Brunch With Babs Shared a Surprising Tip for a Smooth Holiday...
"Hi everybody, it's Babs!" That's how Barbara Costello greets her millions of followers and friends she's found on Instagram on TikTok over the past few years.
Known as Brunch with Babs, Costello has become the internet's favorite resource for learning tips, tricks, and traditions that one might typically learn from their mom or grandma. The internet's grandma, if you will. She shares everything from what not to do with your live Christmas tree, a recipe for an easy but delicious sheet pan cake, how to keep flies out of the house, and of course, her viral Christmas Breakfast Casserole.
Learning from Generations
Everyone goes to Babs for her hosting tips and fabulous recipes, but where did Babs herself learn it all? Turns out, she's been at it since she was a little girl. "I think I just observed my parents a lot," she told Country Living. "Even though they weren't the most patient people," she laughed. "I was raised in an Italian household and my grandparents lived very close to us. It was like everyone had their own role in the kitchen like, ‘here, do this while I'm doing this.’ It was a lot of business and there was always a lot going on. I was so close to my grandmother and my mom and so I picked up a lot of things from them, like how to stretch a dollar and how they cooked without a recipe. I got to see their creativity, the energy and the thriftiness of it all. They really made an impression on me."
And from a little girl to her early married years to even now, she's still learning. "I’ll be married 55 years next year, but as a young bride, in the newlywed stage, I would go to somebody’s house and get ideas and get recipes from people that I still have today in a recipe box. You learn from life experiences."
Decorating and Recipes
As I’m in my first year of marriage, I told Babs I couldn't relate more. And as I'm always sniffing around for a new favorite recipe or decorating tip, I was eager to hear how Babs does the holidays. For starters, it takes her about three days just to decorate. "We get all the boxes up from the basement, we go through things, the Santa Claus collection comes out, the Nutcracker collection comes, everything comes out and the whole house gets transformed into Christmas. And we leave our decorations up until January 6." Her house is decorated from top to bottom, a wreath in every window, a candle in every wreath, and greenery and lights line the staircase.
And as for her favorite recipes? Well, she has her own cookbook full of those. Literally. "I wrote a cookbook called Celebrate with Babs, and for Christmas I have an entire chapter on cookies! And there are three different menus, Christmas Eve, Christmas Morning, and Christmas Day. I have an overnight Christmas Breakfast Casserole which is really the thing that put me on the map, but it really does mean so much to my family because it's what my kids woke up to every Christmas morning. And now, my children make that for their own kids on Christmas morning."
A Surprising Holiday Helper
While we all love tradition, she's all for trying new things, too. In fact, her biggest must-have for helping her through this holiday season may come as a bit of a surprise — it's Meta AI. That's right, Babs is down with the latest tech. "I was a little hesitant at first," she admits. "I was like, how does all this work? But I’ve been using Meta AI and I’ve been really impressed because I realized... I’ve got a helper! I have something that can help me with questions that is so quick! All the answers and suggestions I need come up right away!"
On the topic of holiday gift giving, Babs points out the importance of giving meaningful gifts and how technology like Meta AI can help in the process. She emphasizes the need to focus on what's truly important during the holidays and to find moments of rest amidst the chaos.
So, take a breath, focus on what’s important, give thanks, and count your blessings. When you do that, life takes on a different perspective.
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As the holiday season unfolds, remember to find moments of peace and joy amidst the festivities. And who knows, maybe a little tech assistance from Meta AI could make your holiday season even smoother.
