HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-12-22, Page 27Ideas to begin Christmas
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2005. PAGE 27.
Eve traditions
(NC) - Excitement is a big part of
the holiday season, especially on
Christinas Eve when children eagerly
await Santa’s arrival.
'Every family has their own
traditions that make this night a
special time.” says Denise Darragh of
Hallmark Canada. "These special
activities that are looked forward to
all year are often created when
children are young and parents mix
favourite traditions from their
childhood with new ones that reflect
their growing family.”
If you’ve got a young family and
are looking for some inspiration on
how to make Christmas Eve
memorable for years to come,
consider these ideas from the holiday
experts at Hallmark.
• Find an outdoor ice rink in your
area and set up a skating party for
family members young and old. The
exercise and fresh air will help young
ones sleep later on Christmas
morning as an added bonus.
• If you don’t have a fireplace or
your roof is slippery, leave
Hallmark’s Santa Key on your front
door to provide a new route of entry
for the jolly old elf.
• Sprinkle icing sugar on your
dining room table once the kids are in
bed. Tell them it’s magic reindeer
dust when they spot it in the morning
(proof positive Santa stopped by).
• Settle excited kids with a bed
time story like the Night Before
Christmas and snuggle on the sofa
together with hot cups of cocoa.
• While most families have
decorated their tree long before
Christmas Eve, consider saving a few
special ornaments to hang on
Christmas Eve.
• Get your youngsters involved in
Christmas Day preparations by
assigning a few special tasks to them
the night before like decorating sugar
cookies or helping to hang mistletoe.
Teach your kids popular Christmas
carols or other seasonal songs and
sing them together before bedtime on
Christmas Eve.
The traditions you start at
Christmas Eve are only limited by
your imagination. No matter what
activities, they’ll provide happy
memories for the whole family and
enrich the holiday season.
Variations on a holiday favourite
(NC) - It is the luxurious taste of
real butter that sets melt-in-your-
mouth shortbread apart from the
ordinary.
Most of us envision the traditional
shortbread combination of butter with
vanilla, granulated sugar and other
key ingredients, blending together to
create the world’s best Christmas
cookies. But what if you could
combine these shortbread classic
ingredients with savouries like cheese
and herbs and sour cream, to make
the world’s best party foods too?
Gay Lea has produced Shortbread
Inspirations a booklet featuring more
than 10 sweet and savoury shortbread
recipes, alongside innumerable
baking tips and entertaining ideas.
Here is just a sampling:
THE ULTIMATE MELT-IN-
YOUR MOUTH SHORTBREAD
2 cups (500 mL) unsalted butter,
softened
1 cup (250 mL) fruit or granulated
sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
3 cups (750 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 mL) cornstarch or rice
flour
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
Pre-heat oven to 325°F (160°C).
Using an electric mixer, beat butter
until very creamy. Gradually beat in
sugar, beating until very light and
fluffy.
In a separate bowl, combine flour,
cornstarch and salt. In four additions,
using a wooden spoon, stir into butter
mixture, stirring well between each
addition. Transfer batter to floured
surface; knead gently for 3 minutes
until shortbread holds together well.
Divide into three balls. Wrap each
ball with plastic wrap; flatten into
discs and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove plastic wrap from one
piece of dough. Flour work surface
well and knead dough lightly for 30
seconds. Re-flour surface and top of
dough. Roll out dough until 1/4"
(about .5 cm) thick, constantly
rotating to make sure it’s not sticking
to the surface and lightly dusting the
top of the dough with flour. Cut out
rounds, using a fluted or round
cookie cutter.
Transfer to parchment paper-lined
cookie sheets. Chill for 30 minutes or
up to 8 hours. Repeat with remaining
chilled dough. Re-roll scraps only
once, dusting with flour as necessary.
Prick each cookie twice with tines
of fork. Bake in centre of oven for
about 15 minutes or until dough is
firm and underside is lightly golden.
Cool on pan on rack. Transfer to
racks to cool completely.
Makes 4-1/2 dozen cookies.
Variations:
Lemon Ginger Shortbread: Add
3 tbsp (45 mL) finely grated lemon
rind and 1/5 cup (50 mL) of finely
chopped crystallized ginger along
with flour mixture.
Orange Shortbread: Add 3 tbsp
(45 mL) finely grated orange rind
along with flour.
Hark the herald
A group of Brussels students sing Christmas carols to
warm up the crowd of parents and friends at the annual
SChOOl Christmas Concert held Dec. 13. (Heather Crawford photo)
Where did customs originate?
There are many traditions we take
for granted during the holiday season,
and it is interesting to learn how some
of these customs originated.
The ancient Druids can be thanked
for the custom of hanging mistletoe at
Christmas. In the rituals of the
Druids, mistletoe was cut down with a
golden sickle m November. The
mistletoe would be divided up among
the people, who took the plant home
to hang over their doors.
The Druids believed that the plant
could work miracles of healing,
protect against witchcraft, and make
the land fertile. The origin of the
custom of kissing under the mistletoe
is not known, but it may have been
inspired by the plant’s supposed
powers of fertility.
The Germans originated the custom
of placing a tree in the home at
Christinas time. There are several
legends to explain the custom. One
credits St. Boniface, a missionary to
Germany during the eighth century.
According to the legend, one
Christmas Eve the saint chopped
down a sacred oak which had been
used as a site for human sacrifices. As
the oak fell, a fir tree miraculously
appeared in its place.
Another legend says that on the
night Christ was bom, all the trees in
the forest bloomed and bore fruit,
even though it was the middle of
winter.
Martin Luther, a German, is
thought to have first decorated the
Christmas tree. The story goes that
Luther, walking under the stars one
night, was inspired to bring home an
uprooted fir tree and place candles on
its branches as a reminder of the
heavens.
The nativity scenes that are so
beloved at Christmas time are a
tradition given to us by St. Francis of
Assisi. On Christmas Eve in 1223,
Francis was inspired to re-enact the
nativity for the people of the town of
Greccio in Italy.
St. Bonaventure described the event
in his writings: “...they made ready a
manger, and bade hay, together with
an ox and an ass, be brought unto the
place ... The man of God, filled with
tender love, stood before the manger,
bathed tears, and overflowing joy.”
It was claimed that the hay used in
the crib had remedied sick beasts
nativity scene, or creches, were used
throughout Europe during the holiday
season.
The custom of sending Christmas
cards probably originated with an
Englishman, Sir Henry Cole, who
commissioned John Horsely to design
a card in 1843. The card featured a
family celebrating the season, with
two smaller motifs depicting
charitable acts; “Clothing the Naked”
and “Feeding the Hungry.” The card
was lithographed and sold in 1846,
and thus the Christmas card was born.
Whether originating in legend or
real life, the customs of Christmas
enrich the season for us all.
7:30 Nightly
Closed Dec. 24 & 25
and New Years Eve
7:30 Nightly
Closed Dec. 24 & 25 jjjhJtlgt
and New Years Eve
SEX™— ffl J'jXi
www.movielinks.ca long distance? 1 -800-265-3438
NARgpA
‘ x>j />.x •)<->. Waai-kw:
afterward, and many other wonders
were attributed to this first manger
scene. The idea quickly caught the
fancy of the faithful and before a
century has passed, carvings of the
^S“The Kamikaze Woo
present their FINAL
' "New Year's Bash"!
Some time, some place! fl
r Seafortn Community Centre
[. s25 / Ticket ’S
fj> • Bus ride available • Lunch included jO
• Age of Majority • Doors open at 9 p.m.
For information please contact O
* Kris Gemmell 522-0545
Kelly Boven 523-9060 w
& Kelly Annis 348-4794
c" Wear your ugliest sweater
Holiday Hours
Friday, Pecember 23rd - Open 11 am - 2 am
Saturday, Pecember 24th - CLOSEP
Sunday, Pecember 25th - CLOSEP
Monday, Pecember 26th - CLOSEP
Tuesday, Pecember 27th - Open 5 pm -1 am
(Par Menu Only)
Wednesday, Pecember 28th - Open 11 am -12 midnight
Thursday, Pecember 29th - Open 11 am -1 am ? y
Friday Pecember 30th - Open 11 am - 2 am
Saturday, Pecember 31st - Open 11 am - 3 am
$ Mvt-iy
to- y-ou
^and you-iw
Cut
at The Inn
December 23
Call for reservations
Sacft faipidai demand
Paul Anthony, Hypnotist
- Dinner & Show ~ January 28