Martha Stewart Living December 2020

I FEEL LUCKY. That might be a funny thing to say, given the year we’ve had, but I do. I’ve worked for Martha Stewart for the better part of the past two decades—starting at Blueprint, then at Martha Stewart Weddings, and now on Living. It feels full circle, as this was the magazine that turned me on to all things Martha in the first place, when it debuted 30 years ago this winter. Initially, it was my mom’s magazine, but it quickly became “our” subscription, and then I simply had to have my own. Like many of you, I love to get lost in the pages, dreaming of flowers to plant, delicious meals to make, fun ideas to craft, and tidying and organizing … well, just about everything. Martha, and…

ON THE ROAD EVER GREEN If a scene from a snow globe spanned 1,400 acres, it would look like The Rocks, in Bethlehem, New Hampshire (shown; therocks.org). Framed by the White Mountains to the east, this Christmas-tree farm belongs to a local land trust, and each purchase aids conservation efforts. Here, three more wonderlands where you can select a conifer and whisk it home. NEWBURGH, MAINE A trek through Piper Mountain’s rolling hills will leave you exhilarated—and hungry. Head to the barn, where free homemade apple-cider donuts await. pipermtn.com ROUND HILL, VIRGINIA Roll past a panorama of Loudoun Valley in a tractor-drawn wagon at Snickers Gap Tree Farm, then stroll back to choose your spruce, hot cider in hand. snickersgaptrees.com LAKE ELMO, MINNESOTA Meet a new match at Krueger’s Christmas Trees—home to rare firs like the deep-emerald Korean—and…

A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS FROM DAY ONE, the mission of this magazine has been to teach and inspire. I named it Living to express that living is limitless—an ever-expanding subject with the home, and the art of homemaking, at its center. Within that realm, we focused on eight key content areas: cooking, entertaining, gardening, decorating, celebrating holidays, housekeeping, crafting, and collecting. Together with a group of extraordinarily talented and creative people, I concentrated as much on the visuals—producing arresting images of everything from desserts to handmade ornaments—as I did on the words. Each story was finely crafted, and all of the recipes and instructions were carefully researched and tested. Within a few years, our reach broadened into television shows and book publishing, and then, later, digital storytelling. We rapidly expanded our coverage…

THE STEPS 1. START WITH a sturdy log, about 15 inches long, that lies flat and evenly. Using a hammer and nail, tap a small hole at the middle of the top. 2. HAMMER 4 more holes on each side of the center hole, spaced evenly. 3. PUSH a candleholder’s spike halfway down into the center hole (to ensure that the shamash is taller than the other candles). Hot-glue dried shelf mushrooms around the exposed spike to cover it. Push a holder into each of the remaining holes so they’re flush with the log. 4. HOT-GLUE more dried shelf mushrooms, dried moss, or both on the sides and bottom of the log, to cushion it and lend extra stability. 5. DRIP a little melted candle wax inside each holder, to help hold the candles upright,…

“Martha was always in my side-view mirror doing basically what I was doing professionally, plus 20 other things. She was just lighting the world on fire.”—chef Geoffrey ZakarianThe year MarthaStewart.com launched, bringing Living content to a whole new audience. At the time, the internet as we know it was barely four years old—few companies had websites—but the platform was both innovative and interactive. 1997 “Martha is an American icon. She’s one of those people who are instantly recognizable by a single name. Her reach extends to all of America, not only within the food world. She was the first person to give me a platform by including me on her show in the ’90s, when I came here from Sweden.”—chef Marcus Samuelsson“My favorite memory of Martha is watching her captain her Hinckley…

COSMIC COOL Jack Frost has nothing on these glistening boughs. Transform store-bought papier-mâché forms into brilliant baubles by painting them in icy hues and hot-gluing on Dresden-paper stars. Then fill in your tree with Dresden snowflakes, and reserve a supernova for the topper. For sources, see page 140. Take a Shine Dresden designs have bedecked holiday goods for 200 years and are a cinch to work with: Each sheet has multiple rows of the same motif that you can easily cut apart; large ones are pressed individually. TONY TREATS Jewel-like packaging makes chocolate nonpareils even more enticing. Bundle them in silvery crepe paper, secure the tops with iridescent ribbon, and tuck the parcels into metallic-paper cones. (You can buy decorated cones, or wrap plain papier-mâché versions from the crafts store in shimmery paper, and glue contrasting…