Amazon says 2020 holiday shopping season is its biggest yet - msnNOW

Posted: 02 Dec 2020 12:00 AM PST

a close up of a box: Amazon says this holiday season is breaking records. Angela Lang/CNET

In a year that's been anything but ordinary, Amazon on Tuesday said it still managed to have its "biggest holiday season to date," though the company didn't share overall numbers to demonstrate just how big it was.

Amazon said in a blog post that independent businesses selling on the platform are "seeing record demand from customers so far this holiday season in the U.S. and around the world." These businesses surpassed $4.8 billion in global sales from Black Friday to Cyber Monday , an increase of more than 60% compared with last year, Amazon said.

The e-commerce giant offered a slew of deals for the holiday shopping season, on everything from TVs to streaming devices to smartwatches (and some of the deals are still available). Amazon said a record number of customers have been shopping early and supporting small- and medium-size businesses. Amazon's new Echo Dot has been a top seller, the company said, as well as its Fire TV Stick 4K with Alexa Voice Remote and SharkNinja's Shark IQ Robot Self-Empty Robotic Vacuum, among other items.

Workers at at least six Amazon warehouses in the US have reportedly tested positive for COVID-19.

See also: CNET's 2020 Holiday Gift Guide

A Christmas Charcutewreath Will Make Your Holidays Extra Merry - msnNOW

Posted: 10 Dec 2020 12:00 AM PST

a close up of a flower: These abundant boards are so incredible, they're like centerpieces for your holiday table.

Charcuterie boards have come a long way from basic platters of meats and cheeses. Now there are boards themed around holidays, ones that strictly have sweets, and some that are even shaped like houses. As a member of the Facebook group Show Me Your Charcuterie, I'm constantly amazed at the creations by amateur and pro charcuterie makers. One festive version that recently caught my eye is a charcutewreath: meats, cheeses, and accompaniments arranged like a Christmas wreath. The person behind the gorgeous creation, Jennifer Dunham, tells me she creates boards as a hobby right now, but starting a business is a dream of hers. (And from the look of her boards, I think there's definitely a market for this edible art.)

a bunch of food sitting on top of a wooden table: Courtesy of Jennifer Dunham

Fresh Rosemary Charcutewreath

The wreath includes a variety of items. For cheese, she used Wensleydale, Brie. and a cheddar Parmesan mix. The meats include salami, soppressata, and pepperoni. Her accompaniments are Castelvetrano olives, sugared cranberries, candied pecans, dried Angelino plums, and pistachio pomegranate crisps. Dunham also included gingerbread men and peppermint pretzels "for a touch of sweetness," she says. The greenery around the board is fresh rosemary.

Dunham explains that she was influenced by Modern Brie, a custom charcuterie small business in Gilbert, Arizona. After searching #Charcutewreath on Instagram, I found that many of the 300 posts also credit Cynthia Baysinger, the owner of Modern Brie.

a vase of flowers on a table: Courtesy of Cynthia Baysinger

Perfectly Balanced Charcutewreath

This is the original charcutewreath that many people have emulated. Baysinger has been making boards for fun since 2016 and started her business in 2020. She got the idea for the wreath design after her sister suggested it. "I had never seen anything like it before, and so I started creating," she explains. For this board, Baysinger used brie, Truffle Tremor, cheddar, and blue cheese. The meats include salami and prosciutto. The small bowls have fig jam and honeycomb. She also added star cookies "to give it some extra holiday flare." All the ingredients are creatively layered around the edge of a round wood cheese board ($35, Amazon).

Baysinger says it isn't hard to create a charcutewreath. She recommends starting with fresh greenery around the base, like rosemary or eucalyptus, and just arranging whatever you'd like in a circle. "I think the possibilities are endless when it comes to these wreaths," she adds. Here are a few other beautiful options for inspiration on making your own charcutewreath. (To share with those in your household, of course.)

a close up of a flower garden: Courtesy of Maureen Wolfe

Bright Citrus Charcutewreath

Maureen Wolfe, the owner of Food and Board in New Orleans, says this board was inspired by the fruits growing in southern Louisiana at this time of the year. (She also created a gorgeous green board in the fall.) She displayed Meyer lemons and satsuma oranges for the fruits. The cheeses are manchego and Irish cheddar, and the meat is salami. Wolfe also added some sweets and greens throughout. "The story 'Twas the Night Before Christmas came to mind, and to me, it morphed into that," she says.

a bunch of food on a table: Courtesy of Ashley from Sorrenteaux Boards

Single Rose Charcutewreath

The salami rose is the focal point of this board created by Ashley, a food stylist and charcuterie lover behind Sorrenteaux Boards. This simple yet delightful board also features brie, snowflake cookies, crackers, nuts, gingerbread men, and peppermint snowflake pretzels.

a close up of a flower: Courtesy of Grate Boards

More Is More Charcutewreath

When everyone wants something different (I want all the cheeses, and my boyfriend likes various cured meats), your board likely looks something like this delicious display by Grate Boards. There's just about everything you could imagine on this vibrant platter, including brie and homemade cheese balls and prosciutto and salami for the cheeses and meats. There's also plenty of fruit, such as candied cranberries, strawberries, raspberries, and cherries. The board is complete with a few fun additions: olives, habañero jelly, cookies, and chocolate-covered pretzels.

background pattern: Courtesy of @boardsbymo

Color Coordinated Charcutewreath

All the reds featured in this wreath by Monisha, owner of BoardsbyMo, complement each other beautifully. This wreath has cranberry goat cheese and brie for the cheese, and truffle salami and regular salami for the meats. There are also strawberries, raspberries, dried fruits, honey, candy canes, cookies, and almonds that pop against the surface of the round marble cheese board ($35, Amazon). Monisha also recently put together an impressive charcuterie Christmas tree that we are loving.

a close up of a flower: Courtesy of Erica Moreno

A Little Bit of Everything Charcutewreath

If it's just you grazing (or maybe one more) and you can't decide what to eat, this board created by Erica Moreno has a bite of sweet, salty, crunchy, and creamy, and is perfect for enjoying solo or as a couple. Moreno laid out fresh sage as the base and put down salami in the shape of roses. She added brie, manchego, and gouda cheeses. The crackers are pomegranate pistachio crips, which she says are "perfect for the season" and are from Trader Joe's. She also included fig spread, red grapes, candied orange slices, candied pecans, and mini sugar cookies for some sweetness. The savory components are roasted walnuts, and garlic stuffed green lives. She finished with sprigs of rosemary to fill in the blank spaces.

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