Ruth E. Weggner

Our third recipe in this short series of traditional Christmas recipes is for a mouth-watering sweet bread from Europe called Stollen. This sweet, fruity, yeast bread is traditionally served in Austria and Germany at Christmas time. It can be eaten for breakfast, as a dessert, or perhaps, round the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.

Our recipe for Stollen is easy to make and is perfect for the festive season.

Ingredients. Makes 1 loaf

150ml/ 2/3 cup lukewarm milk
40g/3 tbsp caster(fine) sugar
10ml/2tsp easy-blend dried yeast
350g/3 cups plain white flour, plus extra for dusting
1.5/ tsp salt
100g/ cup butter, softened
1 egg, beaten
50g/ 1/3 cup seedless raisins
25g/ 1/6 cup sultanas
40g/ 1/3 cup candied orange peel, chopped
25g/ cup blanched almonds, chopped
5ml/1 tbsp rum
40g/3tbsp butter, melted
about 50g/ cup icing sugar

1. Mix together the warm milk, sugar and yeast and leave in a warm place until it becomes frothy.

2.Sift together the flour and salt, make a well in the centre and pour on the yeast mixture. Add the egg and butter and mix together to form a soft dough. Mix in the sultanas, raisins, almonds and peel and sprinkle on the rum. Knead the dough on a lightly floured board until pliable.

3. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl and cover with a non-stick film or paper. Leave in a warm place for about 2 hours, until it has doubled in size.

4. Turn out on to a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic.On a baking tray, shape your loaf into a rectangle about 25 x 20cm/ 10x 8in. Fold the dough over along one of the long sides and press the two layers together. Cover and leave to stand for 20 minutes.

5.Preheat the oven to 200C/ 400F. Bake the Stollen for 25-30 minutes, until it is well risen. Allow to cool slightly, then brush with melted butter. Sift the sugar over the top and place on to a wire rack to cool. Serve in thin slices.

They claim that things, good or bad, come in threes.  Christmas has lots of unique customs but the three that are obvious are fruit cakes, Christmas trees and Christmas cards.

Every family has its own secret recipe in creating fruit cakes that is well-kept and handed down from generation to generation.  All over the world, fruit cakes have many varieties as the difference in the ingredients combined become clear.  In the UK, for one, fruit cakes are richer in flavor and moist in texture than their American equivalent. Fruit cakes are likewise a part of the British Christmas custom, mostly coated with royal icing and marzipan.  They are then embellished with holly leaves, artificial or real berries, and other ornaments symbolizing Christmas.

Well, what is Christmas if there is no tree alive with colorful lights and ornaments?  It is likewise a special Christmas practice wherein the fathers and their young lads go out and select the tree and the whole household decorates it, with the special privilege granted to the youngest member of the family to place the star at the top of the tree.  Traditionally, the tree is set up and ornamented on Christmas Eve, December 24th and will be removed the day after twelfth night, January 6th.  Evergreens and coniferous trees are the widely used trees and the firs, pines and spruces being the three most known species.

Nevertheless, presents and personalized Christmas cards are a way of life.  Hence, Christmas would not be complete without receiving and giving away a Christmas token in one form or another.  People use up lots of their time planning what to give their family on this special occasion.  It is also known to everyone that Christmas is the most hectic shopping time of the year where individuals are more ready to spend in the spirit of giving and of Christmas.  Business Christmas cards are sent out by large corporations to let their clients realize how much the company is grateful for their loyalty and hope for an improved relationship in the future.

These are merely three of the Christmas customs that, whether we admit it or not, we all long for every year. After the holiday season, after cleaning up the mess in the kitchen, after removing the tree, we are so eager for the subsequent Christmas season.

The Christmas Eve Version of a Hunt

The idea is to create a complete hunt where kids have to follow clues to find gifts. Don't simply place the gift under the Christmas tree, instead make them find it by placing clues they have to follow. Write your clues on extra Christmas cards or index cards cut into the shape of Christmas bells. It's even possible to write the clues on Christmas ornaments that are paper or cardboard.

No matter where you decide write your clues, write a clue on each item and leave it around the house. Hand each player their first clue. It might read, "You eat dinner here" and the player would run to the dining room table. On the table you have to place an additional clue stating something like "we put this on cereal" and another clue then affixed to the milk carton. The last clue can be the actual Christmas gift itself.

Christmas Musical Chairs

Play upbeat, familiar Christmas tunes everyone knows. Make the players sing along and dance as they run around the chairs. It's common for 1 or 2 players to forget about listening for the music to stop because they are dancing and singing. Just like classic musical chairs, the loser is the player who does not get a chair when the Christmas music stops playing.

The Christmas Version of a Card Game

You should consider playing with cards on Christmas Eve because Christmas cards are for sale weeks before Christmas Eve? Take a box of some sort and place it a few feet away from the guests so they can try to throw the Christmas cards into it. It make seem simple but the cards are varied with different shapes, weights and sizes.

One last thing — Imagine the look on your child’s face if they received a personalized letter from Santa in the North Pole. It's a gift that they will never forget.

Can you remember the time come Christmas Eve when you get a glass of milk and a plate of cookies for Santa Claus?  Those were the days, weren’t they?

Gifts are amongst the best parts of Christmas.  People spare some money so that they can buy their family and friends something special.  Even children set aside a few of their money to purchase gifts.  Still, for anyone aged twelve and under, the best gift comes from the person who comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve.  And we have a lot of extraordinary stories regarding our presents from Santa Claus, don’t we?

If you can’t set aside enough cash to purchase a gift, there’s always the alternative of sending your family personalized Christmas cards.  In my opinion, I think giving cards you created yourself are much more treasured than high-priced presents wrapped up in sparkling Christmas packagings.  Everyone can see the effort and time you invest in creating a Christmas card and we are aware that what you have written down truly comes from the heart.  This is possibly one of the explanations why your mailbox comes close to overflowing with Christmas coupons, business Christmas cards, and other things that large corporations send out to faithful customers.

Anyways, presents and Christmas cards are just some of the things that render Christmas such a favorite occasion by many.  Nearly everyone of us have lots of warm recollections of Christmas revelries long gone that we all long to go through again this year, and the next years ahead of us, with the same expectation we had when we were still kids, if not more.

Christmas is the moment of the year when everyone is in their house and there’s no school, no work, and no business trips.  It is an occasion when everybody has time to spend with their loved ones and build more memories.  A family meeting beside the fire place after Christmas dinner, drinking mugs of warm and tasty eggnog, talking about happy and not-so-happy times, and just finding pleasure in each other’s companionship – this makes Christmas very unique indeed.

It definitely is an occasion that everybody anticipates all year round.  You can ask any one and he or she can tell you an occasion or two, maybe more, that make Christmas his or her favorite feast of the year.  And I believe, you will approve of it.  

Live for today, plan for tomorrow, learn from yesterday but get ready for Christmas as time flies fleetingly so, be prepared.

The holidays can bring a lot of fun and happiness, but along comes stress as well. Yearly, I have to go through the stress of this festive season. When I think about it, I view Christmas in two lights, as both the happiest and most tiring day of the calender year. Why? Due to that I think about something that I haven’t done at all this year, and with another one approaching quickly I don’t know if I’ll be able to make my goal. Me having my baby isn’t making the season any easier on me. My husband Labron, just always keep it cool for me and make sure that I don’t think about it too often during these times. Everything down to picking up my new upside down christmas tree stresses me out!

I always think that the reason could be that Christmas shows me the things I’m lacking and that leads to more Christmas stress, both because I shouldn’t be thinking such things and because it’s sad to think about. Every year when Christmas eve arrives things seem like they will be ok. I get to see people I don’t always see often, especially my parents, since they live in New Orleans and we are in the state of California, and even my nieces and nephews. That being said, on occasion we don’t push them to come to our house over the holidays for the reason that I know they have a lot of stuff to do as well.

Before all this, I do a lot of stress busting techniques to get my mind off of it. Often I try to look into the future and write down everything I need to get done for Christmas day. My hubby tries his hardest to help me by making suggestions on how we can stretch our dollars even further during the holiday seasons. And next year we are hoping to spend Christmas abroad, at least that could be a less stressful for us. I look forward to things I have coming that will bring me pure enjoyment, for example I have my chandelier christmas tree.

While many of us celebrate modern Christmas traditions of decorating Christmas trees and waiting for Santa, the Celts celebrated the Winter Solstice. The Druids felt that the sun stood still for 12 days from Christmas Eve to January 6th. A Yule log was burned for light on those days. Its charred remains protected the house for the rest of the year. Mistletoe, a sign of fertility, was hung in the house with other greenery as a symbol of life in the darkness.

The Scots believe that on Christmas Eve, a raging fire keeps mischievous elves from coming down the chimney. On Christmas Day, people dance around bonfires while listening to bagpipes and enjoying oatmeal cake. The biggest celebrations happen on Hogmanay, New Year’s Eve. These involve “first footing”, where the first person to set foot in a house in a New Year is said to bring either good or bad luck, depending on their hair color. The Night of Candles lights the way for the Holy family, first footers, and Mummers. Mummers dressed in masks and travelled from house to house for music and dancing. The home owners would have to guess who they were. On New Year’s Eve, they would circle houses beating on the walls to drive out the old year while saying a special rhyme to request entry for food & drink.

In Ireland, the celebration lasts from Christmas Eve until Epiphany on January 6th. They light red candles decorated with holly sprigs on Christmas Eve. The women bake a seed cake for each person and three puddings for Christmas, New Year’s and the Twelfth Night. On Christmas evening, milk and bread is left out and the door was left unlocked as a symbol of hospitality. St. Stephen’s Day, Dec. 26th, is filled with football and meetings. The Wren Boys Procession is a fun event for boys who would dress up and go door to door singing and playing music while holding a Holly bush on a stick. They would say that a Wren was hiding in the bush and they needed money to feed the starving wren. Actually, the money is for them!

The Welsh are known for their wonderful singing voices and carolling, known as eistoddfodde, is a very popular Christmas activity. In some communities, people gather in a public area to announce who has submitted the best music for a new carol. This carol is added to all the rest that are known and sung in Wales. In some areas, a villager is chosen to be the Mari llwyd, who travels around the town in white clothing while carrying a horse’s skull on a stick. Anyone given the “bite” by the horse’s jaws must pay a fine. One of the popular sweets for this holiday is Taffy. Christmas goose is also a meal must. Santa gets no cookies and milk; instead, mince pies and a bottle of Guinness! They also maintain the English traditions of holly, mistletoe, pudding, stockings, and snow.

Whatever traditions you may celebrate, we hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Sincerely,

Rauncie Kinnaird

Clans Celts & Clover

Email: clans@sasktel.net Phone: 306-382-4443 Website: http://www.clansceltsandclover.com and http://kinnairdbagpipes.com

]]> http://happychristmasfrom.me/celtic-christmas-traditions-clans-on-broadway/feed/ 0 http://happychristmasfrom.me/a-guide-to-christmas-tree-decorating/ http://happychristmasfrom.me/a-guide-to-christmas-tree-decorating/#comments Wed, 03 Sep 2008 19:01:59 +0000 admin http://happychristmasfrom.me/2008/09/03/a-guide-to-christmas-tree-decorating/ Continue reading →]]> The process of Christmas tree decorating is one that really does not have to be difficult, and more than anything you should make sure that it is fun and enjoyable. Whether you are Christmas tree decorating on your own, with your partner or your entire family, it is important that you put your own personality and flair into it.

Here is a guide to Christmas tree decorating, to help get you started if you have never decorated a tree before and give you some great tips and ideas if you have.

Getting Started

Of course to get started you are going to need to go out and get all of the decorations. The best idea is going to be for you to make a list of what you need before going out looking for them, mainly just to save yourself time and hassle.

Lights are usually one of the first things that people decorate their trees with. You can find Christmas tree lights in all different shapes and colors – some people like to stick to the basic gold or white while others want a rainbow of colors shining from off their tree.

Christmas tree ornaments are essential for proper Christmas tree decorating. From snowmen and angels to Santa Claus and Rudolph, you can find whatever ornaments you want. There is also the option of making your own, and you can come up with some really creative and innovative ornaments and for very little cost as well.

The garland is also important to Christmas tree decorating. There are really no firm rules when it comes to draping garlands on a tree, but you should start at the top, stringing less garland and work your way down, increasing the amount of garland as you do so.

There are even some fantastic bead garlands that you can find, which add a bit of pizzazz to the basic Christmas tree. You should use a variety of garlands, everything from plain to fancy, if you want the most well balanced and fun look. Generally, for every vertical foot of tree you should use about two strands of garland.

Decorating your Christmas tree should be fun and enjoyable more than anything, and it is something that you should do with your family and friends. Christmas is the most joyous time of year, and although decorating the tree is an event that is usually done Christmas Eve, you can really do it whenever you want.

In addition, Christmas Eve is an enchanting time when children leave a glass of milk and a plate of cookies out for the visitor from the North Pole. Often, children find difficulty in falling asleep this night. In addition, as tradition as it, if the child has been good they will be rewarded with a stocking full of goodies and presents under the tree from Santa.

Also, Christmas time is magical for the couple who celebrates Christmas for the first time as parents. There is something wonderful and warm about that first child’s Christmas. In fact many traditions can swirl around that first special holiday.

Some of those traditions surround that first Christmas ornament. Specifically, in regards to children, there are many ideas that can be utilized to make baby’s first Christmas ornament. Some of those ideas could be the use of some memorable item or baby’s first picture.

Memorable Item

There are many Christmas traditions that families follow year after year after year. For example one of those traditions could include the opening of Christmas gifts. Specifically some family traditions allow for the opening of one gift on Christmas Eve and the remaining gifts can all be opened by the family members on Christmas day. Another Christmas tradition can be in the reading of a Christmas book leading up to Christmas Day. Or another tradition that can be followed by the family is an advent calendar.

One other meaningful Christmas tradition is the hanging of the first Christmas ornament. Often, when the tree is purchased or brought out from storage the decorating of the tree begins. Generally, the lights are put on the tree and the garland is placed.

Following this initial trimming of the tree, the first Christmas ornament ever made or purchased by the family is then placed on the tree. This tradition symbolizes not only the family unity and commitment to each other but symbolizes the blessings of life and the love of each family member towards each other.

Baby’s First Ornament

Another wonderful tradition to symbolize the importance of family is the hanging of baby’s first Christmas ornament. Generally, after the family’s first Christmas ornament is placed on the tree then each of the children in the family place their first ornament ever made.

Often, these ornaments could be the baby picture of that particular child in the family placed on a crafted ornament. Or, the ornament could be comprised of a special item that symbolizes the specialness of that child in the family. Some of those items could include a handmade snowflake by the child, an imprint of their hand, a copy of their first shoe, etc.

The Fabulous Fir Tree

Though the ancient peoples would not have understood the Christmas tree tradition, they did play a part in establishing the custom. Everyone, from the ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Druids, worshipped the evergreen tree in one way or another. In most cultures, evergreen trees were used to celebrate the winter solstice.

One ancient myth says that St. Boniface, the German saint who converted the people to Christianity, encountered pagans worshipping an oak tree. The saint cut down the oak tree out of anger and in its place, a fir tree sprouted up. To St. Boniface, this was a sign of the Christian faith.

The Modern Movement

While the use of the fir tree might have come from ancient traditions, it was not until more recently that a Christmas tree was actually displayed indoors. One popular myth is that Martin Luther was the first to decorate a Christmas tree around 1500. When walking through snow covered woods on Christmas Eve, Martin Luther was struck by the beauty of the fir trees. HE brought a small one indoors and shared the splendor with his children. Together, they decorated it with lights to celebrate the birth of Christ.

The Christmas tree tradition migrated to the United States most likely during the American Revolution, but it was not widely practiced (and even banned in some areas) until the 1800s. Christmas trees were universal by the 1920s.

In the early history of the Christmas tree tradition, participants would hunt down their own trees. However, by the 1800s people had begun taking advantage of the tree market by cutting down trees and selling them for profit. Christmas tree farms emerged during the Great Depression. Some people preferred, and still prefer, artificial Christmas trees over the real ones.

Old Traditions, New Traditions

The Christmas tree tradition might be old, but it has only grown in popularity over the past several hundred years. Whatever might come in the future of Christmas, you can be assured that a tree will continue to provide a steady source of comfort and tradition.