Sweet Traditions and Quick Delights: Dive into what "Habitual Hostess" Alston Calabrese & Leigh Hansen Must-Have for the Holidays

Habitual Hostess started as a creative outlet for Alston and Leigh to share their love of cooking, cocktailing and hosting with their community. Alston and Leigh have always aimed for attainable and approachable recipes and tips that will inspire their community to host, make those memories with friends and family, and mostly just to have fun! They always say, “Life is boring, it’s your job to make it fun!”

The holiday season is filled with traditions and family. Leigh and Alston both have some favorite traditions during the holiday season. Leigh spoke on her traditions she loves the most, “My family spends a day in the city every December walking around, having a fun lunch and going to see either the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular or the New York City Ballet's Nutcracker.” Alston shared she had a different tradition within her family, “We always get our tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving! I make a pot pie with leftover Turkey, put on some Christmas music and a fire. We decorate the tree and watch Home Alone. It’s the best.”

Since Habitual Hostess’ content is surrounded by recipes and baking/cooking from scratch, they love to go shopping at different stores for their ingredients, “Trader Joe’s - always! They have so many unique and quick snacks that are easy to put out when hosting and some great frozen appetizers. We always say you don’t have to cook to host, but you do need a plan! We also always love to pick up items from our local shops and farmers market (when in season).” Leigh and Alston also love to use their Citron tote while they shop for the holidays, “Our Squeeze De Citron totes are perfect for grocery store runs! Or book fair loot. The sturdy material makes it perfect for just about anything!”

“You might find us at our local butcher shops (OG Butcher Shop & Greenwich Prime Meats) or local fish market (Fjord’s). This incredibly spacious and durable tote helps me tote my puppy around in style as I shop.”

Everyone always has a favorite recipe or dish they love the most and think about when reminiscing about the holiday season. Alston and Leigh both agreed their cinnamon rolls are at the top of their list, “The holidays are all about traditions! We always have cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning, but there can be a lot to prepare! Our five minute cinnamon rolls are the perfect quick and easy thing to prepare that also keeps us present with the kids instead of stuck in the kitchen!”

Alston and Leigh also have a special drink they like to make around the holiday season, “Ok, well maybe don’t pair this with your cinnamon rolls for breakfast… but this is our favorite to serve around the holidays? Grasshoppers as a dessert drink- we love their old school throwback and the green color is perfect for the holiday! We live to give these out in cute bottles to friends as our homemade gifts! Garnish with a candy cane!” 

Habitual Hostess is founded by Alston Calabrese and Leigh Hansen. They are New England-based, Southern-born, serving recipes, tips, cocktails and joy!

Follow Habitual Hostess on Instagram @habitualhostess and their website www.habitualhostess.com