Author: QuiltLady

BLOGMAS 2023 ~ DAY 12 ~ MERRY vs. HAPPY CHRISTMAS ~ BLOG 365.339B

The phrase “Merry Christmas” is traditionally used in the United States while “Happy Christmas” is more prevalent in the United Kingdom, both the expressions have altered and developed with time. Ever wonder why?

Happy and merry are synonyms, but they actually have different very different connotations. Merry implies more of a verb type action while happy, leans more toward quiet contentment.

According to grammarist.com Merry Christmas and Happy Christmas are both greetings used during the last part of December, around Christmas time. The first word of each is only capitalized when used as a greeting. When one is speaking of a happy or merry Christmas, the adjectives are lowercase.

Merry Christmas began as a saying in the 1500s. It was recorded in a letter as a wish that God would send the recipient a “mery Christmas”. It was solidified as a capitalized greeting by Charles Dickens in his great work A Christmas Carol.
Queen Elizabeth II, for whatever reason, did not use Dickens’ phrase. Instead, she used the phrase Happy Christmas in her broadcasts to her subjects. After her use, the term gained popularity and is still the most common form in Great Britain and Ireland.

There is debate whether or not the greeting has religious meaning and whether a more generic Happy Holidays should be used instead to respect non-Christian views. Be aware of your audience when choosing the correct phrase.

Obviously there are many theories. Country Living.com has yet another view.
Ever wondered where the phrase “Merry Christmas” comes from? It’s a relative question since we live in a country where “Happy Easter” and “Happy Birthday” are the norm, making “merry” part of “Merry Christmas” pretty unique. No one is entirely certain where the “merry” originated, but there are several interesting theories.

Wait. Does anyone say “Happy Christmas”? Yes! For starters, it’s important to note that “Happy Christmas” hasn’t faded completely—it’s still widely used in England. This is believed to be because “happy” took on a higher class connotation than “merry,” which was associated with the rowdiness of the lower classes. The royal family adopted “Happy Christmas” as their preferred greeting, and others took note. (In fact, each year, Queen Elizabeth wished her citizens a “Happy Christmas,” rather than a merry one.)

A dated letter from bishop John Fisher to Henry VIII’s chief minister Thomas Cromwell revealed that “Merry Christmas” has been used since at least 1534. The English carol, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” which was introduced in the 1500s, also uses the popular phrase.

So when did “Happy Christmas” become “Merry Christmas” in the U.S.?

Historians believe it might boil down to a simple grammatical lesson. “Happy” is a word that describes an inner emotional condition, while “merry” is more of a behavior descriptor—something active and maybe even raucous.

As both words evolved and changed meanings over time, people slowly stopped using “merry” as its own individual word during the 18th and 19th centuries. It stuck around in common phrases like “the more, the merrier,” as well as in things like Christmas songs and stories, largely due to the influence of Charles Dickens. The Victorian Christmas went on to define many of today’s Christmas traditions.

It’s no wonder that now when we hear “Merry Christmas” we hear something sentimental. Even the word “merry” on its own now makes us think of December 25.

MEXICAN STREET CORN CASSEROLE ~ BLOG 365.339

MEXICAN STREET CORN CASSEROLE serves 4-6 adapted from Jet Tila

CASSEROLE
5 to 6 ears fresh corn, shucked and kernels cut from the cobs
4 slices bacon, crisp and crumbled
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons canned chipotle in adobo
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper
6 ounces Cotija, crumbled
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/4 cup chopped FRESH parsley

  • Preheat the oven to 375°.
  • Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
  • In a large bowl, combine the corn, sour cream, mayonnaise, adobo, chili powder, garlic salt, salt, pepper, bacon pieces and 3 ounces Cotija.
  • Pour into the prepared baking dish, then bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until bubbling on the edges.

CHIPOTLE CREAM DRIZZLE
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon canned chipotle in adobo, plus more if desired
Zest and juice of 1 lime
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotles, lime zest and juice in a blender. Add more chipotle, if desired.
  • Season well with salt and pepper.
  • Place in a squeeze bottle.
  • Remove the casserole from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
  • Garnish with the scallions, parsley, remaining 3 ounces Cotija and a drizzle of the chipotle cream.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENU & RECIPES week 49 of 2023 ~ BLOG 365.338B

Be sure to join us for Happy Homemaker Monday and link up with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Good Morning my friends. It’s cold here so grab a warm beverage and join me in getting this last week of November started. We are literally only 3 weeks until Christmas! Are you ready? Do you at least have a plan?

There’s still time to join in with BLOGMAS 2023. You can find my posts to date here.

Imagine that we’re having a ton of rain here in the Pacific North West 😀 The storm that passed through this weekend was quite warm by comparison to what we normally have, but it dropped a TON of rain and we’re on flood watch quite early in the season.

Hubby and I noticed yesterday that there is already a TON of standing water and running small “rivers” in areas that don’t normally see this until later in the season.  I checked two different weather sites and there is no change in the foreseeable future other than the temperature will be dropping back down into the normal range with highs in the 40’s and lows in the 30’s so you guessed it I’m still wearing Levis and layers of flannel for comfort as I start my holiday baking.

I can’t believe 2024 is only 4 weeks away! 2023 seems to have flown by so quickly! I have a list to accomplish yet in 2023 and have started one for 2024 that I want to efficiently accomplish, much of it in January alone.

I also took a look at the posts already published in 2023 and those that are scheduled for the rest of the year and calculated in the posts for BLOGMAS 2023. While I “missed” a few days of continuous posting I have enough days of multiple posts that I realized I’m 4 posts over BLOG 365 😀 making me extremely happy that I will have mostly accomplished this task – WHEW, but that was a lot of pressure for the year.

Nothing this morning. I’ve had several “off” days and just don’t feel well 🙁

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS & APPOINTMENTS
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING I’ll be making a few more homemade gifts today, wrapping presents as well as yeasted cinnamon rolls so will be making quite a mess today and will do a deep clean tomorrow.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS I only need a few things from the store for a special dinner on Thursday and will get those when I go into meet some girlfriends for lunch on Tuesday.
  • PAPERWORK, PHONE CALLS, PROJECTS & TRAVELS I’m hoping to get my desk area cleaned up later today.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING Menus are made through new years.

WHAT’S ON THE DVR/TV
  • Lots of Holiday baking shows and Christmas movies peppered with some old syfy movies.

I’m trying a couple novels on for size, but not sure which one I’ll settle on first. A dress of Violet Taffeta by Tessa Arlen and The Heart Match by Phillipa Nefri Clark
MONDAY 12/4
TUESDAY 12/5
WEDNESDAY 12/6
THURSDAY 12/7
FRIDAY 12/8
SATURDAY 12/9
SUNDAY 12/10
BREAKFAST
HOT WATER & YOGURT
HOT WATER & YOGURT
HOT WATER & YOGURT
HOT WATER & YOGURT
HOT WATER & YOGURT
HOT WATER & YOGURT
HOT WATER & YOGURT
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DINNER
BBQ BRAISED BRISKET & BUTTER BEANS with COTTAGE POTATOES
 ALMOND APRICOT CHICKEN
 HOT CHICKEN SALAD
 SPECIAL DINNER with a close friend before she goes on vacation PORTERHOUSE ROAST, JACKET POTATOES, WILTED SALAD, PEAR VODKA BREEZES
CARNITAS with HOT PINEAPPLE SAUCE
 PORK CHOPS with APPLE STUFFING and 3 CHEESE SOUFFLES
LINGUINE and RED CLAMS
DESSERT
 
APPLE CRANBERRY DUMP CAKE
 

There wasn’t much of an opportunity to take many pictures (other than food) this past week, but I did get quite a few turkey shots at a friend’s cabin and my neighbor sent me this pretty shot of our Christmas decorations from her house.

BLOGMAS 2023 ~ DAY 11 ~ FAVORITE CHILDHOOD MEMORIES ~ BLOG 365.338

WOW I’m truly blessed with so many to choose from!

Some of my favorites are my very first personal desk when I was 9, my aunt coming to visit from Texas around that same time and sitting on the floor in a leather dress playing “A Barrel of Monkeys” with the younger kids or maybe the year I got my first bike, whoops wait that was the birthday before Christmas.

But I think my all time favorite was when my grandfather who worked for General Electric as an X-ray technician of sorts (he oversaw the installation and calibration of X-ray equipment) and the year he brought home a GE Snow tree with beautiful ornate ornaments (I still don’t know the correlation between between being an X-ray technician and Christmas trees though).

Anyway this tree had a HUGE decorated cardboard base and once the tree was up and decorated you filled this base with thousands of tiny Styrofoam balls and when you turned the switch on the tree would make it’s own snow.  As a kid I thought it was pretty cool, but as an adult I look back and realize what a MESS it made!! Especially when the Santa Ana winds were blowing and the static electricity was high – those damn balls stuck to EVERYTHING! We lived in the high desert of southern California and the winds were ever present during December, often morphing into their severe form of Devil Winds and the snow was nowhere to be found so the tree was a novelty we all enjoyed.

But wait, that is not my favorite memory. It turns out that my favorite memory is of trying to stump my dad each and EVERY year with his gift – it became a mission of sorts to be the first person to stump him. I swear the man was like Carnac when it came to knowing what was inside a box. We tried EVERY year to stump him and I don’t remember ever being able to actually do it. We tried adding bricks, taping a silver dollar with duct tape to the bottom so it would flip back and forth to make noise when you shook it, the box inside a box trick, adding a pair of old shoes… but he ALWAYS guessed!  I still don’t know how he did it. Sadly 🙁 this will be the 31st Christmas without him. He died so young, but I have so many wonderful memories of him and Christmas from when I was young.

There of course have been many memories since, but for some reason the childhood ones are the most memorable at times.

BLOGMAS 2023 ~ DAY 10 ~ ADVENT CALENDARS ~ BLOG 365.337B

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There are literally thousands of different advent calendars. The calendars can be homemade DIY or quite elaborate. It’s entirely up to you.

These days most are promotional items and come in every form from daily chocolates to beers. You can make your own, find them on ETSY, EBAY… but what do they stand for? What is advent?

Advent itself is Christian followers remembering the birth of Christ in celebration of His birth and the anticipation of His return. Advent originates from Latin meaning “coming” or “arrival. Advent begins on the 4th Sunday before Christmas.

This year the first Sunday was November 26th, the second IS TODAY, December 3rd and the third one will be the 12th. The third one is also known as Gaudette Sunday and is a time of rejoicing that the fast is almost over.

Advent calendars are a cute little way to help kids not only countdown to Christmas, but also learn along the way. Many families offer up a daily scripture or devotional reading to go along with the chocolate treat as a way to stay focused on the reason for the season.

 

Many families also use an Advent Wreath, burning the candles as they countdown to Christmas. Each week features a different liturgical theme. Traditionally the first week features hope and expectation of the Jewish people as they await the Saviour’s arrival and reminding Christian believers to wait for Jesus’ second coming. The second week focuses on preparation and the third week celebrates the coming of the Messiah while the final week celebrates God’s peace and love.

Both royal purple and Sarum blue are used to symbolize the preparation, penitence and royalty to welcome the new king at Christmas time while purple is also used as the color of suffering during the week of Lent and Holy Week. Most churches have shifted their emphasis to the Sarum blue for Advent and reserving the royal purple for the Easter season. Pink replaces the blue in week 4 as a shift happens to lessen the emphasis of penitence and turn the attention to the celebration of the season.

Red and green derive from old European practices using evergreens and holly to symbolize the ongoing life and hope that Christ’s birth brings to the world. Red and green are NOT actually liturgical colors for the season.

BLOGMAS 2023 ~ DAY 9 ~ ELF on the SHELF / FAVORITE CHARACTERS ~ BLOG 365.336B

I know many parents are tired of ELF on the SHELF, are you? Now Food Network even has a baking competition that revolves around the ELF on the SHELF.

I have always loved the idea and would make a list each year of the antics they would get into that year so I was always prepared and hopefully didn’t repeat myself too much!

My munchkins have grown up fast! 2 of 3 of them “KNEW”, but the youngest still believed and we tried keeping the elf/nisse tradition alive another year! BUT, her teacher told the whole class that year! Who does that? I was soooooo mad! First off it wasn’t her place to tell the kids and what kind of person, especially a teacher, steals a child’s belief of anything? These days the munchkins all tower over me in their teens and our elf/Nisse has become a sentimental fixture in the Christmas decorations.

Last year I discovered Julenisser, a Nordic tradition, to replace our previous Elf on a Shelf. I can’t find that a Julenisser is actually given a name, but I’m winging it here. 😀 The nisse is one of the most familiar creatures of Scandinavian folklore. Again this year we’re bringing back Annabelle and her pet reindeer, Alvin.

In Solvang, a Danish community, they actually do a Nisse Adventure like a scavenger hunt and Danish style JuleFest celebration throughout the month of December.

In Denmark there is a serious subculture regarding the Christmas elves and gnomes known as Julenisser. They live in forests and eat fruits and berries throughout the year before they come spend the month of Christmas with your family. They have BIG hearts and ARE magical and they love to play tricks on you and your family!

Hallmark even did a Christmas movie this year that involves a Gnome/Troll calle MY NORWEIGIAN HOLIDAY.

I know some people begin the day after Thanksgiving, but for us December 1st was always the beginning, though now that the munchkins all know I’ve put them out already this year.

For several years we did an Elf on the Shelf for the munchkins. Each year since we’ve done a “cousin” elf so it wasn’t the same elf every year. I know many parents are dreading that darned elf every year and having to come up with at least 24 DIFFERENT scenarios that are different from the previous year!

So when do you begin? Do you have unique names for your elf? Or do you have a Julenisser? Also, do you have a favorite Christmas character? Angels, Snowmen, Nutcrackers, Bears, Gnomes, Reindeer, Peanuts (Charlie Brown, Snoopy…), Elves, Gingerbread Men, Penguins or the BIG man himself, Santa Clause.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the past several years:

BLOGMAS 2023 ~ DAY 8 ~ CHRISTMAS CARDS ~ BLOG 365.335B

Do you still send “snail mail” Christmas cards? 😀 We received our first card last Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. And it was a wonderful one from a favorite nephew with so many wonderful pictures of their beautiful daughters.

I do! I know a lot of people have stopped or send virtual cards, but I’m a die hard on this one. I just love sending and getting Christmas cards in the mail. But, I fear they are becoming a thing of the past. Unfortunately I receive fewer and fewer each year it seems. Virtual cards just aren’t the same to me. AND I can’t reuse virtual cards to make the next year as gift tags.

I even painted a set of old shutters in Christmas colors to display them.

I DO try to make my own Christmas cards when I can, and I PLANNED to do homemade again this year, but years like this last year full of issues sometimes finds me sending out box cards.

A local store carries boxed cards that are really nice quality, pretty cute and super affordable.  I’m bound and determined that I WILL do homemade again soon 😀

I did try an annual letter a few times, but ended up in just doing a few paragraphs eventually hitting the highlights from throughout the year since.

CARMELITAS COOKIE BARS ~ BLOG 365.335

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL COOKIE BARS
adapted from https://donuts2crumpets.com/2016/03/caramelitas.html

These are awesome cookie bars with deliciously gooey layers of buttery oats, rich chocolate and creamy caramel.

2 (11 ounce) bags of Kraft caramel ball bits OR 22 ounces creamy Werthers caramels
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups quick cooking oats
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 cups – 3 sticks melted butter
1/4 cup spiced rum
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 cups mini semi sweet chocolate chips

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Pour the rum over the raisins and let sit 10 minutes.

 

  • Melt the caramel bits and whipping cream together in a large saucepan over medium heat until smooth. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl mix together the oats, brown sugar, flour and baking soda until combined well.
  • Stir in the melted butter until you have a crumbly mixture.
  • Press half of the oat mixture in to a greased 9×13 pan.
  • Bake 15 minutes.
  • Drain raisins of excess rum, saving the rum for a yummy drink later.
  • Sprinkle the raisins and chocolate chips over the baked base.
  • Drizzle the caramel over the raisins and chocolate chips (they will be swimming in it.)
  • Crumble remaining oat mixture evenly over the caramel layer.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes more.
  • Let cool for AT LEAST 4 hours on a wire rack, but the longer, the better if you can. Try to leave them over night. You can eat them sooner (if you must) BUT be warned you will just have a gooey mess, not bars!

NOTE: I like to keep these in the refrigerator! These bars are even yummier cold in my opinion!

BLOGMAS 2023 ~ DAY 7 ~ CHRISTMAS MUSIC ~ BLOG 365.334

I’ve really been enjoying the 4 hour reel Sandra shared on Monday, but so many of the songs are so old and odd that I finally had to move on to some more contemporary tunes.

  • What are your favorite Christmas songs?
  • Do you have a regular playlist? I do! I still use a CD player with my disc changer and leave it on shuffle if I’m working at home. 😀

I’m all over the place with Christmas music – it really depends on the day, the occasion, my mood, what food we’re eating, are we at home or listening on the radio? – there are just sooooooooo many factors!

BUT, I do like to wait until at least the day after Thanksgiving!

I LOVE so many of the old standards, but I also love a country Christmas and Mannheim Steamroller. I also LOVE Christmas carolers, not that you see many these days. I was even part of the hand bell choir at church for Christmas programs many years ago.

As for some of MY favorite songs I have a few that top the list, including a few newer artists:

  • It’s Beginning to Look A Lot like Christmas
  • Silent Night
  • White Christmas
  • Jingle Bell Rock
  • Last Christmas 
  • Born on Christmas Day
  • Winter Wonderland
  • Frosty the Snowman
  • Little Drummer Boy the version with Bing Crosby and David Bowie
  • The Twelve Days of Christmas
  • Deck the Halls
  • Baby It’s Cold Outside
  • Hard Candy Christmas
  • Come All Ye Faithful
  • It Came upon a Midnight Clear
  • We three Kings of Orient
  • Joy to the World
  • Rudolph the Reindeer
  • Do You Hear What I Hear
  • The Most Wonderful Time of Year
  • It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas
  • Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
  • This Christmas by PJ Morton
  • Oh Santa by Mariah Carey
  • Christmas on the Square by Dolly Parton
  • Carol of the Bells by Lindsey Stirling
  • Believe by Josh Groban
  • Underneath the Tree by Kelly Clarkson
  • Merry Christmas Baby by Hunter Hayes

BLOGMAS 2023 ~ DAY 6 CHRISTMAS MOVIES ~ BLOG 365.333B

Today’s category is always an easy one for me. It’s also one that really doesn’t change much from year to year. UNTIL this year! This year I decided to make it my mission to find and tape the best Christmas movies from the 1940’s.
My list for this year’s search is:
  • 3 Godfathers (1948) with John Wayne
  • The Bishop’s Wife (1947) with Cary Grant and Loretta Young
  • It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) with Jimmy Stewart
  • Christmas in Connecticut (1945) with Barbara Stanwyck (though she is NOT my favorite)
  • Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) with Judy Garland
  • Holiday Affair (1949) Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh
  • Cover Up (1949)
  • Shop Around the Corner (1940) with Jimmy Stewart
  • Remember the Night (1940) with Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck
  • I’ll Be Seeing You (1944) with Ginger Rogers and Joseph Cotten
  • It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947) with Don Defore, Gale Storm and Alan Hale Jr. (the Skipper on Gilligan’s Island)

BTW Die Hard IS a Christmas movie!

I start taping Christmas movies on Hallmark as soon as they air so I can watch them ALL year long. I’m a sucker for a happy ending and let’s face it, Christmas movies have happy endings.

It’s a toss up for me about whether White Christmas with Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Vera Ellen and Danny Kaye or It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart, Lionel Barrymore and Donna Reed is my absolute favorite, but I think I’m leaning towards It’s a Wonderful life!
Which Miracle on 34th street version (the original with Natalie Wood or the remake with Richard Attenborough) is the best? BOTH versions of course!
The Santa Clause with Tim Allen quickly became a favorite – who could resist visiting the North Pole every year?
Now Home Alone is just silly, as is Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase but, they never fail to make me laugh! A new favorite is the Christmas Chronicles with Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn.