History In A Box

"The heart is like a treasure chest that's filled with souvenirs.
It's there we keep the memories we gather through the years."
~ Author Unknown

Hello Friends ~

Here is a wonderful passage I'd like to share with you. It's from the book, "Heirlooms from Loving Hands" by Sandy Lynam Clough.

HISTORY IN A BOX

As I unpack the Christmas boxes every year, I find not only those first ornaments but also the dough-art ornaments I made with a friend. And every year I hang the lovely bejeweled balls sent to us one year by a neighbor I hardly knew. We had befriended her teenage son, and I knew this expression of thanks had cost her not only many hours of pushing pins into Styrofoam balls to secure the pearls, sequins, and bits of jewelry and ribbon but also some sore fingers. Every year when I unpack those sparkling ornaments, I enjoy her thoughtfulness all over again.

As our children moved through elementary school and Sunday school, they brought home special ornaments for our tree. There is a Nativity scene made from a cardboard box, a candy cane made of red and white beads threaded on wire, and a snowman made out of cotton balls. Along with these, I find other ornaments made by special people. There are cross-stitched designs in little frames and a white crocheted dove sent to us from Africa. Every handmade ornament or decoration is a keepsake because it was made just for our family. Whoever made it joyfully created it to show their love, and their effort delights us.

When I unpack these treasures, our family history unfolds before me, and I know that when I pack it up after the first of the New Year we will have added to that history and our collection of memories.

A Few More Weeks of Christmas

"Gifts of time and love
are surely the basic ingredients
of a truly
Merry Christmas."

~ Peg Bracken

I'm a little behind in posting the weeks of Christmas challenge, so I thought I'd catch up today with the last two weeks, the 50th and 49th, before I post the 48th!

49th Week of Christmas

Your challenge for the week is to spend a wee bit of time (or a longer time, if you prefer) looking at a Christmas crafts book or cookbook, magazine, or website. Look for some new ideas that might be something you'd like to try, or think others might. It can be as simple or as complicated as you like. If you're not in a crafting or cooking mood, maybe you can look for a short story, poem, or Christmas book to read.

50th Week of Christmas

Things to look for this month...

~ White sales... pick up some solid color pillow cases, sheets, place mats and towels that can be embellished with embroidery, fabric paint, lace and ribbons. They'll make great gifts!

On Keeping Christmas

"If you can keep Christmas for a day, why not always?"

~ Henry Van Dyke

Happy New Year

"Yet the old house, the room, the merry voices and smiling faces,
the jest, the laugh,
the most minute and trivial circumstances connected with those happy meetings,
crowd upon our mind as if the last assemblage had been but yesterday."

~ Charles Dickens

Wishing all my friends a Happy New Year, with thanks for all your wonderful comments throughout the year!

Hugs,

Home at Christmas Time

"My favorite place in all the world
Is home at Christmas time,
For there is where we gather near
The precious ones we love so dear,
And hold them in our hearts once more
To last throughout the coming year."

~ Nancy Nowiszewski,
Better Homes & Gardens Christmas Keepsake, 1984

An Elegant Christmas Tea

"Be merry all, be merry all,
With holly dress the festive hall;
Prepare the song, the feast, the ball,
To welcome merry Christmas."

~ W. R. Spencer

A tea is a such a nice way to entertain friends, especially during the holidays. You can serve your favorite small sandwiches, muffins, scones, or just keep things simple and serve your homemade Christmas cookies. Here are some ideas...

~ THE TEA ~

I love looking for different teas this time of year, when many companies offer their holiday special blends. Taylors of Harrogate has Spiced Christmas Tea, which it refers to as "a warming blend of tea with lemon, orange and cinnamon", and it's very good! With their attractive, yet simple, packaging, I like to think of this as my "elegant" Christmas tea.

Celestial Seasonings now offers several different holiday teas, and their boxes have the prettiest designs and sayings. Nutcracker Sweet, which was their first holiday tea, is a caffeinated tea flavored with vanilla, nutty flavors, and cinnamon. Sugar Plum Spice became one of my favorites and I quickly bought several boxes when it appeared on the shelves so I'd have it to enjoy during the entire year. This is a fruitier herb tea and is flavored with ingredients such as hibiscus, rosehips, chamomile, plum and cinnamon, ginger and cardamom. I love it with a little brown sugar! Gingerbread Spice, also herbal, is flavored with ginger and cinnamon. In addition to those three, they've added Candy Cane Lane (a decaf green tea), Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride (an herb tea), and Rudolph's Rockin' Raspberry (a caffeine free kids' tea).

Perhaps my favorite winter tea is one I received in a "tea swap" several years ago when I was on a tea and quilting list. This particular tea was sent by a woman in Germany, and I tried to find it ~ even writing to the company in Germany ~ only to find that they don't offer it in the United States. It's called "Winterzeit" and is from the Teekanne company in Dusseldorf, Germany. I don't know what the exact ingredients are, but it's a fruity, spicy tea with the most wonderful aroma. I was really excited when my friend Heidi in Holland was able to buy some for me on a trip to Germany. I made the boxes last and last so I could enjoy them for a long time :)

Of course, you'll find several other holiday teas from different companies, or you could use one of your regular favorites. And just in case you don't like tea, make a pot of hot cocoa and serve it in a pretty tea pot... and don't forget a dish of freshly made whipped cream and some shaved chocolate.

~ THE DECORATIONS ~

This tea will be an elegant celebration. Use a white tablecloth as your base, and white candles in various sizes and heights as the centerpiece. Sprinkle gold confetti stars or angels on the tablecloth, and use a gold star garland (the "twisty" kind) or a gold wire-edged ribbon to "weave" around the candles for a dramatic effect, including some greenery "here and there". For a token gift, place a small crystal angel ornament at each place setting.

Gently roll the napkins into a scroll effect, and tie loosely with a pretty gold wire-edged ribbon, tied in a bow.

Advent - Day 1

Oh, come, oh, come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel!

(Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel ~ Verse One
Translated: John Neal, 1818-66)

Welcome to the 1st day of the Advent season! Last year I posted a different scripture reading for each day of December. I'm going to include the title of each reading this year, and if you click on the Bible reference, it will take you to last year's writing. I'll also be including a verse from one of my favorite hymns of the season, "Oh, Come, Oh, Come, Emmanuel".

God's Promise to David - 2 Samuel 7:1-17

In one of my favorite Christmas books, 52 Simple Ways to Make Christmas Special (by Jan Dargatz, 1991) it suggests keeping an Advent Diary. Here are the author's suggestions:

~ You may want to keep the diary active from year to year, making only a few entries each season.

~ You may want to have a diary for just one year. You can add entries for Christmastide and Epiphany to encompass the full scope of the holiday season.

~ You may want to create a family Advent diary, inviting each member of your family to make entries.

~ You may want to illustrate your diary with cutouts from favorite Christmas cards.

~ You may want to invite each of your children to keep a Christmas diary. Encourage your child to record her favorite memories, her Christmas prayer list, perhaps even a letter to the baby Jesus.

~ You may want to include mementos of the holiday season in your Advent diary ~ a sprig of pressed holly, a program from a special event, a photograph or sketch of a winter scene.

Keep your diary personal. Let this be a place where you express yourself in a private, intimate way. Use your diary as a means of recording:

~ your insights into the Christmas story and the Advent season;
~ your spiritual longings and desires;
~ your hopes and expectations for what Christ will accomplish in and through your life; and
~ your reflections on the symbols of the season.

Welcoming the Holiday House Guest

"Gifts of time and love
are surely the basic ingredients of a truly
Merry Christmas."

~ Peg Bracken

I'm really excited because we'll have a house guest for a week before Christmas. My 24-year-old stepdaughter will be here visiting us from December 16th to the 23rd. She lives in Kentucky where her mom and other family live, so it's always special when she gets to visit. She's busy finishing up her college degree, and working as well, so doesn't have a lot of free time.

Our daughter (22) and I always have a lot of fun getting the guest room ready for visitors, and it's especially fun at Christmas time when you can include holiday decorations. No matter what time of year we have guests, we always prepare a basket full of goodies for them to enjoy. When guests come during this season, they'll find a small decorated Christmas tree sitting on the table next to the basket of treats. I'm always looking for new ideas, and here are a few things I've copied down in my notebook over the years...

~ Decorate the guest room door with a wreath.

~ If you have enough space, place a small Christmas tree in the room... even a tabletop tree makes a welcome addition.

~ Set out a basket with some fresh fruit, nuts, candy, and homemade muffins or cookies for a special treat for your guests. Don't forget to add a few bottles of water, or a carafe and glass (and some holiday napkins).

~ If you have a small coffee maker, this can be a nice addition to the guest room for guests who rise early, or who might like an afternoon or late evening beverage. Be sure to include packets of cocoa, apple cider, teas, special coffees, as well as some sugar (or sugar substitute), creamers and spoons. Some special additions would be most welcome, too... cinnamon sticks, candy canes and chocolate spoons all make perfect 'stirrers'.

~ Provide an alarm clock, radio, and some stationery or note cards with envelopes, stamps and pens (and maybe a few holiday stickers). You might want to add a few other items just in case they need to wrap some last-minute gifts... scissors, tape, to-from tags, some pretty paper and ribbons.

~ A pretty journal tied with a ribbon and a pen tucked in would be a perfect gift for your friends who love to write. Place it on a bedside table, or right by the pillow. Write a special message or Bible verse on the front page!

~ If you have an extra CD player, place one of these in the guest room with a few favorite Christmas CDs for your guests to enjoy.

~ A large basket on the floor can be filled with an assortment of books and magazines... make sure to include some holiday editions!!

~ Add a pretty fleece throw, a quilt or an afghan in the room for your guest to cuddle under while they read, write or enjoy some music.

~ There's nothing better than the aromas of the holidays! Use some seasonal potpourri or candles in the room.

~ Place a special basket in the bathroom for your guests. Include small sample sizes of personal care items they might have forgotten to pack... some special soaps, bath oils, and lotions.

~ Provide nice, lush towels ~ and include a bath sheet for them to wrap themselves in (or a robe) after their bath or shower.

~ Don't forget to include an extra blanket or two, and plenty of pillows!!

Thanksgiving Wishes

"Over the river and through the wood,
To grandmother's house we go;
The horse knows the way
To carry the sleigh,
Through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river and through the wood,
Oh how the wind does blow;
It stings the toes
And bites the nose,
As over the ground we go."

~ Lydia Maria Child

I remember singing this song every year in elementary school when it was close to Thanksgiving. It was always the perfect song, since we did go to grandmother's house ~ although it wasn't by sleigh, nor over the river and through the wood :) I still find myself singing it "in my head" each November.

Today will begin with one of my all-time favorite Thanksgiving traditions ~ the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Since I'm originally from New York, it's a highlight of the holidays for me. AND... Christmas officially begins (at least for me) when I see Santa coming down Broadway at the end of the parade.

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Hot Buttered Cranberry Cider - for Thanksgiving

"Apples and cider, chat and singing, finished the evening, and after a grand kissing all round, the guests drove away in the clear moonlight which came just in time to cheer their long drive."

~ Louisa May Alcott, from "An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving"



Hot Buttered Cranberry Cider
(Makes 10 servings)

1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 48-ounce bottle cranberry juice, or cran-apple juice, cocktail
1 quart pasteurized apple cider
cinnamon sticks for garnish

~ Blend softened butter, honey and spices and set aside.

~ In large saucepan combine cranberry cocktail and apple cider, and bring to a boil.

~ In each mug place one teaspoon of honey butter and fill with the hot cranberry cider. Add a cinnamon stick to each mug, and serve.

Christmas is a Bridge

"I once said that Christmas is a bridge. We need bridges as the river of time flows past. Today's Christmas should mean creating happy hours for tomorrow and reliving those of yesterday. This year I find myself remembering a Christmas long ago, when Connie was two and her father sat at the piano, holding her on his lap and showing her how to play "Silent Night" with one finger. I remember Jill, who shared Stillmeadow with me for so many years, bright and dark, and her two children, Barbara and David, who tiptoed down one midnight to check for Santa and almost discovered two busy parents instead. Luckily, Star, our first cocker, heard what she thought were burglars on the stairs and raised the alarm.

I think, too, of Hal Borland, who loved this season most of all. Christmas to him meant walking down a snowy road in starlight with Barbara, his wife, and speaking quietly about the birth of Jesus. A carpenter and his wife traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem. There was no room at the Inn. So the baby was born in the stable and laid to rest in a manger.

Princes and kings and warlords were spreading their power over the lands. What happened to them? Who remembers their deed? A few historians are knowledgeable about the Roman Empire. But by and large the rulers made no impact. The carpenter's son born in a manger came to speak in simple words to multitudes who listened. He talked about love and justice and the brotherhood of man. And today all over the world, his message sounds as clearly as it did in the hills of Judea. When we light the candles in honor of his birth, our listening hearts fill with hope for peace and love and justice to come.

Sometimes the holiday season is so busy and exciting that the deeper meaning of Christ's birthday is lost. It is good then to walk in the star-filled night, as Hal and Barbara used to do, and touch the real significance of this birthday."

~ Gladys Taber, from 'Still Cove Journal' (1981)

Thoughts of Christmas Planning

"Christmas makes the rest of the year worthwhile."

~ Charles Schultz

Oh my! I've been terrible about keeping up here, haven't I? I've spent much time this summer thinking of Christmas gifts. I've bought lots of gifts already while on vacations, and I've been working on some craft items, as well. This weekend I pulled out my Christmas notebook so I could work on lists, and thought I'd share this page of notes with you for some ideas to work on while summer is still here. Here's what I have written down on the front page (and I apologize for not sending this earlier in the summer!):

Summer is the season when many of us have a lighter schedule. This is a good time to begin making all those Christmas lists, if you haven't already started! I always like using a spiral notebook, but whatever works best for you is fine. Here are ideas for lists you should begin making:

~ What you wish to accomplish this Christmas. Make sure to list your priorities and then organize your thoughts and ideas. Once you have these written down, discuss them with your family members ~ their priorities might be a little different, and now would be a good time to compromise and avoid hurt feelings close to the holidays. Include all the activities you and your family wish to participate in.

~ Write your Christmas card list ~ check addresses now... I know I often receive change of address notices from friends that never seem to make it into my address book and then at Christmas time I'm rushing around, trying to remember where I put those little slips of paper. (You're probably all more organized, but just in case, this is something easy to do now.)

~ Prepare your gift list if you haven't already done so!! Write down ideas for each person on the list, even if it's only something simple like a theme. A good idea is to make a separate page for each person, and write down their likes ~ and dislikes, favorite colors, themes they use for decorating, sports, hobbies, etc.

~ Make a crafts list if you plan to make decorations, gifts, or any other special items for the holidays.

~ Make a list of decorations you already own, those that need to be replaced, and a "wish list" for this season. If you want to use a special theme, make a list of all items you'll need to include.

~ An entertaining list will help you organize those holiday parties and family get-togethers. Write down people you wish to invite, the theme of the party, and any recipes you want to prepare. If you have some new dishes in mind, try them out during the summer and fall so you'll be familiar with their preparation.

~ Write down all the baked goods and candy you want to make. Don't forget some patterns and ideas for a gingerbread house. If you want to use baked goods ~ or mixes ~ as gifts, plan ahead and think of the containers you'll need.

~ Plan the clothing you'll need for the holiday season so you have time to take advantage of sales at your favorite department store, or the fabric store, or even making repairs to old favorites. Remember to check the children's clothing, too!

~ Fabric and crafts stores are already full of holiday items and often have good sales or coupons to be used. If you plan ahead, you can buy gradually and save money.

~ Keep a master shopping list by type of store, so when you see something on sale you can take advantage of it. And, make a calendar for November and December in your notebook and be sure to write down any activities that come up, so you don't find yourself stressed, and out of time.

A Gift Basket for Book-Lovers

"Once the dollars are removed from Christmas gifts,
gift-giving becomes more loving, more interesting,
and more fun for everyone.
Gifts can be found on the seashore, created out of scraps,
searched for at book sales, or baked in an oven.
Dare to be different.
Take the dollars out of gifts and wrap them in love."

~ D. W. Woodliff

Here are some ideas from one of my holiday notebooks. If you have book lovers on your list, these are always fun to put together!!

A BOOK-LOVER'S BASKET ~

Use a large basket that can be left in a special place in their room and filled with books. Or, another "container" could be a large canvas tote bag that can be carried to the library.

~ Fill the basket or bag with some books by a favorite author ~ or a new one in the type of book they prefer (for example, a new mystery writer for those who love mysteries).

~ Look for older books they've mentioned that are no longer in print ~ you can often find them at small bookshops or at online auctions ~ and they'd be wonderful to add to their collection. I've often had luck at ebay or amazon.

~ Handmade, personalized or specialty bookmarks (don't worry if they already have a bookmark... those who love to read never have enough!). Possibilities are endless if you love to scrapbook, rubber stamp, crochet, or cross stitch. ABC Stitch Therapy (an online shop) has a nice selection of cross stitch bookmarks that are available.

~ Bookplates ~ I've found some great ones at both Barnes & Noble and Borders.

~ A journal to record their thoughts and favorite quotes or passages.

~ Coffee, tea or cocoa to enjoy while they read.

~ Specialty candies or cookies to go with the beverage.

~ A candle or two to enjoy as they relax with a favorite book.

~ A booklight (great for night-time reading while traveling, or even if the electricity goes out!).

~ Gift certificate to a favorite bookstore or two.

~ A large pile of paperbacks from the used bookstore for the avid reader (my husband loves this each year ~ he gets about 10 books for the price of 2 or 3, and he doesn't worry that he might leave one behind on a plane or a hotel as he travels).

~ A book for readers (recommending books along a certain line, or including passages from various books.... you can often find something like this in the bargain sections of the large chain bookstores, and they're full of interesting information).

~ Since I'm really into cross-stitching again (one of my old favorite hobbies) I think a nice homemade cross stitch sampler or pinkeep would be wonderful to include with the gift basket. You could stitch one that goes with the theme of the basket (if you've followed a theme), or you could do one that goes with books. A nice sampler for this would be "The Bookshelf" by Little House Needleworks. There's also a nice smaller sampler by LHN called "Music and Books".

Gift Giving Ideas

"The heart of the giver makes the gift dear and precious."


~ Martin Luther

It's been quite awhile since I added something here. I've been busy working on a few handmade Christmas gifts, making lists, and thinking about other gifts to make for the holidays.

As I've worked on my gift list, there are some changes and additions ~ a few younger family members who will be graduating from college this year, and another "20 something" family friend who'll be getting married after receiving his PhD.

If you have some of these young people on your list, here are some ideas for gifts that I've accumulated in my notebook:

GIFTS FOR THOSE RECENTLY GRADUATED AND ON THEIR OWN

~ A date book or wall calendar with all the family birthdays and anniversaries filled in, plus an assortment of greeting cards for those occasions
~ Picture frames
~ A simple, easy-to-follow cookbook and some kitchen supplies
~ Scrapbooks or scrapbooking supplies
~ Personalized address labels
~ Travel accessories if they'll be traveling on business, including the travel size items
~ Subscriptions to their favorite magazines
~ Gift certificates to home stores or large department stores
~ Gift certificates to restaurants
~ A coffee maker and supply of specialty coffees (maybe even a coffee bean grinder) so they can save some money and make "fancy" coffee at home
~ A big box of their favorite homemade cookies
~ Tickets to a concert, show, or sports event
~ Holiday decorations for their new home
~ An emergency "basket" filled with flashlights, batteries, matches, candles, a small fire-extinguisher, and a first-aid kit

GIFTS FOR THE NEWLY MARRIED

~ A tool set for household repairs
~ Picture frames
~ Calendar or date book with the family birthdays and anniversaries ~ from *both* sides of the family ~ filled in, and a supply of greeting cards
~ A handmade recipe book from both sides for the new bride
~ Houseplants, or gardening items and seeds and a book on gardening
~ Cookie cutters or a cookie press and recipes for your favorite cookies
~ Picnic basket filled with supplies for a picnic for two
~ Specialty coffees or teas
~ Subscriptions to favorite magazines
~ A scrapbook or scrapbooking supplies
~ Items in their favorite patterns (china, crystal, silver, etc.)
~ An emergency "basket" filled with flashlights, batteries, matches, candles, a small fire-extinguisher, and a first-aid kit
~ Holiday decorations
~ A special Christmas item to start them off with a new collection they can add to throughout their years of marriage

Linzer Cookies

"The great acts of love are done by those
who are habitually performing small acts of kindness."

~ Author Unknown

Whenever I see Linzer Cookies I'm always reminded of an old friend and co-worker. She absolutely loved them, and would often stop for one at a wonderful old New York City bakery on her way into the office. This recipe produces a cookie similar in taste and texture to the delicious ones I remember from that bakery.

Our daughter made a large batch of these cookies last evening (photo above) to take into an Honors Capstone Seminar class that meets tonight. She's a senior in college, and this class is small ~ about ten students and two professors who team-teach. One of the professors has been bringing snacks each week since the class meets from 6 to 9 PM, and our daughter volunteered to do it this evening. She loves to bake, so this gave her a good excuse :) She's stopping at the market this afternoon to buy some fresh fruits to make a fruit plate (they had some delicious looking berries in there the other day!), and also some specialty cheeses and crackers. She's looking forward to being the "hostess" tonight, and I think the foods will be very welcomed by hungry students!


LINZER COOKIES

1-1/2 cups butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 14-ounce package blanched almonds, finely ground
3-1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
seedless raspberry jam
Confectioners sugar

~ In a large mixing bowl, cream butter. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Stir in ground almonds. Set aside.

~ In another mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Gradually add this to the creamed mixture, stirring well after each addition.

~ Divide dough into fourths; cover and refrigerate overnight.

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

~ Between 2 pieces of waxed paper, roll one portion of the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place cookies on a lightly greased or non-stick cookie sheet. Repeat this procedure with the remaining portions of dough.

~ Cut out small hearts from the center of half the cookies, saving the cut-outs.

~ Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool, and sift confectioners sugar over the cookies with the small heart removed. (These are the "tops".)

~ Spread a small amount of jam on each solid cookie. Place a "top" on each. Make sandwich cookies from the small heart cut-outs by placing a spoonful of jam between two and sprinkling the top with powdered sugar. OR, melt some chocolate, and dip half of each cookie in the chocolate. Place on rack until chocolate is hardened.

~ Store the cookies in an air-tight container.

Keeping Christmas

It is a good thing to observe Christmas day.
The mere marking of times and seasons, when men agree to stop work and make merry together, is a wise and wholesome custom.
It helps one to feel the supremacy of the common life over the individual life.
It reminds a man to set his own little watch, now and then, by the great clock of humanity which runs on sun time.

But there is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day,
and that is keeping Christmas.

Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people,
and to remember what other people have done for you;
to ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world;
to put your rights in the background, and your duties in the middle distance,
and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground;
to see that your fellowmen are just as real as you are,
and try to look behind their faces to their hearts hungry for joy;
to own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life;
to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe, and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness ~
are you willing to do these things even for a day?
Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and the desires of little children;
to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old;
to stop asking how much your friends love you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough;
to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts;
to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you;
to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke, and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you;
to make a grave for your ugly thoughts and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open ~
are you willing to do these things even for a day?
Then you can keep Christmas.

Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world ~
stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death ~
and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love?
Then you can keep Christmas,

And if you can keep it for a day, why not always?
But you can never keep it alone.

~ Henry Van Dyke

Apple Butter Nut Bread

"I am going to learn to make bread to-morrow.
So you may imagine me with my sleeves rolled up,
mixing flour, milk, saleratus, etc.,
with a deal of grace.
I advise you if you don't know how to make the staff of life
to learn with dispatch."

~ Emily Dickinson

APPLE BUTTER NUT BREAD

NOTE: This is also good with other flavors of fruit butters.

1-1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup apple butter
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup chopped nuts

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.

~ In a mixing bowl, sift 1-1/2 cups of flour with the baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Make a well in the center. In the well place the egg, melted butter or margarine, apple butter, milk and cider. Using a fork or mixing spoon, combine the mixtures until dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened... don't overmix.

~ Combine remaining 2 tablespoons flour with the chopped nuts and fold into the batter. Turn into pan and let stand for 15 minutes.

~ Bake for 45 minutes. Turn out of pan onto a rack and cool completely before storing.

~ Wrap and keep refrigerated.

On Keeping Christmas

"If you can keep Christmas for a day, why not always?"

~ Henry Van Dyke

My Favorite Poem

"Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

~ Robert Frost, 'Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening'

From "Stillmeadow Sampler"

Yesterday I spent the afternoon taking down our Christmas decorations, and even though it's almost the end of January, I was reminded of this passage by Gladys Taber.

"As always when the old house creaks into quiet, I snuff the Christmas candles, and check to be sure nobody has left a turkey bone where the Irish could get it. The colored ribbons and tissues are swept up, the fire has died down, and I let the cockers and Irish out for a last run in the new-fallen snow. They take nips of it, roll in it...

The house talks, as old houses do. A beam settles. A chair rocks. A floor creaks with unseen footsteps. I like this, for it reminds me of all the lives that have been lived under this roof, and I feel their friendly presence as I poke the embers. Christmas is over. It is time to burn the wrappings, write the thank you notes, return the calls, set the house in order for the New Year. It is also time to consider where our lives are bound, what purpose steadies our course. How much have we helped our fellow men this year, and what good have we accomplished? Has the world been better because we were in it? If Christmas means anything, it means good will to all. I doubt many of us truly live up to that, but we can try again.

As I let the dogs back in, I smell the snow. The walk is silver, the picket fence wears pointed caps. Night herself is luminous with the falling snow. A flurry comes in with the dogs and melts on the wide floor boards. No two snowflakes, I am told, are exactly alike and this is a mystery. Now the intricate shapes are gone, and only a spot of water remains. It is not very practical to stand in the open door at midnight and let the snow blow in. But it has been my habit for years to close Christmas Day just so, sending my blessing out to all the people in the world, those I know well, and love greatly, and those I shall never see. And as I close the door, I repeat again my Christmas blessing.

"God rest you merry, gentlemen."

~ From 'Stillmeadow Sampler', Gladys Taber, 1950, 1959

(Image: Valley Winter by P. Buckley Moss)