At Sensi, we discourage the use of terrible puns, but here goes: holiday films like “Home for The Holidays” and “The Family Stone” really hit home. If you haven’t seen either of these films, we highly suggest that you add them to your must see streaming queue. But what on Earth do holiday films have to do with Sensi Magazine? More specifically, what does the brand Country Cannabis have to do with films about families and holidays? Turns out, quite a bit. Well, perhaps they don’t have much to do with film production, but Country Cannabis is certainly a big fan of the holidays, and, more importantly, they are deeply invested in families of all shapes and sizes, functions and dysfunctions.

As a culture, we seem to have a deep affection for holiday films that lovingly highlight the complicated and messy dynamics that underscore family life. And Country Cannabis is no different. They are family-owned and operated, yet they also consider each of their team members an extension of the family. That’s a hefty family tree since they now employ over 90 people. Lots of branches on which to hang all sorts of ornaments or, if you’re more in keeping with the cannabis vibe, holiday edibles, and pumpkin-pie pre-rolls that will go far to help you navigate the various bumps, laughter, bellyaches, irritations, travel pitfalls, and cozy, candlelit moments that are inseparable from heading into the holidays.

But Country Cannabis strives to offer more than just caramels, gummies, or pumpkin spice cookies (don’t forget to check out their recipe at the end of the article). They also aim to fold each team member’s holiday traditions and survival tips into an expanding knowledge base to be shared within the Country Cannabis family and with their growing client base in Colorado and other states where their brands are sold. Think of this holiday wisdom as a patchwork quilt with each individual panel stitched from years of experience and varying perspectives that range from those who eagerly partake to those who are merely cannabis adjacent, from hilarity to deep relaxation, or from methods to escape the holiday madness to techniques for diving right in. This is a holiday quilt that each of us can wrap up in when—ah, at last!—we finally get to the end of the day and put down our whipping spoons or those darn elusive scissors and cuddle up by the fireside with a big exhale (or inhale).

So, from their family to yours, here are just a few select panels from the Country Cannabis holiday quilt.

MORGAN

Sales, Colorado

Favorite Holiday Food: Sicilian tradition of “Feast of the Seven Fishes” We put our own spin on it and count crab as one of the seven fish.

Ideal Holiday Cannabis: You can’t go wrong with edibles! Holiday Survival Tip #21: Always come prepared with your own lighter and a vape cart battery.

Memory: Each year, my friends and I get together to celebrate Friendsgiving. Everyone brings their favorite dish and, as chance would have it, I am often well positioned to bring my favorite Country Cannabis edible. Sometimes we try to hold out until dessert to pass around the goodies but, more often than not, we just dive right in.

SPENCER & NATALEIGH

Sales, Colorado

Favorite Holiday Food:

Vegan roast and fresh bread

Ideal Holiday Cannabis: Infused caramels to make infused cocktails Holiday Survival Tip #17: Sneak out to the store with your cousins for an “ice run” so as to enjoy that annual cousin pre-roll.

Memory: One year, we had friends over for Friendsgiving. We started our grocery shopping at a dispensary and selected 20 infused, miniature pumpkin pies. We handed out the pies to all our guests, and 50 percent of them ended up dozing happily on the couch. It was the laziest and coziest Thanksgiving we ever had!

DONNIE

Compliance Specialist, former Tulsa Police Officer

Favorite Holiday Food: My mom’s “Cheryl’s Dream Pie”

Ideal Holiday Cannabis: I choose not to smoke cannabis. Holiday Survival Tip #99: If you don’t want to be arrested over the holidays, avoid using your vehicle as a hotbox.

Memory: Years ago, during the holidays and back when I was a cop, I saw two women in a parked car with plumes of smoke circling the vehicle. I asked the driver if she had drugs, to which she simply said, “NO.” I explained that I saw the cannabis in plain sight and was therefore obligated to arrest her. A few years later, the exact same thing happened— with the exact same woman!

JOE MILLER

Director of Operations, Colorado

Favorite Holiday Food: My annual Pumpkin Spice Latte

Ideal Holiday Cannabis: All of it. I don’t discriminate.

Holiday Survival Tip #38: If you don’t want your parents to know you are high, don’t grab that third piece of pie.

Memory: Once upon a time, many Christmases ago, I was walking up to my family’s house smoking a joint. When I got close, I took one more drag to put it out… or so I thought. The roach stuck to my coat. Unknowingly, I gathered all my presents and walked into the house. I was immediately greeted with a bear hug by my sweet little grandmother. What I didn’t know was that, during the hug, the roach transferred from my coat to the back of her sweater. Well, let me tell you—this made for an exciting Christmas Eve. For the duration of the evening, my grandmother smelled as if she had just finished hotboxing in the family bathroom. We could all smell it, but—for once—it wasn’t me who reeked, but my grandmother! Shortly after dinner, she walked by me. As I began to smell that sweet Maryjane, I noticed the roach stuck to her back, much like the one I had smoked earlier that evening. Being a loyal grandson, I discreetly went in for another hug and peeled off the roach. Every year, I like to take a minute to remember that Christmas when “Granny Hotboxed in the Family Bathroom.”

Though hotboxing might not yet be a household term, cannabis is rapidly becoming mainstream. Country Cannabis openly embraces this inevitable shift and seeks ways to merge with the community. Whether it is through their commitment to providing useful information to those folks who are only cannabis curious, to their sponsorship of the Tulsa Oilers (a new indoor, professional football team), to participating in various festivals and community events, or to sharing their holiday tips and tricks, they understand that community and family are ultimately synonymous. So, please join Country Cannabis by sharing your own cannabis holiday traditions on their Instagram page or by visiting their website, countrycannabis.com, for holiday-inspired treats and other various goings-on.

Though hotboxing might not yet be a household term, cannabis is rapidly becoming mainstream. Country Cannabis openly embraces this inevitable shift and seeks ways to merge with the community. Whether it is through their commitment to providing useful information to those folks who are only cannabis curious, to their sponsorship of the Tulsa Oilers (a new indoor, professional football team), to participating in various festivals and community events, or to sharing their holiday tips and tricks, they understand that community and family are ultimately synonymous. So, please join Country Cannabis by sharing your own cannabis holiday traditions on their Instagram page or by visiting their website, countrycannabis.com, for holiday-inspired treats and other various goings-on.

Country Cannabis Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Time: 10-12 minutes / Yield: 20 cookies

INGREDIENTS

For the dough

1. 2½ cups flour

2. 1 tsp baking soda

3. ½ tsp salt

4. 1½ tsp pumpkin spice

5. ½ cup butter, softened

6. 1¼ cup sugar

7. ½ cup pumpkin pureé

8. 1 large egg

9. 1 tsp vanilla flavoring

For the topping

1. ¼ cup sugar

2. 1 tsp ground cinnamon

3. ½ Baker’s bar white chocolate (Optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparation (optional)

1. Separate 2 tbsp butter and melt.

2. Measure medicine (distillate is easiest) and add to melted butter.

3. Re-combine with softened butter. (If butter seems too soft, refrigerate for 30 mins to 1 hr.)

4. If not medicating, skip this section.

Making the dough

1. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt.

2. In separate bowl, beat butter and sugar until mixture is pale yellow and fluffy (5 mins).

3. Add pureé, egg, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Slowly add flour mixture until just combined.

4. Cover and chill until firm enough to be rolled by hand, at least 1 hr.

Baking the cookies

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar.

2. With a scooper or tablespoon, scoop dough and roll until rounded. Coat generously with cinnamon sugar and add to baking sheet.

3. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottoms. Place on a wire rack and let cool.

4. If desired, drizzle melted white chocolate over cookies. ENJOY!