A Holiday Feast (For the Eyes!)

Every year I like to share images taken by some of the members of the Martha Moments Facebook group - a community forum that is an extension of this blog. The members of the group, most of whom have been readers and viewers of Martha Stewart for years, never fail to inspire me with their holiday decorating and culinary creations. I've selected just a few images to share here on the blog so that they can be archived for posterity. Merry Christmas to Martha, all of the readers of this blog and to all of the members of the Martha Moments Facebook group.

Matt Lara in California used Martha's cookie cutters and her recipe for gingerbread to make these festive cookies.

They look as delicious as they do beautiful!

Stephane Simon in Alaska made Martha's classic marshmallows. They look as light as air!

Stephane uses her Martha Stewart Everyday storage containers from Kmart to keep some of her holiday cookies.

Edith Tayag in Maine made Martha's Christmas 'snowballs' for the first time. I'd say it was a success! They look perfect.

Steven Fraser in Ontario, Canada, made a flurry of Martha's snowflake cookies, using her cookie cutters and her gingerbread recipe.

Christmas is one of Bernie Wong's favourite holidays, as you can well observe! A classic goose feather Christmas tree is adorned with an assortment of green bulbs, many of which are by Martha Stewart. He also made a gorgeous bouche-de-noel, numerous batches of Christmas cookies and has decorated his Georgia home in gorgeous shades of green.

Many of the ornaments Bernie uses are from Martha's former "Everyday" collection from Kmart. He also has numerous items from Martha by Mail.

Here is more of Bernie's ornament collection.

Linda Morrow made Martha's apple galette as well as her scrumptious-looking carrot cake, below.

Josh Modory in Illinois created a beautiful little Christmas village with his homemade gingerbread houses. I love the effect!

Karen Sabine-Reyna in California turned to the Holiday 2003 issue of Martha Stewart Kids for this delicious-looking fudge recipe.

Janet Cooper-Bridge in North Carolina treasures these ornaments from the Martha Stewart Collection she purchased in 2008.

I love how Dennis Landon (Wisconsin) has used Martha's wall-mounted tree planter from QVC for his outdoor Christmas display. I think it looks wonderful with the boughs of pine and clusters of pine cones.

Jeremy Lambertson in Ohio made this adorable Santa cake for some of his holiday guests. I love it!

Jeremy's trees are always laden with multitudes of ornaments, many of them antique. It looks extraordinary with all those gifts piled underneath!

Similarly, the tree of my friend Kenn LaFramboise in Michigan is a gorgeous vision of festive delight. But how on earth will he transport all of those gifts to the holiday gatherings he's been invited to?....

....Using Martha's extra-large heavy-duty tote bag from QVC, of course!

My friend David Pantoja in Pennsylvania is a master at the art of cookie decoration. I'm in awe of his talents. Just look at these extraordinary confections!

They look absolutely perfect.

In my own home in Ottawa, Canada, I continue to be dazzled by the extraordinary blossoms on my amaryllis plant. I always plant three bulbs in one large pot for maximum floral impact!

And although our family uses my great-grandmother's recipe for fruitcake every year, I decided I would use Martha's recipe for the topping this year. It was adapted from her recipe of Mr. and Mrs. Maus's fruitcake: a layer of dried apricots and pecans is glazed with an apricot jam reduction. I think it turned out quite well!

John Roberts in Michigan also usually makes fruitcake for the holidays. He uses Martha's recipe for Mr. and Mrs. Maus's fruitcake and the results look so wonderful.

The home of Anthony Picozzi in Massachusetts is always so beautiful at Christmas. His attention to detail always inspires me.

Martha's New Flower Service with BloomsyBox.com

This week, just in time for the holidays, Martha launched her new flower-delivery service with BloomsyBox.com, one of the leading mail-order floral services in the world with operations in Holland, South America and the United States. The farm-to-table delivery service sources its blooms directly from the farms where the flowers are grown and they are shipped to your door from there - no middle man required!

Martha's service will begin by specializing in roses only but will expand in 2019 with more floral varietals. Martha's service is subscription-based and can be used for yourself or given as a gift: the subscriber can purchase a monthly, 3-month, 6-month or annual subscription with roses delivered each month in one of three bouquet sizes: small, medium and large. The delivery is limited to the contiguous United States and the rose bouquets are single-type only: no mixed bouquets at this time.

The bouquets come in three different sizes: small, medium and large, as shown in the photo above. (You can also use single stems from the bouquet in smaller vessels).

WHAT TO EXPECT:

When you subscribe to the service, here is what you will receive. Each month, a bouquet of roses in the size you've selected will arrive at your door, seven days from the date of purchase. The rose varieties have all been selected by Martha and sourced from sustainable farms. The blooms ship directly from the farms.

Your bouquet will arrive securely hand-tied in a specially designed Martha Stewart BloomsyBox. Inside you'll find a booklet of Martha's care instructions, plant food and tips for arranging and displaying your flowers. You will also receive information about your specific rose variety.

Each variety was picked at the peak of freshness and is unique: some may still be in bud form. With patience and care, you'll enjoy the blooms for a couple of weeks as they slowly unfurl.

SPECIAL NOTE: If you order now through December 31, using code BLOG10 you will receive 10 percent off the subscription! CLICK HERE to learn more and subscribe.