HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-12-21, Page 26PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1990.
Many traditions begin in the home
Suddenly, days are getting shor
ter. Twilight comes early, mistily,
and the deep, translucent blue of
the evening sky is frosted, as snow
hovers over. Christmas is indeed
coming, and the winter chill in the
air is almost unnoticed in the merry
bustle of the holiday season.
Buildings don their Yuletide
finery, as garlands in red and green
and innumerable evergreens fes
toon lighted windows and welcom
ing doorways.
Shoppers return home, day after
day, laden with mysterious pack
ages. And, indoors, boxes of
ornaments are brought down from
the attic and lovingly uncrated, as
the tantalizing aroma of home-bak
ed cakes and cookies fills the air.
Indeed, the traditions of Christ
mas are many and varied, and each
is an immutable part of the season.
Yet, each individual family has its
own traditions, too, and it is these
that are often the most treasured.
While one family trims its tree
with heirloom oranments, brought
over from Europe generations ago,
another brings memories to life
with homemade ornaments saved
from year to year, the collection
growing as the family does.
Yet another family ties special
ornaments to beautifully wrapped
Christmas presents. After the gifts
have been opened, the new decora
tions, symbols of both givers and
recipients, are hung on the tree,
where they will appear again and
again in following years.
In one family, it wouldn’t be
Christmas without Grandma’s but
tery spritz cookies; another sche
dules an afternoon of baking that
they can enjoy together. While
mom lights the oven and oversees
the process, the kids happily roll
and cut, and later decorate, their
own gingerbread men.
Some families go out each year to
a tree farm, where they can select
the perfect evergreen, chopping it
down themselves. Others make a
ritual of decorating living trees in
their own front and back yards,
with garlands of lights to beguile
the eye, and birdseed balls to
encouarge those birds that haven’t
migrated to visit throughout the
winter.
Some families keep a living tree
indoors during the holiday season,
then plant it after all the Christmas
decorations have been taken down.
Others dry the branches and trunks
of their cut trees, saving them to
throw on the fire the following
Christmas. Both achieve a sense of
continuity, something that is very
much at the heart of the Christmas
spirit.
Stuffing the stockings is the
centerpiece of one family’s holiday
festivities. Each Christmas Eve,
after Midnight Mass and a late
supper, everybody hurries about,
hiding treasures in the long, bulg
ing stockings that have been hung
carefully on hooks over the fire
place.
Another family, in a modern
home without fireplaces, has made
it a tradition to lay the already-fill
ed stockings at the foot of each
child’s bed during the night, to be
opened first thing in the morning.
Some families organize skating
parties each Christmas; others
have evenings of carolling, culmin
ating around a steamy bowl of
wassail. And, while some go out for
innumerable visits to family and
friends, others take joy in staying
home with those dearest and
closest to them.
Above and beyond the customs
that have been handed down
through generations, indivi
dual family traditions make the
holiday season truly special. These
are personal expressions of the
Christmas spirit, spirit that lives
and flourishes in an atmosphere of
loving and giving, caring and
sharing, a spirit that is as old as
Christmas itself, yet forever new.
Tips for pouring the bubbly
without popping the cork
As the festive sound of noise
makers and the clinking of cham
pagne glasses fill the air this New
Year’s Eve, the one sound you
should not hear is that of a cork
popping.
Although champagne and New
Year’s Eve go together like Jack
O’Lanterns and Halloween, the
proper way to open a bottle of the
bubbly is not with a “pop” but
rather with a “pouf”.
“Corks should only make a
discreet sound as they are gently
released,” says Pedro Ferrer,
chairman of Freixenet, U.S.A., the
largest marketer of methode
champenoise (the same method
used to make French champagne)
sparkling wines in the world.
“If champagne and sparkling
wine are not properly chilled, or are
unnecessarily shaken, you run the
risk of losing a lot of wine when you
open the bottle. And flying corks
can be downright dangerous.”
To help you enjoy a traditionally
festive, yet very proper, New
Year’s celebration, Freixenet offers
the following tips on opening a
bottle of champagne or sparling
wine:
Keeping your finger on the cork
at all times, remove the foil and
take off the wire harness, then
slant the bottle at a 45-degree
angle away from you (and your
guests). Tilting the bottle this way
puts the pressure on the side of the
bottle and keeps the cork from
popping off.
Grip the cork and slowly rotate
the bottle. The cork should ease out
with only a muffled sound.
To chill sparkling wine, place the
unopened bottle in an ice bucket
filled with half ice and half water.
Let the bottle chill for a half hour,
rotating it occasionally to cool the
contents evenly. The correct serv
ing temperature is 42 to 48 degrees
Fahrenheit.
If there is any leftover wine,
pleace the handle of a silver spoon
down the neck of the bottle, then
refrigerate it. The spoon helps
retain the bubbles and freshness
without an additional covering. If
you’re often burdened with leftover
champagne, reusable corks or bot
tle stoppers are available.
One last bit of good news: A 3 oz.
serving of brut, or dry, champagne
or sparkling wine is only 75
calories. For dieters who want to
participate in New Year’s Eve
festivities - but don’t want to
welcome in the new year with
additional calories - the low caloric
content is really something to “pop
their corks” about.
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* SEASON’S
GREETINGS
from your local
RAINBOW DISTRIBUTOR
LARRY T. BOLGER
And Dealers
Steve MacDonald
Lynn Fischer
Elaine Pennington
Brad Snider
Kelly Workman
Elaine Workman
Bernard & Janet Sterenberg
MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND HAPPY
NEW YEAR!
Clean the modern way with water
BLYTH, ONT. (519) 523-4205
We’ve saved up a wealth of season’s
cheer, along with our sincere thanks.
Merry Christmas to all!
MANAGERS AND STAFF
Canadian Imperial
Bank of Commerce
Blyth and Brussels Branches
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To all our Customers and Friends.
Here's wishing all of you a very special
Merry Christmas!
Doug, Lorna, Ken & Jane
Whitmore
Me shall bring forth a son, and thou shall tall
his name Jesus: for he shall sane his people
from their sins.
—Matthew t:21
At this time of great joy for the birth
of our Lord, we wish you and your
family a holiday season filled with His
DAVE GOODLAND AND FAMILY
OF
TRIPPLE ■ T
SMALL ENGINES, AND
APPLIANCE REPAIR
BRUSSELS 887-9627X
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