Yesterday my wife and I did our yearly “Big Food Shop” spending a few hundred dollars on groceries. We went to five different store and loaded up on food to last us throughout most of winter. We will still need to do some basic grocery shopping, but the necessities for our holiday menus are fulfilled.

One of our biggest things is snacking and grazing over the winter. We have two fridges filled with cheese drawers that are filled with various meats and cheeses. Before charcuterie boards became a trendy thing, my wife’s family and my family always had the European traditions of having cheese and meats for snacking. We will have loads of plates set up over the holidays for family and friends.

Next week, my wife and I are also planning on doing a ton of baking! Cookies and cakes galore for our household. Somehow these activities and foods always feel festive to me. I’m honestly surprised sometimes at how much food we have and make, yet it all gets eaten.

Do you also stockpile foods for winter like a squirrel does? Any treats of meals that you also make traditionally that were passed on from family members? Let me know in the comments.