Here is the second post (of 4) of Carl's 2006 G.I.F.T. Challenge:
When I was a child, up until about the age of 12 or 13, I went to church each Sunday; I even sang in the choir. I never did like it very much...except for Christmas time. I love to sing Christmas songs:
Silent Night
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
O Come All Ye Faithful
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
The First Noel
Away In A Manger
Deck The Halls
Angels We Have Heard on High
Do You Hear What I Hear
We Three Kings
Joy To The WorldThe soaring organ music, the candles, the boughs of pine, the whisper of turning hymnal pages...there's something so magical about attending a Christmas service, even if one isn't particularly religious.
A couple of years ago, a blogger I used to read invited me to attend her church's Christmas service. Megan came with me and as we arrived at the church, I thought it lookeded very familiar, couldn't place it, tho. We went in, found seats (it was quite small and crowded) and got comfortable.
As we were singing, I kept catching glimpses of a woman sitting directly in front of me. Lo and behold, it was the sister of my high school boyfriend, along with her husband and daughter! Her brother and I had attended the church with her for a Christmas service years ago! She and I had been very close, but drifted apart when her brother and I broke up and I married someone else; I was stupid and thought it would feel too weird to still be friends. It was SO great to see her and her family.
A Christmas miracle? Maybe...
Do you have a favorite Christmas song?
Carl has come up with a great idea and he calls it the 2006 G.I.F.T. Challenge, short for Giving Inspiration, Fostering Tradition. This really intrigues me! I thought...what better thing to do at Christmas than share the things you like...and maybe learn some new things to enjoy!
Here are the rules:
"What you agree to do, if you choose to participate, is to partake of and/or post on any 4 of the following:
Christmas movies
Christmas novels/short stories
Christmas songs
Christmas poems
Christmas traditions
Christmas memoriesFor whichever 4 things you choose you will post about them. That is where the giving comes in. Giving of yourself for the shared edification and inspiration of others. Your favorite Christmas movie, story, song, etc. may just inspire others to try it out. At the very least we will share in your joy and enthusiasm as you give us a glimpse into who you are by sharing memories, traditions, and favorites.. “Where is the challenge?”, you may ask. The challenge comes in here: two of your 4 choices must either involve something completely new to you or something you haven’t read or watched in an inordinately long amount of time."
As such, here is my first post, and it's about Christmas tradition/memory! I hope you enjoy.
I've talked about family traditions quite a few times recently. I especially like that my cousin and I are getting our own family traditions going in a way that incorporates our personalities. We had a great Thanksgiving and she's also invited me (and Dad and my brother) to spend Christmas with her (and Greta's puppies will be there to join us!!!) She asked me "Do you guys do something special food wise that we can share with you?" and that made me remember the Sand Tart cookies my mother and father made every Christmas (the recipe is an old Pennsylvania Dutch one, which I'll share with you on my sidebar very soon).
The dough has to be chilled overnight and then rolled out thin as you can. We used old fashioned cookie cutters in the shape of a star, a christmas tree, a reindeer, a bell, a santa, a horse, a scottie dog (a shiba has snuck into the mix) and a fish. All the cookies were brushed lightly with a beaten egg and, except for the fish, sprinkled with either red or green sugar (in some cases, both). The fish, though...the fish got only cinnamon and ground walnuts.
When my brother and I were small, we had such a good time helping to make those cookies and it was a much loved tradition. My parents made those cookies with or as was the case as we reached our teen years and wanted to be with our friends, without us every Christmas up until a few years ago. They always made a ton, enough to give to friends and neighbors. They even sent me a tin of cookies each Christmas that I spent in Japan and the one Christmas I spent in CO.
I'm totally looking forward to reviving this tradition with Maribeth, who loves to cook as much as I do, and sharing it with her young neighbor, Emily.
