Coming home for the holidays can be anything from the traditions, the smells from the kitchen, and the movie we watch together snuggled in the living room.  In homage to the film we watch year after year, the top three movie holiday homes are here. Let’s check them out.

1.     The Classic

A Christmas Story: Cleveland, Ohio

It’d better be good if a movie house is worth watching for 24 hours every holiday. We love the vintage charm of this traditional home, with its large front window—perfect for displaying significant awards—and its cozy flow between the kitchen and living room. It has a massive bathroom for using your little Orphan Annie decoder pin. Bonus: The house is a museum you can visit.      

2.     The Iconic

Home Alone: Winnetka, Illinois

The Macalister house had booby traps in every room, making Home Alone the most iconic holiday home. Making sure Kevin was safe from the burglaries is on our minds the whole movie. So along with hoping his parents make it across the country to save him, John Hughes reminds us that Kevin is having fun protecting the house. Onto John Hughes’s other holiday masterpiece…

3.     The Brightest

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: Burbank, Los Angeles (actual location)

John Hughes has many of our hearts in many classic movies. But his National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is one of the brightest literal movies of the holiday season as we watch Clark play with Christmas lights gleaming to be the funniest and most brilliant moment of the holiday movie season. And don’t forget the slippery racers’ spark going down the hill.  

But Do We Dare to Ask?  Is Diehard a Christmas Movie?

Happy Holidays!

Although traditions may not always appear logical, the aroma of holiday food reminds us that it is worth the extra pounds we gain in January. At ERA Real Solutions Realty this holiday season, we believe in sharing with our communities, and we have a fantastic turkey recipe enhanced with chorizo to make your next holiday feast unforgettable. And if you have a picky eater among your guests, don’t worry. We have got you covered!

Check out this tremendous Brazilian Christmas Turkey Recipe!

Brazil is a true melting pot, and its cuisine reflects that. Though Brazil produces a large percentage of the world’s beef, turkey is often the main course served on Christmas. Yet, there are bound to be regional differences in such a vast nation, and fish or pork may be more prevalent in certain places. Colored rice is a popular side dish, no matter where in the country you are, and Brazil nuts are also usually served. Dessert is all over the map — everything from Italian panettone to Portuguese rabanada (fried bread sprinkled with sugar) could appear on the holiday table.

The recipe is attached: Pimentón-Roasted Whole Turkey Breast with Chorizo

Altered Favorites For New Traditions for Allergy Concerns~

Having family and friends come over for the holidays is great. Making sure everyone’s dietary needs are met is another obstacle. How do we make mom’s traditional stuffing without gluten? Don’t worry- sharing and evolving recipes is the tradition that makes coming home for every generation memorable for the holidays—some wonderful alternative recipes from our family to yours.

1.     Vegan   

If you think your meat-eater won’t eat Brussels sprouts without bacon, they haven’t tried this alternative Coconut Brussels Sprout recipe. The ginger, coconut, and crispy sprouts are a delight.

2.     Gluten-Free Stuffing

Start the foundation of the recipe with Trader’s Joe Stuffing Mix and add your recipe to it. It has all the same flavors as the tradition and less bloating for everyone later.

3.     Healthy Oatmeal Cookies.

The variations are endless. Applesauce as the sugar option might help the kids sleep at night. 

Bonus: Toilet Paper Included

Home for the holidays might mean seeing the Farmer’s Almanac in the bathroom of your older family members.

Did You Know?

Starting with the first edition of the Farmers’ Almanac in 1818, readers used to nail holes into the corners to hang it up in their homes, barns, and outhouses (to provide reading material and toilet paper). In 1919, the Almanac’s publishers began pre-drilling holes in the corners to make it even easier for readers to keep all of that invaluable information (and paper) handy.

ERA Real Solutions is a top-10 ERA franchise systems brokerage. Our boutique approach allows us to maintain a 98.7% customer satisfaction rating. Our high-quality, full-time agents have quickly made us “The New Standard in Real Estate.”

Traditions do not always make sense, but keeping them alive creates the best holiday season.

Honey, Why Do You Cut the Ends Off the Ham?

“A husband and his wife were in their kitchen. The husband was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper while his wife was preparing a ham for dinner. The husband watched the wife cut off about one inch from either end of the ham. He asked why she cut the end off, proclaiming “that’s a waste of good ham!”

She said “that’s the way my mom prepared the ham.” The husband asked “why did your mom cut the ends off?” The wife didn’t know.

Later, the wife called her mom to find out why she cut the ends of the ham off. Her mom said “because that was the way my mom prepared ham.”

The wife’s grandma passed away several years earlier, but her Grandpa was still living. She called her Grandpa and asked “Grandpa, why did Grandma cut the ends off of the ham?” He was silent as he thought for a moment. Then he replied, “so the ham could fit in the baking pan.”

This story reminds us that everyone has their traditions during the holidays. The best way to celebrate is to mix the part of all the traditions you love to make the best memories in your home, family, and community.

Sparkling Lights

No one can argue that the nights are made better by the colorful lights of the holidays in our neighborhood. From Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree to your local festival of lights, here are our top favorites in our communities.

1.     Lexington, Kentucky: Southern Lights

2.     Edison Festival of Light

3.     Clifton, Ohio: Clifton Mill

ERA Real Solutions strives to keep our neighborhood tradition alive. Our boutique approach allows us to run a 98.7% customer satisfaction rating. Making people’s dreams come true by helping them easily navigate one of the most significant purchases of their lives is the definition of a realtor for #TeamERA.