Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. Some things I enjoy most are old recipes and Santas from the past and different countries. The lights and music are high on my list too. I'm especially fond of Christmas rock music, as opposed to carols.
Susan this post is packed full of goodness, thank you. Baking, Dickens' notes, herbal info--I'm getting in the mood and plan to start with some baking listening to my audible recording of A Christmas Carol by Hugh Grant.
I could take this newsletter and do one thing each day from the possibilities and it would make for a very tasty, fragrant, fun-filled holiday month. As it is, I have so much music to work on and so many rehearsals and concerts (both attending and performing), that one activity per 3 days seems more realistic. Now how to choose?
I do have a project lined up for Wednesday. Our church has a holiday fair and a tradition of selling evergreen swags made by a crew of volunteers. My rosemary bush is out of hand again (as in, encroaching on the sidewalk), so I will be doing some major pruning in order to donate the cuttings to the swag-making crew. They are tackling their job on Thursday, so when I go to Wednesday night choir practice I will take along a pile of branches for them to use.
There was rosemary in all the dishes I cooked for Thanksgiving except for dessert. As well as sage and thyme in the dressing and rubbed on the bird.
The remaining unripe figs have fallen off the trees. The hardy kiwi vines, though, are holding their fruit and make tasty snacks. I have to trek out to the medlar to see if they are ready to harvest. Probably yes.
Well, it's not an assignment and there's no quiz--just a little something for a lot of different people with different interests. :) And it sounds like you already have a full plate, with plenty of calls on your time and attention. It's wonderful that you're so active and volunteer in so many different communities. Your December is bound to shine!
Hi Patricia, I encourage you to enjoy practicing and presenting your music! It is an important and special part of the holidays, too! Some of the other treats will happen as you find time and that will be okay, too! Love hearing of all of the treats you have growing on your land!!!! Medlar is new to me. From what I gather on Wikipedia the fruit should be okay if you can't get to them for a while. Would love to hear how you use them when you have time. Even if that is in the New Year. Be well and happy! :-)
Hi Susan and Lynne, As much as I wish for going back to celebrating our holidays for shorter periods of time, and I really would like to see stores go back to Halloween candy and decorations in October not starting in the end of August with school supplies as they have done in recent years, and almost skipping Thanksgiving in their rush to put out Christmas items or the Hallmark movie channel featuring Christmas themed shows for months on end, .... well, I have to admit we do need more time to get all of the good stuff of winter holidays in! Not to mention a nap or two required after all of the indulgence. I can honestly get a spirit lift just from reading all of the goodies on your Special Days list, Susan! We are now having the unique combination of temps below freezing at night and 24 hour foggy conditions. Like - London fog conditions! Two of my distant neighbors have strung their Christmas lights over the weekend and they are quite beautiful in their muted foggy way! So I will have another Ginger Spicey cookie with my tea, while making my gift shopping list! They certainly can be on any holiday cookie plate!
Yes, the season brings us more than enough to celebrate, doesn't it? And maybe not quite enough days to fit it all in.
I'm sure your foggy mornings are a problem for drivers, but I know they must be lovely, with those distant lights. I envy you those damp mornings. Not here in Texas, I'm afraid.
Susan, your organization glows throughout the narrative. Thank you for all your efforts. Ruby's cookies several times (they tend to be "unique") And have passed along the recipe. A group of us like them very spicy - which I bake too.
Susan, what a pleasure to stop the craziness for a few minuted to read this 😁 My son and daughter-in-law are currently taking an online course about soil amendment using natural methods, I bought them a microscope to facilitate their work and get to see some fascinating videos of the tiny, mysterious beings constantly at work under our feet. Shall send them a greeting on National Soil Day! Hope I can find some time in the next days to at least look at all the recipes - but as my daughter and grand-daughter celebrate their Double Birthday on the 14th and Christmas looms with the usual ‘who goes where when’ complications, baking time may be a no go. This little break was a joy 🎄
Sandy, thanks for that! My sister (further south in Oxfordshire) has reported similar weather - even woke a couple of weeks ago to find two inches of snow! Unheard of thereabouts in early November,
Lynne, one of the local soil scientists at Oregon State, James Cassidy, regularly gives presentations to local gardeners. He gets his audiences chanting, "Add organic matter!" as the answer to every problem/question. Though I guess there is now research that shows it is possible to add too much.
Yes, Al and Dani have learned that it does have to be the RIGHT organic matter. A lot depends on location - the course is based in (I think) Southern California, so some of our Canadian results come as a surprise and it’s been a learning experience in both directions.
Thank you, Lynne. It's always such a pleasure to hear from you. The microscope is a lovely idea. There is so much to see--all we need is a little help from that marvelous tool!
Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. Some things I enjoy most are old recipes and Santas from the past and different countries. The lights and music are high on my list too. I'm especially fond of Christmas rock music, as opposed to carols.
So many wonderful things to celebrate here, and ways to do it. I'm for cookies, myself.
Always cookies for us too, Diane--and a favorite sugar-frosted trail mix a niece sends us faithfully. . 😍
Always enjoy the backstories of things we take for granted! Hope to make some gingerbread this holiday season!
You have collected and shared so many wonderful and creative ideas for us. Thank you.
Thank you for reading, Pamela!
I never knew the origins of the cookie. For some reason I imagined they started out as mini cakes or sweetened crackers or something.
I love the few Persian desserts I have had the opportunity to eat, so I am not surprised to learn this!
I am looking forward to doing some baking this weekend.
Well, they did, actually: little baked items that could be held in one hand. The word cookie is Dutch, though. Here's an interesting map of the historical travels of sugarcane: https://evolution.earthathome.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Sugarcane-origin-spread-Obsidian-Soul-2000px.png Enjoy your baking!
Hanukkah begins the evening of 12/25 this year. Thank you for all the info, so rich!
Thanks, Sandra--much appreciated! I've corrected it In the online version.
Susan this post is packed full of goodness, thank you. Baking, Dickens' notes, herbal info--I'm getting in the mood and plan to start with some baking listening to my audible recording of A Christmas Carol by Hugh Grant.
What a lovely suggestion, Leslie! Here's the link to that, for those who are Audible subscribers: https://www.audible.com/pd/A-Christmas-Carol-Audiobook/B08QSKXDG8 I hope your holidays are wonderful, start to finish.
I could take this newsletter and do one thing each day from the possibilities and it would make for a very tasty, fragrant, fun-filled holiday month. As it is, I have so much music to work on and so many rehearsals and concerts (both attending and performing), that one activity per 3 days seems more realistic. Now how to choose?
I do have a project lined up for Wednesday. Our church has a holiday fair and a tradition of selling evergreen swags made by a crew of volunteers. My rosemary bush is out of hand again (as in, encroaching on the sidewalk), so I will be doing some major pruning in order to donate the cuttings to the swag-making crew. They are tackling their job on Thursday, so when I go to Wednesday night choir practice I will take along a pile of branches for them to use.
There was rosemary in all the dishes I cooked for Thanksgiving except for dessert. As well as sage and thyme in the dressing and rubbed on the bird.
The remaining unripe figs have fallen off the trees. The hardy kiwi vines, though, are holding their fruit and make tasty snacks. I have to trek out to the medlar to see if they are ready to harvest. Probably yes.
Oh, if only Rosemary would grow so lushly and exuberantly here!
Don't we all wish! Actually, it does pretty well here, although I lost my best one to cotton root rot (not well drained).
Well, it's not an assignment and there's no quiz--just a little something for a lot of different people with different interests. :) And it sounds like you already have a full plate, with plenty of calls on your time and attention. It's wonderful that you're so active and volunteer in so many different communities. Your December is bound to shine!
Hi Patricia, I encourage you to enjoy practicing and presenting your music! It is an important and special part of the holidays, too! Some of the other treats will happen as you find time and that will be okay, too! Love hearing of all of the treats you have growing on your land!!!! Medlar is new to me. From what I gather on Wikipedia the fruit should be okay if you can't get to them for a while. Would love to hear how you use them when you have time. Even if that is in the New Year. Be well and happy! :-)
Hi Susan and Lynne, As much as I wish for going back to celebrating our holidays for shorter periods of time, and I really would like to see stores go back to Halloween candy and decorations in October not starting in the end of August with school supplies as they have done in recent years, and almost skipping Thanksgiving in their rush to put out Christmas items or the Hallmark movie channel featuring Christmas themed shows for months on end, .... well, I have to admit we do need more time to get all of the good stuff of winter holidays in! Not to mention a nap or two required after all of the indulgence. I can honestly get a spirit lift just from reading all of the goodies on your Special Days list, Susan! We are now having the unique combination of temps below freezing at night and 24 hour foggy conditions. Like - London fog conditions! Two of my distant neighbors have strung their Christmas lights over the weekend and they are quite beautiful in their muted foggy way! So I will have another Ginger Spicey cookie with my tea, while making my gift shopping list! They certainly can be on any holiday cookie plate!
Yes, the season brings us more than enough to celebrate, doesn't it? And maybe not quite enough days to fit it all in.
I'm sure your foggy mornings are a problem for drivers, but I know they must be lovely, with those distant lights. I envy you those damp mornings. Not here in Texas, I'm afraid.
LOVE IT!! Wonderful information as always. Happy National Cookie Day!!!
And to you, too, Carolyn. Hope you were able to celebrate Thanksgiving without getting stranded somewhere by the weather.
We got snowed in right where we were. We're too poor to go anywhere else, sadly...
Susan, your organization glows throughout the narrative. Thank you for all your efforts. Ruby's cookies several times (they tend to be "unique") And have passed along the recipe. A group of us like them very spicy - which I bake too.
Glad you've enjoyed those cookies, Georgeann! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving--just the right amount of turkey!
Susan, what a pleasure to stop the craziness for a few minuted to read this 😁 My son and daughter-in-law are currently taking an online course about soil amendment using natural methods, I bought them a microscope to facilitate their work and get to see some fascinating videos of the tiny, mysterious beings constantly at work under our feet. Shall send them a greeting on National Soil Day! Hope I can find some time in the next days to at least look at all the recipes - but as my daughter and grand-daughter celebrate their Double Birthday on the 14th and Christmas looms with the usual ‘who goes where when’ complications, baking time may be a no go. This little break was a joy 🎄
Sandy, thanks for that! My sister (further south in Oxfordshire) has reported similar weather - even woke a couple of weeks ago to find two inches of snow! Unheard of thereabouts in early November,
Lynne, I happened on this wonderful nature journalist and thought you might enjoy her talent and voice and music! https://open.substack.com/pub/raspberrythief/p/diary-of-a-nature-journaler-november?r=2l04ge&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Lynne, one of the local soil scientists at Oregon State, James Cassidy, regularly gives presentations to local gardeners. He gets his audiences chanting, "Add organic matter!" as the answer to every problem/question. Though I guess there is now research that shows it is possible to add too much.
Yes, Al and Dani have learned that it does have to be the RIGHT organic matter. A lot depends on location - the course is based in (I think) Southern California, so some of our Canadian results come as a surprise and it’s been a learning experience in both directions.
Thank you, Lynne. It's always such a pleasure to hear from you. The microscope is a lovely idea. There is so much to see--all we need is a little help from that marvelous tool!
Interesting and fun! I love to see what researchers turn up, especially when it has something to do with one of my very favorite books.
Done--thanks, Gabriel.