Wishing you all a very merry Christmas, a happy whatever-you-celebrate, and a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year! Thanks for reading my blog and going along on my adventures with me.
Recently I found myself, on rather short notice, in Las Vegas for a long weekend. While there, I was able to see the wonderful holiday decorations at the Bellagio. These were under the glass roof of the hotel’s Conservatory and Botanical Garden, which is right off the registration desk. The centerpiece was a giant coach and horses, all made of glittery Styrofoam and decked out with holiday finery. So realistic!
They change the decorations often, depending on what holiday or time of year it is. It’s always spectacular.
The other scenes:
I loved the way this all looked under the night sky you could see through the glass. And they even had snowflakes projected onto the floor:
Who is that handsome elf?
I think my favorite part of the display, judging from the number of pictures I took of it, was the crescent moon over the polar bear playground:
Here’s a closeup of the double/triple/quadruple poinsettias everywhere:
After seeing this wonderful fairyland, we went outside and saw the fountains dancing to Christmas music on a beautiful, clear Las Vegas night. I recommend it!
Now for my holiday gift to you: a recipe for traditional German Zimtsterne. The name means “Cinnamon Stars”. These uber-crunchy cookies are traditional Christmas fare in Germany. I got the recipe from one of my students there who lives near Stuttgart.
I made them from ground hazelnuts this first time. Next time I’ll try the almond flour. They have no wheat flour, so they are gluten-free. A little work, but totally worth it. Leave me a message and let me know if you tried them!
[ultimate-recipe id=”12615″ template=”default”]
Photo for No Apparent Reason:
