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Mornings With Gina Birch

4 Fabulous Finds In SWFL For The Holidays

Author Gina Birch

I am constantly on the hunt for Fabulous Finds. Quite often they are things I find at farmers markets in Fort Myers, Naples and Cape Coral. However, this week is a little different. In fact, I have not 1 but 4 Fabulous Finds in SWFL for the holidays.

These cover quite a range from gifts, to dining to entertaining. The holidays are a great time of the year to discover and rediscover all kinds of things. Maybe some of these will inspire gift ideas or outings when you have family and friends in town.

Fabulous Finds In SWFL With Santa

Two Santa Claus dolls, one fully dressed, the other just in pants.
Santa Clothes Doll
Getting Santa dressed and ready for Christmas is a fun spin on the popular advent calendars.

I love this idea for kids counting down to Santa’s arrival. The Santa Clothes Doll (clever play on words) is similar to an advent calendar. The mission, however, is to get Santa dressed and ready for Christmas.

The doll comes with all kinds of clothing, accessories and the cutest little clothesline. Hang Santa’s clothes on it and during the 12 days leading up to Christmas. Each day, select a different piece to dress Old Saint Nick.

Cocktails And Fabulous Finds In SWFL

Bottle of Gunowder Citrus Gin and a cocktail
Drumshanbo Gunpowder Gin
This gin is so refreshing with Club Soda or a really good tonic including flavored ones like lemon or Mediterranean.

This has been on my fab find radar for a couple of months and while it might seem like more of a summer beverage, to me it makes great sense going into the holidays. Citrus is good year round in Florida and can brighten up any cocktail.

I’ve been a fan of Drumshando Gunpowder Gin for some time. Gunpowder tea is the base for the exotic botanicals found in the various gins under the label. When I saw a selection using citrus found in a the Sardinian village of Siniscola, I had to try it. I spent time on the Italian island over the summer and fell in love with it. Gin is very popular there.

This Drumshanbo is well balanced, fresh and versatile for cocktails or simply with Club Soda over ice. It’s a nice gift for spirits lovers too.

Delicious Fabulous Finds In SWFL

Outside entrance of Roy's Bonita Springs
Gina Birch
Roy’s Bonita Springs in The Promenade at Bonita Bay

There are so many great restaurants in SWFL. Attention is often so focused on what is new that we tend to forget about the old faithful that are still doing great things. Roy’s in Bonita Springs is one of them.

I stopped in for Wine Wednesday to discover their Wednesday Flight Night in the spacious bar. First, there are some new folks behind the bar that are tons of fun. They guided me through Flight Night selections that range from rose to chardonnay to pinot noir and interesting reds.

Pick a category and get three 2-ounce pours of different wines. It is fantastic way to learn about wine and taste how different, similar wines can really be. In addition, many of those wines are half off if you buy a whole bottle. It’s a great deal and the food is fantastic.

Entertaining Fabulous Finds In SWFL

Wicked Lunch Box on a display table at a movie theater
Gina BIrch
You might be surprised to learn one of the season’s biggest movies is being shown in 3D in some local theaters.

Finally, my last Fabulous Find is definitely not a secret. However, with all of the hype the movie Wicked has been getting, there is something I just learned when I went to see it yesterday. Some theaters are showing the blockbuster film in 3D.

When you look online at the various theaters showing the film, you will see the designation of 2D and 3D. If you are a fan of images that pop from the screen, look for 3D and have a blast. Just remember, no loud singing along to your favorite songs. Leave that to the professional on the screen.

Gina Birch brings the sunshine to Sunny 106.3 every weekday morning from 6-10. She has worked in radio, television and print in Southwest Florida for nearly 30 years. During that time, she has become an advocate for numerous charities including those that support animals, children, women and wellness. In addition, she has written for numerous local, regional and national publications about food, wine and travel. Those are her longtime passions...along with shoes.

5 Festive Christmas Cookie Recipes

I’ve been invited to a cookie exchange party this weekend and have no idea what to make. When scouring social media for ideas, I found these 5 festive Christmas cookie recipes and thought I’d share with you for TikTok Tuesday.

I love cookies and the idea of making them. However, I’m more of a savory home chef. Last Christmas I tried to make snowman cookies from scratch and they were a disaster. I looked for a photo to share here but must have destroyed all of the evidence.

I’m still not sure what I did wrong but it was raining outside and the dough did not hold up. I blame the humidity as I’m sure it was nothing I did wrong. Ha.

I did find these chocolate cookies I made from scratch one year and they tuned out great. Although not exactly festive looking for

Christmas cookie recipes, a plate of round chocolate cookies on a green table cloth
Gina Birch
From scratch chocolate Christmas served for the holidays.

Christmas Cookie Recipes

You can have so much fun with Christmas cookies. Adding food coloring and shimmery sugars are great touches. Then there are all of the different shapes from bells to gingerbread men. So the question becomes, “Where the heck do I start?”

If you don’t have a TikTok account, don’t worry. I’ve made it easy by taking these links from mine. Simply scroll down and watch from this post. Some of the recipe details are in the captions so you might have to click to see in full.

Also, some have links in their bios if you need help. Turn up the volume as well for good advice and instructions.

Finally, share these videos and recipes with friends who also enjoy baking and might be looking for some new cookie ideas.

Enjoy These 5 Festive Christmas Cookie Recipes

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