The other night I was watching a program on Christmas traditions and how they began. I especially enjoyed the story behind how the Christmas Tree became a tradition, and thought I would share it with you.
It all began before Christianity, when Ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians brought evergreens into their homes during the winter... observing some kind of celebration in the darkness of winter. In 1605 a traveler in Germany brought home for his family a small evergreen to sit on the table... and for the next 200 years these small table top Christmas Trees were seldom seen outside of Germany.
In the 1840's a Prince brought his tradition of his German homeland to the Royal Family. Prince Albert was a German who married Queen Victoria. In England in 1847, Prince Albert gave his wife a small Christmas Tree, and invited the London Illustrated News to sketch his family enjoying this new custom. The picture was published in 1848 and by the next Christmas, trees were popping up all over English parlors.
Two years later in America, a magazine editor, named Sarah Josepha Hale published the same picture... but first she removed the Royal couple's jewels and medals, and presented the picture as a 'typical American family' enjoying their Christmas Tree. After the magazines publication in 1850, nearly everyone in the country wanted one. Each December after saw Americans visiting Christmas Tree lots, or jogging out to the forests to chop down their own. It wasn't until forty years later a new option became available with the first artificial trees. Advertisements for artificial Christmas Trees cropped up in magazines in the 1890's.
The first "Family Christmas Tree" to appear in the White House (which were real evergreens... not artificial) was during Franklin Pierce's presidency in the 1850's. This new tradition was interrupted in 1901 during Teddy Roosevelt's administration, due to an outcry against waste of pine trees for consumption at Christmas time. Roosevelt decided that was the end of Christmas Trees, and he would have no Christmas Tree at the White House... but... he didn't expect the reaction from his own children. His own young son managed to sneak 10 cents out of the White House and buy himself a little bitty Christmas Tree and set it up in a closet. Roosevelt had a change of heart when he found out about his son's tree, and he learned about a conservation option... "Tree Farming". Tree Farming meant not cutting down virgin forests to create domestic size Christmas Trees. Throughout the 20th century, Christmas Tree farming grew into a major industry... today it employees over 100,000 people. Today Christmas Trees have become bigger... some even going floor to ceiling... than the small table top version from the 1800's.
Which brings us to the decorations of the Christmas Tree. The first ornaments were cookies and candies that were hung on the tree during 16th century Germany. For 200 years a decorated tree was a child's delight, because most of the ornaments were edible... these evergreens were known as "Sugar Trees"... and were joyfully shaken down for their so called fruit. In the 19th century, when industrialization catches on... the tree began to have small toys and gifts (such as small musical instruments for boys and needle books for girls) added to it's branches... making the gifts themselves the ornaments. By the 2nd half of the 19th century, gifts became too large to hang on the tree, and instead were laid under the tree. New ornaments needed to be created to decorate the tree... this is when the first glass ornaments were made and used for decorations. Woolworth's was the first American company to import, and sell the glass ornaments... these ornaments actually were responsible for making Woolworth stores the most profit.
And what about the twinkle lights on the Christmas Tree (which I've already said in a previous blog, are my FAVORITE!)... how did they get started? Before electric lights, small wax candles were lit and placed on the Christmas tree... but... because the risk of fire was so great... buckets of water were concealed behind the tree, or behind the drapes to be ready in a moments notice to douse the tree in case of a fire. In 1879, Thomas Edison produced the invention that would light up, and change the world... the electric light bulb. One of the first uses of his new electric light bulbs were to be used on Christmas Trees. The electric light bulb was only 3 years old in 1882, when the Vice President of Edison's Electric Company (Edward Johnson) had 80 red, white, and blue lights wired to a revolving Christmas Tree in his parlor... but it wasn't until the 1920's that Christmas Tree lights became popular, when electricity in homes became common place in America... which was a much safer way to illuminate the Christmas Tree than wax candles.
Now you too know the story and history of the Christmas Tree we enjoy today! I found the history quite fascinating, especially how a simple small evergreen tree became the huge decorated Christmas Trees we now have in our homes all through the Christmas Season present day.
O Christmas Tree... O Christmas Tree... how lovely are thy branches!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Twinkle Lights
I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christmas twinkle lights!! I especially appreciate those neighbors who put their lights up Thanksgiving weekend... since we ourselves are never quite that ambiguous... in fact... while my husband also enjoys twinkle lights... he just isn't too keen on putting them up... but I eventually am able to sweet talk him in to the task... but... only if it isn't miserably cold outside. This year tho... I'm cheating and having our lights put up by professionals, because bless his heart... he doesn't have the time, even if he was keen on putting them up.
I love all twinkle lights... whether they are clear, multi-colored, or all one color... they make me smile whenever I see them. The good thing about the days getting shorter and shorter up until Dec. 21st is that the twinkle lights come on sooner and are visible earlier in the day/evening. Whenever our family is out and about after dark during the Christmas season... we just have to drive around the neighborhood admiring all the twinkle lights.
Since I'm quite short, it is my husband's job to string the lights and garland around our Christmas tree. Then when it comes to placing all the ornaments on the tree he is the ornament passer outer... which he would rather do than actually hang the ornaments on the tree. He first switches the tv to a sports channel (aka... a football game), then he sits with his box of wire hangers and the boxes of ornaments all around him and inspects each ornament, checking to be sure they each have a hanger before handing them off to the girls and I to hang on the tree. Big ones go on first... little ones go on last... and ALL of the handmade and childhood ornaments get hung.... room MUST be made for every single one!
The best part about hanging the ornaments on the tree is how each ornament has it's own history and story, and these stories are told and retold every single year as each one gets hung on the tree. We have ornaments that my husband and I have had since childhood, ornaments that our children have had since their birth, ornaments that our children have made in school, ornaments that family have made for us, ornaments from places we have traveled to, and ornaments we have inherited from those who have passed on. As you can imagine... over the years of gathering ornaments, our Christmas tree isn't able to hold them all... so it was a good thing when our children grew up and took their ornaments with them to their new homes to continue the memories and stories each year. And of course... the ornaments look much better out of their packing boxes and hung on the tree with the twinkle lights shining behind them to add to their sparkle.
Another of our many family Christmas traditions is the "Tour of Lights" we would take the girls on each Christmas Eve after the candlelight service at church. We would drive around several neighborhoods oohhhing and ahhing at all the twinkle lights before it was time to finally drive home, put out the cookies and milk for Santa, and carrots for his reindeer, and then shooing the girls off to bed, so that Santa could come and do his work uninterrupted.
As soon as the Christmas tree goes up with all it's twinkle lights aglow... the tree stays lit all day and all night so that whenever you go to bed, and whenever you get up... the first thing you see is the Christmas twinkle lights!
These little lights of mine... I'm gonna let them shine... let them shine, let them shine, let them shine! So string up those twinkle lights, plug them in and let them shine, let them shine, let them shine!
I love all twinkle lights... whether they are clear, multi-colored, or all one color... they make me smile whenever I see them. The good thing about the days getting shorter and shorter up until Dec. 21st is that the twinkle lights come on sooner and are visible earlier in the day/evening. Whenever our family is out and about after dark during the Christmas season... we just have to drive around the neighborhood admiring all the twinkle lights.
Since I'm quite short, it is my husband's job to string the lights and garland around our Christmas tree. Then when it comes to placing all the ornaments on the tree he is the ornament passer outer... which he would rather do than actually hang the ornaments on the tree. He first switches the tv to a sports channel (aka... a football game), then he sits with his box of wire hangers and the boxes of ornaments all around him and inspects each ornament, checking to be sure they each have a hanger before handing them off to the girls and I to hang on the tree. Big ones go on first... little ones go on last... and ALL of the handmade and childhood ornaments get hung.... room MUST be made for every single one!
The best part about hanging the ornaments on the tree is how each ornament has it's own history and story, and these stories are told and retold every single year as each one gets hung on the tree. We have ornaments that my husband and I have had since childhood, ornaments that our children have had since their birth, ornaments that our children have made in school, ornaments that family have made for us, ornaments from places we have traveled to, and ornaments we have inherited from those who have passed on. As you can imagine... over the years of gathering ornaments, our Christmas tree isn't able to hold them all... so it was a good thing when our children grew up and took their ornaments with them to their new homes to continue the memories and stories each year. And of course... the ornaments look much better out of their packing boxes and hung on the tree with the twinkle lights shining behind them to add to their sparkle.
Another of our many family Christmas traditions is the "Tour of Lights" we would take the girls on each Christmas Eve after the candlelight service at church. We would drive around several neighborhoods oohhhing and ahhing at all the twinkle lights before it was time to finally drive home, put out the cookies and milk for Santa, and carrots for his reindeer, and then shooing the girls off to bed, so that Santa could come and do his work uninterrupted.
As soon as the Christmas tree goes up with all it's twinkle lights aglow... the tree stays lit all day and all night so that whenever you go to bed, and whenever you get up... the first thing you see is the Christmas twinkle lights!
These little lights of mine... I'm gonna let them shine... let them shine, let them shine, let them shine! So string up those twinkle lights, plug them in and let them shine, let them shine, let them shine!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells have a very special meaning and many wonderful memories for our family. It all started the year my oldest daughter Amber turned 7 and wasn't sure if there really was a Santa Clause... that is the year that my Uncle (my VERY FAVORITE Uncle) started the jingle bell Santa calls. It wasn't until Amber turned 17, that she finally figured out who was making those calls... and then it was only because we had moved to Michigan... she had gotten used to the northern Michigan accent... and it was my Uncle's southern accent that finally gave him away.
Because I just didn't want the magical fun of believing in Santa to end for her yet... and she was soooo upset to not be sure if he did, or if he did not exist, that the plan for the Santa calls began. She was told by a friend that Santa Clause wasn't real... that it was her parents who were actually Santa Claus... she was devastated and not wanting to believe her friend's tale.
Our family has many Christmas traditions that we hold dear... and Santa Clause tales are among our favorites. As a parent you always fear the time when your child arrives at these kind of questions... where do babies come from... is Santa Clause real... is the Easter Bunny real... etc... and that they will share their new found knowledge to their younger siblings. So..... what is a parent to do??? Well of course the first thing I did was to call my own Mother with this dilemma and asked her... "What do I do??" She then repeated my conversation with my Aunt... who in turn told my Uncle... who in turn came up with the Santa call plan.
My Uncle has this set of large jingle bells on a leather strap... and he decided to call my girls on Christmas Eve... he would talk in his Santa voice, and as soon as they would answer he would begin with a big HO HO HO chuckle... jingle his jingle bells... ask for each daughter by name, and tell them things he knew about them and what they had done good and bad during the year... he would tell them to improve on the bad things and praise them for the good things... always ending by telling them to mind their parents and do good in school. What a great plan this was... and they actually believed it, and looked forward to this call for many years... even when they old enough to know the truth about Christmas tales, they still went along with the tradition of these calls... and enjoyed them every single year.
Here is how the plan worked...
I would call my Mom a week or two before Christmas Eve and give her a list of things about them that know one else could possibly know, so that my Uncle was always well prepared in advance on how to make his calls very specific and personal to each of my daughters. The funny thing is... by the time Christmas Eve came around we were usually preparing to head out to the church candlelight service and were typically in a rush so that we would arrive in time to get a good seat in church... so the Santa phone call would always catch them by complete surprise. Knowing that when the phone rang it would be Santa... I always made an excuse of why one of the girls would need to answer the phone. I have the sweetest memory photo of their faces when they answered the phone and believed it to be Santa! Their faces would truly light up, and each of them would wiggle and squirm wanting whichever sister was on the phone to HURRY UP... so they could get their chance to talk to Santa before we had to leave for church. Hilarious!!!!
Of course my girls would share these stories with their friends... who would be totally envious that they didn't receive such a call to talk to Santa before he loaded his sleigh up and begin his trek around the world. The reason this plan worked so well for so long is because of the personal information my Uncle would relate back to them... they were always amazed that he would know these special things about them. Those calls are such precious and priceless memories that I and my girls will cherish forever.
My Uncle saved Christmas for Amber that year and kept her believing in the magic of Christmas for a couple years more... and then, when she was too old to believe in such childish things, she still looked forward to the tradition of his calls... always playing along so that her sisters would continue to believe as long as possible. THANK YOU Uncle Hobert... I'll always be grateful for the extra years of believing you gave my girls!
And.... you really and truly are, and always have been my FAVORITE Uncle!!! HUGS!!!! Vickie Lynn
Because I just didn't want the magical fun of believing in Santa to end for her yet... and she was soooo upset to not be sure if he did, or if he did not exist, that the plan for the Santa calls began. She was told by a friend that Santa Clause wasn't real... that it was her parents who were actually Santa Claus... she was devastated and not wanting to believe her friend's tale.
Our family has many Christmas traditions that we hold dear... and Santa Clause tales are among our favorites. As a parent you always fear the time when your child arrives at these kind of questions... where do babies come from... is Santa Clause real... is the Easter Bunny real... etc... and that they will share their new found knowledge to their younger siblings. So..... what is a parent to do??? Well of course the first thing I did was to call my own Mother with this dilemma and asked her... "What do I do??" She then repeated my conversation with my Aunt... who in turn told my Uncle... who in turn came up with the Santa call plan.
My Uncle has this set of large jingle bells on a leather strap... and he decided to call my girls on Christmas Eve... he would talk in his Santa voice, and as soon as they would answer he would begin with a big HO HO HO chuckle... jingle his jingle bells... ask for each daughter by name, and tell them things he knew about them and what they had done good and bad during the year... he would tell them to improve on the bad things and praise them for the good things... always ending by telling them to mind their parents and do good in school. What a great plan this was... and they actually believed it, and looked forward to this call for many years... even when they old enough to know the truth about Christmas tales, they still went along with the tradition of these calls... and enjoyed them every single year.
Here is how the plan worked...
I would call my Mom a week or two before Christmas Eve and give her a list of things about them that know one else could possibly know, so that my Uncle was always well prepared in advance on how to make his calls very specific and personal to each of my daughters. The funny thing is... by the time Christmas Eve came around we were usually preparing to head out to the church candlelight service and were typically in a rush so that we would arrive in time to get a good seat in church... so the Santa phone call would always catch them by complete surprise. Knowing that when the phone rang it would be Santa... I always made an excuse of why one of the girls would need to answer the phone. I have the sweetest memory photo of their faces when they answered the phone and believed it to be Santa! Their faces would truly light up, and each of them would wiggle and squirm wanting whichever sister was on the phone to HURRY UP... so they could get their chance to talk to Santa before we had to leave for church. Hilarious!!!!
Of course my girls would share these stories with their friends... who would be totally envious that they didn't receive such a call to talk to Santa before he loaded his sleigh up and begin his trek around the world. The reason this plan worked so well for so long is because of the personal information my Uncle would relate back to them... they were always amazed that he would know these special things about them. Those calls are such precious and priceless memories that I and my girls will cherish forever.
My Uncle saved Christmas for Amber that year and kept her believing in the magic of Christmas for a couple years more... and then, when she was too old to believe in such childish things, she still looked forward to the tradition of his calls... always playing along so that her sisters would continue to believe as long as possible. THANK YOU Uncle Hobert... I'll always be grateful for the extra years of believing you gave my girls!
And.... you really and truly are, and always have been my FAVORITE Uncle!!! HUGS!!!! Vickie Lynn
Friday, December 3, 2010
Elves Home Ornaments
This one is for you Daddy!
From the earliest memory I have as a little girl, my Dad told me and my brother the 'Elves Home' story as our family would decorate our Christmas tree. Each day after that... all the way up until Christmas day... I would sit in a rocking chair listening to Gene Autry's Children's Christmas album over and over and over, and chat to the elves that lived in their special ornaments. When I grew up and discovered the trueness of all Christmas legends and tales... I actually thought the 'Elves Home' story was as well known as Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, The Night Before Christmas, etc. It wasn't until I was 18, with an apartment of my very own, and went to purchase my own 'Elves Home' ornaments for my first tree that I discovered that my Dad had actually made that story up! No one can tell a story quite like my Dad... we would listen to him with our jaws hung open... absolutely mesmerized!
Here is his story...
The ornaments that my Dad called the Elves homes are those ornaments that are round or oblong and have indentions in the middle of them. He would tell us that the elves lived in these ornaments all year long, and when they were packed away after Christmas, the elves would come out and play at night and keep watch over us as we slept... but in the day time they would watch over us and report to Santa all our good deeds and bad deeds throughout the year... so that when Christmas season came, and it was time to decorate the Christmas tree, Santa already knew if we had been naughty or nice during the year. But... during the time those ornaments hung on the tree we had a chance to redeem ourselves for any of our naughtiness during the year by being extra good as they kept watch over us until Christmas Eve when Santa arrived... then... when Santa arrived the elves helped him stuff our stockings and unload his sack of goodies that were placed under the tree.
I would sit in that rocker and sing along with Gene Autry as I chatted to the elves hoping they would see just how good I was... and also to see if I could ever catch one coming out of the ornaments. I truly thought if I sat there long enough I would really get to see a real life elf... which of course I never did... but I never gave up believing I would see one.
I remember the day I went in search of my own Elves Home ornaments. I was in the local Woolworth five and dime store browsing along the Christmas decorations aisle... when I couldn't find any of those ornaments I went in search of a sales clerk to assist me in my search. I actually asked her if they carried 'Elves Home' ornaments... I will never forget the puzzled look the sales lady gave me... and then the "WHAT ornaments" reply! I then not only described what the ornaments looked like in great detail... but also said... "you know... the ornaments that the elves live in"!!! I was a bit perplexed that this woman had no clue what I was talking about... so when I got home, I called my Mom and Dad to tell them how dumb this sales lady was that she didn't know what Elves Home ornaments were. It was then that my Dad confessed he had made that story up years ago. Since he had told that story to my cousins as well... I really thought it was a well known Christmas story!
Thanks Dad for the many years of memories of waiting and watching for those elves... those are priceless memories indeed! I made sure I told this same story to my own children every year, and I will be passing this story on to my Grandchildren as well. And Dad... I wish you would turn this story into a book with your own illustrations included... how cool would that be??? I love you bunches!! You made Christmas soooo special!
HUGS!!! Victoria
From the earliest memory I have as a little girl, my Dad told me and my brother the 'Elves Home' story as our family would decorate our Christmas tree. Each day after that... all the way up until Christmas day... I would sit in a rocking chair listening to Gene Autry's Children's Christmas album over and over and over, and chat to the elves that lived in their special ornaments. When I grew up and discovered the trueness of all Christmas legends and tales... I actually thought the 'Elves Home' story was as well known as Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, The Night Before Christmas, etc. It wasn't until I was 18, with an apartment of my very own, and went to purchase my own 'Elves Home' ornaments for my first tree that I discovered that my Dad had actually made that story up! No one can tell a story quite like my Dad... we would listen to him with our jaws hung open... absolutely mesmerized!
Here is his story...
The ornaments that my Dad called the Elves homes are those ornaments that are round or oblong and have indentions in the middle of them. He would tell us that the elves lived in these ornaments all year long, and when they were packed away after Christmas, the elves would come out and play at night and keep watch over us as we slept... but in the day time they would watch over us and report to Santa all our good deeds and bad deeds throughout the year... so that when Christmas season came, and it was time to decorate the Christmas tree, Santa already knew if we had been naughty or nice during the year. But... during the time those ornaments hung on the tree we had a chance to redeem ourselves for any of our naughtiness during the year by being extra good as they kept watch over us until Christmas Eve when Santa arrived... then... when Santa arrived the elves helped him stuff our stockings and unload his sack of goodies that were placed under the tree.
I would sit in that rocker and sing along with Gene Autry as I chatted to the elves hoping they would see just how good I was... and also to see if I could ever catch one coming out of the ornaments. I truly thought if I sat there long enough I would really get to see a real life elf... which of course I never did... but I never gave up believing I would see one.
I remember the day I went in search of my own Elves Home ornaments. I was in the local Woolworth five and dime store browsing along the Christmas decorations aisle... when I couldn't find any of those ornaments I went in search of a sales clerk to assist me in my search. I actually asked her if they carried 'Elves Home' ornaments... I will never forget the puzzled look the sales lady gave me... and then the "WHAT ornaments" reply! I then not only described what the ornaments looked like in great detail... but also said... "you know... the ornaments that the elves live in"!!! I was a bit perplexed that this woman had no clue what I was talking about... so when I got home, I called my Mom and Dad to tell them how dumb this sales lady was that she didn't know what Elves Home ornaments were. It was then that my Dad confessed he had made that story up years ago. Since he had told that story to my cousins as well... I really thought it was a well known Christmas story!
Thanks Dad for the many years of memories of waiting and watching for those elves... those are priceless memories indeed! I made sure I told this same story to my own children every year, and I will be passing this story on to my Grandchildren as well. And Dad... I wish you would turn this story into a book with your own illustrations included... how cool would that be??? I love you bunches!! You made Christmas soooo special!
HUGS!!! Victoria
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Christmas Countdown Advent Calendars
One of my very favorite activities to prepare for the coming of Christmas Day is my advent calendar countdowns. When my girls were small my Grandmother gave them each a cardboard advent calendar, and each day the girls opened a door to reveal a piece of chocolate behind it. These advent calendar countdowns begin on Dec. 1st and end either on Dec. 24th or Dec. 25th... depending on the individual calendar. Ever since that first year I made sure the girls each had an advent calendar to countdown the days until Christmas Day.
Over the years I have collected several advent calendars... some that are wooden structures to which ornaments get removed from the structure each day... some are puzzles and each day after retrieving the treat it becomes a puzzle piece that slowly becomes a picture after all the drawers have been turned around... my Mother-in-law made one that is a quilted wall hanging in which a little bear is looking for Christmas, and each day the bear looks in a different place on the quilt until he discovers Christmas under the Christmas Tree... each place on the quilt has a little piece of velcro attached and the bear has a piece of velcro so that he can move around the quilt each day... this particular advent calendar my girls had to take turns moving him around the quilt, and it is still their favorite. I have a couple advent calendars that are wire trees with a hidden drawers underneath and each day an ornament gets added to the tree... one year I even made my own by taking a card making stamping class in which we stamped and embossed a tree onto a magnet, then stamped and embossed ornaments, after which we laminated the ornaments and attached magnets to the back so that each day an magnet ornament was attached to the tree.
I feel like such a kid myself each Christmas as I unpack my many advent calendars and look forward to each morning that I get to add an ornament or retrieve a treat. My daughters have since grown up and moved out on their own... taking their advent calendars with them... but... we all remember the many memories of the joys we each had each morning with our advent calendars... and well.... we still enjoy.
My family has diagnosed me as being a bit obsessive and compulsive (OK... I do tend to get carried away when I find things I really like or enjoy)... but... these calendars are such fun I look for new and different ones each year. I have them in every room and can not start my day until I have placed an ornament on, or opened and turned all the drawers around each morning. I'm as giddy as any child counting down the days until Christmas. If you have not had the pleasure of the joys of participating with an advent calendar... the next time you see a cheap cardboard advent calendar... pick it up and begin a new tradition yourself.
Today the advent season has officially begun and I have one piece of the puzzle in place and one ornament on the trees... it will be all too soon when they are completed and Christmas Day has come and gone, and it's once again time to pack these precious memories away for the next year.
Over the years I have collected several advent calendars... some that are wooden structures to which ornaments get removed from the structure each day... some are puzzles and each day after retrieving the treat it becomes a puzzle piece that slowly becomes a picture after all the drawers have been turned around... my Mother-in-law made one that is a quilted wall hanging in which a little bear is looking for Christmas, and each day the bear looks in a different place on the quilt until he discovers Christmas under the Christmas Tree... each place on the quilt has a little piece of velcro attached and the bear has a piece of velcro so that he can move around the quilt each day... this particular advent calendar my girls had to take turns moving him around the quilt, and it is still their favorite. I have a couple advent calendars that are wire trees with a hidden drawers underneath and each day an ornament gets added to the tree... one year I even made my own by taking a card making stamping class in which we stamped and embossed a tree onto a magnet, then stamped and embossed ornaments, after which we laminated the ornaments and attached magnets to the back so that each day an magnet ornament was attached to the tree.
I feel like such a kid myself each Christmas as I unpack my many advent calendars and look forward to each morning that I get to add an ornament or retrieve a treat. My daughters have since grown up and moved out on their own... taking their advent calendars with them... but... we all remember the many memories of the joys we each had each morning with our advent calendars... and well.... we still enjoy.
My family has diagnosed me as being a bit obsessive and compulsive (OK... I do tend to get carried away when I find things I really like or enjoy)... but... these calendars are such fun I look for new and different ones each year. I have them in every room and can not start my day until I have placed an ornament on, or opened and turned all the drawers around each morning. I'm as giddy as any child counting down the days until Christmas. If you have not had the pleasure of the joys of participating with an advent calendar... the next time you see a cheap cardboard advent calendar... pick it up and begin a new tradition yourself.
Today the advent season has officially begun and I have one piece of the puzzle in place and one ornament on the trees... it will be all too soon when they are completed and Christmas Day has come and gone, and it's once again time to pack these precious memories away for the next year.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Small Town Living
You know you are living in a small town when....
1. You live in the country.... but main street is just 5 miles down the road
2. The post office is down on main street... and ALL the postal workers treat you like family every time you go in
3. If you happen to be on main street at 12:00 noon all the churches chime their bells... and during the holidays the bells ring out christmas hymns
4. People actually pull their cars over to listen to the church bells at noon
5. One end of town to the other is only a 10 minute drive... with 30 MPH speed limit
6. No one drives the speed limit.... they drive 5 - 10 miles under the speed limit
7. No one is in a hurry.... so don't think about rushing them
8. Any place of business you visit twice... they not only remember you... but they remember past purchases and food orders
9. People pull over to the side of the road the instant they see a funeral procession and wait until the final car has passed
10. Everyone waves and smiles at everyone... no matter if you are walking or driving
11. When walking down any street, everyone looks you in the eye and greets you as you pass by
12. Everyone starts up a conversation with you whenever you are waiting in any line
13. People not only ask you how you or your family are doing... but they actually listen to the answer and respond
14. Handshakes and hugs are a common occurrence
15. Men tip their hats and hold doors for women
16. People are referred to as 'folks'
17. Parents are referred to as 'my Momma' and/or 'my Daddy'... no matter how old the child... including 70 year olds speaking about their parents
18. There are more pick up trucks per square capita than any other vehicle..... with tractors coming in a close second
19. Crime rate??!! What is that!!??
20. Everyone in town turns out for the local high school football games.... even if you don't have, or never have had a child who attends/attended the school
21. All businesses (other than fast food places) shut down after 9:00pm on Saturday, and are closed on Sunday's and Monday's
As George Bailey said.... "It's A Wonderful Life"!
1. You live in the country.... but main street is just 5 miles down the road
2. The post office is down on main street... and ALL the postal workers treat you like family every time you go in
3. If you happen to be on main street at 12:00 noon all the churches chime their bells... and during the holidays the bells ring out christmas hymns
4. People actually pull their cars over to listen to the church bells at noon
5. One end of town to the other is only a 10 minute drive... with 30 MPH speed limit
6. No one drives the speed limit.... they drive 5 - 10 miles under the speed limit
7. No one is in a hurry.... so don't think about rushing them
8. Any place of business you visit twice... they not only remember you... but they remember past purchases and food orders
9. People pull over to the side of the road the instant they see a funeral procession and wait until the final car has passed
10. Everyone waves and smiles at everyone... no matter if you are walking or driving
11. When walking down any street, everyone looks you in the eye and greets you as you pass by
12. Everyone starts up a conversation with you whenever you are waiting in any line
13. People not only ask you how you or your family are doing... but they actually listen to the answer and respond
14. Handshakes and hugs are a common occurrence
15. Men tip their hats and hold doors for women
16. People are referred to as 'folks'
17. Parents are referred to as 'my Momma' and/or 'my Daddy'... no matter how old the child... including 70 year olds speaking about their parents
18. There are more pick up trucks per square capita than any other vehicle..... with tractors coming in a close second
19. Crime rate??!! What is that!!??
20. Everyone in town turns out for the local high school football games.... even if you don't have, or never have had a child who attends/attended the school
21. All businesses (other than fast food places) shut down after 9:00pm on Saturday, and are closed on Sunday's and Monday's
As George Bailey said.... "It's A Wonderful Life"!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Breakfast Memories With Grandma
Breakfast literally means.... to break the fast.... as in.... when you sleep you are fasting... when you wake up, you need to refuel the body to break the fast and start your metabolism going. Even tho I myself am not a 'breakfast person'....I have woken up to the wonderful smells of breakfast my whole life.
As a child, and all the years of growing up, I would spend the night with my Grandma or my cousins as many times as my Mom would allow.... and it is hard for me to remember a single weekend that I didn't spend the night with my Grandma or at my cousins or my cousin Debbie spending the night at my house. My Mom, my Aunt, and my Grandma all made breakfast every single morning.... my Aunt even made a HUGE breakfast on Sunday mornings before church, AND would stick something in the oven to be ready for Sunday Supper after church! But it's the breakfasts at my Grandma's house I remember the most... she just made the absolute perfect fried eggs!!! It is very rare that I ever eat a fried egg and when I do... it has to be hard fried for an egg sandwich... but my Grandma made the most beautiful fried eggs that even I wanted to eat them.
When I spent the night at Grandma's house... the smell of fresh coffee and frying sausage would chase all the dreams out of my head and I just had to get up so that I wouldn't miss watching her cook breakfast. She was like a ballerina dancing through breakfast preparations... it was just a wonderful sight to behold! I can still hear the sizzle of the sausage as it fried.... slowly... nothing could be rushed... the sausage was NEVER burnt or overcooked, but had the perfect searing on the outside and juiciness on the inside... it HAD to be "Old Folks" sausage... she never used anything else! If I woke up early enough... I would actually get to watch her slice the sausage into patties from the roll that was wrapped up in cloth casing.... it too had such a distinct sound as she would slice through it.
When the sausage was near perfection... but not quite done... she would then begin frying the eggs and making the toast. She used a small teflon skillet... on low heat... and when the eggs were done... flipped over once... they were the prettiest eggs I have ever seen!!! The whites of her fried eggs were pristine white... never ever any brown or rough edges, and when the yellows were cut with a fork, they would ooze and flow over the whites like syrup over pancakes.... the toast of course was used for sopping every bite of those eggs off the plate! Watching her make breakfast is like being at Waffle House and watching the cook do his dance... except Grandma did everything in slow motion. She would serve breakfast on white corelle dishes... and the sounds of the knife and fork being used made it's own song!
There was a sweet rhythm to breakfast at Grandma's. Grandpa would be in his white tank tee-shirt and dress pants (skinny belt) and would be sipping his coffee and reading the newspaper, Grandma would be wearing one of her many pretty house robes with matching slippers... Grandpa would be totally silent, absorbed in the newspaper... while Grandma would chatter away to me as she cooked... explaining in great detail the how's and why's of her cooking (because I would be asking a thousand questions and was always under foot mesmorized by her cooking dance)... she always made a pot of lipton tea that she would share with me... adding lots of sugar to my cup... the tea would be served from a dainty tea pot, poured into the white tissue thin corelle cups... which I personally think added to the poshness of it all... and once she had everyone served... including herself... she would then sit down and daintily place her napkin over her lap before she ate and savored her own breakfast and read the paper... cover to cover!
That was a typical everyday breakfast for her and Grandpa... which they HAD to have a real breakfast to start their day off... never just grabbing a muffin or danish... it HAD to be a hot breakfast. On weekends when our entire clan would jaunt down to "The Cabin"at Rough River... then she would bring out the whole shabang breakfast that would include homemade biscuits, gravy, sliced tomatoes, grits/cream of wheat, and bacon to the eggs and sausage.... it was a break-FEAST!!!!
Whether it was the typical everyday breakfast or the weekend breakfeast.... no meals were ever hurried affairs... they were sit down gatherings with lots of conversation and enjoyment of the food prepared. I'm soooo grateful for these memories and all those meals shared with my family. I recently inherited one of my Grandma's small teflon frying pans, and I have made it a personal quest to make her "perfect" fried eggs and sausage. I'm determined to follow in her footsteps and be the BEST Grandma ever... just like she was to us. I think she would be proud of my beautiful eggs I have finally mastered in her teflon pan! MISS YOU SOOOOOO MUCH GRANDMA!!!
As a child, and all the years of growing up, I would spend the night with my Grandma or my cousins as many times as my Mom would allow.... and it is hard for me to remember a single weekend that I didn't spend the night with my Grandma or at my cousins or my cousin Debbie spending the night at my house. My Mom, my Aunt, and my Grandma all made breakfast every single morning.... my Aunt even made a HUGE breakfast on Sunday mornings before church, AND would stick something in the oven to be ready for Sunday Supper after church! But it's the breakfasts at my Grandma's house I remember the most... she just made the absolute perfect fried eggs!!! It is very rare that I ever eat a fried egg and when I do... it has to be hard fried for an egg sandwich... but my Grandma made the most beautiful fried eggs that even I wanted to eat them.
When I spent the night at Grandma's house... the smell of fresh coffee and frying sausage would chase all the dreams out of my head and I just had to get up so that I wouldn't miss watching her cook breakfast. She was like a ballerina dancing through breakfast preparations... it was just a wonderful sight to behold! I can still hear the sizzle of the sausage as it fried.... slowly... nothing could be rushed... the sausage was NEVER burnt or overcooked, but had the perfect searing on the outside and juiciness on the inside... it HAD to be "Old Folks" sausage... she never used anything else! If I woke up early enough... I would actually get to watch her slice the sausage into patties from the roll that was wrapped up in cloth casing.... it too had such a distinct sound as she would slice through it.
When the sausage was near perfection... but not quite done... she would then begin frying the eggs and making the toast. She used a small teflon skillet... on low heat... and when the eggs were done... flipped over once... they were the prettiest eggs I have ever seen!!! The whites of her fried eggs were pristine white... never ever any brown or rough edges, and when the yellows were cut with a fork, they would ooze and flow over the whites like syrup over pancakes.... the toast of course was used for sopping every bite of those eggs off the plate! Watching her make breakfast is like being at Waffle House and watching the cook do his dance... except Grandma did everything in slow motion. She would serve breakfast on white corelle dishes... and the sounds of the knife and fork being used made it's own song!
There was a sweet rhythm to breakfast at Grandma's. Grandpa would be in his white tank tee-shirt and dress pants (skinny belt) and would be sipping his coffee and reading the newspaper, Grandma would be wearing one of her many pretty house robes with matching slippers... Grandpa would be totally silent, absorbed in the newspaper... while Grandma would chatter away to me as she cooked... explaining in great detail the how's and why's of her cooking (because I would be asking a thousand questions and was always under foot mesmorized by her cooking dance)... she always made a pot of lipton tea that she would share with me... adding lots of sugar to my cup... the tea would be served from a dainty tea pot, poured into the white tissue thin corelle cups... which I personally think added to the poshness of it all... and once she had everyone served... including herself... she would then sit down and daintily place her napkin over her lap before she ate and savored her own breakfast and read the paper... cover to cover!
That was a typical everyday breakfast for her and Grandpa... which they HAD to have a real breakfast to start their day off... never just grabbing a muffin or danish... it HAD to be a hot breakfast. On weekends when our entire clan would jaunt down to "The Cabin"at Rough River... then she would bring out the whole shabang breakfast that would include homemade biscuits, gravy, sliced tomatoes, grits/cream of wheat, and bacon to the eggs and sausage.... it was a break-FEAST!!!!
Whether it was the typical everyday breakfast or the weekend breakfeast.... no meals were ever hurried affairs... they were sit down gatherings with lots of conversation and enjoyment of the food prepared. I'm soooo grateful for these memories and all those meals shared with my family. I recently inherited one of my Grandma's small teflon frying pans, and I have made it a personal quest to make her "perfect" fried eggs and sausage. I'm determined to follow in her footsteps and be the BEST Grandma ever... just like she was to us. I think she would be proud of my beautiful eggs I have finally mastered in her teflon pan! MISS YOU SOOOOOO MUCH GRANDMA!!!
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About Me
- Vickie G
- I am a short little lady with a passion for cooking and pilates. I have been married for 31 years to my high school sweetheart (my soulmate and love of my life!!!) and we have 3 amazing daughters. I am 50 years old and love living life with as much zest as possible.