This festive digital edition of American Lifestyle magazine takes you on a joyful journey through the holiday season with a history of a sweet holiday tradition, pastry recipes that are perfect for a holiday feast, and a visit to a company that creates handcrafted Christmas figures.

Certain scents evoke memories of holidays past, such as pine, peppermint, and gingerbread. But did you know that the history of the gingerbread house can be traced back centuries? Learn how the legend of how this house was built, including gingerbread's introduction to Europe in the tenth century and how the massive popularity of "Hansel and Gretel" in nineteenth-century Germany led to the traditional gingerbread house we know today—and brought a new meaning of "home sweet home" around the holidays.

Pies also have been a traditional holiday treat for centuries, and now you can start your own tradition with a pair of mouthwatering pies from Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough's À la Mode: 120 Recipes in 60 Pairings—maple-bacon pie and fennel-raisin pie. Either pie will make for a hearty, tasty dessert at your holiday table.

Many people appreciate the spirit of an old-fashioned holiday. And this tradition is fully embraced at Byers' Choice Ltd., which has been producing handcrafted Carolers for decades and offers a warm, traditional Christmas-themed experience for visitors at its Chalfont, Pennsylvania, headquarters—including a Victorian-era street scene and even a one-man performance by Charles Dickens' great-great grandson. Plus, you can watch Carolers being made and learn more about the Byers' Choice story in a special two-part ALTV episode with founder Joyce Byers.

So take in all the sights, scents, and sounds that make the season special, and bask in its goodwill. As always, it's a pleasure to send you this magazine.