'Tis the Season!

Some families go crazy with their Christmas baking. They spend hours, if not days, cooking Christmas goodies, turning out treats galore that they then give away or enjoy themselves all through the holidays.  My own Mom used to bake all kinds of cookies, cookies of every imaginable kind.  She'd make enough to fill a couple of five gallon tins that then sat out on our unheated porch, staying cool and available all through the rest of the Christmas season.  Lots of snitching went on, but I don't remember that it was a bad thing.  Nothing tasted quite as fine as a cold cookie from off the porch.  Anyway, as a general rule, we have never gone crazy with Christmas baking.  We generally would make a few things but not to excess.  I guess "excess" is relative; those families that do all that baking don't consider it an excess, its just something they do.  In any case, while we do some baking, we don't get carried away with it.

This year, however, we probably did do more than normal.  It began when I saw a recipe for orange frosted cookies that caught my attention.  I decided to make some.  So one day after work, I pulled out mixer and got started.

One of the things that had attracted me to this recipe was how simple it was.  It only took a few minutes to throw all the ingredients together, including running a couple of oranges through the blender.  That part was fun.

Part of the liquefied oranges went into the cookie batter, the rest went into the frosting.  The result was some cookies that were light and yummy.

Not made for any particular reason, just because they looked interesting.  And, as it turned out, they were.

There were also some "Grinch cookies".  Chocolate chip cookies, only green.  They turned out pretty good, too.

There was a family in the ward that dropped off a box of treats one evening.  Sugar cookies, Chocolate chip cookies, and an assortment of candies that was really good.

There is one baking item that has become a tradition at our house; candy cane bread.  Brombeere got out her Mom's old mixer and made that one afternoon.  Candy cane bread is so good.

Its a sweet bread filled with any kind of filling you want to put in it.  This year it was a raspberry chocolate filling.

You fill it and then weave the top closed.  Then you put it on the pan and curl the top around into a candy cane shape.

Then you bake it.  The recipe makes enough for about three medium candy canes.  We made them just a little smaller this year so that we got four out of a single recipe. Delightful!

Then you drizzle a frosting over them, and garnish them with M&M to make like little holly berries on them. So, so good.

There was also banana bread.  Not for any particular reason, other than we had some ripe bananas sitting around.  I made these, my first time.  It actually turned out pretty good, I thought.

Brombeere needed some treats for school so she made a whole bunch of sugar cookies.  Snowflake sugar cookies, real pretty to look at and real yummy, too.

She needed a lot, enough to make a treat for each student in the whole third grade at her school, quite a few.  So it took a while to get them all made and decorated.  Thank goodness there were a few that weren't quite good enough to use for school so that we were able to enjoy some at home.  That was nice.

Then there were the "paw print" cookies we tried.  They didn't turn out quite like the photo with the recipe but they were still good. Chocolate chip, how can you go wrong?

Then Brombeere wanted to make some blossom cookies.  I ended up peeling almost two packages of Hershey kisses but it was worth it in the end.  They were yummy little morsels.  And these were just so we could have some goodies around with all the company we were expecting over the holidays.  Definitely a worthy cause.

And last, but not least, we were fortunate enough to have Erdbeere here for her birthday.  So, of course, we had to make some kind of birthday cake.  We went with cupcakes.

Cupcakes served with the traditional birthday ice cream.

So, yeah, even though, as a rule, we don't get carried away with Christmas baking, we ended up doing plenty of that this year and ended up with lots of baked treats.  No wonder new years resolutions so often include weight loss goals.

Christmas This Year

I think, at least in part, our Christmases have gotten spread out, rather than happening on a single day, because our family has become spread out, geographically.  Maybe that combined with the fact that as the grandkids grow each of the kids have developed their own Christmas traditions and have come to prefer Christmas day to themselves.  That's perfectly okay.  I remember as a kid how I liked Christmas best when we spent it at home with just our own family.  Christmas afternoon or the following days were fine for visiting extended family but Christmas morning was best at home, with just us.

This year we knew Christmas celebrations were going to be scattered over several days so when the presents got wrapped, instead of going under the tree they got stashed in the corner, out of the way.

Then, in time for each "wave" of Christmas, we'd move the presents over to under the tree for whoever was going to be involved.  I thought it worked pretty nice, though it did leave under our tree looking pretty bare in comparison to other years.

It worked out well, I thought. Anyway, our Christmas celebrations began the weekend before Christmas; our first celebration with kids.  Himbeere and his girlfriend were here so we opened presents with them.

Yeah, the dog thought he had to be in the middle of it all, too.

Among the gifts was the customary chocolate orange.  Himbeere's friend had never seen one before, which was kind of amazing.  So Himbeere was more than happy to demonstrate how to open it and break the sections apart you give it a good whack on a hard surface.  Yeah, that put a smile on Himbeere's face.  She was kind of timid at first, in whacking her's so it took her a few tries to get it properly whacked.

It was a good time with them.  We all enjoyed it.  Everyone was happy with what they got, but mostly, we enjoyed the time together.

With just the four of us, it was a pretty quiet time.  Much less rowdy than when any of little grandkids are present.  But it was still a good start to the celebrations.

Just a few days later it was Christmas Eve.  After we went to bed the house was dark and quiet.  With just the Christmas tree lights on, the house has a nice, homey feel.  I like it.  Its a good time to reflect.

Christmas morning dawned as early as ever but we were in bed and missed it. Not since our second Christmas have we not had little kids to share Christmas morning with, to prompt us to get up early on Christmas morning.  Sometimes ridiculously early on Christmas morning.  But not this morning.  Not only did we sleep late but we showered and dressed first, as well.  A gloriously relaxed Christmas morning.  When the kids were still at home and little, they never let that happen.

Then we leisurely opened our presents to each other.

Christmas morning with just the two of us.  Except for a couple of presents from Maulbeere and Moosebeere, Christmas morning was just our gifts to each other.

It was a nice, quiet morning.  Unrushed and low-key.

It was nice.  When we were done we got to doing a few other things we wanted to get done before the next "wave"; our plan was to head over to Schwartzbeere's house to spend a couple of hours with them.  While we were getting things done, Moosebeere called.   His family has a tradition that any time we send anyone in their family a package they Skype with us so we can watch them open it.  That's kind of nice.  This Christmas morning was no different.

So we got to watch each of them open all the things we had sent them for Christmas.  Its so fun to watch them all get excited about their presents and open them.

While at our house it was quiet and calm with no kids, the Skype made obvious that at their house the kids were bringing their usual level of excitement and chaos.  It was fun to watch.

A little later in the afternoon we took off for Schwartzbeere's house to spend some time with their family.  More little kids, more excitement.  We arrived, visited a bit, and then the kids wouldn't be put off any longer; we got to the presents

Schwatrzbeere's youngest was little enough that she needed help getting into the festivities.  This was her second Christmas but she had been too young to remember last year and what this was all about.

The other two, however, remembered full well what was going on.  Especially with the reminder they had gotten earlier in the day with their own family.  So we set about opening presents.

Everybody opened presents . . .

. . . with lots of encouragement and help from the little kids.

Open one of your own, help someone else open theirs. Repeat. It was fun.

When it was all done and everything was open, the kids were pleased as could be - everyone had a good time.  We stayed for a really nice dinner and evening of visiting.  Alas, it eventually was time to head back home.

In the morning we set out presents for the next "wave".  The next wave was Erdbeere and her family.  More little kids, more excitement, more chaos.  They were staying for a few days, that was a really nice thought, especially since there had been so much going on all spring, summer, and fall that it felt like forever since we'd last seen them.

The kids were "patient" enough to let them get inside, bring luggage in and stash it in bedrooms, and catch their breath.  Then it was time for presents.

These kids were old enough that they knew the drill.  Hardly any encouragement was needed.

Some were faster at it than others.

Wrapping and tissue paper was flying, it was quick work.

It was a good time; once again it was fun with kids and grandkids.

When all the gifts were open we were able to sit and visit for a bit.  That was nice, too.

The next day it was off to Blaubeere's house for more festivities.  She had worked hard to be able to host the horde.

While the last touches of dinner were getting ready a couple of people got a game of Yahtzee going at the kitchen table.

After dinner everyone retired to the living room and some musical instruments came out so we could sing some Christmas carols.  It was kind of nice to see the musical talents being showcased, this was entertainment the old fashion way.

We had a guitar, a banjo, a violin, and some rhythm instruments going while everyone sang along.  Very nice.

The little kids were fascinated

The caroling was very pleasant.

One young lady was entranced by the violin . . .

... especially when she got to have a turn.  She loved plucking the strings.

Afterwards we hooked up with Maulbeere for a little while, including a stop for some dinner and more visiting.

And so there it was, wave after wave of good company, presents, and good times. Pleasant memories.  When it was all done the tree stood with nothing under it and the corner was empty. It was a very good Christmas. Given our situation, I'm not sure I'd have it any other way!

Wise Men Came

As Christmas season is upon us many families decorate for the season.  I'd be surprised to learn of any family that decorated where their decorations didn't include a nativity set.  In our house we have somewhere around 10 or 15 nativities, including one that we keep especially so the grandkids can play with it.  Families put out their nativities, both inside and outside their homes.  The church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) came out this year with a new nativity video called "The Christ Child".  This depiction of the story of Christ's birth from the scriptures is set apart from other renditions of the Nativity by several things done in connection with the making of this movie. One of the things the church did was to attempt to relate the story accurately, as expressed in the scriptures.  Attention was given to the story of these real people participating in this real event.  The makers of the movie consulted historians and biblical scholars in an attempt to portray the events in an accurate setting, with the people's dress, the language, and the atmosphere as it might actually have been at the time in ancient Israel. Actors were selected with the age and ethnicity in mind of the people they would portray. Even the actors went to the effort of preparing themselves for their roles.  This effort resulted in some aspects of the story being portrayed differently than in some previous tellings of the Nativity, such as the story of "no room in the inn", the animal stall in which Christ was born, the shepherds, or the wise men's encounter with the Christ child.  Even the dialogue was in Aramaic, the language actually spoken in Israel at the time, so as not to distract from the events being portrayed.  I love it, it portrays the story much closer to how I have imagined it to have unfolded.

One of the things I most liked, was most touched by in the story, was the wise men.  Not a lot is known about the wise men.  If it weren't for the Gospel of Mathew, we wouldn't know at all of their visit.  Matthew's account (Matthew 2:1-13) does not give us much detail about them.  He didn't say how many there were, and only that they came "from the east".  Matthew says they followed the star to to come to where "the young child" was.  Tradition disagrees as to how many there were, who they were, and where they came from.  Over the years I have given a lot of thought to the wise men, who they were, and how they came to make the journey to Israel and bring their gifts to the young Christ child.  During His mortal ministry, Christ referred to "other sheep"  he needed to visit (John 10:16).  As Christ visited the American continent He spoke of still needing to visiting the other tribes of Israel whom the Father had lead away (3 Nephi 3:1-3).  I have always imagined that the wise men were from those others of the House of Israel that had been lead away.  They would have also been watching for the sign of the Savior's birth, the new star, and would have been elated when it finally appeared.  I don't doubt they were as much in anticipation as the Nephites were, waiting in anticipation, night after night, for the sign which, no doubt, had been prophesied among them in a similar manner as it had been among the Nephites (Helaman 14:2-7).

I would not be surprised at all if there were those who were anxiously awaiting the sign, the new star, planning on making the trip to Bethlehem, ready to go and waiting only for the star to appear before leaving. I don't doubt they were far enough east that the trip would have taken a very long time.  I liked how the movie portrayed them navigating across the continent, following the new star.

And, at last, they came to the city under the star

I have never imagined these wise men as having accidentally stumbled upon the Christ child, or men who went at the spur of the moment.  I think of them as prophets, or at least sent by prophets, knowing full well who they were going to see.  They would have approached the little family full of respect and reverence.  These would have been men like Simeon (Luke 2:25-32), "just and devout men, waiting for the consolation of Israel, on whom was the Holy Ghost."

Simeon met the Christ child as an infant.  By the time the wise men made their way from the far east, the Christ child would have been a toddler.  Matthews account of the visit of the wise men refers to Christ as a "young child" nine times; He was no longer an infant.

And yet, these wise men knew exactly who they were meeting.

 This was no ordinary child.

This was Emmanuel, the Light of the World, the Bread of Life, the Messenger of the Covenant, the Messiah, Redeemer of Israel, the Holy One of Israel, the Lamb of God.

I can readily see the wise men hardly able to contain their emotions.  Here, at long last, was the Christ child, God among men, here to perfect the atonement, to open the door and release the prisoners, and bring exaltation to all that are willing to take hold and live the way He taught.  They were seeing the "Condescension of God", not in a vision but it actuality, right before them. The event awaited by all the prophets and peaceable followers of Christ since before the earth was made was happening. The events that were the foundation of the entire Plan of Happiness were unfolding, moving inextricably toward the culmination on the cross. As President Gordon B. Hinckley reminded us, "There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection." (The Wondrous and True Story of Christmas, December,2000 Ensign)  I don't doubt that they, as Simeon, may have been moved and felt to say "Now let thy servant[s] depart in peace, according to thy word, for [our] eyes have seen thy salvation." (Luke 2:29, 30).

The time will come when we will have the record of the lost tribes of Israel (2 Nephi 29:11-14, D&C 133:26-33).  No doubt we will find then the other side of the story of the wise men.  I don't doubt we will find that they were righteous men, blessed to be able to come and met the Christ child and bless Him with gifts that enabled Him to safely live and grow to fulfill His mission.  What a marvelous way the Lord weaves together the tapestry of events to bless His children and move his work forward.

In the Dark

Then there was the time when I had a headlight on my car go out.  You know how it usually takes a few times of driving at night to notice it seems darker than usual, wondering until finally you confirm there's a headlight out.  If you're lucky you can do that without getting pulled over for it.  So that happened the other day and I made an appointment to get it fixed.  Getting headlights fixed is a gamble; ease of headlight repair is usually not a purchase criteria when buying a car so its not until you actually have to have it done that you find out how hard it is on your particular car.  Brombeere had one fixed the other day.  All that needed to be done was lift the hood and come at the back of the headlight assembly and pull the bulb out.  Pop in a new one and in ten minutes you're back on the road.  Could have done it yourself.  I was hoping it would be the same on my car but no, on mine you have to pull the tire and come at the assembly up through the ceiling of the wheel well, to get to the assembly from underneath.  And then the whole assembly has to be pulled out to get to the bulbs.  More parts and more labor.  About $100 more than on Brombeere's car.  Ah, well.  But the real downer was that the night before my appointment to get the headlight replaced the other one went out.  So there I am, pulling out on to the road and can't see a thing, wondering why its so darn dark out there.  I finally had to put my high beams on to be able to see.  So I had to call the shop and make sure they could do both lights in the time scheduled, that they even had the parts for two lights.  Fortunately, they had the parts and the time.  Life is like that sometimes.