Category: BLOG 365

Usually the holiday season is an endless list of tasks and errands. Christmas Eve is usually at our house and then Christmas Day many times too. The last several years though the holiday season has been quiet, many times too quiet. This year will also be quiet, but Santa will still be making his rounds for the little ones.

While there are family and even cultural traditions for Christmas menus, we try and vary it to OUR own tastes each year. Sometimes that is also dependent on regional availability of the specialty items needed to create those menus.

This year with it just being the 2 of us, we’re really making a super simple “trimmed” down menu. I’ve been searching for the fig jam and finally found a jar, the second to the last one in the whole area from what I can tell. The butcher is even cutting me an extra small prime rib 😀 but there will be enough yummy pieces leftover for the New Year’s black eyed pea chili.

When does your family open their presents? Christmas Eve, Christmas Day – different times based on which side of the family?

This category has changed a lot over the years for me as I have gotten older and had my own family. Being a military family on a tight budget I’ve always  in the past started shopping early (like in January) to work everything in that we wanted to do so that it fit into our tight budget. It just became a habit 😀

But, my family traditions as a kid were of a BIG Christmas eve open with lots of family around. That carried on through college, but as we (cousins) all got older and started careers with odd work hours and began getting married with families of our own, our grandparents passed on, some of us moved away, blended families (each with their own traditions) were formed, etc… getting together for both Christmas Eve AND Christmas Day became harder and harder to do. 

Eventually Christmas eve became a MUCH smaller event for mainly immediate family. We would have a small dinner and open our gifts to each other that night. Christmas morning was for being at our respective homes with our own kids opening presents and then the larger family get together much later on Christmas day for dinner at just one place, usually my grandparent’s or parent’s house and then eventually it was at our house after my dad passed away.

These days with everyone all over the country, both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are mainly just hubby and I with LOTS of phone calls to family and friends and we open our gifts on Christmas morning.

We usually attend the Christmas party at the Eagles which this year has been blended into a Christmas Dance that I’m in the kitchen for a special meal of Tri-tip sandwiches made by our president with sides of homemade baked beans and pasta salad made by my girlfriend and I (we’re making them today in fact 😀 Hubby and will deliver the neighbor plates and gifts to friends on Christmas Eve. 😀

I’m a Virgo and as such tend to make lists and be over-prepared as a general rule.  So, the only last minute gifts I tend to need are a couple extras for those unexpected visits that come up like a surprise gift from a neighbor.

A few of the “things” I keep on hand (with a festive ribbon already tied to them) for those occasions are:

• Coffee gift cards
• Homemade JARS such as the Patchwork Bean Soup, Rice Pilaf or Holiday Nut Bread mixes like I did this year
• Soft, comfy lap blankets
• Homemade applesauce
• Homemade jam
• And closer to the actual day a plate full of homemade goodies

Homemade, store bought, gift cards… What do you prefer?  What are your thoughts about each? I do buy gifts and have even done gifts cards in a pinch, but prefer to not do gift cards as a general rule because they just aren’t personal enough for me.

Over the years I have made everything, and I do mean everything at one time or another to create a handmade Christmas. I’ve made rolls and rolls of butcher paper into wrapping paper, cut grocery bags into handmade tags, made enough fudge, cinnamon rolls, candies and cookies to feed a small country, as well as jams, jellies, soup mixes and Snowman soup!

My award winning jams were requested one year at the Church Christmas Boutique and I ended up selling there for another 10 years before we moved.  Now I make just enough for gifts for neighbors and family.  I started making Snowman Soup about 20 years ago for the girl scouts and it was a HUGE seller at our gift wrap days and later for the Church Boutique.

Several years ago I missed the big Christmas Crafts Festival at the fairgrounds because of an ice storm, but I’ve tried to be at every one since! Then it didn’t happen a couple years because of the pandemic. This year was the 50th annual year. I normally go on Friday because there are fewer people, but we had a HUGE storm that weekend and everyone knew it was coming so I think they ALL went on Friday! It wasn’t as enjoyable as in years past though. LOL that didn’t stop me from getting much of my Christmas shopping done. 

For the things I don’t make myself, I am at least buying from local crafters.

As for receiving, I love ANYTHING handmade.  I’m a BIG believer that it’s the thought that counts and that caring action ALWAYS touches my heart though I’m partial to cotton crocheted dishcloths, my brothers photographs, my mom’s quilted totes and ANYTHING food.

I only have a couple baskets left to wrap of the homemade jars and goodies and WILL finish today so that everything can be distributed Saturday and Sunday 😀

Here are the recipes for what I’ve made this year. They are super simple to make and really tasty.

• In a quart mason jar layer the ingredients in the order above for the best color. Gently bump the jar periodically to settle the ingredients as you go.
• Add a gift tag and colorful ribbon with instructions for preparing the soup.

When making the Holiday Nut Bread be sure to pack the ingredients as tightly as possible. These fill the jar COMPLETELY!

HOLIDAY NUT BREAD – makes 1 quart

1/3 cup PACKED brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chopped apricots** (see note)

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

• Add brown sugar to quart jar and press in as firmly as possible.
• Add walnuts, pressing firmly.
• Add sugar.
• Add dried fruit, pressing gently.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Layer flour mixture over the fruit, gently bumping down the jar to settle the ingredients.
• Seal with lid
• Add a gift tag and colorful ribbon with instructions for preparing.
  

• Divide rice evenly into 5 pint mason jars.
• Whisk together the seasonings.
• Divide seasonings evenly into the top of the pint jars.
• Add a gift tag and colorful ribbon with instructions for preparing.