Recently in Christmas Category

It's cookie day today. That is, it's cookie day today if I can ever get myself in gear. I hope to make several family favorites that aren't what you normally think of as Christmas cookies: sugar crisp, brownies, spicy nut slices, and peanut butter cookies. If there is time, and the body is willing, I'll make Raspberry Ribbons, and Russian Tea cakes. The raspberry ribbon is a lovely sugar-type cookie that is rolled out in tubes, and a depression is made lengthwise in the tube of dough to hold raspberry jam. After it's baked, you drizzle glaze over the tubes and cut them into one-bite diamonds. SO yummy!

Tomorrow I plan to cook brisket for "Mom's Barbecue." We've been invited to share Christmas Eve with my oldest sister and her family, and she was willing to let me make the barbecue that we've had on Christmas Eve for the last twenty years or more. While the brisket is cooking, I'll be wrapping gifts. Dear Husband assures me that we have all the gifts on our list, so the shopping is done.

I hope you're all enjoying the holidays. What's the purpose of all the preparation if we don't enjoy what we are doing? Merry Christmas!

I haven't really considered Christmas cookies, and it's the 10th of December!

I've made one recipe of the Sugar Crisp that my family considers a holiday treat. My youngest sister was coming for Thanksgiving and I wanted to be sure to have a box of them to send home with her. (Her husband found the box first and tried to make off with it!)

I think every family must have cookies that speak to them of Christmas. In addition to the Sugar Crisp, Russian tea cakes, Thumbprints, Holiday Raspberry Ribbons and peanut butter cookies with a Hershey's Kiss seem to be cookies that we make every year. I rarely make cookies that need to be decorated. One of my nieces makes the best iced sugar cookies I've ever had, so I leave it to her to supply the family.

For Dear Husband, I might make the spicy nut slices that we talked about in November. Those are his particular favorite, but I don't usually think of them as a Christmas cookie.

I can see that it's time to browse my cookie recipe collections tonight. Perhaps that will get me in the mood to bake.

Why is it that I'm never close to the computer when I have a thought I'd like to share?
Mostly those thoughts are just worthy of a line or two, so a bunch of them might make a post. I'll see how many of them I can remember.

This has been the warmest Fall on record for those of us on the outskirts of Chicago. We FINALLY had our first measurable snowfall on Thursday night, and it amounted to less than 1/2 an inch. We have been known to have snow as early as the end of September, or into October; definitely by November, so it's quite a surprise to have waited well into December for the first white stuff. Dear Husband would like me to be quiet and quit tempting fate.

Thanksgiving went very well. As usual, we had plenty of food to send home with everyone, and we ate leftovers on Friday. It was a joy to have not only sisters and nieces and nephews, but some of their in-laws and pets as well. I was thankful that so many of us were able to gather.

The Sunday following Thanksgiving I was invited to do a short trunk show of some of my quilts for the Empty Nesters at church. The theme for the pot luck which followed church was "Leftovers," which seemed fitting following Thanksgiving. I made a raspberry pretzel salad to share, one of my favorite salads/desserts. I'm usually lucky to have just one piece a year, and this year I've topped out at more than FOUR!!! YEA!!!

The trunk show was fun. I started out by saying that I was NOT showing all my quilts. I showed enough quilts to fill about 25 minutes, and was gratified when one of the men told me that he found the presentation interesting.

I've been watching the birds at the feeders, thinking of how my Mother loved to watch them. We have the usual suspects: blue jays, chickadees, juncos, mourning doves and a host of other small birds (mostly sparrows, I think), but my favorites are the cardinals. They are truly gorgeous against the snow.

The house is chilly now. I've been considering using a space heater in the studio when I'm working in there, and I'm rarely without a quilt over my lap when I sit to read in the living room. I don't know whether I just need to acclimate to the lower temps or whether I need to get more exercise to warm myself up, but I'm not fond of the cold. I can appreciate how much DH must dislike having to be out in it most of the day!

Midweek, as the temperatures were dropping, a skim of ice was beginning to develop on the retention ponds. I'll be watching tomorrow when we go out to see if they are totally covered with ice.

I've started a new quilt for Scraps on a Mission. A friend at quilting bee showed us a pattern that I thought might use up scraps. After the next session at the sewing machine, I'll have 25 blocks done. I've used bright children's fabrics, and the blocks will be set with white sashing to a finished size of 40x40.

My plan for the coming week is to finish labels for baby quilts that I plan to give just before Christmas. I'm using "Printed Treasures" to make the labels, adding a picture of the baby to the inscription. This is the first time I've added pictures, so I hope they turn out well.

I'm sure there are lots of other short thoughts that have gotten away from me. Perhaps it's just as well that I've forgotten some of them, or you'd be here all day! *G*

I hope you are all enjoying the preparations for Christmas, are well, and have good weather. Merry Christmas to you all!

I DETEST that term! I am sick unto death of the ads telling us to get out and bust down the doors for the best savings. It's all about SPENDING.....it has nothing to do with Christmas.

I don't understand why stores don't do special sales earlier in the year on their own individual schedules, rather than all of them trying for your attention at the same time. Doesn't it make sense that the consumer would buy more if he can spread it out over more time?

I hate lines. I hate badly behaved shoppers. I hate seeing people fighting over the last of some highly touted item that their child is going to ignore after a week. I hate the feeling that I MUST buy a gift for someone, when I haven't a clue what they might like to have.

I am fed up. I will not be giving Christmas presents this year to anyone other than our granddaughters, who are seven and younger. I am having a reaction to years and years of increasing hype, and am having my own personal revolt! It's quite probable that part of the problem lies within me, because I truly don't like to shop. But, a larger share of the blame for my reaction goes to the force-feeding of ads and the focus on spending for the season.

So, please don't be upset when you do not receive a gift from me. I'm going to be celebrating Christmas differently this year.

I've been a social butterfly this month! It started with a Christmas dinner with my quilting bee December 3rd. They always help me to get into the Christmas spirit, so it's great that our dinner is always the first Friday of December.

The second party I got to attend was a very posh gathering in a subdivision called "Falling Water" The houses are grand, and the landscaping is awesome, and everything that doesn't move is lighted! We had a wonderful time, and our hosts made sure that Bears afficionados wouldn't miss the game! Just to the south and to the east in Indiana, roads were closed due to a winter storm. We celebrated for about ninety minutes before we decided that we needed to make the trek home.

This morning, the woman who leads my exercise class is having her annual Christmas party for the class, right after we exercise! It's a lot more fun than it sounds. We all bring something to share, and she and her husband provide quiche, sausages, juice and coffee. They have a lovely home and our class loves to visit with them.

I decided that I would take a Praline Pull-apart Bread. It's rather like a cross between cinnamon rolls and Monkey bread. I rolled frozen white dinner rolls in butter and then in a mix of sugar and cinnamon, and placed them in an Angel Food cake pan. you sprinkle pecans over them, and set them in the refrigerator to thaw overnight.

This morning, Dear Husband woke me when he was ready to start his day, and I finished the preparations for the bread by whipping cream and adding cinnamon and brown sugar to it. The mixture is poured over the rolls and then it's baked for an hour. It sits for ten minutes (can't you tell we are sitting as we speak?) and then it's turned upside down onto a serving platter.

I'm really looking forward to this party. I like my classmates and really enjoy having the time to chat with them. Even people who are not a part of the current class will attend this party, so I'll have the chance to catch up with old friends.

Isn't that the best kind of party?

We are at the wrapping stage of the season. I'm just amazed, because I frequently spend a couple of days just before Christmas wrapping all our gifts. Most of Dear Husband's gifts came in on Monday, so while he was at work today, I opened the bags, checked the invoices, made notes about what came from which store, and then boxed the gifts.

It was a good plan, because just as I closed the last of the boxes, Dear Husband walked in the door. It's so bitterly cold that he hasn't been able to put in a full day at work. He's been repairing heaters and other equipment, and working on proposals, and then coming home around lunchtime..

DH asked if he could have the scissors and tape, so he could wrap gifts. I let him have them, and went off to move some laundry. You have to realize that DH doesn't wrap gifts for beauty. His wrapping is very functional. I asked him if he really WANTED to wrap gifts, and was relieved when he said, "No." I told him that I would wrap everything but my own gifts. He could do those. He seemed to be as relieved as I was! *G*

So, I wrapped the gifts for my youngest sister's family, which need to be mailed off tomorrow morning. Then I finished the wrapping on DH's gifts, and wrapped most of the packages for our oldest granddaughter. I have a long way to go with the wrapping, and a short list of things I still need to get, but we are well on our way to being ready for Christmas.

I really like the idea of simplifying our preparations for the holiday. I've enjoyed the past two weeks more than I usually do because there's less pressure to have everything "perfect." I think I may get around to making cookies next week! YEA!!

I've found a person with whom I am totally in sync! My Postmistress!

Today, when I stopped to send a box to my sister, this lady and I were the only two in the post office. I have decided to be politically incorrect and wish people "Merry Christmas." They may respond as they wish, so I'm going to say what I want.

So, I told her I knew it was politically incorrect, and then wished her a Merry Christmas. She agreed with me! And that started off a five or six minute conversation about all the things we object to in our current government.

The upshot of our conversation was that if we don't tell our government that we object to the decisions they are making they will never know that they are on the wrong track. Those of us who have been part of the Silent Majority now need to take responsibility for where things are going. Write your representatives. Tell them what you think, and continue to let them know what you think.

And for my part, I wish you a Merry Christmas!

Will someone PLEASE tell me how to keep calm while trying to find the one bulb on a line of fifty, already wrapped around a fake Christmas tree, that's keeping a string from lighting???

I have two pre-lit fake trees that have strings that have gone out. Unfortunately, on the tallest tree this string is last from the top, meaning I have to work with my arms up over my head. And to make matters worse, this string has the little extra plastic piece that is supposed to snap in place to keep the bulb tight against the connections. It's tough to wrestle the bulbs out of their bases without twisting them and causing damage.

I decided to work on the four-foot tree that is lit with all clear bulbs. I thought it would be easy to sit down and find the one that wasn't working, but I couldn't solve that one, either. At one point I started trading white bulbs for red ones so I could see what I had already tried, but I didn't have enough red bulbs to get very far. I can either mark my starting spot with a clothes pin, test the white bulbs I have, and then swap the red bulbs for white ones, or I could buy more red bulbs to fill the string, and hopefully find the bulb that is bad.

Despite having several days to laze around, I'm really not up for this task. I think I'll go finish the laundry.

Do you recall that I have been grinching around about people who have begun their Christmas shopping before we have even gotten to Thanksgiving? Hmmmm...perhaps that was over at Facebook that I said that. At any rate, every year it becomes more irritating to me to hear Christmas carols in October, and discover that one of my sisters started her Christmas shopping last year! Bah HUMBUG, I say!

But.....I received a package today. And when I opened that package, I discovered that there was a full size finished quilt inside! My first Christmas gift, and it's not even Thanksgiving yet. Of course there's a story to this.

A decade ago I was a dedicated chatter. I was addicted to the computer and to chat rooms. If I couldn't log in and talk to someone, I went into withdrawal. Then, I realized that I needed to get a life, and I cut back severely on the chatting. Ultimately, I ended with a handful of people with whom share occasional e-mails, and there was one young man I "spoke" to frequently via Yahoo Messenger. As time went on, and my mother came to need me more, my time at the computer dwindled, but not before I discovered that this young man's mother QUILTED!

We sent items back and forth across the "pond," and we shared letters. She is certain that if she sits at a computer it will break, so we occasionally do snail-mail. We've been trying to get her to e-mail, or to even communicate through Skype, without a lot of luck, and our connection was dropped this summer as my mother's health began to fail, and she passed away.

My friend was selling quilts to raise cash for her daughter to build a poly house, so they could extend the growing season at their very northern home. I admired one of the patterns she had made, and told her that I'd be happy to buy just the top, to help raise funds. I thought ultimately it would be less expensive to ship it, and I could get it quilted here. So, I was absolutely floored to find the entire quilt, right down to the label, in the box!

This gift came all the way from Scotland! My friend had to be planning this during the summer to get the quilt completed and mailed off in time to beat the holiday mailing rush, and she came through like a champ! The quilt is a wonderful collection of fabrics with a very scrappy look, and a white background. When I have the chance to hang it, I'll take a picture to share with you.

So....I guess I must say, "Let the celebrating begin!" Nooooelllll, Nooooellllllll.....

I didn't realize how long it has been since I last posted. My host's domain was down for a little virus hunt for the past three weeks. I realized we were up and running once more when I began to get spam posts from commenters. It used to be that we had short comments about sex or drugs. Now, I get long paragraphs that don't make sense. Apparently they're using their own drugs...

December was busy, just as it must have been for all of you. Dear Husband and I shared the gift shopping, and I did most of the wrapping. I didn't need to buy any paper, tape, gift labels or decorations. It was a pleasure to use what I had on hand to make really pretty boxes. One large box in particular, for DH, turned out well. I used burgundy paper with a gold tinted wired-edge ribbon. Our daughter-in-law sent the gift directly from the store. I didn't even open the box, I just wrapped it. When DH opened it Christmas morning, this HUGE box had been used to send a metal air-tight container for the boat that is roughly eight inches tall and six inches wide. It was funny, so I didn't mind.

Frankie and her family, plus one Danish boy friend and their dog, Sydney, came to us for Christmas. Frankie stopped to pick up Elegante Mother on her way up on Christmas Eve. They arrived in early afternoon, and we tried to stuff them with crab cakes on a bed of spinach with orange aioli, and/or mini burgers with carmelized onions and gouda cheese.

Everyone was with us through Christmas Day. The day after Christmas, the dog, my brother-in-law and my oldest niece needed to return to Indiana. Elegante Mother returned to her condo and caregiver on Sunday mid-day, and Frankie and the two kids stayed until Monday morning.

You can bet the counter was heavy with goodies. We really tried to be conservative in what we ate, but there was a LOT of temptation. I didn't start making cookies until the week of Christmas, so there were a lot fewer choices to be made, but we tried to hit the family favorites between us. Frankie brought us a copper tub FILLED with the most incredible chocolates you have ever tasted, and DH brought specialty popcorn to add to the mix.

My oldest sister (My Sister The Nurse), her husband, her oldest son and his daughter joined us on Christmas Day. There were 12 of us to dinner. Frankie brought prime rib which she packed in salt to roast, and we did mashed potatoes, green beans, and Caesar salad. I forgot the ribbon jello, so we had it for days afterward! *G* I got rather pushy encouraging my family to HAVE SOME JELLO!!!

Frankie has been working on her first quilt top in easily fifteen years. We worked on it together on Sunday afternoon (more in the next post). The kids went into Chicago to visit Navy Pier and the Museum of Contemporary Art, among other things. We were hit by quite a snow storm the day after Christmas, so I didn't envy them walking in Chicago. We spent the evenings watching DVDs.

It was a WONDERFUL four days. I really enjoyed having my house filled with family over the holidays. EM adjusted to the busy days, and we were glad to have the chance to celebrate with her. It seems quiet now, in comparison, but we're taking a few days to relax before we hit January paperwork time.

We hope that you all have a healthy and prosperous 2010!!

When I was a child, our music teacher decided we would learn the music version of this poem, for a Christmas pageant at school. Probably 80% of the poem is firmly entrenched in my brain, because I can associate it with music I loved.

Dear Husband, Second Son, and Elegante Mother join me in wishing you a Blessed Christmas, and the best in the coming year. Merry Christmas, one and All!

"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!" "

Clement Moore 1822

I can't recall if I've written about shopping for Elegante Mother. It's so difficult for her to deal with getting in and out of the car that I've taken over most of her shopping for her. She has approximately 65 people to shop for, and we also give tins of home made cookies to the ladies at the salon.

She decided she would do a $15 gift certificate for each person on her list. I made up a list of family members, and then we decided which store would be appropriate (with a little help from my sisters). I did the lion's share of the shopping, but she went to the mall with My-Sister-The-Nurse one day, and hit five shops, and she went with me for a couple more this week.

We have signed the gift cards, and addressed them, and slipped them into little gift bags which have tags on them. I've mailed cards to four of the families; the rest are collected, waiting for our family party.. I'll make sure that there's a bag for each person who will be attending the party, before it's time to pack the car.

I'm relieved it's done. I helped her address her Christmas cards, and I hope to get mine finished tonight. I've resorted to shopping on line, and getting gift certificates for those who live out of state. Luckily, Dear Husband has done the shopping for the kids and our grand daughters, and he's even wrapped gifts! Way to go, DH!

We will not be entertaining anyone here for Christmas. We'll go to a niece's home for my family's party, and to my step-daughter's home on Christmas Day. The house is clean. We're almost done with the shopping and wrapping. It's very possible that other than a little cooking, we might have several laid back days coming our way. Sounds like a plan, doesn't it? *S*

This came in my e-mail today. It's titled "White Envelope." I'd be happy to give credit to the author, if anyone knows who wrote it. The message fits in with my quest to change tradtions at Christmas. I think something like this would be a lovely way to remember the son we lost New Years Eve.

It's just a small white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.

It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas -- oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it -- the overspending, the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma -- the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.

Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties, and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.

Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended. Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.

These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes. As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.

Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat. Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them." Mike loved kids -- all kids -- and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball, and lacrosse.

That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church. On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.

For each Christmas, I followed the tradition -- one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.

The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning, and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning it was joined by three more.

Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope.

Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us. May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always.

Now that Elegante Mother's party is over, it's time to focus on getting ready for Christmas. Today is December 3, so that means we have three weeks to Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve is on a Sunday this year, so my family is planning to meet earlier in the day for our annual celebration. Normally we meet about 5:00 in the afternoon, and have a light supper, swap and open gifts.

The adults have a uni-sex gift exchange which is very entertaining. Each of us brings a gift. Usually the worse or funnier the gift is, the more likely it is to be gorgeously wrapped. We draw numbers, and the person holding number one is the first to choose a gift. If a following number holder happens to like that gift, it can be stolen from you. There are usually some spectacular gifts, some thoughtful gifts and some very odd gifts. Last year, Dear Husband chose a package that had the most current edition of the "Bathroom Reader" plus an assortment of chemicals to clean a bathroom! It turns out that the "Bathroom Reader" is pretty interesting! *G*

Elegante Mother will be invited to make her barbecue, and my nieces will load the table with all sorts of tasty things that will kill my diet! Thank you, God, for holidays!

I still have a lot of decorating to do. We have to decide the question of a live tree or a fake, and choose one. (Dear Husband drags his feet on this issue every year, and we're lucky to get a tree up by Christmas!) I have a little homely fake Sitka spruce that resides in my living room year 'round. It showcases the ornaments that my quilting bee friends have made for me over the years. There are wreaths in place, but I have some roping that needs to go over the mailbox pillar.

I think we might do a laid back Christmas this year. As far as I know, there won't be visitors here for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, so we might relax on some of the traditions. I hope I get a lot of good books as gifts. I can spend the day with my feet up, lost in a good story!

Happy December, everyone!