Christmas Countdown Day 14

A Christmas Wish:

Away In A Manger

A few years ago, actually about 37, I sold items made from dried herbs and flowers. I made little packets of these ingredients. They were put into nativity scenes and added a lovely smell. This was before I had a computer, so all my labels were hand printed. I know, it looks a little bit tacky now, but I had a lot of fun with my little business until my allergies took over.

Nativity sets, also known as a creche, (from the word for crib) are an important part of Christmas decorations for many people. They can be a simple depiction of the Christmas story or very elaborate. They have been featured in paintings and sculptures since the early centuries A.D. Many families like to make their own traditions with their Nativities. Some don't place the Baby into the scene until Christmas Eve. Others put a piece of straw in the Manger when anyone does a good deed. Other families just like to play with them. I guess that's why you often see a statue with missing hands. Or heads.

The first "live" nativity scene is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. He arranged for a manger to be set up in a cave with live animals. Those who visited were able to see and feel the conditions of Jesus' birth.

This is recreated in the same town of Greccio, Italy every year for the past fifty years. There are several performances each December and January. Many churches today present live nativities with all the characters at Christmas time.

I have several small nativities placed around my house. This one has small plaster figures. The one in the box is heavy cardboard. Some years I set it up and other years it stays in the box.

The tiny one with lots of pieces came from the gift shop in St Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. It seemed like a great souvenir. Below it is one that was sold at the old dimestores like Woolworths. Each piece was individually priced.

A variation of a basic nativity is the Moravian Putz. This comes from the German word "putzen" which means "to decorate". The Moravians settled in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the eighteenth century and brought the tradition with them. A Putz is essentially a village featuring the stable and Holy Family. Houses and businesses and families and pets all become a part of it. Landscaping is done with rocks and moss and driftwood. 

When you shop for a Nativity today, just about anything is available. I've seen them with all the characters as children, or as teddy bears or dogs and cats. The strangest one I ever saw was one where every character was a lobster. 

This one came from Mexico. It is about two inches square, but very detailed.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 13

 A Christmas Wish:

What? It's almost Christmas? Are you sure? Have you finished your shopping???

I discovered a long time ago that the people who ask me if I have finished my shopping are always the people who shopped early, wrapped early, and love to talk about it. People like me just want to keep quiet and panic to ourselves. We are easy to recognize because we are wandering through the stores wondering why the shelves are nearly empty.

At one time I shopped early because I had to. I even used lay-a-way for most of my children's toys. Is there even such a thing anymore? It was so nice to pick out everything early and to know it was at the store waiting for me. And I loved to make lists and plan out what everyone was getting. For children, and there were five of them, I liked to see in writing that everything was practically even. My husband and I would go shopping together once every Christmas, and then out to dinner at our favorite restaurant. We called it our Annual Christmas Fight. He was a much more extravagant gift buyer than I was, and didn't really care about trying to make things even. So after our major shopping trip I would get busy and fill in the gaps.

I used to have a little crafts business, and one year I was so busy with shows and orders that he took over most of the shopping. That was interesting. I made sure it never happened again.

But, by nature, I don't even like to think about the actual shopping until after Thanksgiving. Sometimes, even weeks after. Sometimes now.

Time changes families. And families change with time. They are all grown up and we have added spouses and grandchildren. John and I have a blended family with twice as many people. Yes, he also had five children. And we have simplified. We rely on mail order and gift cards. I like to make a few things or it wouldn't seem like the holidays to me. So I have started crafting and shopping. But, please, don't ask me if I've finished. At our house, it's not over til it's over.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 12

 A Christmas Wish:

Someone to love you enough to give you the Moon.

Everyone has a favorite Christmas movie. And this is mine. It came out in 1946, but wasn't a success at first. In fact, it didn't even make enough money to break even. It wasn't until 1974, when the copywrite lapsed, that the movie became part of the public domain. It was shown on television often at Christmas time and became very popular almost 30 years after its' premier.

The film is based on a short story called "The Greatest Gift" written by Philip Van Doren Stern. He sent it out as a 21 page Christmas card in 1943. Director Frank Capra read it and knew it would make a great movie. 

 I think I saw it in the 1970's for the first time and fell in love. Of course, it may have been because I already had a mad crush on Jimmy Stewart. When I was in high school I actually wrote him a fan letter, telling him he was the kind of man I wanted to marry someday. I did get an autographed picture back, but no personal message.

Some people say that it is a depressing movie, and I guess parts of it may be, but it has the most wonderful happy ending where everything turns out just as it should, and Angel Clarence Oddbody finally gets his wings.

  I've had little touches of A Wonderful Life around my house for years. My children have been able to find unique items for gifts.  I had a large framed copy of the movie poster and a picture of the entire cast. I have most of the Christmas houses from the Bedford Falls village. I used to set them up every year, but they have been packed away for a while. Christmas villages take a lot of space. My friend, Donna, made the pillow. I have a few more books too. And this sign always reminds me that no matter what, it's a wonderful life.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 11

A CHRISTMAS WISH:

Lots of paper packages tied up with string, and days that are Merry and Bright

A Very Paper Christmas

The holidays aren't always happy. When grief comes to stay, it is very difficult to hold on to old traditions. Today I am reprinting a post from December, 2011 when it was all I could do to put up a tree. I couldn't bear to open any boxes of ornaments, or to hang stockings and decorations. This was my first Christmas of being alone. I kept busy by making all new paper decorations, from old book pages and Victorian scrap pictures

I was trying so hard to be cheerful in the original post, but this is also the year I sent out the Christmas card poem that made everyone cry.

Blog Post  December 2011

I've decided to have a very simple Christmas this year, so I bought a skinny tree of the very cheap variety. I set it on a box to make it look taller and proceeded to embellish. Most of my decorations are made from one old book. I pleated rosettes, glued them together and added old fashioned Santas. A large one forms the tree topper. Other pages were rolled into cornucopias, filled with red berries and rosemary. Birds were cut from cardboard, book pages, and scrapbook paper, with pleated wings. And sticks from the yard are stuck randomly into the tree. My most favorite decoration is the long chain. It's made from many bits of fabric, sewed onto a heavy interfacing, decorated with all sorts of fancy stitches and ribbons, and then cut into strips and all buttoned together. I've used lots of sentimental pieces
and written names and dates and sayings on them. I even had some fabric from the clothes I made from my girls when they were small. And from doll clothes. (I was always going to use them for a doll quilt or something. Now, I finally have.) I still have more to finish, but this works for my tree and is a great memory chain. I spent a lot of time creating it, and trying out the stitches on my sewing machine. The grandkids like looking for their names. I will probably keep it out after the holiday. It may become a window garland.

There is also a wreath made of book pages. So far, that's it, except for the Advent calendars. I do need something for the fireplace.

I do miss seeing all my ornaments, and other decorations, and Christmas village, and the big tree, but this just isn't the year for them. Next year: happier times and more decorating.

I really have to apologize for the terrible quality of the photos. I am just never home at a decent time of day to take pictures lately. And I knew, if I didn't add this now, it wouldn't happen in December. Happy Holidays!

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 10

A Christmas Wish:

Take time to indulge in simple pleasures.

A visit to any decorating store this time of year shows us an extravagance of ways to bring Christmas into our homes. Every color we can imagine is there to transform our ordinary space. And I am sure you can find any theme you can dream up.

 I have always been one to indulge in the simple pleasures when it comes to decorating. I like to reuse what I have, add a surprising touch, and move things around just a bit.

I love to do the traditional colors of Christmas. I've never had a theme. I think if you use the things you like, everything will come together. 

Making arrangements in kitchen  tools is always good. A mini

chopper grater like this one is ideal because it has a jar below for a holiday scene and the top can hold greenery.

The celery salt bottle is the perfect Christmas color and holds some colored baubles.

I especially like my sifter with the arrangement of flowers, berries, greens, and red birds.

None of these are permanent, so after Christmas I can just empty them, and actually use them for grating and sifting if I need to. I don't have extra space in my kitchen so for the holidays they are on a shelf in the dining area's china cabinet. They look a little bit crowded in this picture, but it works.

There are so many other things that can be used. Old spice tins are really fun to turn into little arrangements. Craft stores have lots of tiny Christmas trees, Santas, toys, deer, beads, and bells that can be mixed with greens on top of a small tin. Cups and saucers or coffee mugs are also good for arranging little scenes. Try a wine glass turned upside down to make a faux snow globe. Some of the cutest snowmen I've seen started life as salt shakers. Old serving spoons or ladles can be turned into something clever. 

 

Stacks of books are fun to place around the room. These are red and green and make a nice little shelf for Santa.

Sometimes just tying bows on objects is enough to give them a little flourish. I worked in a historic Victorian house for several years and did a lot of natural decorating. We used a lot of red ribbon and greenery. I saved leaves and dipped them in wax for arrangements. We used lots of pinecones and branches. I really enjoyed researching in old magazines for authentic decorations. The results were simple but effective. If you just look around, I'm sure you will find something that needs a red ribbon.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 9

 A CHRISTMAS WISH:

"You do too much. Go and do nothing for a while. Nothing"

Lillian Hellman

Today I am doing nothing. No story. No picture. Nothing.

I will be back tomorrow.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 8

 A CHRISTMAS WISH:

Have a jolly holiday filled with surprises.

I spent five Christmas seasons (2015-2019) as House Mom for a fraternity. I lived there with 25-30 young men. I always thought of them as boys. It would be an understatement to think of my life as an adventure. The House never looked the same when I woke up in the morning as it did when I went to bed!

I always decorated for the holidays and I think most of them appreciated it. I didn't have much of a budget for decorating so I borrowed a tree and made most of the decorations myself.

Of course, the tree decorations were unbreakable!

My bedroom, sitting room, and bath were on the main floor at the end of the hall. I lived there full time. Oh, the stories I could tell.

I had a little tree in my room .

One year I pretended it was a big tree and placed it on top of a cabinet.

I always felt pretty proud of the young men (boys) and hoped that I made a small difference in their lives. I got married in 2019 and when I was undecorating after the last Christmas, and feeling very sentimental, I found these black bikini underwear hanging on the tree right in front of the window. And that's what it's like to be a House Mom.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 7

 A CHRISTMAS WISH

It was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well.

Charles Dickens

What does it mean to keep Christmas well? The most obvious meaning involves goodness and kindness to all, but I want to talk about the mechanics of getting things done today. I am still in the process of decorating this year! Usually by St Nicholas Day on the sixth I will have the tree up, and maybe even have some wrapped gifts under it. This year I am a little bit slow. Boxes are scattered everywhere, and we are still bringing decorations up from the storeroom. I love going through the boxes, because each one is like opening a gift. Some years I am more organized than others, but I always keep most of my ornaments in small tins, and wrap them in tissue paper, or even paper towels or napkins to keep them safe. I even enjoy wrapping them back up again when it is time to put everything away. I don't really decorate a lot compared to some people. I think my key word is probably Simple. I don't have a lot of shine. The colors I like best are still green and red and gold. I don't like to start until after Thanksgiving. Years like this one make me feel behind before I have even begun.

I have several small vignettes around the house, and parts of it look almost finished. But I'm afraid the tree still needs a bit of work. That will be my plan for the next few days.

I like this vintage store sign I bought years ago. It reminds us to do our Christmas shopping early. I never have. If I start early then I will buy more. It is as simple as that. No control. Really, we are not extravagant gift givers. Back when I was much more clever I made a lot of Christmas gifts. We have a large blended family now, and each one gets one gift from us. 

There is a saying about gifts for children. I can't remember it exactly, but it goes like this:

ONE TO READ, ONE TO WEAR, ONE TO PLAY WITH, AND ONE TO SHARE.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 6

 

A Visit from Saint Nicholas

A CHRISTMAS WISH:

FIND TRADITIONS YOU LIKE AND

MAKE THEM YOUR OWN

 Happy Saint Nicholas Day! This is the feast day of Saint Nicholas of Myra. He was an actual bishop in the fourth century. Stories of his generosity and devotion to the poor were the inspiration for our modern Santa Claus. He was known as the patron saint of travelers, the clergy, and school children. He devoted his life to serving those in need. Some stories say he often sold his possessions and gave the money to the poor. The story most often told is that he left gifts for three girls whose father could not afford to pay their dowries. Legend says he would leave gifts for children in their shoes.

In many countries, it became the custom to leave shoes outside the door on December 5, and to discover a gift the next morning. Typical gifts were often small toys, candies, and oranges to represent gold.

We are all a mixture of many customs and traditions. There is no better time than the holidays to choose and adapt these different traditions to our own families. I had never heard of this tradition when I was growing up, but I liked it so much that we began celebrating Saint Nicholas Day when the children were very young. We would all leave our shoes outside the bedroom doors on the night of December fifth. Often straw and carrots would be left for Saint Nicholas's horse. He would take those treats and leave chocolate gold coins, other candies, and a new Christmas ornament in each of the shoes.

On the next day, we would draw names for our own  "Kris Kringle". This was the parent, brother or sister that each one would be personally responsible for during the holiday season. This meant buying a present, and also doing secret good deeds for that person. Some years it worked out better than others. On Christmas Eve, we opened our Kris Kringle gifts.

     

I still have the tin and little cards that we used every year. As the kids grew up and left home, they continued the tradition with their own families. They were able to start trimming their trees with the ornaments they had received. Of course, our own trees became a little barer every year!

(Reprinted from December 2021)

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN DAY 5

 A CHRISTMAS WISH

What is Christmas without goodies? Find a recipe and make it your specialty

I don't think I have ever had a baking specialty.  No one ever begs me to bring my wonderful whatever to gatherings. I have to admit I look for the easiest and quickest recipes. My motto is "If it takes longer to make it than to eat it, then I probably won't make it."

But there is something about this time of year that makes most of us want to stir up a little something in our Christmas kitchens. Or at least to put on a cute and festive apron. This year we almost had a mother and daughters baking day, but it had to be cancelled at the last minute. Maybe we can still make it happen later. I do like Christmas goodies. Especially if I have helpers.

When my oldest son was in kindergarten, he brought home a recipe from the teacher for cranberry orange bread. This was fifty (!) years ago and I had only heard of pumpkin and banana breads, so I thought it was very exotic. It did become a favorite.

CRANBERRY ORANGE BREAD

• 2 cups flour
• ▢1/2 cup sugar
• ▢1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢grated zest of 1 large orange
• ▢2/3 cup fresh orange juice
• ▢2 eggs lightly beaten
• ▢1/3 cup vegetable oil
• ▢1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries
• ▢1/2 cup chopped pecans are optional

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl.  Stir in the orange zest.  Make a well in the center and add the orange juice, eggs and vegetable oil.  Stir gently, just until almost combined.  Fold in the cranberries and nuts, making sure you don’t over mix the batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan.  Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. 
• Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Please note this is made with fresh or frozen cranberries and fresh orange juice. That is the secret.

I have also made cranberry orange cookies especially when I need to take something to a cookie exchange. These are made with dried cranberries .

Cranberry Orange Cookies

3/4 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 cups flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries

1 T orange zest

Preheat oven to 350. Mix butter and sugar til light and fluffy. Add egg. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add to dry ingredients  and mix lightly. Fold in berries and orange zest. Shape in one inch balls and roll in orange sugar (1/2 cup sugar and 1T. orange zest.) Place on baking sheet and flatten. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes.

That's it for today's baking lesson. Like I said, I never claim to be an expert cook.  That's really quite ironic since I have spent most of my life married to restaurant owners. Twice. But that's a story for another day.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN Day 4

 A CHRISTMAS WISH

May you enjoy a cup of steaming cider and a good book

BOOKS AND LIBRARIES

I have always believed that every house should have a library. If not a separate room, then at least a space with a chair and a place to set a cup of tea. This is my favorite bookcase, and it has moved with me four times since I fell in love with it in 2006. We bought it in an antique shop and it is rumored to have come from a library of a state university. I love it because of its' size and the different heights of the shelves. The top is quite narrow, only about three and one half inches wide, and has holes to hold wires or dowels for periodicals. I usually just put larger books there. The next shelf is wider, but it is angled so the books slant. And then there are two wider divided  shelves at the bottom. I usually have seasonal books on the top shelves.

I've lived in a couple of places with tiny rooms and tall ceilings, so I always seem to decorate up. I was lucky to live in a house with a separate room with built-in bookshelves for our library. We also had built in shelves in all the bedrooms. When we downsized, I think we had over 2000 books. I donated a lot of them. Our next house had 15 bookcases. I think I was down to 10 when I rented. (That is the photo above). And then when I was a fraternity house mom, I only had room for two, and most of my books and furniture were in storage for four years. Then when John and I got married, I was able to move my books back in and have a library again. Our library room didn't have built-ins but did have several book cases. That house had a total of twelve. Now we are here and have approximately ten plus cupboards and niches, and book racks. These are estimates. I will probably do a recount when I am all snug in my midwinter bed. (I do love the "Night Before Christmas" books with charming illustrations)

Here are a few of my Christmas books. I do like children's books so I always seem to be drawn to them.  And Christmas decorating and crafting books are popular too. Oh, and vintage books. I guess you get the idea and now everyone knows my secret vice. 

 A Christmas Wish

Remember the joy of snowflakes falling on your nose and eyelashes. Don't forget to try to catch them with your tongue.

Last night we had our first snow of the season. Actually it was late, because we often have at least one good snow in October or early November. We only got a little bit, about an inch to cover the ground. Everything looks pristine with new snow. The leaves and branches covering the ground just disappear.

Most of my life, I have lived in the country. Not deep in the country, but outside the city limits. When I was younger, sometimes we had to wait for the snow plow to come along before we could leave. Those were the days of snow boots, and scarves, and hats and mittens that I didn't think I needed to wear. That's probably why I am always cold now! Do you remember snow forts and snow balls? Snow men and snow angels?  Maybe I'm wrong, but I remember long winters with lots of snow and hot chocolate and waiting to see if school was going to be closed for the day. We used to make snow ice cream without even worrying about the eggs and the chemicals. I guess the first snow must make me nostalgic.

It's been a long time since I've made a snow angel, but I still try to catch snow flakes on my tongue. I'm sure it must be a sign of good luck. 

A LITTLE BIT OF PAPER CRAFTING

Making paper snowflakes is a fun and easy winter craft. Snowflakes can be made from all kinds of lightweight paper. Some examples are computer paper, brown paper, book pages, coffee filters and cupcake papers. There are lots of directions for 3-D snowflakes on the internet. Surprisingly, they are made from paper lunch bags and are quite striking.

If using regular paper, you will need to start with a square. Fold into four quarters and then fold those into triangles. And then start cutting. V-shapes, hearts, and slits along the folded edges work the best. Use a paper punch if you like to make holes. They come in all sizes, including hearts and stars. Experiment. Just like real snowflakes, every one should be different. Round papers can be cut the same way. Decorative scissors can be used on the edges, or they can be dipped in glue and glitter if you like.

Christmas Countdown

 CHRISTMAS WISH

Send a surprise Christmas card to someone who isn't on your usual list

I don't think people send Christmas cards the way they once did. There are lots of reasons, I am sure. Probably the cost of postage and the cost of the cards is a factor. And the fact that it is so much easier to send greetings by email or text. It is a disappointment not to get cards by mail though. I always look forward to it. I think a lot more people send out family photos cards. Since I am always forgetting to take pictures, that doesn't happen here.

Last year I did send a lot of cards because we had just moved, and only a few people knew our new address. I hope to hear from them this year. I haven't bought any cards yet, but have a few I haven't used before. When I've shopped in  England, I always try to buy cards from the charity shops we love. They always have a large number of cards sponsored by the various charities. I've noticed I am drawn to the houses with villages, and with birds. The card above is from the British Red Cross. It is lovely with lots of gilding. I also have a few that I have been hoarding that picture a peaceful English country church. Of course, it has a graveyard, as most English churches do. It just seemed so unusual to me as a card to send to American friends. I worked at a funeral home at the time, so it was very normal for me to buy. But it's not every ones' cup of tea.

I try to send cards most years. Sometimes they are a little late. One year I deliberately bought New Year's cards and got them out on time. 

One of the few disagreements I had with my first husband was over our first Christmas cards when we were newly married. I had signed and stamped our cards and was ready to mail them. He thought I should be sending cards to everyone we knew and include a Christmas letter. I said I wasn't mailing cards to all our neighbors and had never even heard of a Christmas letter.  I ended up burning all the cards in our backyard burning barrel. I don't think he ever knew, and he really didn't take any interest in who we sent cards to after that. I think it was probably pregnancy hormones.

I did resist sending Christmas letters for several years, but I have often sent an original Christmas poem. I think they are usually pretty good, both informative and funny. The Christmas after my husband died in 2011, I sent a very sad poem. It was still a little bit funny, but several people left tearful messages on my answering machine. I lightened up a little after that. No poem this year, but I am hoping to get cards out in a timely manner.

The earliest Christmas cards were postcards. They were first sent by Henry Cole in 1843. He was very popular and very busy and just couldn't find the time to keep up with his holiday correspondence. Just like me, he didn't want to have to write a Christmas letter, which was the polite thing to do. He gave an idea to a friend, Mr J.C. Horseley and hired him to design a card. It had a happy family scene with a Christmas greeting and could be personalized with lines for To: and From: at the top and bottom. There were also pictures on the sides of charitable good works.

It wasn't until 1875 that the first Christmas card appeared in the United States. It was very simple with just a flower and the words "Merry Christmas" on the front. In 1915 the Hall family in Kansas City created the cards that opened up and required an envelope. This gave people more room to write their messages. They founded the Hallmark company. The most popular card for them was in 1977 and was three little praying angels. They still make that one today!

More joys for your Christmas than words can convey

And then a lot more for New Years Day