Table of contents for December 2016 in Sunset

TEN YEARS AGO, my husband and I spent Christmas Day with friends on the beach in Mendocino. We packed blankets and bundled ourselves in layers and spent the entire afternoon going on long, spectacular walks along the sand. Instead of a turkey dinner, we had picnic sandwiches; and in place of presents, we passed around a bottle of good whiskey and told story after story until our bellies ached from laughing. Later that evening, as we were sitting on the deck of our friends' off-the-grid cabin in the hills above Ukiah, a herd of wild horses wandered out of the fog to graze on fallen apples in the orchard. Holidays in the West have an uncommon magic—one that I'm doing my best to evoke for my own young children during…

CAN REACH 200 YEARS OLD! Consider the cactus. You need only to stand in the shade of the saguaro's massive limbs for a moment to feel its power. Have patience, and you might see resident wrens and woodpeckers flutter from nests deep inside the stem. But to truly appreciate the saguaro, you have to visit its eponymous national park near Tucson, where swaths of the multiarmed giants seem to guard the desert. "Saguaro" and "Arizona" may not be quite as synonymous as, say, the California redwood or the Texas bluebonnet—but they should be. After all, the prickly plant, which can live as long as 200 years and reach heights of 60 feet, grows exclusively in the Sonoran Desert. We Arizonans have long celebrated the plant. The Carnegiea gigantea served as…

As it is with many young families, establishing holiday traditions is a work in progress for Aron and Ashley Muir Bruhn and their kids, Hudson, 5, and Skyler, 2, of Davis, California. "It's fun to figure out what our holiday looks like," says Ashley, author of the blog hitherandthither.net. "We like to bring in old family traditions, but we can also make up our own." In the Bruhn household, that mash-up of customs comes together for what's essentially a monthlong celebration. Much of the holiday season revolves around a wooden Advent calendar. As the kids open each of its drawers, they discover a note from their parents revealing the day's activity. "It's our holiday wish list: See Santa, bake cookies, have friends over, watch The Polar Express," say Ashley. While…

mx IT'S a quiet Saturday afternoon in San Miguel de Allende, a town that loves to party. The heart-palpitating celebrations that echo through the corridors have quieted. The growing number of wedding parties that parade through the streets, led by ebullient brass bands and dancing papier-mâché puppets called mojigangas, have yet to begin their processions. The only clatter is the rhythmic rumbling of cars driving over the cobblestones, punctuated by the impressive birdlike whistle of a guy peddling a bag of tortas. Even the Jardín, the town square, is tranquilo. Less than a block away, the 18th-century mansion now known as Doce-18 Concept House has opened its 12-foot-high wooden doors for the day. In the dining area, against the backdrop of a wall that looks like it's been shot, Jackson…

BEST-EVER SHORTBREAD There is shortbread, and then there's this shortbread, ultra-buttery with a light crunch. The secrets are rice flour for the sandy texture and a slow-and-low baking process to develop the flavor. It's a recipe that lends itself to easy, festive riffing (sprinkles! snowflakes!)—and one you'll be happy to have in your back pocket for years. SHEET PAN SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD MAKES 68 1- BY 3-IN. BARS OR 48 2-IN. SQUARES / 1¾ HOURS, PLUS 1½ HOURS TO COOL 1¼ lbs. (5 sticks) salted butter, at room temperature 1¼ cups granulated sugar 1¼ cups white rice flour, like Bob's Red Mill 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 tbsp. coarse white sparkling sugar 1. Preheat oven to 275°. In a stand mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar on medium speed with paddle…

Gifts we love Some are eminently practical; others are just plain pretty. But each and every one of the 57 presents on these pages is something we really, really want for ourselves. For the person who has everything: a sleek outdoor shower, or a one-of-a-kind surfboard. 1 MORAGA HESS SURFBOARD Made from salvaged walnut, water-tower redwood, poplar, and cork, 8 ft. by 21 in. by 2.75 in., $1,495; hesssurfboards.com. 2 MEN'S R2 YULEX FRONT-ZIP FULL SUIT FROM PATAGONIA $449; patagonia.com. 3 DANICA STUDIO THANKS TO NATURE DOORMAT $40; 18 in. by 30 in.; modcloth.com. 4 CLARITY BLUE DIANELLA $30; sunset westerngarden collection.com. 5 IRIS PLANTER + CHEVRON STAND From $99; westelm.com. 6 SELETTI AQUART GARDEN SHOWER $324; 18.5 in. by 90.6 in.; shophorne.com. For the homebody Tactile, glamorous goods in…

RECLAIMED WOOD MASKS A PANTRY AND SUB-ZERO FRIDGE CONCRETE FLOORS HAVE RADIANT HEAT NEXT-GEN DESIGN | Undercover kitchen Today's smart kitchens are all about what you can't see. Case in point: This Mountain View, California, space by designer Regan Baker. At first glance, it's a welcoming kitchen big enough for a family of four, but behind the scenes, it's all about stealthy storage and technology. "Everyone wants appliances at their fingertips, but they also want the kitchen to be warm and uncluttered," says Baker. Here are some ways she delivers that in her designs. Folding doors hide an appliance garage, which is big enough to stash multiple machines as well as function as coffeemaking counter space. Hiding some appliances puts the focus on pieces with more decorative oomph, like this…

Two years ago, Seth and Kendra Smoot moved from New York to Northern California seeking a total lifestyle 180. The couple had originally relocated from Utah to New York for Seth's job as a photographer, but found themselves longing to return to the West. "Seth would come out here to work almost every month," says Kendra. "He got a taste of it and couldn't shake it." Since moving to Marin County with their kids—Stella, 9, Imogen, 4, and Truman, 1—the Smoots have become devoted day-trippers. Even picking out a Christmas tree is a chance for an adventure. "Moving here from a city, we were excited for our feet to crunch through piles of fresh fallen needles," says Kendra, who works as a freelance stylist. For her family's inaugural trip to…

"It's all about the rice," says Naz Deravian as she turns a pot upside down onto a platter. Saffron scents the air as she lifts the pot, revealing the tahdig, a dome of crunchy golden rice. Her mother, Monir Taha, claps happily. "Tahdig is never guaranteed, but when it happens, it's magic," says Deravian, who is so enamored of the delectably crisp shards of rice that she named her food blog Bottom of the Pot. The ta-da moment comes just as guests gather at Deravian and husband Drew Wicks's Los Angeles home for Yalda, a Persian celebration of the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. "Traditionally, you tell stories and jokes, dance to music, and read poetry until dawn," Taha, a poet and lyricist, explains. Tonight, the couple…

"IT'S like L.A. here," my almost-12-year-old daughter observed, as we crawled through the inevitable Honolulu traffic toward our hotel. "Except pretty. With trees. And flowers." A few minutes later, as we passed a strip mall anchored by a Jack in the Box and a 7-Eleven, she corrected herself. "No," she said. "It's like San Jose. But more interesting." She changed her mind again as we passed a string of construction sites. "They're building so many skyscrapers here! So, I think it's more like San Francisco. But warm." She was right. All three times. A lovelier L.A. A balmier San Francisco. A more compelling San Jose. I used to swear I would never write about my affection for Honolulu. I wanted to keep its secrets to myself. But with Honolulu's 4.8…

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[The following content appeared in the Northern California edition.] GARDEN WE LOVE Mix master A successful planting combination is as much about beautiful foliage as it is about flowers—that's the premise of the upcoming book Gardening with Foliage First (Timber Press, 2017; $25). For example, this lively planting, one of more than 100 ideas in the book, is perfect for front-entry containers and can be transferred into the ground come spring. The conifer Thuja "Forever Goldy" (top) has a golden glow that takes on an orange tint as the temperatures drop, setting the stage for the moonlight yellow tones on the speckled hollylike leaves of Osmanthus "Goshiki" (bottom) to shine. With their long bloom time, pink- and white-flowering heathers keep the color coming for weeks. SHOP Order bare-root roses now…

WINE PAIRING Cinder 2015 Dry Viognier (Washington and Idaho; $18) DUNGENESS CRAB MAC and CHEESE SERVES 4 / 45 MINUTES While Dungeness crab may seem like a splurge for a weeknight, when you add it to this family favorite a little goes a long way. 12 oz. elbow pasta or medium-size shell pasta ½ cup each panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs) and freshly shredded parmesan cheese (preferably using a Microplane, which makes the cheese fluffier) 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil 2 tsp. fresh or 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves 2 tbsp. each salted butter and flour ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper ⅛ tsp. cayenne 3½ cups whole milk, warmed 1 cup grated sharp white cheddar 12 oz. shelled, flaked Dungeness crab 1 green onion, sliced ¼ in. thick 1.…

There's nothing like a new adventure to start off a year on the right note. That's why we're giving away a two-night escape to Los Poblanos Historic Inn & Organic Farm (lospoblanos.com) in New Mexico—and a gallery wall from Simply Framed's just-launched Print & Frame service, so you can turn your travel memories into a design statement. The prize package (up to a $2,100 value) includes airfare for two from Southwest Airlines (southwestair lines.com); for more info on this Instagram contest, go to sunset.com/lospoblanos. GET A GALLERY WALL TO GO WITH SIMPLY FRAMED (SIMPLYFRAMED.COM) BLACK WICKER PEACOCK CHAIR, $400; WORLDMARKET.COM.…