It's rocking chair weather again as I see a few snowflakes starting to fall. It's cosy now with the house all closed up and a nice fire in the fireplace, and glory be I’m so excited as my favourite time of year is here.

I love the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas. Grammie and Grampie have all their shopping done and wrapped. We start early as we have been blessed with many little ones in our lives.

The camp will soon be decorated and all ready for Christmas parties. Getting the Christmas music out, lots of dinners, teas and craft sales. Santa visits, dinner theatres, family gatherings to make wreaths, along with an early turkey dinner.

The Advent Wreath is ready with one pink and three purple candles. We are well into the Advent Season. Advent is a time of waiting. The wait is different for different people. For some it's a wait for the magical time of Santa Claus, for others it's the Birth of the Christ Child, and still others waiting for family members to arrive home. For whatever reason, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas Blessing 2003
Bless the Ladies of this house
And the Men herein.
Sing Hey! Sing Hey!
For Christmas Day
Twine Mistletoe and Holly.
For Friendship glows
In Winter Snows
So let us all be jolly.
And let the fun begin!

Here is a recipe to put you in a jolly good mood for Christmas:

*Read directions thoroughly*
1 tsp sugar
1 or 2 quarts rum
1 cup dried fruit
Brown sugar
1 tsp. soda
1 cup butter
2 large eggs
Baking powder
Lemon juice
Nuts

Before starting, sample the rum to check the quality. Good, isn't it?
Now proceed.
Select large mixing bowl, measuring cup, etc.
Check rum again. It must be just right.
To be sure rum is of proper quality, pour one level cup of rum into glass and drink as fast as you can.
Repeat.
With electric mixer, beat 1 cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add one seaspoon of thugar and beat again.
Meanwhile make sure rum is still all right. Try another cup. Open second quart if needed.
Add leggs, 2 cups fried druit, and beat 'til high. If druit gets stuck in beaters, pry loose with drewscriber.
Sample rum again, checking for tonscistricity.
Next sift 3 cups pepper or salt, (really doesn't matter).
Sample rum.
Sift 1/2 pint lemon juice.
Fold in chopped butter and strained nuts.
Add 1 bablespoon of brown sugar--or whatever color you find.
Wix mell.
Grease oven.
Turn cake pan to 350 gregrees.
Pour mess into boven and ake.
Check rum again and bo to ged.

How about a nice orange clove ball for a lovely aroma in the kitchen? It looks so pretty all decorated up and on the kitchen table. (A good project while watching TV.)

You will need:
An orange
Cloves
Fork to puncture holes in orange.
Small dish or pretty coaster to set orange on.
Take fork and puncture lots of holes in an area of orange. Now fill holes with cloves.
Repeat process until orange is completely covered with cloves.
Set on coaster or small dish.
Decorate with small poinsettia, red or green ribbon, coloured bells or whatever. Again, like Grammie always says, "Use your imagination!"

A simple delicious dessert to set off that turkey dinner will hit the spot!

You will need:
1 Butter Pecan Cake mix
1/2 bottle butterscotch topping
1 can eagle brand milk
1 tub cool whip
Cut up cherries and walnuts for garnish.
Mix cake according to directions.
Bake in 9" X 13" pan for approximately 25 min.
Remove from oven and immediately prick cake all over with fork.
While still hot pour butterscotch all over cake then the eagle brand milk.
It will go to sides of pan so keep spooning it back over cake. It will sink into fork holes on cake.
When cool cover with cool whip then garnish. Delicious!

Irene, a friend in Houma Louisiana, sent Grammie her Christmas Tradition. Sweet Potato Pie. Like Grammie, Irene has a large family, and had to go big J Vic & Irene have been married over 50 yrs, so Irene wrote a book titled 50 years of "Hi, Honey, I’m Home." Irene was kind enough to send Grammie her book and it’s a really good read. She also has a Column in the Houma Newspaper.

Filling:
10 medium Sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla (Pure extract or imitation)
Dash of nutmeg
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Dough:
1 box yellow cake mix
1-cup sugar
3 eggs
½ cup water
½ teaspoon vanilla (Pure or imitation)
Approximately 5 cups self-rising flour

For filling, bake sweet potatoes (takes roughly 45 min. to 1 hour in a 400 degree oven). In a large bowl, mash potatoes; add sugar, melted butter, vanilla and nutmeg. Mix well and put aside. (If you find the potatoes too stiff, add a little evaporated milk to mixture.)

For dough, empty contents of one box cake mix into large bowl or pan. Add sugar, eggs, water, and vanilla. Mix well. Use electric mixer to mix ingredients thoroughly. Slowly add self-rising flour, mixing well after each addition. When dough gets stiff, knead in more flour until it doesn’t stick to the pan. Roll out to fit pie pans. Place in greased floured pans; put 1/3 of filling in each of the three pie shells. Roll out long strips of dough. Using pizza cutter cut 10 strips for making lattice decoration on top of each pie. Crimp the edges of the piecrust to make it pretty. Bake at 375 degrees until nicely tanned, about 40 minutes. Makes 3 pies.

Hint: Use leftover dough to make teacakes. Roll out, cut into cookies Brush butter of top and sprinkle with sugar. Bake about 8 minutes. (DO NOT OVERBAKE. They will not be brown.) You can probably make 12 to 18 cookies using this leftover dough. This is just a guess.

A craft to do with children or maybe a gift for grandmother — Napkin Rings:

These can be made from just about anything, ribbon, poinsettia, wired pinecones, real sprigs of holly, juniper, or other greenery (if you have kids, keep the holly berries and other poisonous berries away from the dinner table just in case they want to sample some!)

Paper towel rolls (or clean toilet paper tubes) are the perfect size and shape for napkin rings. Cut into 2-inch wide rings and cover with fabric, wrapping paper, even wallpaper samples.

Your kids can help you make salt-dough napkin rings, or you can even grab some copper tubing and twist a few. Costume jewellery, such as scarf rings and brooches, might also work, as long as your guests don't walk off with your jewellery. J

Tongue Twisters — Can you say these three times fast?
Seven Santa’s sang silly songs.
Santa's sleigh slides on slick snow.
Bobby brings bright bells.
Running reindeer romp 'round red wreaths.
Tiny Timmy trims the tall tree with tinsel.
Chilly chipper children cheerfully chant.
Two trains travel together to Toyland.
Eleven elves licked eleven little liquorice lollipops.
Santa's sack sags slightly.
Ten tiny tin trains toot ten times.
Santa stuffs Stephie's striped stocking.
Comet cuddles cute Christmas kittens carefully.

Christmas Gift Exchange

Everyone stands in a circle holding the gift they brought. As the following story is read, each time the word RIGHT is said, the gifts get passed one time to the right; every time the word LEFT is said, the gifts are passed one time to the left. Read slow enough for everyone to keep up, but fast enough to keep things funny. The gift you have at the end of the story is the one you keep.

The Story:

Christmas was almost here and Mother RIGHT was finishing the Christmas baking. Father RIGHT, Sue RIGHT, and Billy RIGHT returned from their last minute Christmas errands.

"There's not much LEFT to be done," said Father RIGHT as he came into the kitchen.

"Did you leave the basket of food at the church?" asked Mother RIGHT.

"I LEFT it RIGHT where you told me to," said Father RIGHT.

"I'm glad my shopping is done," said Billy RIGHT. "I don't have any money LEFT."

The telephone rang, and Sue RIGHT LEFT to answer it. She rushed back and told the family, "Aunt Tilly RIGHT LEFT a package for us RIGHT on Grandpa RIGHT's porch. I'll go over there RIGHT now and get it."

She LEFT in a rush.

Father RIGHT LEFT the kitchen and brought in the Christmas tree. By the time Sue RIGHT returned, Mother RIGHT, Father RIGHT, and Billy RIGHT had begun to decorate their tree. The entire RIGHT family sang carols as they finished the trimming. They LEFT all of the presents under the tree and went to bed hoping they had selected the RIGHT gifts for their family.

Now, I hope you have the RIGHT present for yourself because that's all that's LEFT of our story . . . except to wish you a Magical Holiday. Isn't that RIGHT?

Merry Christmas everyone! And until next time remember, I made it especially for you!