December 22, 2011

New Year's Eve

Sinatra and Dan Fogelberg on the stereo, vintage noise-makers waiting to be shaken sitting on the table, a split of champagne chilling in the refrigerator, and a crock-pot full of sweet-n-sour meatballs waiting to be eaten. Yes, just like Christmas and every other holiday or special occasion that I celebrate, I have a few New Year's Eve traditions, too.

As the girls have gotten older, they tend to make their own plans leaving David and I to curl up at home with the dogs and marvel at the lights and decorations for just a little longer. Sometimes we head to our neighbor's home early in the evening to wish them well and share a toast, and sometimes we just hang out in the living room talking about the year that's about to end. And a couple of years ago, I started a new tradition....a kind of take on the bucket list, if you will. It's called a what-I've-accomplished-so-far-but-still-want-to-do list. Catchy name, huh?

After writing out our bucket lists a few years back, I thought it might be fun to think about all of the things we've already done instead of fretting about the things we may never do. Then I thought we should add some silly, not-too-adventurous things to our lists that we both know we could accomplish if we really tried. Here's a glimpse of mine.
  1. Buy an Italian dictionary so I can prepare for my (someday) trip to Italy. If I don't make it, at least I'll be able to speak a few choice words to Cooper and Dante throughout the day quite beautifully.
  2. Try one new recipe a month. I get bored cooking the same old things, yet I never take a leap of faith and cook dishes I've been dying to try, like Boeuf Bourguignon and Coq au Vin. (I think hubby will like this, too.)
  3. End my day with music! I promised myself I would do this every single day, yet I don't. It's such a simple thing and I know it will bring a smile to my face.
  4. Resume writing letters to my children. Instead of sending my son a birthday card this year, I wrote him a letter letting him know how much I love him. I need to do this more often and just because.
Now on to the recipe for those meatballs...

Sweet-n-Sour Meatballs

2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 eggs
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 lg. onion, minced
1 can frozen grape juice
1 can frozen lemonade
1 Sm. can tomato paste

Mix garlic, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, and bread crumbs with the ground beef and mix well. Roll mixture into dime-sized meatballs. For the sauce, combine the grape juice, lemonade, tomato paste and onions into a crock-pot or large pan. Add meatballs to the sauce and simmer for 30 minutes until done.

Growing up, I thought these were my grandmother's Swedish meatballs only to learn that Swedish meatballs taste nothing like this and the recipe came from an aunt's friend, and not my grandmother. It's always a good idea to ask the origin of "family" recipes.

Image unknown source, credit to the photographer

December 21, 2011

Time for a Change

For years, we divided our holidays between families. Sometimes we would eat dinner at one house and dessert at the next, or we would spend the evening with one family and head on out the next day to be with the other. Round and round we'd go making sure we fit everyone in, making sure everyone else was happy.

In the early years of our relationship, my husband and I were slowly finding our own way and separating from the way we lived with our parents and siblings to the way we lived as young adults, then as a married couple, and then as parents in our own right. It's not that easy for everyone to adjust, including husband and wife. Holidays were another matter.

In the years to come, we started spending more time on the road than actually making merry with our families, never mind enjoying the day with one another. Looking at twinkling break lights instead of the lights on our tree did not put us in a festive mood. The holidays were starting to feel more like and obligation than a celebration. As much as we loved seeing everyone, I finally put my foot down—Christmas would be spent at home.

Our families weren't too thrilled with our declaration. Their feeling was that holidays, every single holiday, should be spent with family—parents, siblings, the whole shebang. They never really said anything out loud, but they weren't fooling anyone. Pained silence said it all. But, we stuck to our guns. Now we spend Christmas day in our PJs watching old movies and walking around crumpled up wrapping paper. Presents remain under the tree and I don't have to worry about the house being meticulously clean for company. Dishes get piled in the sink because we're too busy throwing popcorn at the dogs, and at each other, and filling our mugs with more hot chocolate.

We have melded old and new traditions together, let go of some old and started some new ones, too. We host Christmas dinner every other year for anyone who doesn't mind coming our way for a change. And we don't begrudge anyone if they don't. We get it. Everyone deserves to spend the holiday they way they want to. And that includes spontaneous popcorn throwing.

December 16, 2011

Always Remember

A few years ago, just before Thanksgiving, I went through my many boxes of photos and started to pull a collection together at random. Some were from my childhood, some were from my husband's childhood, and some were of my own children at various ages and stages of their lives. I placed them all in a bowl with the idea that after Thanksgiving dinner, we would all sit around the table and reminisce about the people in the pictures.

It's amazing to me what we remember, and all of the things we sometimes forget. Each photograph conjured up all kinds of emotions. We shared stories about the images with our children filling in the details along the way. We told sweet and funny tales about the people who are no longer with us but will remain forever in our hearts. We laughed, we cried, and, in our own special way, we shared our holiday with the family members that couldn't gather round our table.

So, with the holiday season upon us once more, and a new year just around the corner, take some time to look back. It will be the best gift you can give to one another.

December 12, 2011

Homemade Goodies

I have to admit, I use to make a lot of homemade gifts years ago, but now I just make edible treatsfor dogs and humans. I plan baking and making days several days before Christmas so I can deliver them all to friends and neighbors just before the big day. I also keep a few packages on hand for unexpected guests, too.

Doggie Treats

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I've used white flour in a pinch)
1/2 cup powdered dry milk
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. granulated beef bouillon
6 tbsp. meat drippings (From a roast or bacon, I've omitted this in a pinch, too and used beef broth instead)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup ice water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first 5 ingredients. Cut in drippings until mixture resembles cornmeal. Mix in egg, then add just enough ice water to make the mixture form a ball. Pat dough to a 1/2" and cut into desired shapes. Place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet or parchment and bake 25-30 minutes. Cool before serving. Treats will last about 2 weeks.

Once they're cool, I place them in Ziploc bags and then package them in brown lunch bags that have been stamped with paw prints. I make homemade tags from additional brown paper and raffia.

For my children, and all of the other chocoholics on my list, I make batches and batches of milk chocolate fudge from this recipe I clipped years ago from a women's magazine. You can split it up and make a layer of dark fudge and a layer of milk chocolate, or simply choose your favorite. (I can never have enough chocolate chips in the house this time of year!) I place about a 1/3 of a pound in a clear cellophane bag and tie it up with ribbons, jingle bells and a glittery tag.

I also make more spiced nuts just like I did at Thanksgiving, only this time we give them away. I think the spiced nuts and the fudge are delicious together....but that could be just me. These also get packaged in cellophane bags.

The one thing I've never really made for Christmas is cookies(!). But I might just have to try these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from Little Brown Pen. And if cookies are indeed your thing, then check out Cookies For Kids Cancer and host your own bake sale for a wonderful cause.

December 5, 2011

Vintage: Bringing Back the Caroling Party

All through high school I caroled with the choir up and down town streets and inside nursing homes. It was all part of our annual holiday tour and I loved every minute of it. When I was older, I continued to sing with choirs, but we only managed to go caroling once. I wanted to do it again, so the caroling party was born. It's a holiday tradition that doesn't require any special equipment (just your voice and some lyrics) and you certainly don't need to belong to a choir to participate.

First things first, make a guest list and set up some ground rulesthen send out the invites. Do you want to carol indoors or out? You might want to have a back-up plan, too, just in case the weather doesn't cooperate. With a little pre-planning, you can arrange to visit your local assisted living facility or senior center.

Ask everyone to don Santa hats, or if you're really adventurous, dress in Victorian costume. Make sure you have songbooks on hand. Simply find the lyrics to your favorite songs online and print them yourself so everyone has a copy. Carry lanterns, jingle bells, and have some extra mittens and scarves on hand, just in case. Practice a few lines of every song and head on out!

Once you're done, you can have everyone come back to your home for coffee and dessert or ask everyone to bring a covered dish and add a potluck dinner to the festivities.

This is especially nice if you can score a horse-drawn carriage or wagon!

Image via bhg.com

December 1, 2011

I'm a Traditionalist

I’m a big believer in tradition. From trimming the tree to summer vacation and back again, my family and I have marked the passage of time with cherished memories of times gone by. I have photos of the first day of school, pictures of my children sitting on the porch of the orchard’s general store where we go apple picking, and on the many beaches we travel to from Maine to Cape Cod and everywhere in between. Events, holidays, celebrating the seasons—it’s all become a big part of our family history.
I have embraced some traditions with a full heart, and I have quietly said good-bye to others. I’ve even tried some on for size that didn’t quite fit, so they didn’t last very long. For several years, my best girlfriend and I would attend the Nutcracker after work, complete with a champagne toast. But once I moved out of the city, and eventually out of Massachusetts, it stopped. There just wasn’t enough time to do it all. However, we did keep one tradition alive—our annual Christmas tea. Each year, we both head into Boston for a day of eating, shopping, and eating some more. After 22 years, I think this one’s a keeper.
When I was a child, I looked forward to attending church on Christmas Eve at the quaint little chapel just outside of town. I can still smell the English oak, the pine boughs, and candle wax. You could hear a pin drop during the service as a peaceful hush landed gracefully on our shoulders while we sat and prayed.
When we returned home, we were allowed to open one present. Every year, my sister and I received a new nightgown to wear just for the occasion. It was my mother’s way of making sure we went to sleep in style and that sugarplums would surely dance happily in our heads.
And just like my mother, I served turkey with all the trimmings for Christmas dinner for years. I couldn’t conceive of serving anything else. If it was good enough for Nat King Cole, it was certainly good enough for us. Until one year I didn’t. Now I serve up an entirely different menu that my family thoroughly enjoys.
I can feel more changes coming my way, too. This was the first year we didn’t take the girls trick-or-treating, the first year we won’t hang the Christmas countdown to Santa, and one of the last years we’ll have most of our family home—together. New traditions are starting to work their way in as I struggle to let go of the past. I’m not a big fan of change, so it’s been especially hard for me to let go of childhood traditions that I have protected and held onto for as long as I could.
But there may be a silver lining on the horizon. David and I shared a knowing glance when we went out to find this year’s Christmas tree and he picked one and I picked the other as soon as we turned the corner—done, just like that. It won’t take us long to find our tree when it’s just us. We’ve lived through enough Christmases to know that you can’t sweat the small stuff….or stress over finding the “perfect” tree. We spent the rest of the time playing hide-and-seek while our girls diligently took up the hunt. And after spending last week cooking, cleaning, and decorating, I spent this past Sunday in my pajamas recuperating from it all. I know I’ve done this to myself—my standards have always been high, but it’s a lot to do in a relatively short amount of time, and I can now see how, perhaps, a little downsizing is in our Christmas future as well.
When I look back on my childhood at all of the celebrations—both large and small—I’m so happy that I have taught my children the importance of tradition that I learned all those years ago. My daughters (and my son) will hopefully nurture some of them, and like me, they will take the traditions they hold dear and pass them on to their own children—and create new ones just for them.