The Citizen, 2006-12-21, Page 50MERRY CHRISTMAS
May happiness and peace be yours all through this joyous season
and through the new year from our home to yours
FEEDS
Walton - 519-887-6023
Dungannon - 519-529-7951
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Carell
Merry Christmas and Best Wishes
for the Year 2007
Nick, Gary & Chris Courtney & family would like to take
this opportunity to Thank You for your patronage in 2006.
Blyth Building Supplies Ltd.
Blyth 519-523-9305
son's r s ee
All the best to you
and yours wherever you
go this holiday season.
Thank you kindly for
your loyal support.
McCall Livestock
Ross McCall
85491 Brussels Line, P.O. Box 140, Brussels
Matt McCall
Keith McLean
Don Sholdice
Office/Res.
Fax
Mobile
519-887-9571
519-887-9171
519-357-5139
'0 Come All Ye Faithful
Guided only by a single star
Three wise men journeyed afar
To the manger where the infant lay
On that very first Christmas Day.
May your spirits be lifted and your faith renewed
as we recall the miracle of Christmas.
SIPIE*99s
Blyth • Bolton • Brechin • Cainsville • Fenelon Falls • Flesherion • Wiarton • sparlings.com
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2006. PAGE B17.
Homemade gifts are a gift from the heart
Exchanging Christmas gifts has
become a highlight of the holidays.
From making out a wish list to
shopping for the perfect gift for that
special someone, there is a feeling of
anticipation throughout the season.
Buying gifts is a fine way for
people to show others how much
they care; the time and thought put
into the selection expresses love and
appreciation. However, giving a
present that they made themselves
can be even more meaningful.
The handmade gift is always
eagerly received, and it doesn't have
to be a complicated project. Baking
cookies and packing them in a
holiday tin or making preserves and
putting them in a decorative jar is a
wonderful gift that brings the
flavours of Christmas to life.
For those who aren't talented in
the kitchen, there are many other
gifts to make. A hand-knit sweater
or scarf is always well-received, as
is a needlepoint pillow, an
embroidered wall hanging or a
handmade sachet. While these
projects may seem difficult, people
can use simple patterns that are easy
to create.
Even if the gift isn't homemade,
the wrapping paper and card can be.
Nothing will bring a smile to
someone's face faster than receiving
a gift wrapped with a personal
touch. One way to be creative is to
wrap a gift in a gift. For example, if
giving presents for the kitchen,
people can wrap them in fabric
napkins or decorative place mats.
They also can decorate plain sheets
of paper in their own way.
A personalized card is the best
way to show people how much they
are loved. The givers can say exactly
what they want to say in their own
words. Whether using crayons and
markers, pictures cut out from
magazines, or handmade bows, they
can add a sense of warmth to their
holiday greetings.
Another way to make
Christmastime even more special is
for people to give of themselves.
They can help older relatives
decorate their home, work in a soup
kitchen for an afternoon, organize a
'toy drive for needy children, or
deliver gifts to people in hospitals
and nursing homes. This will give
them a sense of joy to what may not
have thought possible.
The true spirit of the season is
happiness and goodwill — sharing a
sense of love with others. Giving a
gift from the heart this Christmas
will bring a special sense of joy to
those receiving the presents and to
those giving them.
A recipe for picture perfect holiday cookies
Whether hosting a festive holiday
get-together or attending someone
else's seasonal soiree, having food
to share with others is essential for
successful entertaining.
Perhaps you have been searching
for the perfect little gift to give to
someone special. What could be
better than giving — or receiving —
something homemade? And, better
still, something that is deliciously
edible?
Why not make the holidays
picture-perfect with a homemade,
fresh-baked batch of decorative
cookies. Perfect as a party dish or
even as a gift, homemade cookies
are sure to warm the hearts — and the
appetites — of everyone, whatever
the occasion.
The following festive recipe,
courtesy of Le Cordon Bleu Home
Collection: Cookies (Periplus
Editions); is deliciously fun to make
As you gather to deck the halls,
head out carolling and share a cup of
eggnog — customary North American
Christmas traditions — do you ever
wonder just how the Christmas
holiday is celebrated in other areas
of the world?
Each country offers its unique take
on the holiday and some traditions
you may not have heard of.
Here is an excerpt from Christmas
Around the World (Morrow Junior
Books), by Mary D. Lankford,
explaining how Christmas is
celebrated in Sweden.
Four Sundays before Christmas
marks the beginning of the
Christmas celebration in Sweden.
Church services are well attended
and communities start to decorate
streets and buildings with greenery
and lights.
Swedish children also count the
days until Christmas with an Advent
calendar. These show a Christmas
scene with '24 numbered windows.
Every morning, from Dec. 1 through
Dec. 25, a window is opened,
revealing a cheerful symbol of the
Christmas season painted
underneath.
During the long winter months
sunlight is scarce in Scandinavia and
sunlight is treasured. Therefore the
Swedes honour St. Lucia, the patron
saint of light. The celebration falls
on Dec. 13, according to tradition,
which is the longest night of the
year.
On Lucia morning almost all
Swedish homes, offices and schools
choose a "Lucia." These Lucias
dress in long white gowns, tied at the
waist with a red ribbon. Their hair
may be sprinkled with glitter, which
catches the light from the crown of
candles they wear.
Christmas trees are usually
brought into the homes a few days
before Christmas. Decorations
— it happens to be a great holiday
activity for children, too!
Make the holidays picture-perfect
with a fresh-basked batch of
deliciously decorative, homemade
Paintbox Cookies.
PAINTBOX COOKIES
Makes about 36
Preparation time: 25 minutes plus
one hour refrigeration
Buy a variety of different-sized
paintbrushes and the cookies
become your canvas.
1 1/4 cups mashed butter, at room
temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsps vanilla extra
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 egg yolks
red, blue, green and yellow food
include the usual, as well as,
Swedish flags, gnomes and apples.
After Christmas Eve dinner, a
friend or family member dresses up
as the tomte, or Christmas gnome„
colouring
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Brush two baking sheets with
melted butter.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until
light and fluffy. Add the eggs and
vanilla and beat well. Sift the flour,
baking soda and salt into the
mixture and combine. Wrap the
dough in plastic wrap and
refrigerate for about one. hour, or
until firm. If it becomes too hard,
leave at room temperature for about
20 minutes.
3. Place each egg yolk in a
separate bowl. Add a teaspoon of
water and beat well with a fork. Add
a few drops of a different food
colour to each one.
4. Divide the dough in half; keep
half refrigerated and roll out the
other half between two sheets of
waxed paper to about 1/8 to 1/4-inch
thickness. Cut out shapes and use
who is supposed to live under the
floorboards of the house or barn and
ride a straw goat. The make-believe
tomte dresses in red robes and
distributes gifts from his sack.
enough to fill the prepared baking
sheets. Use small paintbrushes to
paint the cookies, adding a little
extra water to the food colourings to
create a more translucent effect.
Allow the "paint" to dry before
baking.
5. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or
until lightly coloured. Cool on a
wire rack. Repeat with the
remaining mixture, preparing the
baking sheets as instructed in step 1.
Book excerpt tells about
Christmas in Sweden