Happy holidays from my mouse to your house
OK, OK ... I know ... looks more like a rat ... and you may not live in a house - let's not be picky about my one and only rhyme of the year ('01), here's the new: http://www.therealmartha.com/Holidaze02/index.htm. Speaking of rhymes - there's a cutie poem Rexanne did for Libby on her holiday page - http://members.aol.com/Libbyk9/LibT-Daymessage.index.html - includes gift suggestions and why this is so NOT the right time to add a new four-legged family member, on the other paw ... for someone living alone, could be just perfect. That old page did set off the memories, beware below!
Hope your holidays are swingin' right along. No matter what else happens, the best possible spirit is already set here. In fact, good vibes - the "real" thing - took over a few weeks ago. There's been no life-altering epiphany, just a simple snap-to, pay attention and appreciate why any one of us is here in the first place.
Last
Christmas we thought heroes wore sports uniforms;
Now we know real heroes wear police, firefighter and military uniforms.
What a wonder that priority shift - truly a gift to be able to recognize it as such.
We were all caught up in our own little worlds - whining about all the "things" we didn't have, keeping up with the neighbors, family pressure and obligations, stress at the office, too many taxes ...
Now we know freedom isn't free, and the picture is not about "me" - it's who else. Who needs help? No matter what little there may be to give. Even during the worst of holiday situations, be they financial or relationship problems, there will always be someone carrying a bigger load. Lending a hand to a stranger can't be beat for perspective and a lift from personal bummers.
Holiday blues and stress'll getcha, it has me. It's been a weird coupla years recently with no family around. Although, considering certain members of mine were setting dysfunction standards before most people ever heard that word, missing out on that circus is not all together a bad thing. Suffice to say ... blended yes, Brady no. I'll get to this year's cure in a sec, can't miss the chance to rat on my sister first. She, the older, led the innocent, perfectly angelic child, into a life a crime. One very oddly wrapped package was waiting under the tree for one of the brothers, simply too much to resist. Big disappointment dang it all, so ... after successfully covering our misdeed, we proceeded on to the next and so on. No tape or ribbon will stop me to this day! There you have it, confession is good for the soul. The razz op is a little gift for my nieces now - what else are aunties for?
Neither Bub or I have our own kids, but just in time for Christmas, now we have eight "adopted" soldiers. The "spirit" kicked in the night I fixed the first batch of goodies to send overseas with a bunch of other stuff, some useful, some silly, don't even remember what all it was now. I already knew how the killer cookie bars would go over. "Gone like the wind," locked that deal in good and tight. Now I'm saving the Sunday 'toons, whatever else looks interesting and I can worry about "my boys" just like any mom.
The lagniappe* was a card signed by all, and their K9** partners. Meet them here: http://www.therealmartha.com/WARK9/index.htm.
If you have not treated yourself to adopting your own service member, you're cheating yourself. I will share mine and there are several links on the page for finding other snail and e-addys. You don't have to send anything but a card or note to establish rewarding new friendships.
*Lagniappe means a little something extra, a bonus - like tinsel or candy canes on the tree - also, an unexpected surprise, a treat you did not anticipate. I thought the word was more a Tex-Mex usage, found several references to other Southern regions looking it up.
**As
to why I was wanted K9 and held out since day one ... frankly, I like dogs better than
most people. And I have the greatest respect for anyone lucky enough to be tuned in to the
communication it takes to work as a team.
I had the privilege of getting to know several police dogs when I worked at newspapers in
Texas and Arizona. I've since learned more about the different types of service dogs and
am constantly amazed at their abilities. Every time I'm able to publish something
positive, it reflects well on all animals and adds well-deserved respect to the human
view. Hopefully, all of which benefits humane education in general and helps the battle
against abuse and cruelty.
Most notable, mine-sniffing dogs are doing a job man can not do. Metal detectors miss plastic casings.
When you're counting heroes, reckon all those with their noses to the ground. Mine detecting is only one job those magnificent animals do. Search and rescue teams literally find the needle in the haystack - narcotics and bomb dogs save countless other lives in ways beyond our comprehension. Canine service to man, military, police or civilian is nothing less than awesome. Watch for more info straight from my experts (not the third- or 10th-hand, media half-imaginary mish-mash) on future pages.
http://www.lucianne.com/threads2.asp?artnum=160551
12/18/2001 11:14:01 AM: Marines at their base outside Kandahar on Tuesday raised a giant
U.S. flag that had flown over New York's ground zero and was scrawled with names of terror
victims and messages of vengeance and anguish. The flag, which was raised near the ruins
of the World Trade Center after the suicide attacks, was given to the Marines by the New
York Police Department with the wish that it be flown over Afghanistan.
Passing along a message from one of my favorite editors, JW Bubba, The Flamingo Times: I hope you all remember that not everyone has a home or a warm place to be this time of year, or any other. So remember to give generously to charities that help and feed those less fortunate than you are, even if it is some of your time, it all comes back to you, course ya know that don't ya. Don't forget the milk and cookies for Santa, that's real important. He has a lot of places to cover and not too long to do it in. Oh, almost forgot, you can track old St Nick online now: http://www.noradsanta.org
Keep an eye out for him!
And, a message to our service men and women overseas: I hope you're all staying warm and safe. I know how hard it is to be away from your family at this time of year. You see I have been there, many years ago before most of you were born. I spent three years in the "boonies" as we called it, bitter cold, snow and rain, many long hours with no food or hot coffee, bitchin' and complaining like we all do. But I look back on that and it doesn't seem so bad now, you will all get back home in time and continue on with your life. You will bounce your children and grandchildren on your knee and tell them stories about going off to war. You will find when you come home an America who will honor you and your contribution to the American people and our way of life. To honor all of us who have gone before you, stand tall, do your duty without reservation and make us all proud to have served our country as you are doing now.
By this time, his opponent couldn't withhold his curiosity any longer, and asked why the priest said "Hoover."
"It's the biggest dam I know."
Rudolph was a four-hoofed ungulate, who, incidentally, possessed a nasal appendage of a maroon luster. Consequently, if circumstances were to present themselves that he ever came into your view, you would most undoubtedly remark at to its luminary qualities.
The multitude of other members of the population in his ecological community had previously teased, chuckled boisterously, and dubbed him unspeakable pseudonyms - the objective of which was to lower his self-esteem and make him miserable. They also excluded him from participation in leisure activities consistent with their species.
However, on the twenty-fourth of December in an unspecified year, a mythological, supernatural being inherent to western culture (who symbolizes the Christmas attitude and allegedly brings gifts to children) arrived through the supersaturated, humid air, spoke to Rudolph and formally invited him, due to his extraordinary nasal characteristic to stand at the forefront of his snow vehicle with the express purpose that he navigate through the nocturnal mist.
At that point, the multitude of other members of the population in his ecological community who had previously teased, chuckled boisterously, and dubbed him unspeakable pseudonyms, reversed their disposition toward Rudolph to a more congenial, amicable relationship. They consequently exclaimed with great exaltation and fervor, "Rudolph, the antlered mammal with a maroon nasal appendage, you shall most certainly be recorded in the annals of time, and your memory will be preserved for posterity!"
How many
reindeer does Santa have?
Eleven ... Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph
(the one with the red nose), Olive (Olive the other reindeer) and Al (then Al the reindeer
loved him)
There are currently 78 people
named S. Claus living in the U.S. and one Kriss Kringle.
America's official national Christmas tree is located in King's Canyon National Park in
California. The tree, a giant sequoia called the "General Grant Tree," is more
than 90 meters (300 feet) high. It was made the official Christmas tree in 1925.
Christmas trees are edible. Many parts of pines, spruces, and firs can be eaten. The
needles are a good source of vitamin C. Pine nuts, or pine cones, are also a good source
of nutrition.
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer was conceived by author Robert May in 1939. Two other
names he considered before deciding on Rudolph were Reginald and Rollo.
Bub's clef - isn't that just too cool
After "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens wrote several other Christmas stories, one each year, but none was as successful as the original.Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in 1895.
According to Gale Research, the average American household wraps 30 Christmas gifts each year.
Barnum's Animal Crackers
will soon be 100 years old. Animal crackers came into being in 1902, but these cookies
have existed in similar forms for many years previous. In the late 1800s,
"Animals" (animal-shaped fancy cookies) were imported from England. Many
bakeries in America made different versions called "Animals" or "Circus
Crackers". Bakeries began to unite into larger companies with national distribution
at the end of the 19th century, and one of these companies was the National Biscuit
Company. Their animal biscuits were officially renamed "Barnum's Animals" in
1902.
The culmination of the
struggle came as the Maccabees attacked Jerusalem, chased off the left over Syrian
soldiers and reclaimed the city. They converged at the Temple, discarded the symbols of
Greek occupation, reinstated Jewish holy objects, and went about cleansing and dedicating
the Temple. The last step in this process was to light the great lamp, the menorah,
whose flame had to be kept burning, but only enough oil to last one day was found in the
Temple. According to legend, the lamp was lit and that little bit of oil burned for a full
eight days and nights, by which time more oil had arrived to replenish the fire. This was
the first celebration of Hanukkah.
Hanukkah is also called
the Festival of Lights, celebrated with the lighting of the menorah for eight days, eating
foods fried in oil such as potato pancakes known as latkes and
jelly donuts called sufganiyot to symbolize the miracles
surrounding the story of Hanukkah’s first celebration. Children play with a top (dreidel)
which has one of the first letters of the Hebrew phrase signifying “A great miracle
happened there” on each of its four sides for a pot of candy, coins, or pieces of
chocolate wrapped to look like money (gelt). It is a time of
togetherness, reflection on the long history of the Jewish people, and sharing the
Hanukkah story with the younger generation and people unfamiliar with this aspect of
Jewish history and folklore.
Nun -
no win / no lose
Gimmel
- take all (from the kitty)
Heh -
take half (from the kitty)
Peh or
Shin - lose (what you deposited)
The game continues until players
have run out of 'funds' or it is agreed to stop (anyone losing all funds is out of the
game). In Israel the dreidel is called a sivivon.
Rooted in ancient African history and culture, Kwanzaa was developed in the modern context of African American life and struggle as a reconstructed and expanded African tradition. It emerged during the Black Freedom Movement of the 1960s and thus reflects the movement's concern for self-determination, a "return to the source," and the reaffirmation of African identity and culture. Moreover, Kwanzaa is founded and framed in Kawaida philosophy, which stresses cultural grounding, value orientation, and an ongoing dialogue with African culture - both continental and diasporan - in pursuit of paradigms of human excellence and human possibility.
Click here: CNN - Kwanzaa Page
http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/1996/kwanzaa/
http://www.afroam.org/children/fun/kwanzaa/what.html
http://www.holidays.net/kwanzaa/
Click here: Kwanzaa Recipes
http://members.tripod.com/~Nancy_J/kwanzaa.htm
Request Kwanzaa issue from: DragonsKitchen@aol.com
OK, the above all sounds good right? Shortly after I had that piece all set to go, no reason to question source, the following arrived. I tried the usual rumor sources - no luck on Kwanzaa, but I did stumble across info on the letter from recon Marine "Saucy Jack" - http://www.snopes.com/rumors/freezing.htm. One more time, this is what makes conscientious editors crazy. I can pat myself on the back for suspecting it in the first place and lo and behold ... one part I specifically questioned: "Snuffle will be up soon" is there as snuffle, not sun'll be up. In any case, this is irrefutable: "Please tell my fellow Americans to turn off their TV sets and move on with their lives. The story line you are getting from CNN is utter bullsh*t and designed not to deliver truth but rather to keep you glued to the screen through the commercials."
Among Bill
Clinton’s numerous despicable distinctions is the fact that he is the first occupant
of the Oval Office to extend official recognition to the ersatz holiday called
"Kwanzaa," a seven-day annual "African" festival that runs from
December 26th to New Year’s Day. Mr. Clinton has described Kwanzaa as "a vibrant
celebration of African culture" that "transcends international boundaries …
link[ing] diverse individuals in a unique celebration of a dynamic heritage." In
fact, Kwanzaa is a product of violent black separatism, and it was designed to foment
insularity and a sense of racial grievance.
The founder of Kwanzaa is a petty criminal named Ronald Everett, alias Ron Karenga. In the
mid-1960s, Everett created a Los Angeles-based black militant group called United Slaves
(US) for the purpose of igniting a "cultural revolution" among American blacks.
Toward that end he created Kwanzaa (named after a Swahili term for "first
fruits") as a way of evangelizing on behalf of his revolution. In his book Kwanzaa:
Origins, Concepts, Practice, "Karenga" claims that the spurious holiday
offers blacks "an opportunity to celebrate themselves and history rather than simply
imitate the practice of the dominant society.
From the librarians at the Chicago Public Library's Information Center, here are some timely questions and answers.
WHO CREATED KWANZAA?
SOURCE: Williams, Michael W., ed. The African American Encyclopedia. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corp., 1993.
"No it's not militant, and it doesn't have anything to do with religion. Each day focuses on one of seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith."
The word "Yuletide"
originated from the word "Yule," which was recorded In Latin writings as early
as A.D. 726. At that time, the form of the word was "guili." Both terms refer to
a 12-day pagan feast celebrated around the time of year that has come to be known as the
Christmas season.
This abbreviation X-mas for Christmas is of Greek
origin. The word for Christ in Greek is "Xristos." During the 16th century,
Europeans began using the first initial "X" in place of the word
"Christ" as a shorthand form of the word. Although the early Christians
understood that "X" stood for Christ's name, later Christians who did not
understand the Greek language mistook "X-mas" as a sign of disrespect.
Poinsettias, native to Mexico, were named after
America's first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett. He brought the plants to America in
1828. The Mexicans in the 18th century thought the plants were symbolic of the Star of
Bethlehem. Thus the Poinsettia became associated with the Christmas season. The actual
flower of the poinsettia is small and yellow. The large, bright red leaves are often
mistaken for petals.
I regret to inform you that effective immediately, I will no longer be able to serve the Southern United States on Christmas Eve. Due to overwhelming population of the earth, my contract was renegotiated by the North American Fairies and Elves Local #209. I now serve only certain areas of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan. As part of the new and better contract, I also get longer breaks for milk and cookies, so keep that in mind.
I am certain that your children will be in good hands with your local replacement who happens to be my third cousin, Bubba Claus. His side of the family is from the South Pole. He shares my goal of delivering toys to all the good boys and girls. However, there will be a few differences between us, such as:
1. There is no danger of the Grinch stealing your presents from Bubba Claus. He has a gun rack on his sleigh and a bumper sticker that reads: These toys insured by Smith & Wesson.
2. Instead of milk and cookies, Bubba Claus prefers that children leave an RC Cola and
Pork Rinds (or a moon pie) on the fireplace. Bubba doesn't smoke a pipe; he dips a little
though, so please have an empty spit can handy.
3. Bubba Claus' sleigh is pulled by floppy-eared, flyin' coon dogs instead of reindeer. I
made the mistake of loaning him a couple of my reindeer one time ... Blitzen's head now
overlooks Bubba's fireplace.
4. You won't hear, "On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner and Blitzen ... " When Bubba
Claus arrives. Instead you'll hear, "On Earnhardt, on Wallace, on Martin and LaBonte.
On Rudd, on Jarrett, on Elliott and Petty."
5. Ho, Ho, Ho! has been replaced by Yee Haw! and you are also likely to hear Bubba's elves
respond, "I her'd dat!"
6. As required by Southern highway laws, Bubba Claus' sleigh does have a Yosemite Sam
safety triangle on the back with the words "Back Off." The last I heard it also
had other decorations on the sleigh as well. One is a Ford logo with lights that race
through the letters and the other is a caricature of me (Santa Claus)
"gesturing" on the Tooth Fairy.
7. The usual Christmas movie classics such as "Miracle on 34th Street" and
"It's a Wonderful Life" will not be shown in your negotiated viewing area.
Instead, you'll see "Boss Hogg Saves Christmas and Smokey and the Bandit IV"
featuring Burt Reynolds as Bubba Claus and dozens of state police cars crashing into each
other.
8. Bubba Claus doesn't wear a belt. If I were you, I'd make sure the wife and kids turn
the other way when he bends over to put presents under the tree.
9. This year songs about Bubba Claus will be played on all AM radio stations in the
South. Those titles will be Mark Chesnutt's "Bubba Clause Shot the
Jukebox," Cledus T. Judd's "All I Want for Christmas is My Woman and a Six
Pack" and Johnny Paycheck's "If you Don't Like Bubba Claus, Shove it."
Sincerely Yours,
"Thou
Shalt not Skim Flavor from the Holidays"
by Craig Wilson, USA TODAY
I hate this time of year. Not for its crass
commercialism and forced frivolity, but because it's the season when the food police come
out with their wagging fingers and annual tips on how to get through the holidays without
gaining 10 pounds. You can't pick up a magazine without finding a list of holiday eating
do's and don'ts. Eliminate second helpings, high-calorie sauces and cookies made with
butter, they say. Fill up on vegetable sticks, they say. Good grief. Is your favorite
childhood memory of Christmas a carrot stick? I didn't think so. Isn't mine, either. A
carrot was something you left for Rudolph. I have my own list of tips for holiday eating.
I assure you, if you follow them, you'll be fat and happy. So what if you don't make it to
New Year's? Your pants won't fit anymore, anyway.
1. About those carrot sticks. Avoid them. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet
table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave
immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare.
In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year
but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if
you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one
for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not
stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy.
Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If
it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The
whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of
it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that
in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll
need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat
of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas
cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have
as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. Don't leave them behind.
You're not going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like
mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to
have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory
calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. And one final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from
the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread tips. Start over. But hurry!
Cookie-less January is just around the corner.
www.messagefromamerica.com - Go to any Circuit City store until December 31st and videotape your holiday wishes and messages of support for the extraordinary men and women serving overseas in the United States military. Some of these messages will be broadcast on CBS prime time television and copies will be provided to the U.S.O. and Armed Forces Network so that they may be shown to our military personnel abroad.
For family members with a valid military ID, your personal message will be recorded onto a DVD, for you to send to your loved ones serving our country. Services are free.
This guy looks
almost like Buster - couldn't get him to buy the funny hat photo shoot. Other cuties here:
http://www.therealmartha.com/toottoot/index.htm
Entertainment with a purpose -
wrapping gifts for shelters, Toys for Tots, and such. Many groups recruit donations for
kids, but these items still have to be wrapped. While wrapping at home can often be
regarded as a chore, when you have a group it becomes fun with each person having a unique
talent.
Another fun one is assembling toys. For instance, Barbie Cars - one person can do one in
about 15 to 30 minutes (depending on model and experience ... two people will take at
least 30 minutes).
'Twas the night before
Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney with presents to give,
And to see whom in this home did actually live.
I looked all about, a strange
sight I did see,
No tinsel, no present, not even a tree.
On the wall hung pictures of far distant lands.
With medals and badges, awards of all kinds,
A sober thought came through my mind.
For this house was different, it was dark and dreary,
I found the home of a soldier, once I could see clearly.
The soldier lay sleeping,
silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor in the one bedroom home.
The face was so gentle, the room in such disorder,
Not how I pictured a United States soldier.
Was this the hero of whom I'd
just read?
Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?
I realized the families that I saw this night,
Owed their lives to these soldiers who were willing to fight.
Soon 'round the world, the
children would play.
And grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom, each month of the year,
Because of these soldiers, like the one lying here.
I couldn't help but wonder,
how many lay alone,
On a cold Christmas eve, in a land far from home.
The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.
The soldier awakened and I
heard a rough voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice.
I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more,
My life is my God, my country, my corps."
The soldier rolled over and
drifted to sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.
I kept watch for hours, silent and still,
And we both shivered from the cold night's chill.
I didn't want to leave on that
dark, cold night,
This guardian of honor, so willing to fight.
Then the soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure,
Whispered, "Carry on Santa, it's Christmas Day, all is secure."
One look at my watch and I
knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend, and to all a good night.
Click here: To: Any Service Member... Holiday Messages from Home http://anyservicemember.navy.mil/ - Just takes a minute - find more links on http://www.therealmartha.com/WARK9/index.htm
Something cool to do for your own service member: http://www.geocities.com/ssylchak/meu.htm - Sharon will add names with branch of service and rank if you like. Made a neat surprise for my guys. Even better, the dogs are listed in a rolling script :)
From MommieMail: "A couple years ago some kids in my daughter's class told her that Santa didn't exist. This really upset her and my hubby and me as well. So on Christmas Eve I had a brainstorm. We took a pair of hubby's work boots and stepped in flour with them. Then we made foot prints around the tree and by the fireplace. If no fireplace, do the prints by the door Santa would use.
When the kids saw it the next morning they nearly died. I quickly vacuumed up the "snow" during all the excitement before anyone could realize otherwise. We have done this every year since, no matter where we are. The kids love it and I think everyone should believe as long as they can.
A sample Santa letter
Ho Ho Hello John,
It's Christmastime again! And John, I always love to drop by your house. But don't forget, I can't show up until you're asleep - some of my reindeer are kind of shy!
I noticed you were on my good list again this year, John. Good for you. I always brag about you to the elves and Mrs. Claus. Now I know that sometimes it feels as though Christmas will never come. That's why I'm sending this letter. Every time you read it, remember that I'll be at your house soon and bring along some very special surprises, because John, you are very special to me. See you soon!
Your special friend,
Santa Claus
Reindeer food
Fill a snack-size zipper bag with a handful of oatmeal and colored sugar. Attach the poem below. The little ones will be really anxious to get to bed on Christmas Eve after sprinkling the magic reindeer food on the lawn.
Just sprinkle this on your lawn at night
The moon will make it sparkle bright.
So when Santa's reindeer fly and roam
This food will guide them to your home.
Most of the reindeer food recipes I saw included glitter, shiny and pretty yes, not too easy to digest for the real dinner guests. I wasn't too sure about the sugar being good for them either so I asked Helen, a wildlife rehabber.
"Critters will eat most anything, especially this time of year, nothing in the wild for them and too warm for those who hibernate or slow down during the winter months. Even stale bread or chips aren't 'junk food' to a critter, they are a two-course meal. Most critters dig in garbage cans anyway. Just think of all that would benefit by some tasty treats - raccoons, squirrels, fox, skunk - gads, I could go on all day. Clean out the fridge and give it to the critters. Take it far enough from the house, so they don't come knockin'."
"One thing to mention here, often folks will throw out the last of their drive-though meal. Not a good idea. That food lands precariously close or on top of a road or highway. I have moved many a dead raccoon, fox, cat and dog off a road and I've seen leftover Micky Ds nearby. Think about it."
"We feed nightly, since our area has been 'progressed.' New houses, less critter homes now. Whatever we have left after dinner goes to the 'guys.' Especially in spring when there is nothing yet in the wild to eat and starting in fall all through winter. I threw out a birthday cake last winter. Ever seen squirrels with blue faces? Scared me to near death, till it dawned on me it was icing."
The Christmas party in the
office
Adapted from "Holiday Bits" newsletter
Most of the time we call it a Christmas
Party. However not all people celebrate Christmas, some Christian groups simply don't
formally celebrate, and other religions have other holidays that are also celebrated in
December. Accommodate all faiths by calling it a "Holiday Party" or
"December Get Together."
While it may sound trivial to many folks, it will
mean a lot to the few who could feel left out otherwise. If you're lucky the company will
pay for everything. However since many don't, and you wish to have a meal, the common rule
is the company pays the meat and set-up, and employees do a pot-luck. If the company
refuses to pitch in, have several folks pull together for the expense of the meat. At the
risk of sounding a little biased, men are great at pitching in a few bucks for this, since
as a rule they don't bake. However on the other hand the few men I've met over the years
who do cook and bake, have been known to out do most women. So pick your targets well.
If you have an area where people can sit together, a spiral cut ham or roasted turkey is
nice with traditional side dishes. However is seating space is limited, sliced meats will
do better, and easy to handle side dishes are better.
If a meal is too much - heavy appetizers done in "pot luck" can be fun. Or if
your office likes sweets, have everyone bring homemade cookies, candies or snack mixes
with copies of the recipe.
Keep in mind, while Christians eat pork (ham), some other religions don't. If you don't
know for sure the preferences of your co-workers, stick with turkey or offer both.
Fill a large jar with assorted Christmas candies, have each person write down, how many pieces they think are in the jar. The closest wins the jar, the ones furthest away get to be on the clean-up committee.
Send your name to Mars!
NASA is collecting names to include on a CD that will land on Mars. Here's one way to
be remembered for all time. Free certificate included, makes a neat gift. http://spacekids.hq.nasa.gov/2003/nameform.cfm
Do I use my given name or my Klingon
name?
Why is there a trash bag under the tree?
It's a gift! See? It has a bow!
It's a leaf blower.
Gas-powered! Five horsepower!
I want a divorce.
I also got you some myrrh.
In conclusion, remember that the important thing is not what you give, or how you wrap it.
The important thing, during this very special time of year, is that you save the receipt.
Part of this, at
least, I recall as a Dave Barry column.
This
is really long, all are excellent points. If nothing else, please note the bold/italic
subheads.
The following applies to both
puppies and kittens:
To many people, a puppy is the perfect symbol of the true spirit of Christmas. A
puppy represents wonderment, innocence, exuberant energy, unconditional love, hope for the
future. These are the sorts of gifts that many of us wish we were able to give one
another. And that is a good thing. In an increasingly violent, horrifying, mind-numbing
and impersonal world, Christmas time reminds many that there are more important values,
that there is hope and love, that joy comes from giving of oneself more than it does from
taking. To many people, these values bring to mind the loyal, loving, uncorrupted,
hauntingly simple innocence of a puppy.
Indeed, many advertisers and artists have noticed this connection. Images of cozy
family Christmas mornings often include scenes of floppy-eared puppies peering innocently
out of a colorful gift box, their eyes wide with wonderment and awe. As the scene
continues, the puppy stumbles preciously over mounds of gift wrappings, to the great
amusement of delighted children who rush to hug the youngster and receive big wet
puppy-slurps in return. Mom and Dad smile knowingly in the background as the true meaning
of life is celebrated before their eyes. What could possibly be wrong with this picture?
Nothing. As art, as fiction, or as advertisement, it captures a lot of the
symbolic spirit of the Christmas celebration perfectly. The appeal of this scene is like
that of Norman Rockwell's paintings. As advertisement, it works. It sells products, even
those totally unrelated to dogs or to Christmas. As fiction it warms people's hearts.
What's wrong, though, is what happens when real people try to re-enact this warm loving
scene in their own homes with a real, living puppy playing the role of a prop in this
mythic family life-drama.
I am not against dog ownership. I have two dogs myself, and I think the world would be a
lot better place if more people had meaningful relationships with dogs. My concern here is
with the future of those living beings, those adorable puppies with child-like eyes who
show up as gifts on Christmas morning. While images like the one I described may look
irresistibly appealing in pictures, art, advertising or fiction, the future for those
real-life puppies who start out under the Christmas tree, in all probability, will turn
out to be fairly grim. Groups as diverse as, and often at odds with one another as, the
Humane Society of the United States, canine behavior experts, the American Kennel Club,
PETA, Animal Rights Activists, breed rescue groups, veterinarians, obedience training
instructors, and most reputable breeders of sound, healthy dogs, are in strong agreement
that live puppies should not be given as Christmas gifts. Here are some of the reasons:
The atmosphere of Christmas morning frightens the puppy
People who study canine development and behavior have found that puppies, like
children, go through developmental stages. The first fear/avoidance period in a puppy's
development occurs roughly between 7-12 weeks of age. However this is also when the puppy
is developmentally best capable of leaving its litter and beginning to form bonds of
attachment with its new family. Most breeders agree that this is the right time to send a
young puppy home with its adoptive family. However, it is also extremely important not to
over-stress or unduly frighten the puppy during this vulnerable time. Fears learned during
this first fear/avoidance period can be very, very difficult to overcome later, even with
the very best training or behavior modification techniques. In other words, traumatic
experiences at this point can have a permanent impact on your puppy's personality as an
adult dog.
Your puppy's experiences of leaving its mother and litter-mates, and its arrival in its
new home and introduction to its new family, can permanently affect its ability to bond
with and trust humans. The puppy needs to be introduced to its new home and family during
a relaxed and quiet, gentle time, with a minimum of loud noises, flashing lights, and
screeching children, ringing phones, visiting company, and other types of general hub-bub.
Christmas morning is absolutely the worst time, in terms of the puppy's developmental
needs, for introducing this newly-weaned youngster to its new family.
The timing teaches children the wrong values
Many families who value pet ownership do so at least partly because of what
children can learn from the family pets in terms of care and responsibility, love and
loyalty, and respect for other living beings. But think of what happens to the rest of the
toys and gifts that start out under the Christmas tree. By Valentine's Day, most of them
have been shelved or broken or traded or forgotten. The excitement inevitably wears off,
and the once compelling toy becomes something to use, use up, and then discard in favor of
something newer.
A living puppy should not be thought of in the same category as a Christmas toy. Children
need to learn that a living puppy is being adopted into the family - as a living family
member who will contribute much, but who will also have needs of its own, which the rest
of the family is making a commitment to try to meet. A puppy who makes its first
appearance as a gift item under the Christmas tree is more likely to be thought of by
children as an object, as a thing-like toy rather than as a family member. This will not
teach one of the most valuable lessons there is to learn from a puppy, which is respect
for living beings and concern for others in the form of attention to their needs.
A good breeder will not send a puppy home for Christmas morning
Responsible breeders - those who guarantee the health and temperament of their
puppies, and who are abreast of current knowledge about canine health, genetics,
socialization and development - already know these things and will not send a puppy home
with its new owner on Christmas morning. If you were to be able to obtain a puppy from
someone who actually let you have it on Christmas Eve so that it could appear under the
tree on Christmas morning, that should tell you something. It should warn you that you
would be getting your puppy from someone who does not know enough about canine behavior
and development to be in the business of breeding or selling puppies.
You would be much better off acquiring your newest family addition from a breeder who
knows enough about dogs, and who cares enough about the particular puppies that he breeds
and places, to insist that you take the puppy home under conditions which would be best
for the puppy. If your breeder does not insist on this, you are purchasing a puppy from a
breeder who does not know or care enough about his "product," to be in that
business, and you should acquire your pup from someone else instead.
The puppy grows up and has needs
Many people have a somewhat romantic view of what dog-ownership is like. This
romanticism can become exaggerated by the warmth and loving kindness associated with the
Christmas season. People who have not had dogs before, or who have not had dogs since they
were themselves children, or who have recently had a dog but one who was a canine senior
citizen trained and socialized to the family's ways long ago, often are completely unaware
of how much work it is to raise a puppy from infancy into a good adult canine companion.
They may have mental images of happy times romping with the dog on the beach, or curling
up in front of the fireplace, of playing Frisbee in the park or of hunting with a loyal
companion. All these are things they might well eventually enjoy with their canine
companions. But they may have temporarily forgotten, or perhaps not ever really have
known, how incredibly much work it takes to raise and socialize a dog from puppyhood to
that point of mature canine companionship.
Unlike cats, who generally do not need extensive training and socialization, dogs require
a huge commitment from at least one person who is prepared to teach the dog what behaviors
are expected of him, under a wide variety of circumstances. Adults may believe that they
remember a Faithful Fido from their youth who seemed never to need training; Faithful Fido
always seemed to "just know" what was expected of him. But those adults were
children at the time, and they did not necessarily see all the work that their parents and
others put into training and socializing Fido.
Professionals who deal with dogs regularly, call this common fantasy the
"Lassie Syndrome." That is, everyone hopes for that imaginary dog who has E.S.P.
and who automatically knows how to behave in human company without needing any training.
In other words, they want a dog like "Lassie." But "Lassie" was a
fictional character. "Lassie" actually was owned and trained by Rudd Weatherwax,
one of the most hardworking and successful professional trainers of dogs in the history of
US television and film. Rudd Weatherwax spent his entire lifetime training
"Lassie" to do those things which looked spontaneous in the fictional story
lines. No real, non-fictional dog is actually like that.
Real dogs not only must be housetrained - most owners are aware of that need; they also
must be taught not to chew the furniture, taught not to jump on their owners, taught not
to play-bite, taught not to bowl over the toddler, taught not to dig holes in the yard,
taught to come when they are called, taught not to eat the homework or the woodwork,
taught not to swipe food off the table, taught not to growl at strangers or bark at the
mail carrier, taught to walk on a leash without dragging their owner down the block,
taught to allow their toenails to be cut and their coats to be groomed without biting the
groomer, taught not to shred feather pillows and down comforters, taught not to steal the
baby's toys, taught not to growl at their owner's mother-in-law, taught to sit, stay, and
to lay down when and where the owner tells them to, and to wait there until the owner says
they may get up (absolutely essential commands for the dog's own safety), taught not to
escape out the front door or out of the yard or out of the car when the owner looks away
for just a second ... all of these things and many more are not "natural" canine
behaviors; they must be taught by owners who are willing to spend the time and the effort
doing so.
The reason I mention this is because lack of owner knowledge about the amount of
work required to socialize, raise, and train a puppy, is one of the main factors
contributing to a huge national problem: the problem of adolescent and young adult dogs
being "given up" by owners within the first year or so of having acquired the
animal. Untrained, unsocialized puppies might be "cute" and "natural"
but they are tolerable only for a few weeks, if even that. Then they start to be
nuisances. Then they start to be major problems. Sooner or later they become downright
dangerous to themselves or to their families and neighbors.
It is often between the ages of 7-14 months that the dog (sadly, reluctantly) is brought
to the pound or to the vet for euthanasia by a frustrated owner as an
"uncontrollable" dog, or as a dog with "behavior problems." Or perhaps
it is taken to a shelter in the faint hope that it will be adopted by someone else.
(Chances are almost certain that it won't; nobody else wants an untrained, unsocialized
dog's behavior problems either.) By that age the untrained dog is a full-grown and unruly
adolescent. It might have bitten a family member, or threatened a neighbor's child,
necessitating the involvement of a town animal control officer. Or the dog may have run
away and been hit by a car. Or it may be adopted into a series of homes, one after
another, none of which can adequately control it, until it finally winds up on death row
at the pound.
These tragic dogs, those wonderful canines known to generations as "Man's
Best Friend," never had a chance. According to statistics kept by the Humane Society
of the United States, the majority of puppies and kittens born in the United States never
reach their second birthdays, even though their natural lifespans should be many times
that length. They die from being hit by cars, euthanized by owners, starving or being
fatally injured in fights with other animals - including wild animals, some rabid in many
areas - after having run away from their owners, or being taken to shelters, pounds or
vets, where they are "put to sleep," usually before the age of two. In other
words, many, many canine deaths are squarely the responsibility of owners who did not
understand what it would involve properly to train and socialize their puppy, or who did
understand, but did not do the necessary work.
It's the right thing to do
"Christmas puppies" often are impulse purchases, in a spirit of love and
giving and generosity that goes with the season, but without the hard self-assessment that
goes into asking oneself if one has the time and the energy and the inclination to give
the necessary commitment to raising and socializing and educating that puppy. Better to
get that new puppy at a less emotionally charged time of the year, when the decision to
add a dog to the family is a less impulsive and more carefully considered one,
uninfluenced by seasonal generosity of spirit, which might just fade a bit after the tree
comes down and the lights are put away.
If you are absolutely set upon getting your family a puppy for Christmas, consider this
alternative instead: Purchase a leash, a collar, a good book on raising a puppy, a gift
certificate for a veterinary checkup, a gift certificate for puppy socialization classes
from one of the local obedience instructors, a book or video tape on the topic of how to
select the right dog for your family (there are several, including even a computer program
that purports to help you do this), or a gift subscription to one of the dog-oriented
magazines.
Wrap these up and put them under the tree. As family members unwrap the various pieces of
the "puzzle," their delight and anticipation will grow. They will gradually
understand what this present is! Then, after the Christmas tree is taken down and the
frenzy of the holiday season is behind, the family can once again enjoy together the
anticipation and excitement of discussing and selecting a breed, selecting a breeder,
selecting an individual pup, and so on. This will increase the family's mutual commitment
to, and investment in, the well-being of the newest family member. It will be a project
the family has done together, which is a wonderful way for any adoption to commence. This
will not decrease the enjoyment of your new puppy; I guarantee it. It will increase it by
many fold. And it will be a better start both for the puppy, and for the long-term
relationship between dog and owner(s). A dog with a good introduction to its adoptive
family is much more likely to become a long term companion rather than just another tragic
statistic.
http://www.spindletoppitbullrefuge.org/toysforpits.htm - A wonderful holiday project from the new manager/editor at K9WebWorld@aol.com who made this graphic for me - thank you RA! Couldn't be more perfect for this page.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
With no thought of the dog filling their heads.
Mom in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Knew he was cold, but didn't care about that.
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,
Figuring the dog was free of his chain and into the trash.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus - with eyes full of tears.
He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,
Last year's Christmas present, now painfully thin and sick.
More rapid than eagles he called the dogs name.
And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain.
"To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Let's find this dog a home where he'll be loved by all."
I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,
For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear,
The gift of a dog is not just for the season,
We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons.
in our haste to think of the kids a gift
There was one important thing that we missed.
A dog should be family, and cared for the same
You don't give a gift, then put it on a chain.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
"You weren't given a gift! You were given a life!"
Santa comes quietly long before dawn
While shops are still busy and
lights are still on
While dinners are cooking and
kitchens are warm
And children count presents they'll
open by morn.
He slips past the trees in windows
aglow
Through the gate to the backyard
As icy winds blow
To find the pup he brought last
year
Chained up in the snow
And, kneeling, he whispers,
"Are you ready to go?"
There are too many stops like this
one tonight
Before the beginning of his regular
flight
He leaves not a note or footprint
in sight
Just an unbuckled collar
On a cold Christmas night.
Had a bout with depression, some years ago, and spent a few weeks in the loony ward. Now, I'm thankful just to be above ground and able to laugh. Your site adds to that immense pleasure, for me.
I really appreciate hearing that. And good for you! Ever
heard "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it" :) I swear, every day,
it's some damn thing that could easily push anyone over the edge ... it's a wonder we're
not all locked up. Wicked grin, I think I'm staying one jump
ahead by broadcasting my so-called imperfections.
Every now and then I get serious thank-yous from women for helping them through depression
or overwhelming "I'm not the perfect ... " feelings, which, if I never
make any real money (the book), will still make the whole effort worthwhile. I guess
somewhere along the line I picked up the gift of ability to see through the ridiculous.
Whatever, they gotta catch me first!
Blessed are the cracked, for they shall let in the light.
Christmas Wishes
I wish you more
sunshine than shadows,
more comfort than trouble or pain,
more grace than greed,
more gratitude than need,
more days filled with rainbows than rain.
I wish you more joy than money can buy,
more love than your heart can hold,
more laughter than tears,
more courage than fears,
more memories than silver or gold.
I wish you more Christmas than presents,
more hellos than good-byes,
more blue than gray skies,
more reasons ... than whys ... you were born.
Santa's names from
around the world
Austria - Christkindl
Belgium & The Netherlands - Noel, St. Nicholas, Christkindl, Black Pete
Brazil - Papa Noel
Denmark - Julnisse
England - Father Christmas
Finland - Old Man Christmas
France - Pere Noel, le Petit
Germany - Kriss Kringle, Christkindl, St. Nicholas
Italy - Befana
Japan - Santa Claus
Mexico - Three Kings
Poland - Star Man, Wise Men
Russia - Babouschka
Spain - Three Kings
What nationality is Santa Claus? North Polish :)
When children decide
they want to stop believing in Santa Claus, the following excerpt from Dear Abby's column
in Denver's Rocky Mountain News of 12-24-97 is a possibility as to how to handle this ...
When I asked it there really was a Santa, my mother said, "Santa isn't a real person
at the North Pole, but the Santa we see on TV and in the stores is a reminder of the Santa
'spirit', which spreads joy and happiness. Daddy is Santa Claus, Mom is Santa Claus,
Grandma and Grandpa are Santa Claus. They buy you gifts and do nice things for you because
they love you and want to make you happy. Now you're old enough, you, too, can be Santa
Claus."
I was, and am Santa Claus. At first, part of being Santa was keeping the illusion alive
for younger children. I got to stay up late and wrap the stocking stuffers. It meant
drinking the milk and eating the cookies left for Santa.
As I grew older, the Santa spirit grew. In college, my dorm mates and I played
"Secret Santas," delivering little gifts to each other during finals week. Later
in life, I'd drop off Christmas cookies to fire or police stations on Christmas Eve. You
can be Santa while shopping - whistle Christmas carols, wear jingle bells, smile at those
you pass - be patient with clerks.
I hope my Santa spirit will be with me throughout the year and that others will find the
same joy that comes from being Santa Claus. Signed - A Jolly Elf
I remember my first Christmas party with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!" My grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her world-famous cinnamon buns.
Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus!" she snorted. "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad. Now, put on your coat, and let's go."
"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me 10 dollars. That was a bundle in those days.
"Take this money and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's. I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that 10 dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.
I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobbie Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's level-two class. Bobbie Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out for recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobbie Decker didn't have a cough, and he didn't have a coat. I fingered the 10 dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobbie Decker a coat. I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.
"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my 10 dollars down.
"Yes," I replied shyly. "It's ... for Bobbie." The nice lady smiled at me. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag and wished me a Merry Christmas. That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat in Christmas paper and ribbons, and write, "To Bobbie, from Santa Claus" on it - Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobbie Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially one of Santa's helpers.
Grandma parked down the street from Bobbie's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his doorbell and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobbie.
Forty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my grandma, in Bobbie Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were - ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.
This is a set of essential personality tests
to prepare you for Christmas and New Year's resolutions:
1. You reuse last year's Christmas cards and send them out under your own
name. (5 points)
2. You steal light bulbs from you neighbor's outdoor display to replenish your own supply.
(5 points, 10 if neighbor's whole light sets or lighted Santa goes out)
3. You have dressed a dog or cat as Santa Claus, elf helper, or reindeer. (10 points for
each; if you dressed an endangered species, 5 extra points)
4. You put out last year's stale candy canes for children. (1 point for each piece of
sticky candy) If you put out a chocolate or marzipan Santa also, add 10 points
5. You enclose a shoddy and inferior gift from Target, Wal-Mart, or K-Mart in a
"prestige" box to impress your
friends. (5 points for each infraction)
6. You make collect long distance phone calls to your family on Christmas day, claiming
you are stuck in a phone booth. (5 points, 10 if from a cell phone)
7. At the office Christmas party, you horde huge stockpiles of goodies for later
consumption at home. (5 points; 15 points if you use this stuff for your own party)
8. You steal the wreath from a parked car to use on your own. (Southern California only,
others ignore: 5 points)
9. After an invitation to a friend's house, you bring a commercially produced fruitcake
and try to pass it off as home made. (5 points; 15 points if the fruitcake is from last
year)
10. Any stealing from the Toys-for-Tots collection bins is a definite no-no. (20 points)
Evaluate your score on the "Grinch Scale" from 20 to 100.
20-30: You are just a cheeseball.
30-50: You are an apprentice in Yuletide larceny and are probably wanted by the police for
overdue parking tickets.
50-100: Grinch, move over. The Meyer Lansky of Christmas crime has arrived.
Keep a bowl of dog biscuits handy for visitors who bring those "kids" to visit.
Chocolate contains theobromine, an alkaloid similar to caffeine, that can cause nerve damage and even death in dogs. Different types of chocolate can have varying amounts of theobromine, so if Macho eats a bag of M&Ms or a chocolate cupcake, he may not be affected, but a dish of dark chocolate candies may do him in.
Being Crafty
more from Holiday Bits
How to make the absolute best paper snowflakes: Use the thinnest white paper
you can find. The white paper in Origami kits is perfect; so is really cheap typing paper.
Fold it as many times as possible - in half, in half again, into a triangle, into a small
triangle and - if you can manage it - into an even smaller triangle. Make lots of small
cuts instead of a few big ones, and make the cuts as deep as you can without actually
going all the way through. The more paper you cut out, the lacier the snowflake will be.
Nail scissors are really handy for this.
The most important step: place the
finished (unfolded) paper snowflake between two sheets of wax paper - the old-fashioned
kind, not the kind made for microwaving - and iron thoroughly on both sides. If you're
hanging them on a tree, use dark green thread. They'll seem to float on the branches.
Hand-y Coupons: Trace the child's hand on construction paper ( make several tracings), cut
them out and write "helping hand notes" on them to give as Lil' Holiday Helper
coupons. i.e., "This hand good for one dusting job" or "This hand good for
one back rub" etc. ... let the child use a little imagination!
Trim a tabletop tree with a quilt
theme. Make button ornaments, hang small spools of thread from the branches and use a
quilt or piece of fabric for a skirt. Use calico ribbons or or fabric scraps strips tied
into bows at the end of branches
Music - Rolls of sheet music tied in ribbons (reduce on a copier), ornaments of notes and
instruments. Ol' Bub outdid himself with a little wire finagling, made a bunch of
notes and other music symbols. There will be more pics ...
Paper reindeer
Brown paper bags, or brown construction paper
Red, white and black paint
White glue
Trace around child's shoe on brown paper. Cut out the foot shape. This is the
reindeer's head, the heel will be the nose. Trace child's hand, fingers should be spread
apart. These are the antlers. Glue them to the top of the reindeer's head. Paint two black
dots for eyes on face, and a big red nose on the bottom. If desired, paint a tiny white
dot on each of the eyes. Have the child sign name (or scribble name <wink!>) and
note age and date.
Recycled
Gift Tags
If you saved last year's holiday cards, use them for gift tags this year. Cut
an image from the card that has enough blank space surrounding it to write
"From" and "To." Punch a hole at the top of the tag, thread a ribbon
through. Use fancy-cut scissors if you have them. Examples:
http://family.go.com/crafts/season/feature/famf1201carddisplay/famf1201carddisplay3.html
Don't even need ribbon, tape the front half of card to box. That was a little trick my mother always did, I thought she was just being cheap - possibly even with paper, however you can cover an emergency hole with a big card. Something else my mother did that drove me crazy was leaving patches open for a clue. A great amount of devious pleasure to be found there, not that I'm suggesting ...
Two boys were spending the night with
their grandparents. As they knelt beside their beds, the younger one began praying at the
top of his lungs, "I PRAY FOR A NEW BICYCLE FOR CHRISTMAS. I PRAY FOR A NINTENDO. I
PRAY FOR A VCR ..."
His older brother leaned over and nudged him, "Why are you shouting your prayers? God
isn't deaf."
"No, but Gramma is!"
Stress Relievers
There's a rush to get everything done ... children are a bit wilder in anticipation - both
sets of parents want you with them for Christmas dinner - your budget is stretched to the
max ... . Reduce tension by looking on the bright side.
- Refocus the negative - the whole meal didn't burn, just the potatoes.
- Talk positively to yourself, "Dinner is delicious," not, "I forgot to put
out the cranberries."
- Make time for play time. You can't have any fun if every second of every day is taken up
with chores.
- Make sure you get adequate physical exercise. Shopping might count.
- Remember to laugh! It is still the best medicine. There's humor in almost any situation
- just look.
- Build quiet time into your schedule, perhaps to do nothing but gaze at your lighted
tree.
Those first two above are so me ... all the time actually. I do recommend having a few excuses up your sleeve when you announce there has been a slight change in plans, "Those hens must have had a rough night, these eggs are a mess."
Doing brunch with one side of the family and dinner with the other will help too. Switch next year to be "fair." Face it, no matter how far over backward you bend - someone's feelings are always going to be hurt. You just have to decide it's their problem, not yours.
And I still say treating yourself to a break from major hoopla cooking is the best sane way to go. Even if it's only "cheating" by buying the main course - turk, roast, ham - precooked, you save yourself that much work and it's really not all that more expensive. Do your regular sides, special dessert or whatever. Relax, enjoy, that's why they're called holidays.
From Pearl, http://www.LittleCountryVillage.com, "At our church, we used to bring our cards for each family and pass them out after service - this really helped save on postage. Now, we place a large decorated (usually some red cloth) board at the back of the church and each family brings one card for the 'whole' church. This not only saves on card expenses, but allows us to enjoy the beautiful cards and thoughts that went into each one.
"This is a great way to enjoy your cards, without taking up other spaces in the house. Cut the pictures out in shapes such as stars, ornament shaped, tree, stocking, etc. Punch holes in the corner and use ribbons to hang as a decoration on your tree. I like to write the person who gave it to us on the back, along with the date. Because cards can be so extravagant, these are some of my favorite ornaments."
OK, here's a few recipes that looked festive, some a little different - some would be considered regulation. Haven't tried any of them so let me know how you do.
In a bowl, blend cream cheese and cheddar
cheese soup until there are no lumps. Fold in the shrimp. Arrange the asparagus in a 9 x
13 casserole dish, head to tail ends alternated. Pour the cheese and shrimp mixture over
the asparagus. Use a spatula to spread the soup around evenly. Be careful not to tear
asparagus. Make sure there is at least 1/2 inch of space between the top of the
ingredients and the top of casserole dish to prevent spillover. Bake covered at
(preheated) 400º for 35 minutes. Uncover, crush fried onions on top, cook for 10 minutes
longer.
Satin Sauce
for gingerbread cake Cranberry Creme Dream
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
3/4 cup molasses
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
Beat egg and water in a saucepan until foamy. Stir in molasses and salt. Cook over low
heat 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla.
Serve hot. from Hillbilly Corn Recipes, AngeISftEyz@aol.com
1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries
8 oz. package miniature marshmallows
2 cups white sugar
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple
1 sliced banana
1 cup whipped cream
If using frozen cranberries let thaw. Grind in a food processor or blender. Add the sugar,
crushed pineapple and marshmallows. Let mixture stand overnight. Just before serving stir
in the sliced banana and whipped cream.
White Chocolate Party Mix
1 package (10 oz.) mini pretzels
5 cups Cheerios
5 cups Corn Chex
2 cups salted peanuts
1 lb. M&Ms
2 packages (12 oz.) vanilla chips
3 T. veg. oil
In a large bowl, combine first 5 ingredients. Heat chips and oil on medium high in a
microwave safe bowl for 2 minutes. Stirring once. Microwave on high for 10 seconds, stir
until smooth. Pour over cereal mixture and mix well. Spread onto 3 wax paper lined cookie
sheets. Cool. Break apart. Store in an airtight container.
All-American
Snack
3 cups thin pretzel sticks
4 cups Wheat Chex
4 cups Cheerios
13 oz. can salted peanuts
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
In large slow-cooking pot, mix together pretzels, cereals and peanuts. Sprinkle with the
salts and cheese. Pour melted butter over all; toss until well mixed. Cover and cook on
low 3 to 4 hours. Uncover the last 30 to 40 minutes.
Candy Cane White Fudge
12 oz. white chocolate,
coarsely chopped
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. coarsely chopped peppermint candies
Butter an 8-inch square baking pan; line bottom and sides with foil allowing foil to extend over sides of pan by about 1 inch. Butter foil. Over medium-high heat in top of double-boiler or heatproof bowl set over pot of water, combine white chocolate and condensed milk. Cook, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth, 5 minutes. Pour mixture into pan; sprinkle candy over top. Using knife lightly, swirl candy into chocolate mixture. Refrigerate until firm, about 6 hours or overnight. Cut into -inch squares, diamond shapes or rectangles. Store in refrigerator.
Brined Roasted Turkey
The brining
process, water saturated with salt, is believed by some to be a favorable way to prepare
turkey, resulting in a moister product. The brining process requires two or more pounds of
salt and a four to six hour soaking period.
For centuries salt has been used in
meat processing to extract proteins from muscle cells. During the soaking process the
water is trapped within the turkey. As the cooking process begins, the heat gels the
proteins and forms a barrier to keep the liquids from escaping. The results are a moist
white meat turkey with a slight salty flavor.
A large covered non-corrosive pan
or stockpot (glass or stainless steel) or food-safe plastic container (available from
home-brew supply stores) is required for the soaking process.
Several chefs add other ingredients
to the brining solution including a combination of herbs such as 6 - 8 bay leaves, ½ cup
dried rosemary leaves, 3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons peppercorns and ½ cup dried thyme
leaves. Other chefs recommend the addition of 2 cups packed brown sugar with the herbs.
Still others prefer the heat imparted by the addition of 1 cup small dried red chile
peppers.
Remember the addition of the salt
in the brining procedure will yield a salty flavor to the turkey so it is wise to omit
salt as an ingredient in the turkey stock.
1 15 - 18 pound whole turkey,
thawed, giblets and neck removed
2 pounds salt (2 lbs. table salt or 4 lbs. Kosher salt)
2 gallons water
Rinse bird in cool water. In a clean (gawd that irritates me, likewise the following duh)
container, large enough to hold the turkey, mix the salt and water together until the salt
dissolves. If desired, add herbs, brown sugar or chile peppers to the soaking solution.
Submerge the turkey in the solution. If not completely covered, prepare additional brine
using a ratio of 1 pound salt to 1 gallon water. Cover and refrigerate 4 - 6 hours.
Remove from brine. Thoroughly rinse under a slow stream of cool water, rubbing gently to
release salt, both inside and out. Pat the skin and both cavities dry. Stuff cavity with
any combination of the following:
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1" chunks
1 small celery stalk, cut into 1" chunks
2 tsp. dried thyme
Brush da birdie (gotta have a
little fun here) with 4 - 6 tablespoons melted unsalted butter. Place in a V-rack or
sturdy wire rack with breast side down on the rack. Methinks easier to butter after in the
rack.
Roast at 325º for 2 hours, basting the legs and back twice with 2 tablespoons melted
unsalted butter. Then flip that puppy over to breast side up. Continue to roast, basting
twice with pan drippings until the internal temperature reaches 170º in the breast and
180º in the thigh. Allow to stand for 20 minutes before carving.
To make extra cold storage space, store food in zipper bags instead of bulky refrigerator containers. For instance, if you've prepared salad ingredients ahead of time but don't want to combine them until just before serving, or if you've cooked chicken ahead for a casserole. The great thing about plastic bags is they conform to whatever space is available.
If I see one more recipe for an "in a jar" gift ... I will commit a violence - Oh gee thanks, just what I always wanted, more work. These foodie suggestions are acceptable.
A spice rack or basket filled with small bottles of homemade seasoning mixes. To make a wall hanging, put seasoning mixes in foil packets or tiny zipper bags (available at bead shops), and wrap each one in a circle of calico print fabric (cut with pinking shears). Tie each packet with yarn and attach to a strip of braided yarn and hang from a wooden ring. A local (St. Charles) herb shop has the perfect size small bags of dried home-grown, reasonably priced that would be perfect for such a you-know-which-Martha-ish project, if I was so inclined. I aren't, I'd throw 'em in a bag.
Pancake mix plus jars of fancy
fruit-flavored syrups, on a griddle
Homemade granola in a mess kit or other useful outdoor container
A pretty salad dressing cruet with several packages of salad dressing mixes
http://members.aol.com/AltMartha/bestcompanytrick.index.html ~ Definite need to know here!
Money
... it can buy a bed, but not sleep
It can buy a clock, but not time
It can buy you a book, but not knowledge
It can buy you a position, but not respect
It can buy you medicine, but not health
It can buy you sex, but not love
So you see money isn't everything. It often causes pain and suffering. I tell you this because I am your friend, and as your friend I want to take away your pain ... Send me all your money and I will suffer for you. Cash is fine.
Oy, Jeez Louise, Carumba! (or whatever that was Desi used to say) - this is as good as it's gonna get for now ... da noodle be toast. I need to add pics of the other music stuff Bub did and a few of my own creations (no glue sticks were harmed in the process). Had a little hold up waiting for Aol to let me open mail. Bub's got the digi download thing on his computer - and yes we do e-mail jokes and such, worse - we IM too! Geeks 'R' Us ...
Good grief! I wasn't even thinking about a New Year's page, but so it happened ~ http://www.therealmartha.com/newyear/index.htm
And pix finally! Minor detail to overcome - lost pages reloading programs to new hard drive Santa brought. There has to be any easier way to go crazy ~ http://www.therealmartha.com/holipix/index.htm
http://members.aol.com/MsAtte2ude/FD5.index.html - Christmas past (not my best effort, had a horrible connection at the time, lotsa goodies though, including Snowman Poop)
http://members.aol.com/AltMartha/Recipesdifcolor.index.html - Recipes of a different color, just go there
http://www.therealmartha.com/WARJingostill/index.htm - T-day variety page, featuring POW/MIA focus
http://www.therealmartha.com/indexgraphiccr/default.htm - Feeder's Digest index of recipes and more (gawd only knows what)
http://members.aol.com/AltMartha/Siteindex.index.html - Way-back recipe pages
http://www.therealmartha.com/PianoDog/index.htm - Must-see cutie, Christmas Angel
http://nycityangels.com/
- And The Carriage House in Brooklyn, NY collected cards and gifts for the children of
lost firefighters from firehouses 105, 111, 118 and 220 in Brooklyn. See pages below for
full details. This is an ongoing support project, you may still send cards and gifts to:
"The Carriage House"
Attention: Barbara
NYCityAngels
312 7th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY, 11215
Carriage House http://www.NYCityAngels.com/CarriageHouse/CarriageHouse.htm
http://www.nycityangels.com/ThankYou/thankyou.htm
- A special thank you for gifts and contributions sent - $2500. and tons of toys!
Must go there, not much Rexanne. a.k.a. holiday page queen, misses: http://members.aol.com/Rexanne3/Holiday-Christmas.html http://members.aol.com/rexanne3/rexanne3/xmas-kids.html
http://www.iwillsoaragain.com/TreeforTroops.htm - Tree for the Troops, send greetings
This is cool, a huger than huge cross-stitch project. I gotta get on the two squares I volunteered for, you have til the end of January. www.memorialflag.com
Christmas Magazine - Weihnachtsmagazin: http://www.christmasmagazine.com/ - From Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Updated once a year, Christmas Magazine has been published exclusively at this site since November 1998 by an international group. Originally intended for a much smaller audience, one comprised mainly of family members, the magazine has increased in scale and scope each year. Available in both English and German language versions, the material here is light but covers a great deal of ground - everything from hanging big glass balls and properly tying bows to photographing holiday lights and napkin folding. Written by professional designers and decorators, Christmas Magazine could very well turn into an annual favorite. Find Site du Jour of the Day Archives at http://sdjotd.tripod.com/ - Ol' Ed's reviews are pretty right on, I swipe his stuff all the time
The Christmas Message http://cherubimschristmas.homestead.com/message.html - What a beauty and so true for many armed services families
Click here: White Christmas http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~av359/xmas/carols/white.html - This was supposed to have midi files to click on, all I got was an ignorant Angelfire message about off-site links not working. Lyrics to quite a few classics are listed and accessible though. Maybe midis will be working by the time you get there.
http://members.aol.com/tfost123b/newyear.html - Teri's Recipes - easy, easy, all the way
http://stjudesranch.org/Content/cardprogram.shtml - St. Jude's Children's Ranch recycles greeting cards (all-occasion) - donate or purchase info
Click here: Pets as Christmas Presents
http://www.humanesociety.com/disparticle.asp?thisrel=petsasxmas&page=1http://www.historychannel.com/letters/ - WWI letters
Respiratory Tract Infection Alert: http://www.rtialert.com/home.asp - Sponsored
by the Bayer company, health conscious types can punch in their Zip code and see just how
close infections are coming to the neighborhood. The site also posts the nation's top five
hot spots for flu and infections.
All about Santa Claus (a.k.a. St. Nickolas, Father Christmas, etc.) http://www.religioustolerance.org/santa.htm - A nice essay from the pages of the Center for Religious Tolerance (http://www.religioustolerance.org/ ), provides a decent history of this cultural icon. Known around the world by several different names, old Santa Claus is a busy fellow about this time of year. Far from being the last word on the subject, if such a thing exists, the site does have information from a lot of sources. A very well done overview of the life and significance of Santa Claus.
http://www.nuzzled.net/NY_animals_help.html - Animals affected by 9-11 help links
http://www.kmov.com/4_stlouis/dtrt/dtrt_01_11.html - "Do the Right Thing" awards, from St. Louis TV station KMOV - student Allison Hartzell raises more than $400. for dogs injured in 9-11 searches
http://www.aurumxxl.de/xmas/xmas.htm - "Now it came about in those days ... " from Irmingard Anna Kotelev, photographer
http://www.santalady.com/cards.html - Antique postcards and much more Santa and Christmas goodies
http://www.victoriana.com/christmas/default.htm - Victorian Christmas, lotsa goodies - really cool, hand made ornaments out of tissue paper and foil (can even use the gold/silver paper from ciggy packs) gum wrappers
http://freepages.music.rootsweb.com/~blueyes/xmasnite.html - This is nice, good quality Elvis
http://home.att.net/~ruthgill/christmas/christmas_granny.htm - Granny still believes
http://moneycentral.msn.com/articles/smartbuy/basics/8553.asp?special=msn
- Interesting gift ideas, one in particular that makes excellent sense for teenaged
clotheshorses
... the multis and me :)
http://www.vaxxine.com/steveb/xmaswish/dogpoem.eht - Cutie
http://www.garfield.com/christmas/xmascard6.html - Seasons Eatings!
Gotta love it! "White elephant gift
ideas" featuring tacky, tasteless, kitsch, campy and weird gifts:
http://www.aspencountry.com/aspen/assets/product_images/unusual.html
- This is a new thing from an old link friend, Mrs. Mega Byte, who has some of the more
outrageous anti-Stewrat pages going. We agreed to be codefendants :)
http://leeuk.topcities.com/binlose.htm - pretty funny
http://www.morphmaster.com/aflac.htm - wicked, hilarious get binny-boy
http://www.goofyphotos.com/cmas/osamareindeer.htm - binny boy got run over by a reindeer - naughty fun 'toon and tune
http://www.LadyBronx.com/bulb.html - Christmas, Bronx style - Elaine's holiday specials are always the best - graphics and links to everything
http://www.thepartyworks.com/holiday/christmas/frugalgifts-gifttags.htm - gift tag sayings for "frugal" gifts
Decorate a tree, and send along with wishes: http://www.freechristmastree.com/tree.php
http://chtah.com/a/hA8IkNAADspiuAIDeRLAD0SYDG5/hist1 - History Channel, holiday special
~The Spirit of Santa Claus~ http://www.rosebriar.uk.com/greetings/holiday/christmas/c5.html - and more holiday greetings: http://www.rosebriar.uk.com/greetings/pastfuture.html
http://tommyblue432000.com/thegift.html - Spirit of giving
Did this review (as foodie "expert") for Rexanne's newsletter:
And another thing while I'm griping about addresses: people who live on ONE dirt driveway. You see 15 mailboxes at the end of the driveway, turn down the driveway and there is NO number on ANY house. C'mon people, think about it. Would YOU be able to guess which house is which? If you live in such a place, put a number on your house also. We do not guess, nor do we have time to go door to door asking if anyone knows where you live.
I haven't checked many of the below, the comments were attached where I found the links. I'm sure some are dupes too. I left the descriptive title links and the URLs together in case of any click-on problem. Copy and paste if need be. If you hit more than two in a row that won't open, you probably need to clean out cache.
Party Planning 101 - Help is Here - Your place has been designated as Christmas party
central, and you have only a few days to prepare. The place is littered with wrapping
paper, hidden gifts, and a few bowls of red and green candy, what's a working woman
supposed to do? Learn some essential party tips from soyouwanna.com.
Cooking Up a Storm - Cookies, Pies, and More - This essential Christmas cooking guide
covers all of your holiday culinary needs. Everything from a basic plate of cookies for
Santa to a buffet feast for Cousin Edwidge and the rest of the gang is covered here. Allrecipes.com provides the easy methods to make it happen.
Inviting the Party People - Online Evites - You have your place set up, decorated, and filled with
delicious goodies, now you need the hordes of merrymakers. Evite.com makes throwing a party easy, you can fill out directions,
have a map, and see who is coming and who isn't with their handy invitation maker.
mychristmasprojects.com ... Index Page http://www.mychristmasprojects.com/
Christmas Crafts & Projects http://www.8op.com/christmas/crafts/
mychristmasprojects.com
... Index Page http://www.mychristmasprojects.com/
Christmas Crafts & Projects http://www.8op.com/christmas/crafts/
Christmas Tags http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/7134/Christmas/chrtags.htm
Christmas gift and craft project ideas http://www.makestuff.com/christmas.html
- Some kid tested
Andrea's Christmas Stuff -
Christmas Email Cards - Christmas Recipes - Christmas Kids Stuff - Christmas Crafts http://home.amaonline.com/greetingcards/christmas.htm
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/musicchild.htm
- Lotsa goodies, per Rexanne's review
CHRISTMAS LINKS http://www.angelfire.com/ma/lissaannapage/link.html
Christmas Tags http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/7134/Christmas/chrtags.htm
Towanda's
personal recipes and craft collection http://hometown.aol.com/twoanda/holidays/xmine.htm - A really great site!
Andrea's Christmas Stuff -
Christmas Email Cards - Christmas Recipes - Christmas Kids Stuff - Christmas Crafts http://home.amaonline.com/greetingcards/christmas.htm
Christmas Crafts &
Recipes WebRing: Navigation http://nav.webring.yahoo.com/hub?ring=xmasring&list
CHRISTMAS LINKS http://www.angelfire.com/ma/lissaannapage/link.html
http://www.deesplace.com/marydidyouknow.html
- This is a beautiful religious page, with wonderful graphics and music. One of my
favorite Christmas songs.
White
House Holiday Tour (washingtonpost.com) http://www.funtown.com/15dholiday/15dholiday.cfm
- See what Christmas looks like in Washington
Click here: Christmas Jukebox http://www.chipcom.net/midi/index.htm?17
- This is a list of many Christmas songs and you can listen to them here.
Click here: Christmas in New York - Welcome http://www.nywebonline.com/ - Not only is this a
nice Christmas site but one honoring the Firemen through out the United States.
Click
here: WorldView! - Christmas.com Around the World! http://www.christmas.com/worldview/ - Click
on anywhere in the world and it will give you things going on at Christmas in that
area
Click here: Christmas is Here!
http://homestead.com/CHRISTMASisHERE/Christmas.html
- This site is for young and old. Games, music and recipes all can be found here
The above from SCC Newsletter
http://crossstitch.about.com/library/graphics/buttoncover_tree_deco_multi_complete.gif - teeny tree pattern, go to http://crossstitch.about.com/ for more holiday pages, also: http://crossstitch.about.com/library/freepatterns/holidays/blmenu_holidays.htm
Below from MommieMail
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas http://www.zoomnet.net/~papal/its.htm - Fun one to sendhttp://www.christmas94.com/ TXmnJim 's Christmas Page
Request a free bumper
sticker here: National Tragedy, September 11, 2001,
One Nation Under God http://www.onenationundergod.net/Request.htm
Make an angel and join the Angel Project: The Angel Project asks you to make an angel in
honor of the September 11th victims http://www.theangelproject.com/
Learn how: Craft Ideas -
"The Angel Project" http://www.craftideas.com/ccci/articleDetail/0,1009,1785,00.html
My daughter sent me this site. I don't know if it was a hint or not. It is a neat idea, though, for someone out-of-town, instead of a fruit basket for the holidays, maybe? NabiscoGifts.com
There
are e-card sites and then there are e-card sites. This is one that I just found ...
that is GREAT. Great quality cards ... and you can actually do something for the
environment at the same time. A must-see!
Care2 free e-cards (over 5000) http://www.care2.com/send/categories
A very touching site: 'Twas The Night Before
Christmas http://home.att.net/~Poofy/nightbeforeChristmas.html
Combine homemade with store bought ornaments for a county
look. Think design when you decorate. If you have several ornaments of the same kind,
space evenly around tree. Conceal the base of the tree with a tree skirt, quilt or fabric.
Or place the tree and holder in a large basket.
Decorate an outdoor tree with real orange slices, pine cones painted
with peanut butter then rolled in birdseed, shapes cut from bread with cookie cutters and
dotted with peanut butter, tinted with red food dye. Hang with ribbon or jute. Birds will
enjoy the tree as much as you do.
Christmas luminaries: Purchase brown or white
quart-sized paper bags. The kids can even draw Christmas designs on them. Turn the edges
down about an inch. Put sand, gravel or rocks in the bottom to keep the wind from blowing
them over, then place a small decorative or sterno candle inside. Line the driveway or
sidewalk with bags and light them after dark. I have used the same 1/2 gallon plastic milk
bottles cut off below the handle and weighted with sand for years.
Recipe - Egg Nog
(using rum) http://www.texascooking.com/recipes/eggnog.htmMany believe that eggnog is a tradition that was brought
to America from Europe. This is partially true. Eggnog is related to various milk and wine
punches that had been concocted long ago in the "Old World". However, in America
a new twist was put on the theme. Rum was used in the place of wine. In Colonial America,
rum was commonly called "grog," so the name eggnog is likely derived from the
very descriptive term for this drink, "egg-and-grog," which corrupted to
egg'n'grog and soon to eggnog.
Other experts would have it that the "nog" of eggnog comes from the word
"noggin," A noggin was a small, wooden, carved mug. It was used to serve drinks
at table in taverns (while drinks beside the fire were served in tankards). It is thought
that eggnog started out as a mixture of Spanish sherry and milk. The English called this
concoction "Dry sack posset."
The true story might be a mixture of the two and eggnog was originally called "egg
and grog in a noggin."
With its European roots and the availability of the ingredients, eggnog soon became a
popular wintertime drink throughout Colonial America. It had much to recommend it; it was
rich, spicy, and alcoholic.
In the 1820's Pierce Egan, a period author, wrote a book called "Life of London: or
Days and Nights of Jerry Hawthorne and His Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom." To
publicize his work, Egan made up a variation of eggnog he called "Tom and
Jerry." It added 1/2 oz of brandy to the basic recipe (fortifying it considerably and
adding further to its popularity).
Eggnog, in the 1800s was nearly always made in large quantities and nearly always used as
a social drink. It was commonly served at holiday parties and it was noted by an English
visitor in 1866, "Christmas is not properly observed unless you brew egg nog for all
comers; everybody calls on everybody else; and each call is celebrated by a solemn
egg-nogging. It is made cold and is drunk cold and is to be commended."
Of course, Christmas was not the only day upon which eggnog was popular. In Baltimore it
was a tradition for young men to call upon all of their friends on New Years Day. At each
of many homes the strapping fellows were offered a cup of eggnog, and so as they went they
became more and more inebriated. It was quite a feat to actually finish one's rounds.
George Washington, was quite a fan of eggnog and devised his own recipe that included rye
whiskey, rum and sherry. It was reputed to be a stiff drink that only the most courageous
were willing to try.
From Rosey1001@aol.com (subscribe, always excellent links and entertainment, good info)
Christmas Traditions
WorldView! - Christmas.com Around the World!
http://christmas.com/worldview/
A World Wide
Christmas Calendar
http://www.algonet.se/~bernadot/christmas/calendar.html
Christmas celebrations, traditions and
activities
http://www.techdirect.com/christmas/
Significance of
Christmas traditions - Tree, Santa Claus, Gifts, Star.
http://www.christmascarnivals.com/forms/link.html
The Jewish Holiday of Hanukkah
http://www.hanukkah-traditions.com/
Winter Web Wonderland Christmas
Traditions
http://www.santalive.com/tradition.html
Christmas Crafts/
Decorating
Christmas on the Net - Arts & Crafts -
Santaland.com
http://www.santaland.com/arts.html
Christmas gift and craft project
ideas
http://www.makestuff.com/christmas.html
Christmas
Crafts, Recipes, ClipArt Links
http://www.giftideacenter.com/holidays/christmas/christmas_fun.htm
Christmas and Winter
Crafts
http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/christmas.html
Kate.net Christmas -
Deck the Halls - For Your Home
http://www.kate.net/holidays/christmas/deckhalls.home.html
Christmas Surprises
http://members.tripod.com/~hoho44/chfun.html
Christmas Recipes
Santa's Favorite Recipes http://www.santaclaus.com/recipes.html
Santa's Secret Village (sm)
http://www.northpole.com/cooking/cat001.html
EPICURIOUS: BON APPETIT:
CHRISTMAS MENUS http://www.epicurious.com/b_ba/b02_menus/christmas.html
Christmas Time Christmas Recipes
http://www.christmas-joy.com/recipes/
Granny's Christmas Recipes http://home.fuse.net/nvoegel/Christmas.htm
Christmas Dinner Page http://home.cdsnet.net/~brent/xmas.htm
Misc. Christmas Links
SNOWBALL FIGHT!!!!!!
http://members.tripod.com/~RussellConnection/snow.htm
Christmas Gifs
http://members.tripod.com/~poski88/christmas.html
Rosie's Christmas Tongue
Twisters - Page 1
http://www.night.net/christmas/f-twisters1.html
Christmas Downloads
http://www.xmasdownloads.com/
Christmas MIDI
Files
http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~ckelly/midi/search/Christmas.html
Christmas Fun
http://www.robinsfyi.com/holidays/christmas/christmasfun.htm
Christmas Links for
Kids
Christmas at Alphabet Soup
http://www.alphabet-soup.net/christmas.html
SANTA CLAUS HOUSE
http://www.claus.com/santashome/traditions.shtml
Billy Bear says...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
http://www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/christmas/christms.htm
BlackDog's Christmas Fun and Games!
http://blackdog.net/holiday/christmas/
Christmas Links - Kids
http://www.calcon.net/hohoho_kids.shtml
Christmas E - Cards/Gift
Ideas
CHRISTMAS GUIDE - All about XMAS
http://www.christmas-guide.com/
Cards By Mouse - Christmas Index
http://www.christmas-guide.com/
Greetings for
Christmas from USA Greetings
http://www.usagreetings.com/html/christmas/christmas.html
Homemade Christmas
Gift Ideas for Children
http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/christmasgifts_from_kids.htm
The Creative Gift Giver
http://www.creativegiftgiver.com/
Free Christmas e-cards from
Webcards2Go.com
http://www.webcards2go.com/ecards/christmas1.htm
Below from DreamLoversMail@aol.com
A Snowy Night
Silent Night
~*~Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas~*~
Misc. loose ends ...
Patience please, I'm backed up on book orders due to a communication problem.
http://www.therealmartha.com/WARWhatisAm/index.htm - Latest in WAR series, What is American?
Please remember to practice safe e-mailing etiquette when you forward, or send a mass e-mail by copying and pasting into a new message. Put your e-mail address in the TO: field and all of your recipients into the BCC: field. If names are not in the BCC field, identity is not protected which generates junk mail nobody appreciates. If you have trouble doing this go to: send a blind carbon copy
More about mail below, please read.
Check back soon, there will be more - and don't forget to bookmark before you go.
The
Whispering Activist Record
central link/update page
http://www.therealmartha.com/WAR/index.htm
"The Whispering Activist" a.k.a. Martha Jones - Opinions and ideas, mine and from others, that everyone can use to get involved, make a difference and lighten the load. Find hoax busters, media hype alerts, timely info, controversy, common sense, commiseration, empathy, household tips, easy recipes, critter stuff, variety links, and a little humor along the way.
Questions/suggestions: MarthaJones1@aol.com or MsAtte2ude@aol.com
Please use a clearly defined subject line ("hey there, hi, this is great ... " do not cut it, that's what spammers use). I have at least 10 tons of junk to sort every day - if I don't recognize a name, I delete. Unfortunately, due to virus/worm problems, downloads also have to be automatic deletions. Way too many people do not realize their scanners can't catch the latest. Embedded images or copies of doc. files are welcome. Typing in all caps is not, I do not have time to retype. All caps is extremely irritating and should never be used unless you mean to be screaming, which is even more irritating. I will not read, no matter the subject. If you have a great piece you haven't seen everywhere, go ahead and send the first few lines. I may ask you to retype the whole thing if I don't already have it in proper form. Double spaces between sentences are a giant pain too.
This page and some of the above links are just a few of the side-trips I take. If you need a break in the kitchen, holiday or any day, what I really do is real easy recipes for real busy, real people. Warning: not for fans of the UnReal Martha.
www.TheRealMartha.com
Follow links to way-back-when pages
http://www.therealmartha.com/indexgraphiccr/default.htm
Most recent cooking stuff and gawd-only-knows-what-else you'll find - I lost track a looooong
time ago
