How we celebrated St. Patrick's Day 2026
I set the table early in the afternoon. I have a cupboard where I keep seasonal napkins, table runners, and candles, so it is always easy to put together a little something special. I ordered the little treat bags from Etsy, and they were really cute.
Madison came over and helped me with the cottage pie, while Kyrstin made a Caesar salad. Seasoned fresh green beans rounded out our special meal.
While some of us, myself included, stuck with our traditional green drink, green Hawaiian Punch this year, others branched out and tried Rhett's favorite Guinness. Two things: When did they start making green Kool-Aid so hard to find? And secondly, Guinness is an acquired taste that I have not yet acquired!
After dinner, we watched a short video with a special prayer attributed to St. Patrick. If you are interested, I put the link down below. Then we played some fun games I found on Etsy that had us all laughing so hard we were crying! So much fun.
We missed Peyton and Christopher, but she shared their dinner with us, and I was so happy to see they enjoyed a festive evening too. Peyton sent a picture of the sugar cookies she made, and told me she was keeping the tradition going. I always made St. Patrick's Day sugar cookies with the kids when they were little because Christmas has so many other cookies and Valentine's Day has chocolate, so it was the perfect chance to mix, roll, cut, bake, and ice cookies for a special day. So when Peyton said she was keeping that tradition going, I was so happy, and actually, if I am honest, a little teary-eyed. How does it all pass so fast? I remembered pushing Peyton on the swing in our backyard and how she liked me to tell her, with each push, which holiday would come after the next. I am so thankful I can pull out those precious memories anytime I need them. Here are her cookies.
And her cottage pie with homemade soda bread!
Well, Mocha and I need another cup of coffee! Thanks for visiting!
Billie Jo
Peyton did an excellent job with the St. Pat's cookies, and the rest of the meal looks great, too! I'm glad I'll be having lunch in a little while because you have (as you often do!) .... you have made me hungry!! And Mocha! How absolutely sweet!
ReplyDeleteHow sweet that she is carrying on the tradition of sugar cookies and they look fabulous.
ReplyDeleteAll of the dishes do actually.
I love the way you celebrate my friend!!
Peyton's cookies looked fantastic. Both of your meals looked delicious. Like you, I haven't acquired the Guinness preference. Happy Wednesday, Billie Jo!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you and the family enjoyed celebrating St. Patrick's Day. I love Cottage Pie! And Peyton's sugar cookies are beautiful. Is there anything she cannot do? :) xx
ReplyDeleteI just love your decorations. And all the food looks amazing. The treat bags are really cute, and add an extra special touch to your celebrations. I'm hoping to try some Guinness, myself, in a few week's. Xx
ReplyDeleteYay - how wonderful! Shepherds Pie and salad were on the menu here as well - along with some snacking on Irish cheese and crackers. Again - peas in a pod - I keep my little holiday decorations tucked in a trunk - you’re so right - easy to grab when needed. And it warm a mom’s heart to hear the traditions are carried on- makes me happy to hear. Enjoy the week!
ReplyDeleteOh I love all this. We were sick so we did nothing at all. Peyton carrying on tradition? So sweet. Guiness fresh in Ireland is delicious. Less so here. Or maybe it was my youth that tricked me into enjoying it? :)
ReplyDeletePeyton is an excellent baker. Her cookies are too gorgeous to eat, and the pie and soda bread are perfection. You have such a beautiful table. You are the Queen of celebrations! And life needs to be celebrated at every chance!
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, the last comment was me Ginny. The comment about you are the Queen of celebrations. Blogger made me anonymous again.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like such a wonderfully festive St. Patrick's day! We ended up having take out grinders as our power went out at noon yesterday... and has yet to be fixed. We did enjoy a pistachio cake I had made on Monday and played a few rounds of cards while my husband was working on getting the generator and the wood stove up and running. Luckily we all pivot very well!
ReplyDeleteThose cookies are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI like those cookies.:)
ReplyDeleteWow! You guys had a beautiful little cultural celebration <3
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun celebration! I taught the girls all about St. Patrick and we had green mashed potatoes, green snacks, green gum and sparkling white grape juice in a green bottle :) All of their school pages were about the holiday and then I showed them a video on how to learn to do an Irish dance. Later I got a text from my DIL that one of them was showing her how to do the Irish dance :) It was a fun day.
ReplyDeleteYum, Billie Jo. I love Guiness, but it has to be served the traditional way, warm. Wishing you a beautiful day, smiles.
ReplyDeleteAnother holiday celebrated in style at your house! You guys really know how to celebrate!!:)
ReplyDeleteLove the green! Didn't realize koolaide was so difficult to find in green. Love that prayer, I have a prayer card just for the end of it, didn't realize it had so much more. andrea
ReplyDeleteBillie Jo, your photos are lovely. Your dog is adorable and I love ❤️ the decor. The food looks scrumptious 😋
ReplyDeleteFun times around your place. Can you believe I never even tried a Guiness while in Ireland. There were lots of it flowing around though..
ReplyDeleteI just loved everything about this post. I smiled all through it. I also said..."awe" when you said your daughter was keeping the tradition going on with the cookies. It does go so fast doesn't it??
ReplyDeleteThis is such a wonderful post. So much fun in your family. I love the decorations and the food, but especially the emphasis on keeping the holiday traditions alive. It looks like great fun.
ReplyDeleteBlessings and love,
Betsy
I loved your St. Patrick’s Day post, thanks Billie Jo. Looks like it was a great one! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful when our kids continue our traditions? And now my oldest grandgirl is continuing traditions I started when they were little. It makes me think that is a God wink that we did something right---at least once in a while.
ReplyDeleteYou have to let me know what games you played that had you laughing so hard. Our family loves games.
Happy first day of spring- xo Diana