Everything Christmas!

Sounds like you need to start celebrating Christmas again Paul, these are all wonderful ways to celebrate.

I spent my first few years in a children's home in Henley on Thames, I can remember little about it, Matron Fisher and her big nurses hat, all the little babies in the babies room, and Christmas when someone dressed up as Father Christmas and bought us all gifts. Someone like you Paul.

I used to do crafts for Christmas many years ago - mostly some kind of homemade ornament for nieces and nephews, or baking for cookie trays, and all that stuff had to begin this time of year.  But for lack of time, I don't do it anymore.  So now I try not to rush the season, and don't begin shopping, decorating or any Christmas prep until after Thanksgiving, which for our non-American friends, falls on the 4th Thursday in November.  I have a lot of Christmas candles and every Christmas Eve, we light the whole house by candlelight while we visit with family and/or friends and neighbors and have a drop of Christmas cheer and a light meal.  My favorite Christmas cheer is brandied eggnog or lime vodka in 7-Up.  Either of those would be the annual drink my parents would allow us when we were kids - memories!!  My favorite non-alcoholic Christmas cheer is hot cider with those little red cinnamon candies stirred into it.  And you've simply got to have coffee with half n half and honey and some nice, fresh croissants on Christmas morning!

I also used to love to make a gingerbread house.  And stack up a little wood pile of pretzel sticks outside it.  lol

 I promised you people some receipes...here's one of them...Called Wessendorf Winter Cookies...because of the person that use to make them, whom relative is an college teacher now in Maryland..these were his grandfather's favorites, as he owned an general store in the 1800's and made these, stored in an small barrel or crock and they would just get better in taste as they aged...at this time they were made all day long on an wood stove. I'll give you the orignal receipe and then the reduced version, you handle them in the same way..this is an rectangle "bar ' cookie.  Original ....20 eggs, 8 pounds of sugar (18 cups), 4 pounds of lard, 4 tablespoons baking soda, 12 pounds of flour (48 cups), 2 cups of sour milk, 2 cups of molasses (grandpa liked black strap molasses), 4 tablsepoons, cinnamon, 2 pinches of salt, 8 pounds of raisins, 2 pounds (8 cups pecans, optional) Makes 250 cookies, which fills an 20 gallon stone jar, to be stored in an cool place.

Cream the sugar and lard, add the eggs and beat until creamy, add alternately the dry and wet ingrediants. Next add the raisins, after dreging them in flour, and pecans. Pat the mixture out to 1/4 inch thickness in an oblong cake pan..bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes, or until light brown on top. Remove from oven and cut (while still in pan) into 2-by-4 inch rectangles. Cool slightly and dump onto a tea towel and let cool.

smaller receipe..5 eggs, 4 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 pound of lard, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 2 pounds of raisins (5 1/3 cups), 12 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of sour milk, 1/2 cup of molasses, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, pinch of salt, 8 ozs. peacns (2 cups) optional.  should yeild about 60 to 65 cookies.

I'll see if I can find that egg nog receipe that will knock your socks of you!. S*

 Here is the other receipe....Christmas Eggnog

8 cups of whole milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, 10 ex-large eggs, 2 pints of whipping cream, 1/2 gal ready-made egg nog, 1 1/2 cups of brandy, 1 1/2 cups of Rum, if you can find it use "White Christmas" liquor mixutre sold only at the liquor stores...add to suit your own taste. Serve in small punch bowl sized cups.  

Hi Shirley:  That cookie recipe sounds like a HUGE batch.  I know those old traditional recipes don't come out as well if you make subsitutions, but can you use Crisco instead of lard and buttermilk instead of sour milk?

Hmmmmm . Looks like this thread needs reviving !

I heard this in church today :

Christmas Bells by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till, ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The Carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said;
‘For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!’

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
‘God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!’