Most families have many holiday traditions: for some it’s about the meal you have, for others it’s about the way you exchange gifts or where you go for the holidays. For many homes, leaving cookies and milk for Santa is a must.

When my best friend and her husband started their family, they started the tradition of leaving cookies and cheese for Santa. Tillamook Cheese, of course…Santa only deserves the best, right?

So when our son Eli was born, and we set out on creating our own holiday traditions, I’m proud to say that borrowing my friends’ idea of leaving cheese for Santa seemed perfect for our family.

Coming up on our fifth year of having little ones in our home, leaving a nice variety of Tillamook Cheese and a tall glass of cold milk is a must (no cookies at our house!). The other day while grocery shopping, I added a brick of Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar to the basket and Eli said, “Good job, mom! Santa really likes the cheese with the black label.” To which I responded, “Yes, he does.” (Only the best for Santa, right?) 

This year, Santa has a trampoline and a play kitchen to put together at our house, and we know that he will look forward to enjoying his snack when he gets there…he never leaves any behind!

We’ve never left something for the reindeer, so I think we’ll need to start that next year. Any ideas?

Happy holidays!

By Aimee

Believe it or not, the holidays are almost over. Hurry over to the Tillamook Shop to find the perfect gift for cheese-loving friends and family, because this is the last day to place cheese orders to deliver before Christmas Day! Use coupon code “YULELOAF” to take 10% off your order!

If you’re in need of some cheesy gift inspiration, here are some ideas for you!

• The Deli Sampler Gift Box for that cousin that can’t make choices

• The Big Cheese Gift Box for the family friends who deserve it all

• A Grilling Apron for that Grill-Master Dad

• A Baby Loaf onesie for a wee one in your life

• A loaf of Hot Habanero Jack for a friend who makes your life spicy

• World’s Best Medium Cheddar for the World’s Best Mom

• A cheesy t-shirt for a son with a cheesy sense of humor

Order today to get your order delivered before Christmas!

By Katie

As a huge Tillamook Yogurt lover, I’m consistently faced with an abundance of plastic yogurt cups. I’m a huge supporter of recycling, but an even bigger supporter of repurposing. I’ve been collecting yogurt cups for a few weeks now, without knowing what I would create with them. Twenty yogurt cups later, and after a little time poking around Pinterest, I decided to create a holiday wreath.

Supplies
- Spray paint
- Tillamook Yogurt cups (I used 20, but you could make yours larger or smaller)
- Hot glue gun and glue sticks (I tried super glue, but it didn’t stick to the plastic as well as I’d hoped)
- Extra decorations
- A well-ventilated area to spray paint

Instructions
Clean all yogurt cups first (I ran them through the dishwasher) then spray-paint all cups. I painted the insides first, let them dry overnight, then painted the outsides of the cups. It took two coats of paint to cover the labels and get a good even coat to stick to the smooth plastic.

Lay out all cups in a ring and start hot-gluing them together at points of contact. I glued pairs of cups, then glued two pairs together, etc. until the whole wreath ring was built and connected.

Use hot glue to attach accessories like scented pine cones or fabric flowers onto the outside. I especially liked using cinnamon scented pine cones to help mask the lingering scent of spray paint. When I was done, I sprayed gold glitter spray paint over the whole thing to give it a unified sparkle.

Hang and enjoy!

What holiday crafts will create with your yogurt cups?

Update: You can also paint and decorate your wreath for other holidays. If you don’t have enough additional yogurt cups, you can repurpose your old wreath pretty effortlessly. I tore off the flowers and pine cones from my holiday wreath and repainted it with acrylic paint and a brush for Easter. With a few simple touches like some plastic eggs and felt shapes, you can have your new wreath up and ready to go in no time.

By Amalya

Receive a free Tillie when you purchase $25 or more in merchandise from the Tillamook Cheese Factory this holiday!

The tree is up and decorated, the lights and the garland are strung, the poinsettias are all around, and the cheese gift boxes and baskets are ready. Make plans to join us during December at the Tillamook Cheese Factory to celebrate the holidays! We’ve got lots in store for you.

Be delighted by the hundreds of beautiful, sparkling ornaments on the prettiest tree on the coast while the kids are having their picture taken with Santa! He’ll be visiting us on Saturday and Sunday, December 15 and 16, from 11am to 2pm on both days, and will have a treat for everyone. While you’re here, make sure to enter our giveaway for a giant Tillamook Cow or Tillamook Bear who need loving homes this holiday season. Just drop your name and phone number in the box at the entrance to the gift shop. We’ll be drawing the winners on Tuesday, December 18!

For those who are Willow Tree by Demdaco collectors, we also have a drawing for a new piece in that line. “The Christmas Story” is on display at the gift shop, so make sure you enter to win that for your holiday decorating collection. Winners for this drawing will also be chosen on Tuesday, December 18.

Are you stumped trying to figure out the perfect gift to give?  You’re worries are over. Just think: does anyone NOT want to get Tillamook Cheese for the holidays?  You’ll find every size of your favorite Tillamook variety at the cheese factory, because let’s face it, ONE size definitely does not fit all.  Pair it with mustards, crackers, smoked salmon, summer sausage or any of the delicious northwest gourmet products you’ll find in the shop for all your holiday entertaining. Then wander on over to the gift shop where you’ll find some great Tillamook stocking stuffers. How great is that – one stop shopping! Make sure you take advantage of our complimentary gift wrapping for all your purchases.

And as a special gift to all our visitors this holiday, when you purchase $25 or more in merchandise, you will receive a FREE Tillie from Tillamook! (One per customer, please.) And don’t forget we have complimentary gift wrapping on all your purchases.

We wish everyone a very happy, healthy and fun holiday season!

Holiday hours:
Christmas Eve: 8am – 4pm.
Christmas Day: Closed
New Year’s Eve:  8am – 6pm
New Year’s Day:  10am – 6pm

By Susan P.

Photo thanks to bengrey, flickr

I probably don’t need to tell you this, but Tillamook has some of the greatest fans ever! And every day we’re given the great joy of interacting with them personally!

This time of year is synonymous with sharing and giving, but our amazing fans are always blowing us away with their acts of kindness. Things like; dedicating their As You Wishlist contest entry to a loved one, requesting that we send their product replacement coupons to a family less fortunate “because they’re really going through a hard time right now and they could use them more than me,” multiple fans uniting to get an adorable little girl with cancer entered into the Picnic Pic contest so she could win a trip for her and her family.

We love engaging with you (our fans) because your simple acts of kindness warm our hearts, not only this time of year, but year round! So thank you, for joining us now, and year-round, in the spirit of giving.

By Candace

In celebration of Hanukkah (the Jewish Festival of Lights) my family and I are cooking up some traditional potato latkes served with delicious Tillamook Sour Cream.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
4 cups peeled and shredded potatoes
2 tablespoons grated onion
5 eggs
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons salt
1 cup peanut oil
Tillamook Sour Cream

Preparation
Peel and wash potatoes and shred in a food processor or by hand. Then place potatoes in a cloth or cheesecloth and wring out as much water as possible. In a bowl, mix the potatoes, onions, eggs, flour, and salt.

Fill a deep skillet with the peanut oil over medium-high heat and heat until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil and press them into patties using a spatula. Brown one side, flip to brown the other side – do this carefully so you don’t splash hot oil. Remove latkes from oil and place on a paper towel to soak up excess oil. Serve hot with a dollop of Tillamook Sour Cream and apple sauce to your liking.

The good news is we can celebrate with latkes for eight days straight!

What traditional recipes do you look forward to this time of year?

By Amalya

Impress your holiday guests with festive Tillamook Butter portions. This is an easy personal touch that you can prepare well in advance of your party. It’s best to work with super-chilled butter, so keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to start shaping it. I’ve tried it with frozen butter, but found it to crumble when cutting.

You’ll need Tillamook Butter, a large knife, small cookie cutters (or fondant cutters) and a bowl of warm water.

After warming the knife under running hot water, cut the butter into 1cm-thick slabs. Dip the cookie cutters into the bowl of hot water and press into the butter slabs. Gently press the shape out of the cookie cutter, using the blunt end of a chopstick if it doesn’t push out easily.

This do it yourself festive party touch is an easy way to get your kids involved in prepping for your next gathering

When you’re done, place the butter shapes on a plate, cover with plastic wrap to prevent the butter from taking on odors, and refrigerate until ready to serve. I like to use my butter scraps to make my piecrust. Keep your scraps in the fridge and save for another use.

If you don’t have small cookie cutters, you can try to cut your butter into simple triangles or even try a melon baller for DIY butter balls

What fun shapes will you butter your guests up with this season?

By Amalya

Picture you and your loved ones striking a pose here

Let’s face it – even though we’ve barely finished the Thanksgiving leftovers, the pressure to find just the right gift for our kids, friends, and family this year has been hanging over us since Halloween. What to do? What to give?

This year, forego another doll for Susie and Legos for Charlie; forget one more tie for Dad and perfume for Mom. You know your friends certainly will get enough gift cards. This year, give the gift of the Tillamook Cheese Factory! Gather up the kids, go get Grandma and Pa, pack up the gang, and take a trip out to the Oregon coast. To Tillamook. To the Cheese Factory. And spend some time making new memories or reliving cherished ones.

There is something for everyone to enjoy and remember. Photos in the Loaf Love Tour bus, or pretending to be a Tillamook farmer and his favorite cow. Watching the Baby Loafs move down the conveyor belts in the packaging room on the way to your grocery shelf. Feeling the “squeak” on your teeth from the cheese curds for the first time. And the ice cream and fudge!!!

If you’ve been here many times and can recite Tillamook trivia in your sleep, or if you’ve never been before and can’t wait to see where it’s made, now is the time to put this on your wishlist to Santa.

This year, give those you love an adventure to the Tillamook Cheese Factory!

While you’re there, make sure to enter our giveaway for a giant plush Tillamook Cow or Tillamook Bear who both need loving homes this holiday season. Just drop your name and phone number in the box at the cheese sample counter. We’ll be drawing the winners on Tuesday, December 18!

Holiday hours
Christmas Eve: 8am – 4pm
Closed Christmas Day
New Year’s Eve: 8am – 6pm
New Year’s Day: 10am – 6pm

By Susan P.

We all know the holidays season is full of traditions, like oohing and ahhing over Dad’s lights and making Thanksgiving Pizza (in my family at least!). We looked in the Tillamook archives and found a Tillamook tradition all the way from the 1940’s – a recipe for “Redhot Toast”!

Redhot Toast
8 servings

2½ cups (1 large can) tomatoes
1 cup water
2 bay leaves
1 clove garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
6 cloves
2 dried chili peppers
Few celery tops
2 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons shortening
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Tillamook Cheese, grated
8 slices toast

Simmer tomatoes, water, seasonings, and vegetables in a covered saucepan for 1 hour. Put through a sieve. Thicken with mixture of the melted shortening, flour, salt, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to boil and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add Tillamook Cheese. Serve on toast.

What do you think of this recipe? I love seeing how recipes and traditions change over the years! For more vintage recipes from Tillamook, check out this recipe for Fried Seafood Squares or a few from a recipe booklet from all the way back in 1934.

By Katie

Setting the table was always the kid’s chore at my house growing up. Perhaps it was my uncanny love of polishing silver that landed me this very important role during the holidays. While the place settings aren’t what your guests will remember the next day (pressure is on all you turkey roasters and pie bakers), a properly set table is one of the first things your guests will notice, and it will set the tone for a festive meal. Although table settings can vary slightly depending on what you’re serving and the age of your guests, here are some basic rules to follow when preparing for your guests this year.

Rule 1: Place your plates about 2 feet apart (center of plate to center of plate) to make sure your guests have enough elbow room. Make sure the placement of the plates is right before you start laying down the rest of the settings. I like to use metallic chargers to add some extra pizzazz to each place setting.

Rule 2: If you’re serving soup, place the soup bowls on top of each plate.

Rule 3: Place silverware in the order of its use, from the outside in. The utensils you’ll use for the main course should be closest to the plates.

Rule 4: Place forks to the left of the plate, and knives and spoons to the right.

Rule 5: Place the cutting edge of your knives toward the plate for safety and consistency.

Rule 6: Napkins should be to the left of the forks, or under the forks if space is tight on the table.

Rule 7: Place a butter plate above the forks, to the left side of the plate with a butter knife on top.

Rule 8: Dessert silverware should be placed above the plate with the fork handle to the left, and the spoon handle (or knife, depending on what you’re serving) to the right.

Rule 9: Coffee cup and saucer should be on the far right above the knife and spoon(s).

Rule 10: Additional drink cups should follow counter-clockwise as such: White wine glass, red wine glass, water glass. The glasses should be in a line with the largest (water glass) behind the other glasses decreasing in size.

Rule 11: If you have festive napkin rings, tis the season to bring them out. You can also add place cards for a festive (and sometimes strategic) touch to your table.

What festive touches do you like to add to your holiday place settings?

By Amalya