November arrived before I’d fully settled into October, and after spending much of last month away, I wanted a quiet week at home to putter and bake. This is the week we usually head to Jasper for our long-standing Christmas-in-November trip, and after 14 years of that tradition we felt the tug of nostalgia. Instead of traveling, we planned small seasonal pleasures: digging out holiday decorations, watching classic weekend-morning Christmas cartoons, and baking warm treats.
We pulled the Christmas box from storage and hunted for the Grinch and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, staples of Saturday-morning nostalgia. We also watched The Snowman, a quiet, wordless animated film based on Raymond Briggs’ picture book—an old favourite of ours and the song from that film was one we played at our wedding more than 20 years ago. Small rituals like these make the season feel present even when plans change.
One of my favourite weekend pleasures is taking time to make an indulgent breakfast. To keep the holiday spirit we made orange-scented cinnamon buns studded with dried cranberries. Patience Fruit Co. supplied the cranberries for this recipe—ironically, the partnership email arrived while W was sitting at the kitchen computer snacking straight from the bag.
Those tart dried cranberries have become W’s favourite snack. We started buying two bags on grocery runs long before the company reached out. They’re soft, not overly sweet, and have a pleasant acidity that brightens cookies, granola, and rich pastries like gooey cinnamon buns.
Cinnamon buns are especially fun to make with kids. There’s the science of yeast and proofing, the satisfying punching down of dough, and the hands-on rolling, filling, and shaping. Stretching the process across a relaxed morning turns baking into an event. If you’re preparing these for a special brunch or Christmas morning, assemble the rolls and refrigerate them overnight to slow the rise; when you’re ready, bring them to room temperature while the oven preheats and slide them in to bake.
My favourite moment is brushing a quick glaze over the warm rolls and admiring them before flipping the pan and tearing pieces apart among pillows and blankets. The combination of warm orange, cinnamon, buttery dough, and tangy cranberries is comforting and festive—perfect for slow mornings and shared memories.
Beyond the eating, the best part is the splattering of glaze—messy, joyful, and entirely worth it.
Thanks to Patience Fruit Co. for the fun challenge and for supporting this post.