~ DECEMBER ~~~~o~o~o~o~o~~~
*Speaking of MAGIC, I will Always Believe In Santa Claus!
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* Sarah, Alexis, Justyce, Luc & Sammy the cat. *
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The many special holiday sights, sounds, and smells.
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Tinsel shimmering on christmas trees, traditional & contemporary tunes being played on radios etc, and the warm waft of cinnamon, cedar boughs, pine, and all the lovely fragrances from the baking and cooking of the turkey or ham or whatever is your traditional fare this time of year.
Speaking of traditions....
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Our family has a few traditions that really make the holiday feel complete. Christmas wasn't Christmas unless we were all together. That was a main focus for us all to be together. My dad always made sure to keep our family together in his roll as the Head of our Family. My dad is no longer with us though he is thought about often and especially at this time of year.
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My dad always made sure we had some small but memorable traditions in our household. Christmas to me is clementine organges, nuts in the shell such as walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, and also a box of chocolates was always a part of christmas goodies.
Clementines ~ Chocolates ~ Whole Nuts
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As well, a very different little addition that we always have too is something my dad introduced to us at a very early age. Halvah. Halvah is a very sweet candy-like treat that can be found at most deli's. Not a taste that everyone likes, but a very favorite of mine!
Halvah
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My favorite Christmas photo from this year, is my daughter's GingerBread House.
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Sarah is very keen on Architechture as a possible future career so she set to work designing and building a very cool gingerbread house this year. I could see the total enjoyment she had in the entire process.
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From cutting out a pattern, building the model,
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... taking the paper model apart with care, baking the gingerbread, cutting out the forms and putting it together all with a big smile on her face and mine too!
Sarah added in crushed orange candy to melt in as windows.
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She did a wonderful job! And it smells SO GOOD it's very difficult not to crave gingerbread when in our kitchen standing next to the house now. lol
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Christmas Memories ~
As far as favorite Christmas memories, there are lots of them for sure! Lots of them come to mind and make me feel good all over again. I will share with you our Christmas Cookie Exchange from last year as a special memory. I choose this one as I have photos to show all the fun we had and it was our first Christmas gathering in our new home since we moved here recently.
~*~* Click > Photos of CHRISTMAS COOKIE EXCHANGE
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My favorite Christmas recipe is the one I use for Christmas Cookie Exchanges.
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CHRISTMAS DIAMONDS
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1/3 c. butter
1 1/2 c. graham wafer crumbs
1 c. coconut
2 c. chopped mixed candied fruit
1 c. chopped dates (lightly floured)
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in the cookie sheet while preheating the oven. Sprinkle crumbs over butter, shaking pan to spread crumbs evenly. Sprinkle coconut over crumbs, then candied fruit, dates, and nuts. Each in a layer. Press lightly with hands to level. Pour sweetened cond. milk over top. (drizzle it slowly from the can as best as is able. It makes it easier to cover the entire surface of the cookies) Let tray stand for 5 min's to allow cond. milk to soak into cookies. Bake for 20 min's approx. Cool completelybefore cutting. Cut into desired size. THESE ARE VERY VERY SWEET! So a small diamond is enough for one serving. diamonds or squares whatever you fancy.
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What is CanArtisan? ~ <- (Click link to go to CanArtisan) CanArtisan is a site dedicated to finding talented, independent Canadian artisans with a passion for creativity and the handmade. It connects customers with the handmade items and art that they seek. Check out the link above, where you can find a Shop Directory for a listing of artisans, artists, and crafts people that sell online to do some shopping. If you're looking for a craft show in Canada, there is a listing in the Shows and Events section.
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Happy Birthday JESSE! ~ Love Mom
