Christmas traditions - #9

cHRiStMaS CarDs!!!

Check out this interesting blog entry called writing "Christmas Letters 101." It has some interesting things to consider when writing a family Christmas letter.
And that brings me to the main point on Christmas tradition #9. To send a card only or to send a family letter as well? To send an email card or to send no card at all. That is the question. Some people have strong feelings on the subject. Some people don't like the family letters and they just throw them away (or worse, they make fun of them!) I've kind of figured out some who don't like the family letters and I decided not to even bother them with it anymore.
I haven't ever really viewed the family newsletter as a "brag letter". I consider it a "catch up letter" and I enjoy reading them. For me, I LOVE Christmas cards that include a family letter or a note of some sort. I read every word and I enjoy catching up with family and friends to see what their year has been like, especially those who live far away. We've always sent a Christmas card/letter and I enjoy receiving them as well. When Rick gets home from work each day during December he always asks to see which cards have come that day and he enjoys reading what people have sent.
For years, I taped each card on to my kitchen hutch. More recently I have been putting them all in this HUGE Christmas stocking that hangs on the back of our front door. It gets really loaded by the time Christmas rolls around. Our kids who live far away even enjoy taking down the stocking and reading the cards and letters that are contained therein, because they know many of the people.
I love the family pictures on the Christmas cards, I love the Christmas greetings, I love the well-wishes and I love the kinds sentiments that are expressed. And I really enjoy the family updates!

Christmas traditions - #8

My sister Janet and I agree that "the neighborhood gift" sometimes causes ambivalent feelings. On the one hand, it IS fun to give and to receive and on the other hand, it usually takes a lot of time, some money and quite a bit of effort to make it happen - especially if you're making several dozen. I do like to give our neighbors something to let them now we're thinking about them and to wish them a Merry Christmas. We usually give a little something to our Home and Visiting Teaching families and our close friends in the neighborhood. But here is one of the problems - what if you give something to someone and not to someone else and they find out that they were left out....there is the potential for hurt feelings. Or another issue - you give a small inexpensive gift/treat to your neighbor and he/she gives you a more elaborate gift. Or yet another - Do you try and give something to everyone who gives you something? What if they came to your door on Christmas Eve to give you something and you don't have anything for them? And finally - do you ever re- gift??? How do you deal with this neighborhood gift "problem?"
Some things to consider:

• When your husband is the Bishop of the ward, people give you A LOT of stuff, mostly food and treats. I think it might be better to give the Bishop some sort or non-food item or take it over to the church so that all the staff can share while they are doing T. settlement. They're usually starving over there anyway. Unfortunately, we ended up throwing some treats out.
• Do you like home-baked treats? Some people I know (who will remain anonymous) feel anxious about eating some home prepared food and they throw it away.
• What do you do for your child's teachers or leaders? Anything?

One couple in our neighborhood made it a policy to give a generous donation to the Humanitarian Aid fund instead of give neighborhood gifts. They took a card around to everyone and wished them a Merry Christmas, and noted in the card that they had made a donation instead of giving a neighborhood gift. I like this idea!
I'm always looking for something to do for "the gift." I've stolen/shared some great ideas from my sisters over the years and we've even made the gifts together to get them done and ready to give. I love advance preparation! This year I bought a case of inexpensive Santa cookie jars from Tai Pan and I made my sister Ann's cinnamon oatmeal pancake mix to put inside the jar. Mixes are so expensive to buy and this pancake mix is to die for! Plus it uses food storage items you will probably already have on hand. In case you're not on my list this year for a neighborhood gift, you'll have to go ahead and make the mix yourself....and please don't be offended that I didn't give you one. (hahahaha!)
Here you go: (oh, and please have a Merry Christmas)

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancake Mix
4 c. quick oats
2 c. flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. dry milk
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. cinnamon
2 t. salt
3 T. baking powder
1/2 t. cream of tartar

Mix together and put in an airtight container for no more than 6 months (as if it would last that long.) This mix will do about 4 batches of pancakes. When you're ready to make them, add 2 cups of the mix to 2 eggs, 3 T. oil and 1 c. water, mix and cook on a griddle.

This MUST HAVE syrup goes with them:
Almond buttermilk syrup
2 cubes butter
2 c. sugar
1 c. buttermilk
Boil 1 minute and then add 1 t. soda and 1 t. almond concentrate (a must) ENJOY!

Surprise! A New Look...

Yes, it's still me. Quite by accident, I got a new look on my blog. I was looking to edit and change something else, and bababa boom....this is what I ended up with. I guess it's OK, but I liked purple better :) I know I could go back to what I had, but change is good too! I just wish I knew how to widen the margins. I'd rather have wider text with not so much boarder showing. Anyone, anyone???

Christmas traditions - #7

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

We love to attend the annual production of A Christmas Carol at the Hale Theater. The themes addressed in the play are very thought provoking and a good reminder about how to keep Christmas well. We attended on Monday night for FHE and took my friend Dara with us. It was delightful. We saw R's cousins, in fact their entire family was there including the recently returned missionary. We also saw Ardeth Kapp and a few other well known faces. Here is a link to the book online if you have never read it. There are many quoatable lines and here are a few:

...and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed that knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!
...Humbug!
...God Bless us, everyone!

Pandora Internet Radio

I made an amazing discovery! I don't know how many of you know about www.pandora.com but it is a great web site. You can listen to music over the internet without commercials for free! You can choose the type of music you want to listen to and it will play only the things you like. For those of you who work with a computer nearby, you can set it to play continuous music all day long. It's amazing. I've been listening to Christmas music on it at work and I LOVE IT. It's like listening to the radio only TONS better, because there are no commercials! Wow, I don't know how they do it, but it's great. I just found out about it at work last Friday and I'm hooked!!!
Who knew about this and didn't spread the news?