates one, plus a month’s worth of clean water, to a child in need. Hand in Hand Holiday Bar Soap, $6 each, target.com $3 Tree Cuddlers Ewe would be crazy not to fall for these adorable ornaments. Knit Sheep Ornaments, $3 each,…

HOW DID YOU GET WHERE YOU ARE TODAY? I followed my interests! I have always had a passion for service to others in the community, especially vulnerable children. When I allowed myself to follow my own path, I found that success came so much more naturally. HOW IS YOUR TAKE ON BUSINESS DIFFERENT? Granting birthday wishes for children in foster care is about so much more than gifts and cards. It’s about showing a child or young adult, “You matter, and I celebrate the day you were born.” We treat each child as an individual with passions and interests. Each child gets exactly what he or she wished for. WHAT INSPIRES YOU DAILY? For me, it’s all about the kids and the courage they show every day. Children in foster…