This week I am
putting up my Christmas village on top of the book case in the TV
room. It has a Christmas tree and I don't want to put up a real tree,
and have to take it down later. I love putting the lights on at night
and seeing them shine through the buildings. ( this was a gift from
Jack's sister, he brought it to me, and said, my sister wanted you to
get this... she had paid $1 at a garage sale for the whole set! Years
before I had wanted one but they were far to expensive for me.
I also have a
wreath that I will hang on the front door on Dec. 1 ( my daughter
made it for me many years ago, and I hang it every year.)
For baking I
will make cookies for the cookie exchange, and a couple of batches
for company coming. I love the cookie exchange and all the ladies
that come to it. It is one of the highlights of my Christmas, also
love our 1 Craft Saturday when we meet and make floral arrangements (
about 1/2 the same ladies attend and then a few others. Dumb me, took
me years to figure out I was the only one there that wasn't related
to one family, and they adopted me! LOL) So it is a Family get
together, luncheon spread you just help yourself when ever you like
to the goodies ( of course we all take something good to eat ;), but
you have to eat anyway and it is so much fun to visit and do an old
fashioned work bee,making your own and helping everyone else... and
them helping you too.) That will be my silver and white Christmas
arrangements.
For Christmas
dinner, I already have 1 turkey ( about 12 lbs, a little over) that
will give us a good bit of turkey and stock later for soups). I got a
couple of tins of Cranberry sauce a couple of weeks ago at the
scratch and dent store (no scratches or dents and they are ocean
spray brand.) My daughter left an extra box of stuffing for us, so
will use that for stuffing this year ( I usually make my own from
what I have on hand, but her stuffing at Thanksgiving was very good
so I will do the same). Of course I will have to do some onions and
celery in the fry pan to sweat and add to whatever the mix is... and
a few fine chopped mushrooms ??? We have to also have our mashed
potatoes, and mashed turnips. and I think Brussels sprouts. Lots of
gravy. I'm not going to make salad. We won't eat nearly all of the
above, but I also will only have to heat and eat for at least the
next 3 days! And we love that!
Somewhere in
here too I will go with Gege and hear the Christmas story at Church,
and I hope see a few of the lights in town
What are your
plans? Will you have family and friends? Do you have any simple
things you do or make? Do you go away for Christmas to visit family
and get into the rush of Christmas? Do you go away someplace warm and
"get away" from Christmas? I love to hear what people are
planning and doing. What is special for you, I mean what makes it
Christmas , or gives you the feeling of it's Christmas? Is it snow?
Or memories of 1 extra special Christmas? Have you ever been stuck
someplace and couldn't be home for Christmas? Is Christmas a time of
bad memories and you'd just as soon forget the day?
I have some
wonderful memories. Like when I was 3 and living in Vancouver. It
snowed Christmas Eve, When I got up Christmas Morning I looked out
the living room window and down on the neighbours roof ( we lived on
one of the hills) and there were 2 lines that went from the chimney
to the edge of the roof and little marks all around them. You
couldn't tell me there was no Santa , I saw his sleigh marks and the
deer feet marks. .... ( Funny now that I'm older the telephone lines
seem to make the same marks.... but of course that is just a
coincidence).
When I was 9 to
10 years old.... and thought of Santa different ....We had a friend
of Santa's who used to stay with us and work at the store in town. He
played Santa, and looked just like him. Anyway he and Santa were very
good friends and he gave all the information he got all day to
Santa's Elves and they worked hard to make sure everyone got what
they deserved. He brought me home licorice all sorts every Friday!
Oh, what a treat, I've never forgot.
Also about this
time we got our first TV! An old black and white, And come Christmas
there was Scrooge! And a black and white 12 days of Christmas! Later
more and more Christmas movies
Anyway, what do
you remember, what made your special Christmases. My Grandma came and
later lived with us. That was extra special. Some of you come from
other countries, what is special to you? Do you carry on any special
treats, or traditions?
A few other
things I was thinking about. We had neighbours at one time, they had
the most beautiful Christmas tree. It was probably over decorated (
but I loved it) but what made it so very, very special was the
bubbling, Christmas light candles. I just loved looking at that
tree, it was very full ( fat) and had lots and lots of tinsel, and
glass painted ornaments. It is the tree that I hold all other trees
to in a Magical, beautiful tree, and none has come close in over 50
years since I saw that tree. I have since been to several places
where you go and look at Christmas trees, some you can bid on to buy,
some you just vote on, and many are beautiful, but none has matched
that tree.
When we moved
here in the Kootenays, our neighbour took us for a horse drawn sleigh
ride, up the Goat river on the road where cars and trucks usually go,
but there was so much snow they hadn't ploughed that forest road and
it was just beautiful. Their Son and Daughter-in-Law went in their
Dad's larger sleigh with Her Mom and Dad, and the two sleighs went on a very nice ride.
It was so quiet, and beautiful. A memory to cherish for sure. down the way we stopped and made a small fire and made a pot of coffee before we headed back. Memories like that are to be cherrished.
Also years ago I was at Niagra Falls over Christmas and New Years. It was a cold day and the ice from the falls was everywhere, on the trees and fences. It gave it such a beautiful fairy land look ( slippery for sure!) . But I check to see photo's of the falls since just to see that beauty created from frozen water with lights shinning and splitting and sparkling all over!
I'm sure in the next few weeks I will have more memories and recipies and thoughts to post. Today I recieved a recipe that I think is one my Mother used to make when I was growing up. She made it into a roll and cooled it in the fridge and cut rounds out and baked them. But this sounds like the right ingredients.
Memories
of Scotch Shortbread
Could
it be a recipe like this? This is a recipe I have had for many years.
It came with a bunch of recipes from My Gram but no clue where it
came from...
Shortbread
Cookies:
3
C flour
1
C potato flour
1
lb butter
1
C icing sugar
Method:
Cream
butter & icing sugar.
Mix
2 flours together then add the butter mixture.
Mix
well, roll out and cut your cookies.
Bake
300 F for 20 minutes, don’t over bake.
So now it is here and I hope will survive many more years. Mom got it in a cookbook when she got married in 1940! And now perhaps it will give many more people good Christmas Memories.
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