The Library

[BarbStAubrey]

December Library
Our Library Cafe is open 24/7; the Welcome Mat is always out.
Do come in from daily chores and spend some time with us.


Pull up your chair, bring your coffee or wine and tell us,
How You Celebrate the December Holidays
Note the "Topics for the Day" - We want to hear all about it.

And please, continue to share your library news in addition to these holiday topics.
Let's make the library a bustling place to be this month.

December 1-3: - Do you carve wood, knit, crochet or sew?  Have you spent the last year making things for your family? Share your talents with us!  How about a photo?
December 3: - The First Sunday in December, Advent begins - do you hang an Advent calendar or read from a special Advent book?

December 4-7: - Do you always have something special to eat on Christmas Eve?  Or Christmas morning? How about a recipe?
December 6: - Today is the Feast of St Nickolas - Do you do anything special for the day?
December 7: - Pearl Harbor Remembrance - Do you 'remember' anyone who died during WWII? Have you ever visited Pearl Harbor?

December 8-10: - What goes on at your home every year as you prepare for the holidays—what traditions take place-come heck or high water!

December 11-13: - Are you gifting someone a book this year? What was the best book you ever received? Do you have a favorite Book that you will give this year?
December 12: The First Day of Hanukkah - Will you be sharing a traditional meal? What is your favorite Hanukkah food? Is your Menorah a family keepsake or a newer one?

December 14: - Santa Lucia Feast day (Sankta Lucia in Swedish), Do you make and serve for breakfast Lucia buns?
December 14-16: - What's your favorite holiday sweet treat and your favorite holiday dessert?

December 17-19: - What movies or TV programs do you never miss as Christmas approaches?  Tell us why it is so special for you!
December 19: The Last Day of Hanukkah - Do you have a family recipe for latkes that you can share? Do you remember when you were a child how your family prepared the meal to celebrate Hanukkah? Who in your family lite the Menorah candles?


Everyone is welcome! As the month of December goes on there will be additional topic question every couple of days - We start with our first topical question on Sunday, November, 26th through Tuesday the 28th - on the 29th we pickup and share the next topic and so forth.

During the month there will be special days that we will note as additional topics. Please do not jump ahead - the next nearly 2 weeks are shown so that y'all get the jest of what we are doing this year.

Again, the Library as usual continues with this Holiday/December theme an addition.

[PatH]

The first day of Advent.  I used to love getting to sing some of the Advent hymns that we only heard this time of year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xtpJ4Q_Q-4

[nlhome]

Yes, this brought back memories of my youth and our church. Advent was a busy time in church, and the music was very important. Yesterday one of our local churches had a living Nativity. The day was beautiful, so a lot of people were there. A group of young people sang, beautifully. I remember how we were so very careful to dress appropriately for church activities - not so any more, I guess. But the youth were there, and that was what was most important.

[bellamarie]

It was a beautiful Mass today, the lighting of the first Advent candle, and the song O Come O Come Emmanuel, was one of our songs we sang.  I love this Holy season.

[BarbStAubrey]

there is something so haunting in the music of these old carols - it strikes a part of my heart that nothing touches and why I miss so the Latin Mass. I have a Latin Mass on a CD which is really not the same as being in church each week and hearing that plaintive music.

Ended up not sitting down to eat dinner so I only had the Advent candle on for a minute - counted wrong and had to rip out the entire foot of a sock removing the last row of the Gusset - ended up with a narrow foot that of course did not match the other sock. Always on tender hooks when I rip out for fear of loosing a stitch and having a real mess on my hands - I was prepared with a crochet hook and a long fat darning needle - took me forever but now I am on my way - knitting is going fast so I may finish up with only the toe to do tomorrow.

Planning the color combo for the next pair - these are grey with a red cuff and a red heal and a red toe. Trying to decide if the next pair should be red with a white cuff, heal and toe or white with a red cuff, heal and toe.  Any suggestions - what do you think - probably for my daughter-in-law who loves the color red.

[BarbStAubrey]

Here are several versions of Andachtsjodler - a German Folk Song for Advent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv9soKZFCEQ

[BarbStAubrey]

Celtic Advent Carol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjgBc3IA68U

[BarbStAubrey]

December 4-7: - Do you always have something special to eat on Christmas Eve?  Or Christmas morning? How about a recipe?

[BarbStAubrey]

Today December 4 is the Feast of St. Barbara... no cherry tree to force a branch but will plant some daffodil bulbs to force in the house.

https://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/holidays-and-celebrations/christmas/barbarazweig/

I knew that some folks planted wheat on a platter on Dec. 4, that was used to place the manger scene - I think I found the origination of the tradition.

http://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2016/in-some-countries-st-barbaras-day-helps-kick-off-christmas-season.cfm

[bellamarie]

Barb,  oh do I know the frustration of pulling out rows of knitting or crocheting, and finding the mistakes.  Good luck!  Your pattern of different colors sound like they will be very pretty once done.

As for recipes that are a tradition for my Christmas, I really can't say I have any.  My one cooking tradition is the annual cookie bake/sleepover, I have with all my grandchildren each year.  We have so much fun making the cookie dough, using their Great Grandma Reinhart's sifter, and Great Grandma Patterfritz's cookie cutters.  Each of the grandkids will sift, roll, cut out, and decorate the cookies.  My granddaughter Hayden and I love gingerbread cookies, so we have added making gingerbread men cookies to our baking.  It's a night we all look forward to.

[BarbStAubrey]

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves — slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. Thich Nat Hahn

[rosemarykaye]

Christmas morning we always have croissants with our coffee and orange juice, then at lunchtime we always have the same home-made tomato and mint soup (which includes a good dose of sherry), home made goat's cheese bread, sausage rolls, etc. I think I enjoy this more than the turkey dinner we have in the evening really. On Boxing Day we have either a gammon cooked in cider and roasted with mustard, sugar and cloves, or cold turkey served with bubble and squeak, another tradition of long standing.

At the moment I am still in the list-making, panic-inducing, stage, but this year I am trying to be Zen about it. Be more dog, as they say - live in the moment and don't worry about what might or might not happen. I still need to make my shopping lists though!

Rosemary

[BarbStAubrey]

“In the winter  she curls up  around a good book and  dreams away the cold” Quote from Ben Aaronovitch illustrated by Gobugi

[BarbStAubrey]

Rosemary the homemade goat's cheese bread sounds wonderful.

[bellamarie]

Rosemary,  "On Boxing Day we have either a gammon cooked in cider and roasted with mustard, sugar and cloves, or cold turkey served with bubble and squeak, another tradition of long standing."

You have certainly peaked my interest..... when is Boxing Day, and why is it called this name?  Also, what is bubble and squeak?

Christmas morning our tradition is this:  My hubby and I wake up, open our gifts from each other, give our dog Sammy his stocking and have my usual Hazelnut coffee with peppermint creamer.  The kids call and we are off to my son's house to open stockings with all the grandkids.  We all wear our pjs, sweats, flannels and sweatshirts.  It's a morning we are the most comfy!  My son cooks eggs, bacon, cinnamon rolls, hashbrowns, sausage, and toast.  We eat and play games until noon time, then everyone goes home.  Later we go to my other son's home for ham dinner.

Barb, I love the pic and poem!  I do indeed curl up in the winter with my books and read.

[BarbStAubrey]

Too cold to go outside today...

My neighbor's son brought over her homebaked cookies for St. Nickolas Day - festive - all the Advent Calendars collected from years past are hung and the Wild Strawberry Wedgewood is out to be used for the remainder of the month - Still knitting away and must clean house before the Feast of St. Lucia when the front door wreath is hung and the wreath under the chandelier in the breakfast area gets its wreath - the bulbs are in platters with white stones and water - and Christmas music from my Christmas collection of CDs is filling the house with sound - all is well and coming together - gave up coffee for Advent so a cup of tea and my neighbor's cookies are on my desk while I wrote this... 

Amazing how many times I wanted my coffee till I realized I did not need it and it was simply temptation towards breaking my promise that a cup of tea would be just fine. I do have a problem with thinking I will do this or that and even scheduling it and then for one reason or another not following through - just controlling my coffee may help me get right with myself when I schedule usually something that no one cares if it is done but I am missing out on the outcome of what was a good idea, enough to make it to my calendar.

[bellamarie]

Barb, it is interesting you gave up coffee for Advent.  I have never heard of anyone giving things up for this season, only Lenten Season.  I had to give up coffee last year due to a nodule on my voice box.  My ENT doctor said tea was fine.  I was so happy when six months later he said I could go back to my coffee again.  I love tea, but nothing tastes a good as my hazelnut coffee and flavored creamer.

I have this neat Advent idea for my CCD students.  I bought six gift boxes at the Dollar store, cut up squares from wrapping paper, and will pass out enough squares for each student to have 25 days to write a "good deed" they have done throughout Advent.  They place their box under the Christmas tree, as their gift to Jesus, on His birthday Christmas Day!



Feel free to resize.  Thank you!

[ginny]

My goodness, how clever is that? I love it, Bellamarie, it's beautiful, we can let that photo stand as is, it's pretty, too,  and I am amazed at the creativity of you, too, Barbara, in making things for others. I can do nothing whatsoever creative craft wise.

I love the sound of everybody's menu for the different  days, too. Oh if we could only be more dog, our lives would be so much calmer.  Menu wise I am once again trying in vain to incorporate mince pie in the desserts we have, which absolutely nobody BUT me and my husband will eat, and he only eats it out of politeness.  I like hard sauce on it, too. Everybody else wants the  other desserts, but I like mince pie. I wonder  if you could make mince pinwheels of it, I can't see why not. (We can tell who can't cook, either). I mean pie crust is pie crust. A mince log. Which nobody would eat.  I've made mince cookies before and they were good. Nobody ate them but hey! 

[mabel1015j]

Creative idea, Bellemarie.

We have our family Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve, then children and grandchildren can do Santa, etc on Christmas Day at their own houses. We go to Christmas Eve service and then back to nanna’s and poppop’s house - we live practically around the corner from the church. We exchange our biological family gifts, so the food is all finger foods and snacks that can be eaten while opening presents - shrimp, veggies, cheeses, crackers, cookies, candy, etc. with spiced cider; we all look for new and interesting foods each year.

Barb - I also am fighting yarn mishaps and tangles.......how does it get so tangled up??? I’m using up my stash making a great-grand niece or nephew a baby blanket. So I’m making up my own pattern which takes some trial and error, but I like doing that. I generally start over 3 or 4 times until I find something I like and in the meantime i’m knitting and ripping. No matter how carefully I think I have laid down the “ripped” yarn, it always wraps around itself in impossible configurations!!! 😀

NYTs list of books in my history newsletter this morning.......

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/22/books/review/100-notable-books-2017.html

Jean

[BarbStAubrey]

Haha what we need Jean is one of those yarn winders - seems like a big piece of equipment but if we're ripping out a bunch it may be worth it - I've seen small ones that clip on the end of a table - hmm that may be the perfect solution.

Love the festive boxes Bellamarie and what a great idea with the tags as notes -

Ginny mince meat pie is also a favorite in our family - we usually have a pie at Thanksgiving as well as at Christmas and mince meat cookies is another favorite - we got a kick out of one of the grands living in Seattle doing Thanksgiving for the first time and he made a mince meat pie - were we impressed - a facebook photo showed his work.

[bellamarie]

Ginny, I love mincemeat pie, and have made cookies with mincemeat too.  I quit making anything mincemeat because no one else in my family likes it.  My mother made mincemeat pies for Thanksgiving every year.

Jean, browsing through that NYT's list, I only recognized a couple of titles. 

December 6: - Today is the Feast of St Nickolas - Do you do anything special for the day?

I have to tell you a little near mishap....I was teaching my 3rd grade CCD students about St. Nicholas, at class last night.  I went about reading how he was a Bishop in Turkey, and he died December 6, 343.  Immediately all six children's hands went up.  They all had the same question, which was,  "So if he died how does Santa Claus come today?"   Oh goodness, that was not a Pandora's box I intended to open.  I immediately explained how Santa Claus was a namesake of St. Nicholas, and carried on his tradition of giving gifts.  Phew!  I told my director after class what had happened, she and the other teachers got a pretty big laugh out of that.  I just pray, none of my students went home questioning their parents about if Santa Claus is real, since I told them St. Nicholas died.  Ugh.... in the Catholic schools, they have the students sit one of their shoes outside the classroom door, so St. Nicholas can come to leave a treat inside it, usually a candy cane.  I remember one year, one of my students said how he and his siblings left one shoe outside their door for St. Nicholas to come, and the next morning all their shoes were gone! 

[bellamarie]

Thursday marks the 76th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Imperial Japanese Navy on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941.

Not being a History buff, and nearly failing American History in high school, I know so little about this, and few people who are still alive to talk to, about Pearl Harbor.  I have read a few books about the attack, but I was not even born til 1952, so it's just not something I found interest in.

[Mkaren557]

I heard about Pearl Harbor Day as A child.  For my parents, it was the event that shaped their generation... everything changed for them.  My dad was a sophomore in medical school and the army came in and took over the school.  Now medical school was a year-round program and he would  complete his program a year early.  My mother was training to be a nurse in Atlantic City.  The beaches were cleared of civilians.  So that left the nurses and many marines.  She talks of this periad as the best time of her life.  I loved these stories and I think they went a long way in my loving history and my teaching style.  i always presented history as a collection of stories, not a list of dates and facts.

     For better or worse, my family in Florida consisting of adults made the decision mot the exchange gifts this year.  I am working hard to change my perspective.  I am listening to Christmas music, decorating a little, and writing stories about Christmases past for my granddaughters.  I am struggling to crochet so that by next year, I will have an afghan for each of them.  So far, I have ripped out the first granny square 6+ times. 

I want to thank everyone for sharing so openly this Christmas season.  Your stories delight and inspire me.  I still think that the tradition on St Barbara's day of sitting all day with a new book and a box of chocolates is the best thing I have ever heard.

[nlhome]

Pearl Harbor. My husband had the honor of being in Hawaii with the Navy to commemorate the 50th anniversary - he tells of helping set up the ceremony and meeting some of the higher-up officers including Gen. Colin Powell. He said what he remembers most was delivering copies of the commemorative stamp book and of procuring black umbrellas to place behind the chairs on the reviewing stand, but he also was there for the ceremony. I was working that day back in Wisconsin, so I didn't see any of the news coverage. I watched part of it on YouTube today. President Bush's speech was solemn and heartfelt. Most impressive.

[BarbStAubrey]

Pearl Harbor was a huge moment in my life and for the next few years - we usually take a nap on Sunday afternoon and I was the only one awake - in less than 2 months I would be 9 with too much vinegar to nap - I had a small box radio and heard the news - when my parents and sister woke up I told them and neither of my parents believed me - so I put the radio on - then quickly we had the uncle of my best friend taken and placed in a camp for the duration - he only arrived from Germany that summer and my father had to go and claim my Uncle, my mother's sister's husband who only spoke German but was a citizen and had no clue what the FBI wanted so he too was going to be put in a long term camp -

I remember hearing Roosevelt - "This day will live in infamy..." and so it began, saving aluminum, donating binoculars, the tires off cars that no longer would be driven with gas rations, rolling cotton for bandages since the nation was not prepared and still did things as they were done during WWI - the ration books, the sugarless, butterless cakes - stamps for so many things from shoes to sugar - saving 10 cent stamps om a booklet toward a war bond, making do and magazines showing how to renew clothing, hats, room decorations without any new fabric or paint or whatever was usually purchased to renew. We all planted Victory gardens and farmers allowed folks to pick the fruit off the trees since there were no men to harvest the apples, pears, peaches etc.

All sorts of historians since have said Pearl Harbor was not the surprise we were led to believe but then, whatever they have uncovered to say this was not evident and to the nation it was a surprise attack that killed many, and that was the cause of fear that the Japanese would be attacking off the coast of California and men of all ages rushed to sign up to serve.

A young man that my father taught how to repair his car signed up at age 16 and was a bombardier whose plane was shot down over Germany - I never knew his real name only that we called him Swede - he had no parents and an old Aunt and Uncle were his guardians who both died after he enlisted - I still have the metal insignia from his uniform and my childhood memory that may be all that is left of him. I should write and see if there is a way to find out his name - 

Yes, the attack on Pearl Harbor happened at the beginning of many of my growing up years however, I did not have any direct connection as did nlhome and others. What amazes me is the day now goes by without even a nod and there are so many who want to downplay the event in what they see as political history. In fact most of the holidays that were established because of sacrifice by so many are now simply a day off from work - reverence for the lives lost so that we can enjoy life and the opportunity to grow this nation as well as, feel proud that we helped other nations and people is lost on most folks today. Sad and frankly ungrateful. Partly can't blame them since much of our history is no longer taught and being so politically correct what is taught does not tell the story that the average person experienced.   

[BarbStAubrey]

Nice video on St. Nickolas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59L_lt4U59A&feature=share

[BarbStAubrey]

December 8-10: - What goes on at your home every year as you prepare for the holidays—what traditions take place-come heck or high water!

[PatH]

Barb, turns out I'm 7 months younger than you, and Pearl Harbor seemed pretty surreal to me.  I was sick in bed at the time, and remember listening to the news, hearing of the voting in congress about declaring war, innocently thinking "if they vote 'no' there won't be a war".  The son of a neighbor was an officer in the marines, stationed in Pearl Harbor at that time, and it was some time before we learned he was OK.

So, on to a wartime childhood, though not one of hardship.  No one I was close to was draftable--father too old, no brothers.  I had a lot of cousins, and some were drafted, but all survived.  The neighbor's son survived too, though he was in many of the major Pacific battles.  And when he turned 18, the man I married was drafted and sent to the Pacific, but I didn't know him then, so couldn't worry about him.

We kept big maps posted on the dining room wall, with pins moved around to follow battles--learned a lot of small islands no one had bothered to remember before.  DC being a likely bombing target, we had a strict blackout, with a side benefit of wonderful stargazing.  So I learned my stars from a National Geographic article supposedly meant to teach shipwrecked servicemen how to figure out which way their lifeboat was going.  I still use those star maps--they're quite good.

[bellamarie]

Barb,  "much of our history is no longer taught and being so politically correct what is taught does not tell the story that the average person experienced. "

It's as if this generation, and future generations want to dismiss the past/history entirely.  I'm not even sure they know why they want to destroy statues of famous leaders, or refuse to teach "History" any longer in schools and colleges.  They have been blessed to not have to know the times you speak of Barb, PatH., and nlhome, so they take freedom, liberty, speech and all other things for granted.  Your stories amaze me.  I pray we never do have to experience a war such as Pearl Harbor, yet we have the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and these millennials don't seem to blink an eye, because they were not so near our own soil.  PatH., I would bet most of these college kids couldn't read a map, let alone pick out different countries.  With North Korea flexing their muscles, let's pray that is all it ever is, and nothing more.  It brings to mind the saying:

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

George Santayana, "The Life of Reason, Vol. I, Reason in Common Sense", 1905
 https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=A0LEVjAdBipa0fgAAbYPxQt.;_ylu=X3oDMTBydWNmY2MwBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwM0BHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg--?qid=20070517114901AA0BICn&p=lest%20we%20not%20forget%20the%20past%20or%20we%20are%20to%20repeat%20it

Ah....but do not let me digress.  Tis the season to be jolly!

[hats]

All of these are wonderful posts, ones I would like to have time to reread. Won't list names at the moment, because every post deserves a comment especially bellamarie's beautiful photo and great idea for her students. Our Christmas tradition is an early Christmas breakfast. Afterwards, we open gifts. Can't say what will happen this year.

I've always wanted to do something on Christmas Eve besides last minute Christmas shopping. At the moment, it's snowing. This is hard to believe. Usually, we don't get snow until January or February. One year we did have a Christmas day snow. Exciting! The family loved it.
If it happens again, I would feel happy. Should I sing "Dreaming of a White Christmas?"

[Mkaren557]

     As a retired history teacher, I get fairly defensive when the schools are accused of not teaching history.  At my small high school in Maine where students were required to pass three years of history:  World History ! (Pre history - The Renaissance), World History 2 (1500 through World War II, and United States History including a study of the US Constitution.  Whst is different about the history taught today is that history is not just the military and political history that we studies as kids, but  history of women and minorities,  Now this is where it gets controversial.  We try not to teach the myths that we were taught about people and events. If you are interested in knowing more about this, I recommend the book Lies My Teacher Taught Me. .  Also, A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn opened my eyes to a the history of the underdogs, the defeated, and those who were left out of traditional history texts and classes until women like Barbara Tuchman came on the scene and gave legitimacy to to social history.
     Now the other issue that really has affected "learning history" today is parents who remember boring classes and memorizing dates as the sum and substance of their own experience in history classes.  I had an older adult tell me that there is no way that history is not boring.  In fact I had many students tell me that their parents hated history and really don't care how they do as long as the kid passes.  I loved the quote you used from Santyana, Bellamarie; that was posted in my classroom all the years I taught.  I tried to relate everything from the past to what was going on currently.  For instance in a freshman class we were going over the reasons for the disintegration of the Roman Empire and one student asked me if I though George Bush knew about these things.  Then there was the inevitible question about whether someone like Hitler could arise today.  Oh if I were still teaching today! 
     So students are being taught history every day in today'.s schools.  They read the Constitution and learn the Bill of Rights, they know about the Civil War and northern and southern leaders.  They learn about elections and the electoral college.  In the school I taught in they also learned about the history of western and eastern cultures.  But being told over and over again that historyis boring and unimportant does not encourage either real learning or retention.  I know I just went on and on but having worked my whole adult life in an institution and a profession that gets so little respect I tend to get defensive.  I forget about the students who do remember.  I have two students working in foreign service, a museum curator, several students teaching at all levels of education and last week a former student of mine argued a case before the Supreme Court.   

[BarbStAubrey]

Interesting Karen - I wonder what happens to them after the leave school - you'd never know they had studied any American History... thought - I wonder if they know the facts but have not felt the pride and ownership - around here everyone knows their Texas History that they have a year of in 6th grade, another semester in order to graduate from high school and another semester in most collage degree plans in this state - but then there is often someone in the class whose great grand was a part of the early Texas History experience - ah so... we will never solve the mystery so onward - celebrating the December holidays...

Saw this and thought it was a warm and cozy scene

[BarbStAubrey]

Several of like our mincemeat pie - do you think you will be making one this year?

Not sure what my must do traditions are - life has changed and where I was alone two years ago my plans did not turn into what I expected - so far I do have my Advent wreathe and my front door wreathe and the big red bow on the mailbox - and rather than a creche I have a collection of sheep I like to place among some flower starts from the nursery - we have winter gardens and so the starts will be planted within a few days after Christmas. All that is important - not sure about a tree - thinking a wreathe again tied under the chandelier in the Breakfast area with some of the old ornaments hanging from ribbons - and weather permitting I do want to take a long walk on Christmas day - I'm thinking I may start writing in a special notebook memories of my childhood Christmas' - I'm also thinking of starting a special project so we shall see - I am hoping that midnight Mass from the Vatican will be on TV - it is the closest thing to Mass as I remember it rather than all this guitar playing, balloons and banner kind of celebrating mass today in my local churches.  But for sure what I do I will be my starting as new traditions.

[bellamarie]

Karen, if I would have had a History teacher like you, I think I would have enjoyed and applied myself better.  I still can not memorize dates, names and places today, and that is what History was for me in school.  What really shocks me, is when a reporter goes to the most expensive colleges, stop students randomly, asks them to identify a photo of a person of interest in today's history, and they have no clue who they are.  I just can't believe they couldn't identify our then, Vice President Biden.  I am very impressed to hear how your past students have gone on to be successful, contributing adults.  I too was a teacher, I taught technology for sixteen years. I love bumping into my past students, and see how they have become productive successful adults.  One of my students was just elected the Mayor of our city.  I proudly went into the booth and voted for him.  Before the elections, I stopped him as we were leaving church one Sunday, and had to ask him where he stood on a couple of very important issues to me, and was satisfied with his responses.  We are going to be very proud, to have him as our Mayor.  I told him I knew from back in his days at the Catholic school I taught in, and he attended, he would one day be our Mayor, and may go on to higher offices.  He blushed, and thanked me for having so much confidence in him.

Barb, I love the photo, it is very warm and cozy.   

My "must do tradition" is to attend Christmas Eve Mass with the entire family.  We have been doing this since we had our first child who is now forty-five years old.  We go to 5:30 p.m. Mass, then to my house for the dinner, opening presents, and play board games.  I have begun watching the midnight Vatican Mass on tv as well.  Our church does not do guitars, balloons or banner celebrations, we are still very low key with the birth of Jesus as our central and only theme.  My granddaughter sang in the children's choir the past few years, but since they moved to a new parish, she won't be singing this year.  I will miss that special part, but as we know, some traditions come to a close, as we begin new ones.

[Frybabe]

The one history class I had where the teacher emphasized names and dates, especially on tests, was World Culture. I got a D in that class for the year, the worst grade I ever had. I did well in other history classes, and PA Civics, a class they don't teach anymore but was required for graduation when I was in high school.

[rosemarykaye]

Bellamarie - Boxing Day is 26 December (also St Stephen's Day) and it is said to have got that name from servants being given the day off to go to visit their families, taking 'boxes' of food with them. I somehow doubt that Victorian families who were used to servants actually dispensed with them all at one though - I bet it was only the chosen few who got the day off, as otherwise the employers probably wouldn't know how to make a cup of tea, never mind a meal.

Bubble & Squeak is made by mashing together left over cooked potatoes and green vegetables (like cabbage, sprouts, etc) then forming it into little cakes and shallow frying them. I must admit I have never made it - my mother used to, and my husband now likes to do it. I think there may be a little egg and slour involved. You either like it or you loathe it!

The goat's cheese bread is a Delia Smith recipe and really easy:


 

INGREDIENTS

175g self-raising flour
1 level teaspoon salt
1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
a generous pinch cayenne pepper
1 heaped teaspoon chopped thyme leaves, plus a few sprigs
1 medium Desiree potato weighing approximately 175g
110g soft unrinded goats’ cheese, cut into 1cm chunks
4 spring onions, finely sliced
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 heaped teaspoon grain mustard
ADDITIONAL

Pre-heat the oven to 190ºC, gas mark 5

EQUIPMENT

Equipment: You will need a baking sheet well greased.

METHOD

Start by sifting the flour into a large roomy bowl, holding the sieve up high to give it a good airing then add the salt, baking powder, cayenne pepper and chopped thyme and mix with a palette knife.

Next thinly pare off the potato skin using a potato peeler and grate the potato straight into the flour, using the coarse side of the grater.

Then add the spring onions and two-thirds of the cheese and mix everything together thoroughly.

After that, beat the egg gently with the milk and mustard, then pour the mixture into the bowl. Just bring it all together to a loose, rough dough, still using the palette knife, then bring the dough together lightly with your hands.

Next transfer it onto the baking sheet and pat it gently into a rough round, keeping it quite high. Now lightly press the rest of the cheese over the surface, dust generously with flour and add a few sprigs of thyme here and there.

Bake the bread on a shelf near the centre of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.

Then remove it to a cooling rack and serve it still slightly warm if possible (but I have to say it's still divine a day later, warmed through in the oven).

If you want to make it in advance it can be frozen on the day of baking as soon as it has cooled then defrosted and warmed on the day.

Hope everyone is having a peaceful day? I am reading Angela Thirkell's Christmas at High Rising, which is a collection of short stories written in the 1930s. It's very much Christmas as seen from the upper class side of the tracks, but it's still very enjoyable.

Rosemary

[Aberlaine]

As for my wish list, I have been keeping my eye on Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly.  Has anyone gotten a chance to read it?  It does look like it would be a good one for a discussion in the future.

I just finished The Lilac Girls.  A great read.  I'd recommend it to everyone!
Nancy

[bellamarie]

Thank you for the recommendation Aberlaine!  I asked my daughter to give Lilac Girls to me for Christmas.

Rosemary, your bubble and squeaks sound very similar to what my Mom made called, "potato pancakes."  She used leftover mashed potatoes, onions, flour, egg and what ever else she had to throw in the batter.  I loved them!!!  I am going to try my hand at it very soon!

Frybabe, I had to giggle seeing you say you got a D grade in your World Culture class.  I was so horrible in my American History class in high school, which was a required subject for graduation, that my teacher told me he would give me just a grade, ample for me to not have to repeat his class.  Not sure if he felt sorry for me, or just never wanted to see me again!   

[Frybabe]

I hope everyone got through the worst of the snow storm down South okay. Ginny, it looks like you got some heavy snow in your area. We missed most of it here, getting less than an inch. The worst up here slid up and off the coast.
 

[rosemarykaye]

My daughter gave me Chimamaanda Ngozi Adickie's little book We Should All be Feminists. It's based on a TED talk she gave in the US. It's very short but my is it powerful - in just 52 tiny pages she explains why feminism is as relevant today as it was 100 years ago, and how gender stereotyping is embedded in our societies.

I haven't read any of her other works, though a friend has recommended Half of a Yellow Sun.

Has anyone else read any of her books?

Rosemary