Holiday Spirit

In the spirit of the holiday season, PV Magazine asked the community to share with us a few of the ways they celebrate the season.

Amy Espinosa and family take a hands-on approach to Christmas

“Each year we make each other a significant ornament representing the year. One of our favorite ornaments is from 2020, our first ultrasound photo of our son Corey.

This year, we add a peacock ornament that symbolizes all the wonderful memories we have shared since living in Lunada Bay. For example, outdoor walking through our dream neighborhood and spotting peacocks along the way. One of the most unique traditions we celebrate are those that my husband and I incorporated from the very different home states from which we hail. Brian, originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, lights our walkways on Christmas Eve with Farolitos (luminarias), one of the most well-known Christmas traditions from Santa Fe. Being a fashion designer, I like to get creative and make a spread of traditional Kentucky delicacies on Christmas day, which include favorites like cherry cheesecake, bourbon glazed ham, and, of course —bourbon, spiced apple cider for the adults.”

This UK Expat Keeps Family Traditions Alive in Lunada Bay

Ben Casey tells us that the traditions in the home he shares with his three sons (Leo, Heath, and River) are the culmination of traditions informed by his path across three continents to Lunada Bay.

“The foundation comes from frosty (sometimes white) Christmases in the UK. My Mom was the fiercest protector of the sanctity of the Christmas spirit. She loved it so much and many of the traditions we maintain are in memory of her enjoyment of the magic of Christmas and the fun of suspending disbelief to see the world through children’s eyes. So, the English influence has us watching ”The Snowman” on Christmas Eve, savoring bacon butties and tins of Quality Street chocolates (that inevitably end with the orange and strawberry soft centers that our family is trained to avoid), and watching the Queen’s Speech on Christmas morning. The board games, essential to indoor cold Christmases, give way to more outdoor traditions formed by 12 years of living in Australia. Competitive run-arounds on the PV High field get the appetite up, but the centerpiece is the Boxing Day swim in the bay. Aussie beach Christmases recreated with a dip in the Pacific. Fortunately, in comparison, the boys were too young to remember how warm it was on the other side of the Pacific. Scrambling down the Lunda Bay bluffs makes this a transplanted tradition with a distinctly local flavor.

Mostly, Casey Christmases is about getting the family together. With the absence of relatives spread across the UK and Australia, we love to welcome our neighbors and U.S. friends to help offload the orange and strawberry creme Quality Streets chocolates.”

Enjoys Family Time & Life on the Palos Verdes Peninsula

“Every year our family celebrates Christmas by baking cookies together for neighbors and firefighters. We absolutely love handing them out and making someone’s day brighter. On Christmas day, another one of our traditions is to head down to Terranea and walk along the shore, taking in all the scenery and just feeling blessed to live in such a beautiful place like Palos Verdes. Nowhere else feels more like home. After arriving home, that’s when we open presents. To us, Christmas morning is more about being together than gifts. We spend most of the day cooking and talking about what part of the day we liked most, and drinking lots of wine!”

Makes the Holidays Festive, Family-Friendly & Fabulous

We first met Stella Leo, husband John, and daughter Juliet, last December taking their annual festive holiday photo in Malaga Cove. We knew the Leo Family would be doing another festive holiday photoshoot. After all, she is “Stylishy Stella” for a reason.

“Every Christmas season, we take our annual family photo, have fun decorating our home, and visit ALL the holiday popups (Christmas trees, Holiday lights, and themed popup activations). People can’t believe how we do and see it all! We love the festive décor and want to capture it all for our followers on Instagram where we share fabulous inspiration for celebrating every day in a stylish way. I’m also known for hosting non-stop parties and playdates at home, all with the help of our brand sponsors. So, there are also annual gingerbread cookie decorating playdates, ugly Christmas sweater gatherings with friends, and non-stop rockin’ around our Christmas tree! It is such a fun and festive time of the year, and we love getting into the Christmas spirit! If you want to get insider sneak peeks to all the Holiday hot spots and get family-friendly tips along the way, follow along @stylishlystella on social media and StylishlyStella.com.”

Enjoys Family Time & Life on the Palos Verdes Peninsula

“I love cooking and gathering with family and friends. I always love sitting around the table with fifteen or twenty people and just the dynamics of that. Everyone talking about food. It’s the most important thing. It’s what we do, it’s what we love.”

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups diced onions
• 4 Butternut squash (5 to 6 pounds)
• 2 Quarts chicken stock
• 4 Ounces sweet butter, plus 2 tbs
• 6 Ounces ham (I like Smithfield)
• 2 Cups Madeira wine
• 2 Cups heavy cream
• Salt and pepper or Tabasco to taste
• Vanilla extract to taste

Directions:

1. Cut squash in half-lengthwise. Remove seeds and fibers
2. Rub with two tablespoons butter and bake at 375 degrees for 90 minutes until fork-tender
3. Sauté the onion in butter in pot that will be used for soup
4. Remove the skin from squash and puree with as much chicken stock as needed
5. Add the squash puree to the soup pot along with remaining chicken stock, wine and cream
6. Bring soup to a simmer and add the ham
7. Let simmer for approximately 20 minutes
8. Taste and season with Tabasco, salt and then vanilla

This is a great soup because it can be prepared several days before and gently, reheated. If you like, you can garnish with parsley!