Tag: BLOGMAS

BLOGMAS 2024 ~ day 17 ~ LAST MINUTE / HOMEMADE GIFTS ~ BLOG 366.350B

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 Harvest Soup or Brownie mixes I did this past year
  • Soft, comfy lap blankets
  • Homemade applesauce
  • Homemade jam
  • And closer to the actual day a plate full of homemade goodies

Here are a couple of recipes I make most years that are great to have around and NEVER, EVER go to waste whether they are given as gifts or eaten in house LOL 😀

CARAMEL BUTTERSCOTCH FUDGE
1 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1 1/4 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup Kraft caramel bits
14 ounces Eagle-Brand sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup Fisher’s Cinnamon Pecans
  • Line a 9×9 pan with heavy duty foil leaving enough foil overhanging the edges to use as handle to lift the foil out of the pan after the fudge has set.
  • Using a double boiler over medium heat melt the chips, caramel bits and condensed milk together until smooth.
  • Immediately pour into the foil lined pan.
  • Top with pecans using a piece of wax paper to press the pecans slightly into the fudge.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup milk chocolate chips
14 ounces Eagle-Brand sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup Crushed Honey Roasted Peanuts or walnuts

  • Line a 9×9 pan with heavy duty foil leaving enough foil overhanging the edges to use as handle to lift the foil out of the pan after the fudge has set.
  • Using a double boiler over medium heat melt the chips and condensed milk together until smooth.
  • Immediately pour into the foil lined pan.
  • Top with peanut pieces using a piece of wax paper to press the pecans slightly into the fudge.

 

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 them there for another 10 years before we moved from that area.  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 public 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. Last 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. I chose not to go this year, but did do many local mom and pop local vendors instead as well as several smaller craft festivals.
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 the jars I made last year. They are super simple to make and really tasty.
PATCHWORK BEAN SOUP – This recipe make 5 quarts.
1/2 cup black eyed peas
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup split green peas
1/2 cup red beans
1/2 cup split yellow peas
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup great northern beans
3 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 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.
NOTE: I like to use a combination of dried apricots, golden raisins, craisins and dried cherries, but you could use any combination or single fruit you like according to your flavor preferences.
RICE PILAF – makes 5 pints
9 cups long grain rice
3/4 cup Parsley
3 tablespoons dried onion
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 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.

 

BLOGMAS 2022 ~ day 16 ~ STOCKINGS & WISH LISTS ~ BLOG 366.349B

For me, stuffing stockings is one of my favorite things to do. I’m always on the look out for special little items that I tuck away ALL year long waiting for just this day.

Since the kids are grown, hubby gets my FULL attention and he hates it 😀 (sort of) because he says he isn’t as good at reciprocating the stocking process. But, he tries hard and is getting better at it every year. EVERY year though he complains about having to actually make things ‘fit’ into something stocking shaped. So, we bought new “bag” style stockings.

We have stopped “BIG” presents to each other so the stocking is our “main” or “BIG” present. We did convert to these larger “bag” stockings and we individually wrap the presents inside the “stocking” for more fun. I found these cute bags at Marshalls a couple years ago. These bags are soooooo much easier!!This year though hubby’s “BIG” present came in the form of an idea and project from a friend who is also a neighbor and they are helping me with a scavenger hunt to their house where he will eventually find the project. 😀
In the past I donated most of our leftover wrapping resources to our local Eagles Lodge for their charitable endeavors and the float they decorated for the parade. So, it was fun to pick out some new wrapping papers this year.

These are stocking stuffer pictures are from the last few years.

As for a WISH list, it gets smaller every year – we really do NOT need anything!

 

BLOAGMAS 2024 ~ day 15 ~ FAVORITE CHRISTMAS RECIPES & MENUS ~ BLOG 366.348B

This is another ALWAYS easy topic for me. The one thing I am noticing as I type each entry every year is that by doing this, I am remembering so many silly stories and anecdotes about aunts, uncles, cousins and such that keep bringing smiles to my face. Anecdotes that I had previously forgotten. These memories are part of what this season is all about to me.

I’d like to say that our table ALWAYS looks just like the one in the picture. Well Christmas day was usually close, but Christmas Eve we were  ALWAYS much more casual. One of my earlier memories is of a very warm Southern California Christmas Day, a backed up sink/garbage disposal that became a horrific mess of black gunk (I don’t think we ever had a holiday in that house where the garbage disposal didn’t have an issue of some sort) and transporting all of the already prepared food from my parent’s house to my grandparent’s house via my grandmother’s RED (kind of like a Christmas sleigh) Chevy station wagon (remember those?) while my uncle and I sat in the back keeping the food from toppling over. My uncle is quite sick now with pancreatic cancer so this has become a much fonder memory for me.

CHRISTMAS EVE – We served buffet style since this was the night we did most of the present opening and the adults didn’t want to spend all or really any of their time in the kitchen – in later years we would have it catered (so to speak – they prepared the food, we picked it up and displayed it) from Rattler’s BBQ.  We also began to use “FINE CHINA” as hubs calls it aka as decorated paper plates, bowls and napkins. Paper plates have become so expensive though!!!! I also don’t mind washing my “real dishes!

  • Sandwich makings – roast beef, ham, cheeses
  • Potato Salad
  • See’s Candy boxes
  • Wintergreen ribbon candy
  • Chocolate covered cherries

CHRISTMAS DAY – This is where we dug out the REAL fine china and crystal as well as the silver and cloth napkins.  I loved setting the table for this meal. There were always enough people that we had a KID’S table too.  I hated the kid’s table – all the good stuff was sitting at the grown-up’s table. These days it also gives me the opportunity to use my Chirstmas china.

  • Roast Turkey, Baked Ham or Roast Beef
  • Daddy’s Stuffing – now recreated from scratch to taste virtually the same as my Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing
  • Mashed Potatoes from scratch – it was these potato peels that were one of the biggest garbage disposal problems
  • Giblet Gravy
  • Cranberry Sauce – my family always used Ocean Spray from a can but nowadays we make my homemade sauce ALWAYS  – Cranberry Sauce
  • Baked Ham – in later years it was always HONEYBAKED HAM and I loved making Split Pea soup with the left over bone.
  • Glazed Carrots
  • Green Bean Casserole (THEN) Brussels Sprouts Casserole (NOW) 😀
  • Gran’s cranberry salad – she’d make two, one for mom and aunt Liz and one for everyone else.
  • Rolls and butter
  • Traditional pies like pumpkin, Cherry and as well as Cherry Pineapple Dump Cake.
  • See’s Candies

When we go to my SIL’s family for Christmas (or any other big family get together)  we do Hor’deouvres style.  The family is so big that over the years we have found that if each person brings an hor’deouvre to feed 10+ people that we can make a HUGE feast out of it.  We just serve it buffet style (skipping the sit down meal) and mingle and play – we ALWAYS have the best time.

CINNAMON BUN CUPCAKES
CUPCAKES
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 LARGE eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons PURE vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream

  • Pre-heat oven to 350°.
  • Line cupcake tins with papers.
  • Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
  • Whisk eggs for about 1 minute. They will become frothy and lightened in color.
  • Add oil and whisk again until combined.
  • Add sugar and whisk for about 1 minute.
  • Add vanilla extract.
  • Add sour cream to the batter, whisking until combined
  • Now add the sifted dry ingredients to the bowl and whisk gently. Whisk batter until JUST until combined. DO NOT OVERMIX!

CINNAMON SWIRL
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar

  • Make the Cinnamon Swirl: mix 1 1/2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons of white sugar. Set aside.

ASSEMBLY

  • Now start by pouring about 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter on the bottom of each cupcake tin.
  • Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the Cinnamon Swirl mixture.
  • Top with another heaping tablespoon of batter.
  • Now, sprinkle another 1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon Swirl mixture over batter.
  • Top with another heaping tablespoon of batter.
  • Using a toothpick, swirl the batter a few times to create a swirl effect.
  • Top already swirled cupcakes with one final 1/2 teaspoon of the Cinnamon Swirl mixture.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, checking halfway to rotate pans.
  • Remove from the oven once cupcakes are lightly golden brown and puffed.
  • Cool 10 minutes.

GLAZE
+/- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
+/- 2 tablespoons milk

  • Mix powdered sugar and milk together.

NOTES: There are many factors that will affect your glaze consistency. The brand of sugar you use, whether you use a scale or a measuring cup… If your glaze is too thin and runny, add more sifted powdered sugar and test for consistency again. If the glaze is too thick and not spreading, add a very, very small amount (1 teaspoon) of milk at a time, until you achieve your desired consistency. You just want this to be a very thing glazing.

GRASSHOPPER BROWNIES
11 ounce package dark chocolate pieces
1/2 cup butter
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
Creme-de-Menthe Filling (BELOW)
Dark Chocolate Ganache (BELOW)

  • In a medium saucepan, melt and stir 4 ounces (3/4 cup) of the dark chocolate pieces, butter, and the unsweetened chocolate over low heat.
  • Remove from heat; cool.
  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Line a 13x9x2-inch baking pan with foil, extending the foil over the edges of the pan. Grease foil; set aside.
  • Stir sugar into the cooled chocolate mixture in saucepan.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon JUST until combined.
  • Stir in vanilla.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring just until combined.
  • Stir in the remaining 7 ounces (1-1/2 cups) dark chocolate pieces. Spread batter evenly in the prepared pan.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
  • Spread Creme-de-Menthe Filling over cooled brownies.
  • Place uncut brownies in the refrigerator while preparing the Dark Chocolate Ganache.
  • Spread slightly cooled Dark Chocolate Ganache over Creme de Menthe Filling, spreading to the edges with a spatula.
  • Cover and chill about 1 hour or until set. Using the edges of the foil, lift the uncut brownies out of the pan. Cut into bars.
  • Place brownies in a single layer in an airtight container; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

CREME-DE-MENTHE FILLING
3 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons GREEN creme de menthe
Milk (optional)

  • In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and butter.
  • Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.
  • Gradually beat in 1 cup of the powdered sugar.
  • Beat in creme-de-menthe.
  • Gradually beat in remaining powdered sugar. If necessary beat in 1 tablespoon of additional milk to make the filling slightly thicker than a frosting

CHOCOLATE GANACHE
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 11 ounce package dark chocolate pieces

  • In a medium saucepan, bring whipping cream JUST to boiling over medium-high heat.
  • Remove from heat.
  • Add dark chocolate pieces (do not stir).
  • Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth.
  • Cool for 15 minutes.
  • Pour over brownies and QUICKLY spread evenly.

NOTE: You can substitute 2 tablespoons milk, 1/2 teaspoon mint extract, and several drops of green food coloring for the GREEN Creme-de-menthe.

Here are some of my FAVORITE RECIPE LINKS to make for a crowd. They make some pretty impressive foods and drinks for a buffet table or neighbor gift plates.

BLOGMAS 2024 ~ day 14 ~ BIG TO DO, QUIET, or TRAVEL CHRISTMAS PLANS ~ BLOG 366.347B

Do you have plans for a quiet Christmas or do a BIG gathering with family and friends planned or are you traveling over the holiday to somewhere special this year? Has the way you celebrate changed over the past few years since COVID?

Yet AGAIN there is another new COVID and FLU strain this year as well as viral meningitis going around that concerns me a bit. I have several neighbors who went to BIG gatherings for Thanksgiving and now have COVID or the FLU 🙁 so it is still a concern for me as an immunocompromised person.

We’ve always been pretty much homebodies during the holidays. Then again, we have always lived fairly close to family so traveling was only day trips or short distances. Personally, I cannot fathom traveling through an airport or train station with BIG crowds during the holidays even before the pandemic. The one time we did travel over the holidays, we made a BIG trip out of it leaving well before the holiday and going home long after it.

When I was a kid one of my favorite traditions was that we did a BIG family get together with a buffet of food and opening our family presents on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, after my dad passed, much of this tradition fell by the wayside.

Then on Christmas Day we did Christmas morning at our respective homes with “Santa” gifts and just the immediate family. Then we would do a BIG turkey with all the trimmings including my dad’s old fashioned stuffing and giblet gravy with the entire family as well as extended family and friends, which included crazy Aunt Louise and Uncle Herb.

Christmases for us now are MUCH, MUCH smaller and our newest tradition in the last several years is watching our favorite traditional Christmas movies like It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street as well as Hallmark Christmas movies and dreaming about moving to every small town depicted in them, kind of like Stars Hollow from the Gilmore Girls. We loved that show!

This year again we will be having a quiet Christmas with just the two of us. There are several Christmas events leading up to Christmas we will be participating in though. We are also hoping some friends will be able to join us for New Years, but there are no plans set in stone yet.

So what are your plans this year?

BLOGMAS 2024 ~ day 13 ~ REAL or ARTIFICIAL TREES ~ BLOG 366.346B

Before I start this post, let me just say THESE TREES ARE JUST WRONG!!!! I can’t remember the name of the store, but it was in Texas the first time we were there taking care of my aunt. When I was quite young my folks had a hand me down tree from my grandparent that was silver tinsel and a color wheel. Even as a young child I HATED that tree!

And I love how a neighboring town always does their tree right in the middle of main street. Now on to our trees.  How I decorate each year changes based on my mood, weather, where we are living, etc… so it will never be the same twice!
Our town went to more modern trees several years ago and then they were moved to a new location on the new stage after the wind storm a couple years ago caught them on fire. They are now secured by cables so the wind is no longer a problem.

This is one of those categories that should be easy, but it’s a bit complicated for us. We USUALLY had a REAL tree… until we didn’t. 😀

Several years back hubby’s National Guard unit was put on alert one September and by Thanksgiving they were shipping out to IRAQ. They left sunny southern California and headed to Washington to be integrated into the Army, which for hubby was easy because he had already served in the Army and then joined the National Guard so it was like going home for him.

I was lucky because in the end he was eventually named the Rear Detachment Commander and sent back home (mostly) to man the Armory and guys that remained behind for one reason or another.

But, I digress. While he was gone I needed to put up the tree and just couldn’t talk myself into doing a real tree by myself. So, I purchased a really nice artificial one. I put it up and decorated it that year and the next while he was still deployed. The following year we went back to a real tree. The year after that we moved to the north woods and REALLY enjoyed live trees again for several years.

During that time the artificial tree stayed boxed up in the barn. When we were in Texas after that, live trees were exorbitantly priced so we used the artificial tree again for a couple years. When we came back to the Pacific North West we went back to live trees until the year of the COVID pandemic and the local tree farm closed early leaving us live treeLESS so we pulled out the artificial tree once again.

LOL this is my long winded way of asking you if you can tell the difference between a few of the trees from the past few years? Which ones are real and which ones are artificial?  😀

Live or artificial doesn’t matter to us as much anymore – being decorated with all the sentimental ornaments is what makes either tree special. A LIVE tree smells good, but honestly a nice artificial tree is easier and a whole lot less mess in the long run. We do buy LIVE wreaths for the proch! Sadly, our local tree farm is up for sale (every year) and then to make matters worse, they had a devastating fire this year in the wreath and flocking barmn the day after we bought our wreaths. While whoever buys it will probably keep it as a tree farm, there’s no guarantee it will remain the same as we know it. 🙁

 

BLOGMAS 2024 ~ day 12 ~ ADVENT CALENDARS ~ BLOG 366.345B

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. Beginning the Church’s liturgical year, Advent (from, “ad-venire” in Latin or “to come to”) is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas. Advent runs December 1st – December 24th this year.

This year the first Sunday was December 1, the second is December 8, and the third one will be the 15th. The third one is also known as Gaudette Sunday and is a time of rejoicing that the fast is almost over. The fourth Sunday will be December 22nd with advent ending on December 24th.

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 2024 ~ DAY 11 ~ DECORATIONS/ORNAMENTS ~ BLOG 366.344B

Hubby says I never met a Christmas decoration or ornament I didn’t like. He’s NOT wrong, but I am discerning in my tastes. He would also tell you that our tree is going to collapse under the weight of all of the sentimental and treasured ornaments. 😀 What he forgets is that MOST of our family has made me the “safety deposit box” for all things nostalgic not to mention all of our own treasures from over the years. This year I have really cut back though and gone for super simple. That said, I recently received a message from my previous SIL who it turns out has some handmade lace ornaments that my grandmother made. My brother had told her to keep them, but she said she doesn’t feel right about it and is sending them back to me.

One of my favorite shows was THE BIG BANG THEORY which always makes me laugh as I picture Penny asking about Sheldon’s Ornament Placement Template. LOL There is no such thing as a proper way to place an ornament in our house 🙂 We believe in the more the merrier theory.

The ornaments below are some of our homemade bulbs.  Several years ago I made quite a few and then did them with my girl scout troop also. Hubby liked them so well that we have now donated all our store bought bulbs and made MORE than enough of these for the entire tree and then some.

I absolutely adore is my Scentsy nativity.

I do have MANY favorite indoor decorations. Hubby and I agree on outdoor decorations and that he’s MOSTLY in charge of location. Outdoor decorations are mostly generic and none that are very sentimental, but indoor decorations are mainly hand me downs and super sentimental so I am more particular about them AND their placement.

I am seriously paring down my decorations and ornaments each year. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but a few things no longer hold an appeal for me. LOL For example, hubby and I decided that the “blow ups” that we bought for the munchkins next door are going to go away after this year for a couple of reasons.

  • Here in the Pacific North West we get a lot of rain and snow during the holidays making them a pain in the neck.
  • We also get a lot of wind during December making them a pain in the neck requiring extra securing to keep them from taking flight.
  • After they go down at night they sometimes end up in strange positions so they don’t always want to return to their upright positions readily without going out to help them the next day, and often that is in the rain or snow.
  • The extension cords are all over the yard and have to be moved to do yard work.
  • PLUS I am so tired of listening to them hum all the time.

So, outside decorations are being streamlined big time! That said, I did buy a new set of adorable wooden trees that a friend’s SIL is making. I’ve strung them with lights and they are in my entry way.

What about you? Do you have favorite decorations and ornaments? Are they hand me downs from family?

BLOGMAS 2024 ~ day 10 ~ FAVORITE FAMILY TRADITIONS ~ BLOG 366.343B

This has always been a really hard category for me.  I LOVE Christmas!  There is nothing about this season I don’t like short of maybe crowds of rude people and Black Friday which I don’t participate in, at least not in the physical presence. My extent of Black Friday shopping is a bit of Amazon shopping from the couch.

Sometimes seeing things through someone else’s eyes can give the same old traditions new meaning and in the long run that can also make the favorite traditions and the memories mean that much more.

If I had to pick just one tradition though, it would be putting up the tree as a family while eating leftover turkey (from Thanksgiving) sandwiches. When I was a kid we usually put our tree up the day after Thanksgiving and would leave it until at least Kings Day, the Epiphany on January 6th.

Hubby and I USUALLY still do that and for that reason we like to go cut our own tree so it’s fresh and lasts the entire time. I use an apple cider/sugar mix that keeps the sap from forming on the cut area and keeps the water cool and full. We were going to have a live tree this year,but this year we broke with tradition because of a fire at our local tree farm and so we used the artificial tree 🙁 Fortunately, the tree farm was able to open again for trees only, but the timing didn’t line up for us.

When I was a kid we did a BIG family get together with a HUGE buffet of fun food and we opened our family presents on Christmas Eve. My cousins and I were recently reminiscing about some of those holidays and LOL how horrible our wardrobes were back then. Thankfully, I’m not in the top picture because I remember what I was wearing! But I love my brother’s plaid pants and Monica’s floral blouse. If you don’t hear from me for a few days I’m SURE it’s because one them found me after seeing that I posted this picture LOL 😀😀FORTUNATELY, My mom retired that tablecloth finally, unfortunately it was only a couple years back! I never did like it so that made me very happy!

Then on Christmas Day we would do Christmas morning and “Santa” with just the immediate family followed by a BIG turkey dinner with all the trimmings including my dad’s stuffing and giblet gravy with ALL the family as well as extended family, which included crazy Aunt Louise and Uncle Herb. I replicated dad’s stuffing recipe a few years ago (Oatnut Sourdough Herb Dressing) and that is now a MUST TRADITION for the Thanksgiving and Christmas meals no matter what the protein is.

Hubby reminded me recently that a fun tradition we did when our youngest was still at home was have birthday cake for Christmas morning breakfast. LOL I didn’t really consider this a “Christmas” tradition so have never really talked about it. Eric’s birthday is on Christmas. My cousin’s is on Christmas Eve and I grew up watching her feel slighted because so many people would round her birthday and Christmas into one big ball. After we grew up I would send her birthday present wrapped in bright colorful paper in October 😀 She always knew she could open it early and it made her feel better. In that same tradition I would make Eric a birthday cake for breakfast that didn’t resemble Christmas in any way and we would start Christmas morning with birthday and then transition into Christmas around the tree.

But, what was is just that, WAS so our newest tradition in the last several years is watching Christmas movies, just the two of us and dreaming about moving to every small town depicted in them, kind of like Stars Hollow from the Gilmore Girls.  We loved that show!

BLOGMAS 2024 ~ day 9 ~ Christmas Markets & Fairs ~ BLOG 366.342B

I’ve been to a few local Holiday fairs and will go to another one next Friday, but I skipped the big county one yesterday. It’s been so repetitive the past couple years and I don’t really “need” anything and sadly last year was quite disappointing with a lot of repetitive vendors and many with not so hand crafted items. 🙁

Most of my shopping this year has revolved around shopping for my Eagles group who has again adopted some local foster kids. I’m chairwoman this year and I’m afraid a few of the ladies are probably not as happy with me because I told the coordinator we would help with the teenagers. The teenagers hold a special place in my heart because they are the most forgotten in programs like these. I am also making them each stockings to add in some fun items that aren’t on their needs lists. I’m also including things like toothbrushes and hand lotions.

CNN.com has a great article about the 17 BEST Christmas Markets around the world.

If only I could travel to them all, but that just isn’t in the cards for me so I watch them be featured in Hallmark Christmas movies and dream. I would LOVE to travel to those markets and fairs that have all of the town interactive, but the closest I come to that here is running into everyone I know at the local ones as well as the parade that is coming up on the 21st.

I do try and participate, as well as shop at the markets and fairs locally around me. And by around me I mean within 100 miles or so for the most part.

A girlfriend and I traveled 225 miles last year for the best one we had been to in awhile. It was held at a large Fairgrounds and was in 3 separate buildings with vendor trailers peppered in between the buildings. We were fortunate that day that it was also beautiful weather. It was so fruitful that we made a couple trips back to the car to unload ourselves of bags. We tried it again this year, but it just wasn’t the same. Unfortunately, it had become so much like our local one.

I certainly do my part to shop local and not have everything delivered by Amazon or buy from discount stores. Unfortunately, many of the things I was hoping to purchase as gifts just weren’t available this year from the same vendors or the vendors I was hoping for have closed up shop.

BLOGMAS ~ day 7 ~ CHRISTMAS MUSIC ~ 366.340B

I really enjoyed the 4 hour reel Sandra shared last year, but so many of the songs are so old and odd that I finally had to move on to some more contemporary tunes. I never even thought to look it up again.

  • 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. Many years ago I was even part of the hand bell choir at church for Christmas programs.

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
  • Hark the Herald Angels
  • 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 2024 ~ day 5 ~ DECORATING ~ BLOG 366.338B

Another year has passed and the holidays are upon us again! A late Thanksgiving has put me a bit behind, but I vow to catch up this week 😀

I have to admit I’m one of those people who can’t wait to decorate and leave it up for longer than most. We do have a couple neighbors who fortunately feel the same way we do and the Friday after Thanksgiving had them out taking down the turkey blow-ups and decorating for Christmas. We too wait until the day after Thanksgiving to begin outside decorating.

 

We were at our favorite local Christmas tree farm when they opened the day after Thanksgiving to pick out 2 wreaths for the front porch. If you saw my Happy Homemaker Monday post you know that we were fortunate to get wreaths because they had a fire the next morning and lost their wreath and flocking building so will only have trees the rest of this season. Hubby is going to trade out the green light for another red later this week.

  • Are you a traditional or trendy decorator? I’m a traditional, sentimental decorator. I still have ornaments from when I was a kid and some of my grandparent’s things. We tend to have the same decorations year in and year out, but they may be in different places each year because I add a piece here or there and some even get donated or die by attrition. My ex-sister-in-law recently contacted me about returning some ornaments that my grandmother made that my brother didn’t want back which I thought was so sweet of her! I’m looking forward to having the ornaments back in the family.
  • Are you white lights or multi-colored? This category depends for me. Definitely multi-colored on the tree, but I have white on my sleigh. This year I’m adding some jingle bell garland to those white lights around the sleigh.
  • When do you decorate inside? PLEASE don’t laugh, but since COVID my tree has gone up at Halloween 😀 and stays up through AT LEAST King’s Day.
  • Outside? We wait until after Thanksgiving 😀
  • To Blow or NOT Blow? We’re yes on this category MOST of the time. Years with early snows or stormier than normal windy days we stray away from them. This year I just don’t want to “listen” to the constant hum so we’re building a different set-up with nativities.

Here are a couple of future ideas I’d like to try for outside:


In reality how I decorate each year changes based on my mood, weather, where we are living, etc… so it will never be the same twice! But, it will at least be the same components usually.

This is my Snowman Family arranged from 2 different years. They were so much fun to make out of second hand store finds. They were also a lot of work. I ended up only making two snowmen families, shipping one to a friend who lives in Florida and never sees snow 😀
We made candle yule logs for Advent craft night at church one year and they were a HUGE success and soooooooo easy to do.  The decorations below are a few of my all time favorites, several of which I’ve made over the years.
The ornaments below are some of our homemade bulbs.  Several years ago I made quite a few and then did them with my girl scout troop also.  Hubby liked them so well that we have now donated all our store bought bulbs and made enough of these for the entire tree.

My cousin that passed away in 2014 made the ornament below for me.  It will always be hung by my shooting stars in her honor even though I’m still mad at her for leaving the mess called A HOUSE FROM HELL for me to deal with.
And our favorite handmade ornament by Design Chick Creations.

BLOGMAS 2024 ~ CHILDHOOD & FAVORITE CHRISTMAS MEMORIES ~ DAY 4 ~ BLOG 366.337B

WOW there are so many! One of my earliest favorites was when I was 5 and I got my tea table and chairs – my uncle sure looked silly sitting at that table drinking tea with me 😀 I LOVED that table and planned to keep it forever eventually passing it down to my daughter, but when I was in college my dad gave it to my aunt who said it had only been on loan from her all those years 🙁 

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.In more recent years the memories are not about things, but more about times. There was an arctic storm a few years back that blew in and all of a sudden everything turned white. This was our first snowstorm of the season and just before Christmas.

Hubby made this for me to wake up to in the back yard before the snow got too bad.  The house across the street usually looked horrible, but NOT when it was under a blanket of snow.Unfortunately, being in a cul-de-sac, delivery trucks leave MANY tire tracks at this time of year to mar the beautiful snow cover.
The first day after he storm was absolutely gorgeous though!
The duck pond behind the neighborhood was truly a work of art.
Obviously we hadn’t gone anywhere – no tire tracks!
The fish ladder was like glass with the cold and ice.

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