Sandra Lee Dishes on Holiday Traditions and the Sweet Story Behind Her New ‘Aunt Sandy Claus’ Line (EXCLUSIVE)

As a multi-Emmy Award-winning TV personality, QVC Q50 ambassador and bestselling cookbook author, Sandra Lee has been an essential part of her audiences’ celebratory moments for decades. Countless holiday memories have been made around dinners filled with Lee’s dishes, and her latest project is taking her dedication to holiday cheer to a whole new level—all while paying touching tribute to her roots.

Lee recently debuted her latest collection, Aunt Sandy Claus for QVC, and is the covergirl for the latest issue of our print magazine (available to buy here). Read on to see what she has to say about her festive new product line and how she celebrates the holidays.

The sweet story behind Aunt Sandy Claus

Aunt Sandy Claus is more than just a cute name—it’s a role Lee has embodied since she was just a 12-year-old providing for her younger siblings during the holidays. As she explains, “Growing up we didn’t believe in Christmas. We were Jehovah’s Witnesses so I didn’t get to celebrate anything.”

As the oldest of five children living in an unstable home, Lee took it upon herself to make Christmas as special as she could for her brothers and sisters. “The first Christmas that I can really remember was being Sandy Claus to my siblings and creating a holiday for them because my mother was just not available and my father didn’t live in the state,” she says. “We went to the church and I got them tickets, and we went to the bazaar to pick out gifts for free, so I got the gifts for the kids because we didn’t have any money. I don’t feel bad about it; I’m thrilled it was available. That’s when Christmas is magical for me.”

Lee’s love of gift-giving continues to this day in large part because she “was the kid who didn’t have the toys to give my siblings” and she always did her best to bring them joy however she could. Lee says she buys Christmas gifts “all year round . . . Whenever I see something I grab it, and I have a little ‘Aunt Sandy’ Christmas gift cupboard,” and with the Aunt Sandy Claus collection, she wants to make it easy to buy gorgeous gifts at an affordable price.

What’s in the Aunt Sandy Claus collection?

The products in the Aunt Sandy Claus line all cost under $100 and include stockings, linens, baking supplies, tree toppers, ornaments, wreaths and much more. Lee wanted to make sure she only put her name on products she’d actually use in her own life, and says, “Every single thing is part of my own personal collection. I took items that I actually physically have and I’m very hands-on with this line. If I don’t like something, it goes back.”

While all the items in the line have personal resonance with Lee, she says the wreath is her favorite by far. After all, no Christmas celebration is complete without one!

Sandra Lee’s long relationship with QVC

Aunt Sandy Claus also marks a milestone in Lee’s long partnership with QVC. “I’ve been with the QVC family for 30 years,” she says, “and this year, I want to help make everyone’s holidays a little easier and a lot more festive, whether by adding some new holiday decor or learning some of my new holiday hacks to impress all your guests. I know that the QVC customers love the holidays as much as I do, and I can’t wait to spread some cheer with them throughout the month.”

Sandra Lee’s favorite holiday foods

As an expert in all things entertaining and cooking, Lee knows how to celebrate the holidays with cozy style and a friendly spirit.  “A lot of people want to do fancy; I want to do friendly,” she says. “I like comfort, whether it’s puff pastry, pigs in a blanket, stuffed mushrooms with the same stuffing that I use in turkey—I make things that people really want to eat. A baked brie with cranberry and orange is great. The secret to holiday entertaining is to make it easy by making things that people actually like.”

“I love desserts around the holidays. It’s my sweetest time of the year, literally!” Lee continues. “I love my fruitcake. I know a lot of people don’t like fruitcake, but I have a very special recipe which is super moist and delicious.”

A festive holiday tablescape

Lee is known for coining the term “tablescape”—used to describe a table decoration that can be easily whipped up from things around the home—and during the holiday season, she has fun setting up the most beautiful and inviting tablescapes of the year. “I like using a simple cream linen tablecloth, and I take some branches off of the live trees and put them out on the table,” she says. “I have to have all natural, soy-based candles. I like the traditional scents of pine and evergreen, as well as spicy cinnamon smells.”

“You can also put out ornaments arranged on the table for a centerpiece,” she adds. “It doesn’t have to be china or silver. It doesn’t have to be elaborate like that.” When it comes to decorating, she says, “Simple is easiest and best.” In fact, you don’t even need fancy ornaments on your Christmas tree! Lee likes doing a fun “cocktail time” tree, explaining, “I put all types of plastic cocktail glasses hung upside down with wire on the branches of the tree. They are now ornaments! I use plastic glasses you can buy in bulk from Party City.”

Sandra Lee’s holiday philosophy

Lee recognizes that the holiday season can be a stressful time for people, but she always prioritizes feeling cheery. As she puts it, “The holiday season is too short to be stressed out about anything. If you’re lucky, you only get 90 Christmases. Every one is precious, so why stress out?”

“When the holidays are around, it’s a feeling—you know it, you feel it,” she says. “I do believe that everybody is a little bit nicer around the holiday season and that spirit is there. It’s something I wish we could keep all year round.” With Lee’s tried and true tips for holiday entertaining, the season is sure to be stress-free and filled with joy.