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Writing, Reading, and Rural Life With a Border Collie

Category Archives: Christmas


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11 Ways to Bless Others This Christmas

Turning a corner today to do a little Christmas contemplatin’. It won’t take long. Promise. So pour yourself a hot cuppa and grab up a chair. Put your feet up. And give a listen for a min or two. Ready? Good. Here goes:

Christmas is a time for joy! For family and friends! It’s a time for Child-like wonder and merry-making. But shadows can also hover over the season, intensifying feelings of loneliness or loss.

But…

For those whose family relationships are strained or difficult, the obligatory annual Christmas gathering can feel like getting a root canal. And may be just as dreaded.

For those who’ve lost loved ones, the holidays may accentuate those absences.

Singer/songwriter Matthew West understands this. West came out with a song awhile back that captures both the joy and the sense of loss that can accompany the season: “The Heart of Christmas.”

The Heart of Christmas

It’s a perennial favorite. Give it a listen to see why:

“Wherever you are, no matter how far
Come back to the heart, the heart of Christmas
Live while you can, cherish the moment
The ones that you love, make sure they know it
Don’t miss it, the heart of Christmas.”

“Come on and open up your eyes!”

So. While you’re celebrating and making merry this season, can you slow down and remember those who may be struggling?

Here are 11 Ways To Bless Others This Christmas:

🎄Donate to your local food bank
🎄Befriend an elderly neighbor. Just starting a conversation can have a positive impact. You can also offer to help with practical tasks like shopping or dog-walking or getting them to medical appointments safely.
🎄Invite international students over for dinner
🎄Give a generous tip to a friendly customer service worker like a waiter or barista
🎄Buy a homeless person a sandwich and a hot drink
🎄Help someone who’s struggling with their luggage on public transport and/or give up your seat for same
🎄Buy your friend chocolate or another favorite treat when they’re feeling down. Listen more than you talk if they need to vent
🎄Treat a friend to on an outing or a trip to a Christmas tree farm. Serve hot cocoa and cookies afterwards.
🎄Be extra patient with retail workers, many of whom are stressed and harried this time of year. Don’t forget to thank them and say “Merry Christmas”!
🎄Bake and deliver homemade goodies to your local police and/or fire departments with a note of thanks
🎄Forgive.

What would you add?

 

 

This post was originally published here in 2019. We thought it deserved it encore.


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TTT: 10 Tastes of the Season!

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Topic is a “freebie.” Like a BYO topic.  

Well. Between skipping around the house belting out Santa Clause is Coming to Town, stringing enough lights to give Clark Griswold a run for his moola, and decking every hall in sight, Mom’s also cooking up a storm.

So she says today’s Top Ten is gonna be Tastes of the Season! From our kitchen to yours. (Some of these recipes have been in the fam since Mom was a young’un. Like, shortly after the discovery of fire. Don’t tell Mom I said that, okay?)

What?

Mom Tested, Kimber Approved

These are all Mom Tested and Kimber Approved. Or maybe it’s the other way around? Anyway, now if I can just figure out where Mom stashed that beef brisket…

1. Incredible Edibles

CC0 Public Domain

3/4 cup melted butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 jar (12-ounce size) chunky peanut butter
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 package (12-ounce size) chocolate chips (melted)

Combine butter and graham cracker crumbs. Beat in peanut butter and confectioners’ sugar and spread over bottom of 9-by-13-inch pan. Frost with melted chocolate. Chill to harden frosting. Before frosting is set, cut into bars.

2. Berry Relish

1 16-oz. bag cranberries

2 green apples, cored

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1 tsp. orange juice

1 -2 baskets fresh raspberries (or frozen without sugar)

Chop cranberries and apples in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and mix. Refrigerate. Keeps for one month.

3. Christmas Morning Coffee Cake

2 Recipes Blogspot

Grease and flour two loaf pans. Combine batter ingredients, mix well.  Sprinkle part of the sugar mix on bottom of each pan before putting batter in pans.  Put rest of sugar mix on top and swirl into the cake mixture.

Sugar Mix:

½ cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

½ cup pecans (optional)

Batter:

1 box yellow cake mix

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 box instant vanilla pudding

½ cup pecans (optional)

¾ vegetable oil

¾ cup water

½ tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

½ tsp. butter (or vanilla) extract

Bake batter 50 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees.  While the cake is warm, dribble over the top a mixture of 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp. milk, and 1/8 tsp. butter (or vanilla) extract.  Cool entirely in pan.  Serve. 

4. Pumpkin Bread

1 ½ cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1cup sugar

1cup pumpkin

1/4 cup cooking oil

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts are really good)

Mix the sugar, pumpkin, oil, and egg together.  In another bowl mix all the others but the nuts together and add the liquid.  Mix well.  Add nuts. Put in greased bread pan. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes. 

Note: this recipe may use zucchini in place of pumpkin.

5. Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

See the source image

Flickr

1 (12 oz.) package chocolate chips

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed mile (NOT evaporated)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup peanut butter

In heavy sauce pan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips with condensed milk and vanilla, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter. Stir just to distribute throughout mixture.

Spread evenly into an 8-inch square pan lined with aluminum foil. Chill for 2 hours or until firm. Turn fudge onto a cutting board. Peel off the foil and cut into squares.

6. Rum Balls

See the source image

Pinterest

2 cups finely ground vanilla wafers

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup confectioners sugar

2 Tbsp. cocoa

2 Tbsp. white corn syrup

½ cup rum

Mix all ingredients together well. Roll into balls and dip in powdered sugar.

7. Easy Spritz Cookies

1 pouch Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

½ cup butter, melted

½ cup Gold Medal all-purpose flour

1 tsp. almond extract

1 egg

Colored sugars, candy sprinkles, coarse white sugar

Heat oven to 375’F.  In large bowl, stir cookie mix, melted butter, flour, almond extract and egg until soft dough forms.  Fit cookie press with desired template.  Fill cookie press with cookie dough.  Onto greased cookie sheet, press cookies.  Decorate with remaining ingredients as desired. 

Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until set.  Cool 1 minute.  Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.  Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

8. Pumpkin Crumble

See the source image

Public domain

1 28-oz. can plain pumpkin

1 12-oz. can evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

4 tsp. pumpkin spice (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice)

1 tsp. salt (optional)

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cube melted butter

1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Combine first six ingredients. Pour into 9 x 13″ pan. Sprinkle with cake mix. Pour melted butter over top. Bake at 350 degrees about 50 minutes or until set. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Serves 12.

9. Spicy Cocoa Mocha Mix

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Pinterest

4 cups non-fat dry milk powder

1 cup non-dairy coffee creamer

2-1/2 cups instant pre-sweetened cocoa mix

1/2 cup instant coffee

1-1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. allspice

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Store mixture in an airtight container.  Make 6 cups.

To make cocoa drink: Pour 1/2 cup of mixture in a mug and fill with boiling water.  Stir.

…. And for Kimmi:

10. Soda Pop Brisket

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Pinterest

1 pkg. dry onion soup mix

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 beef brisket, 1 to 2 lbs., or pot roast beef

1 tsp. paprika

1 can diet Pepsi

4 medium red potatoes, cubed

Sprinkle soup mix, paprika and garlic powder on both sides of brisket. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place meat in large roasting pan with lid. Pour soda over seasoned meat. Cover and cook in over about 2 to 3 hours. Uncover. Add potatoes (peeled or not) and more soda if needed.

Turn oven to 300 degrees and roast until potatoes are browned and meat is tender, approx. 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Make gravy with the drippings and pour over potatoes and meat.

It sounds like a strange combination, but it’s delicious! Can be adjusted for crock pot use.

+++

Oh boy, oh boy! Is my tummy ever rumbling now! You gonna eat that? “Askin’ for a friend.” :)

***

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish,
Now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl 


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New Novel Reveals Untold Story Behind Scrooge Romance

The Red Button (2020)

A Novel That Tells What Became of Belle & Scrooge

By Keith Eldred

“I release you. With a full heart, for the love of him you once were. May you be happy in the life you have chosen!”

Belle Endicott’s goodbye to her fiancé, Ebenezer Scrooge, is perhaps one of the best known farewells in all literature. But what happened to this couple? Who was Belle? How did she meet Ebenezer? How and why did the two fall in love?

A delightful new prequel to the Dickensian Christmas classic reveals the untold story “of how the young lovers found and then lost each other. And how their doomed union stayed with Scrooge daily and ultimately prepared the way for his famous redemption.”

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14 Best Christmas Movies You Never Heard Of (and a few you have)

‘Tis the season for merry-making and movie-watching. Grab some hot chocolate. Plop in a peppermint stick. Gather the fam and get comfy. (Don’t forget the little’uns! Or the dog!) This is Mom’s 100% subjective, totally unscientific list of Best Christmas Movies Ever.

Several are well-known, perennial favorites. But you may find some surprises here. In fact, you may have never heard of some of these. All are worthwhile. How many do you recognize?

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‘Marley’ Brings Dickensian Character Back to Life

 

See the source image

By Jon Clinch

Fiction

It’s December and ‘Tis the Season! So we’re kicking off the month with a seasonal classic. Sort of. It’s more like a twist on a seasonal classic, called Marley.

As in: If you thought Ebenezer Scrooge was a piece of work, wait till you get a load of Jacob Marley.

Yes, Marley. Scrooge’s deceased business partner. He appears briefly in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. He’s the chained and tormented ghost doomed to wander the earth forever as punishment for his greed and selfishness when he was alive (He also looks a lot like Alec Guinness in the 1970 musical, Scrooge).

Back Story

Clinch’s vividly imaginative and enjoyable novel fills us in on Marley’s back story of greed, duplicity, and treachery. This guy makes Scrooge look like a piker. If lying, cheating, and stealing were Olympic sports, Jacob Marley would bring home the gold. Every time.

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7 Surprisingly Splendid Seasonal Reads

Ready for reading that’s merry and bright? Great! Cuz what’s Christmas without some good books?

Fresh out of ideas for the season? We’ve gotcha covered!

Here are seven uplifting, engaging reads to help celebrate the season with faith, hope, and love. In no particular order:

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The Heart of Christmas

‘Wherever you are, no matter how far,

Come back to the heart, the heart of Christmas…

The heart of Christmas has a Name…’

Warmest wishes for a blessed Christmas and holiday season filled with love, laughter, and grace.

See you in 2020!


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How To Write a Killer Christmas Letter

Writing an annual Christmas letter is as seasonal as eggnog and mistletoe. Some Christmas letters have flair and panache. Others are like watching paint peel. How can you write a Christmas letter that’ll knock the socks of your family Saint Nick and make Rudolph’s nose dim?

Here are 12 tips for writing a killer Christmas letter:

1. Keep it short.

I’m talking one page. Preferrably just the front. The more loquacious you are, the less likely people are to read the whole thing.

People are busy, especially during the holidays. No one has time to read a Christmas epistle that’s a War and Peace wannabe. So keep it short and sweet.

2. Be yourself.

This may seem obvious. But it’s amazing how many people try to copy someone else’s style or voice. Don’t. People want to hear from you, not a clone.

3. If you include a photo, make sure you tie it in with the text of the letter. And caption it with the place, date, who’s featured and what they’re doing.

4. Mix it up.

If you used a first person narrative last year, try writing from another point of view. The kids? The dog? A neighbor?

5. Include humor.

Not everyone has an active funny bone. But most people like to laugh and enjoy some levity. Include some.

6. Choose a font that’s easy on the eyes.

I can’t tell you the number of times I gave up trying to read through fancy calligraphy or curliqued letters on steroids. It may look pretty. But if your type font is hard to read, few will.

Choose a standard font like Times Roman or Arial.

7. Handwrite the salutation and conclusion.

If you’re writing your letter on the computer and tucking it into an envelope, be sure to start it with, “Hello Bill and Marilyn” (or whatever). In handwriting.

Also hand write your conclusion and signature: “Merry Christmas from Jim and Eileen, Chad, Chloe, and Joey.”

It takes longer. But it’s more personal.

If you’re using an email delivery platform like Mail Chimp, you can customize the “To” field and do likewise.

8. Keep a list. Check it twice.

Staring at a blank piece of paper or screen and waiting for writing inspiration to strike can be intimidating. It’s helpful to keep a running list of key dates and events through the year.

If possible, jot them down real time. It’s a lot easier to just grab your list or review your calendar than it is trying to remember the last 11.5 months off the top of your head, without prompts.

9. Inclufe your contact info.

Make it easy for people to respond by including your address, email, phone, etc. In The Letter. You can do this in the footer of a Mail Chimp or in a regular email or hard copy letter.

10. Use white space generously

Resist the temptation to jam in as much copy as you can on a sheet of paper by cramming every available millimeter with type. It’s hard to read!

Instead, keep your paragraphs short. Indent for new paragraphs. Or better yet, double space between paragraphs.

Make sure margins are adequate. Choose Justify rather than ragged right for your right margin. It looks cleaner and more polished.

11. Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes.

What do you want to know? What will be of interest? Do I really care about your second cousin’s bunion surgery or the egg substitute you just discovered?

We all find ourselves fascinating. But try to write yiur update with an eye toward news that will resonate with and be interesting to your recipient(s). Think: What will my friends want to know about and what can they best relate to?

12. Draw the reader in.

This is key. It’s also rare, as most Christmas letters tend to be one-sided. Even self-centric.

Engage your reader by “pencilling in” a question specifically for them. How was vacation? The new job? Is Norbert coming home for Christmas?

You might also close with something like, “Please let us know what’s going on with you, too” or drawing attention to your contact contact info. so they can easily respond. (See above.)

If your budget allows, print up your letter on some Christmas-y stationery.

Well, that’s it. Now get those creative juices going and make this year’s Christmas letter the best ever!


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What To Do When You Don’t Know What to Do

Someone who shall remain nameless (hi, Mom) forgot to get me breakfast the other day. So I didn’t have a whole lot of sympathy when she started sniffing about a well-worn Christmas writing contest going the way of the Dodo.

“I’ve been writing and submitting entries to that site’s annual writing contest for years,” whined Her Mom-ness. “I’ve even won a couple times. So what’s up with The Final Shutdown?”

“Now you know how I feel?” I wanted to say. I wagged my tail instead. Offered to share my favorite treat with her. She wasn’t interested. Even though these goodies are “100% natural. Non-GMO.” Made “with real mixed berries.” Okay, so it was pre-chewed. But only a little.

“Mom? Mom!” I said, trying to get her back on track. You know how writers are. “Stop that whining already. I’m trying to think here!”

Now. Where was I?

Anyway, Mom kinda didn’t know what to do after being thrown for that wet cat. I’ll let her narrate in her own words (sometimes there’s just no accounting for taste.)

Her Mom-Ness:

Wanting to get a running start on the Christmas story contest season in 2017, I wrote a seasonal story in the fall of last year, as the Indian summer of September slid into the cool kindliness of October. When I sat down to submit it, I found that the site was no longer running the contest. “We hope to be back next year,” the site admin replied to my inquiry. “Please feel free to submit your story in 2018.”

I dug up my 2017 story, One Cold Night, dusted it off and polished it up for submission to the 2018 Christmas story contest. To my dismay, I discovered that not only was the contest not going on this year, but the entire web site had been scrubbed. Closed. History. Gone.

“That was a lot of work for nothing,” I thought.

Me

So Her Mom-ness decided to do something else. “Just because that site no longer exists doesn’t mean I or my story have to follow suit.”

So she spiffed up her story. Ignored the contest-imposed 800 word limit. Added about 600 words. “Now it’s a micro story,” she chirped. “I’ll just publish it myself.”

As in, if a door closes, find another way in. Or open a window.

This right after I gently reminded her about breakfast. With the subtlety of a ton of dog chow. Priorities, ya know?

Mmm… Mom’s Christmas micro tale… crunch… arf… is called… mmmm… good… One Cold Night. And you can get it for FREE right here. It’s almost as good as breakfast! Crunch…. munch… yum…

Almost.


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20-ish Top Reads of 2018

“Clear the decks!” crows Mom. “It’s Best Books time!”

She may be a bit confused. Ever since my puppy days it’s been “deck the halls” this time of year. Well. You know how moms are. Especially when someone asks, “Which kid is your favorite?”

Okay, okay. So no one put it quite like that. But plenty have asked which books are her favorite. “It’s almost the same thing,” sniffs Mom.

Hah, bumhug! says I.

Arf you may know, Mom met her 2018 reading challenge last week: 365 books in one year. People keep asking which “kids” are her favorite from that long, long list. (For background, see: When They Tell You It’s “Impossible.” Also see: How I Read 100+ books in 90 days.)

I’m kinda curious myself. I gave her the puppy eyes look.

Works every time.

So ‘clear the decks’ for Mom’s Top Reads of 2018.

Warning: “That ‘top 20’ thing’s just not gonna happen,” says Mom.

Indeed, competition for a spot on Mom’s ‘totally subjective, 100% unscientific’ list was fierce. So bow-wow-ish, in fact, that Mom divided the list into four basic categories:

  1. Best Fiction
  2. Best Non-Fiction
  3. Best Series
  4. Favorite Authors.

Also Honorable Mentions.

Each book earned its respective spot based on quality of writing, creativity and poignancy, superior characterizations, outstanding, unique plots and overall excellence. And Just Plain Fun. (Note: No book that brainlessly, repeatedly deploys gratuitous profanity ever makes Mom’s “best” list. She calls that “sloppy-writing-lazy.” Hah, bumhug again.)

365 books in one year. And then some! November 27, 2018.

Anyway, Mom’s Top Books Read in 2018 are,in no particular order:

Best Fiction

  1. Hattie Big Sky – Kirby Larson
  2. Time for Andrew – Mary Downing Hahn
  3. A Dog Called Homeless – Sarah Lean
  4. Run Far, Run Fast – Walt Morey
  5. The Incredible Journey – Sheila Burnford
  6. There Come a Soldier Peggy Mercer
  7. Wolf by Wolf – Ryan Graudin
  8. Anchor in the Storm – Sarah Sundin
  9. The Wood – Chelsea Bobulski
  10. Man O’War – Walter Farley
  11. The Journey Back – Priscilla Cummings
  12. Sarah Bishop, Thunder Rolling in the Mountains – Scott O’Dell
  13. The Adoration of Jenna Fox – Mary Pearson
  14. Ever the Hunted– Erin Summerill
  15. Hoot – Carl Hiassen
  16. Dividing Eden – Joelle Charbonneau
  17. The Velveteen Rabbit – Margery Williams
  18. Unwind – Neal Shusterman

Re-reading a seasonal favorite, “The Christmas Box,” by Richard Paul Evans.

Best Nonfiction

  1. A Prisoner and Yet – Corrie ten Boom
  2. The Kite Runner (historical fiction) – Khaled Hosseini
  3. The Black Dogs Project – Fred Levy
  4. Before Amen – Max Lucado
  5. My Family for the War (historical novel) – Anne Voorhoeve
  6. Great Lodges of the National Parks – Christine Barnes
  7. Hidden Child – Isaac Millman

Best Series

  1. The Misty of Chincoteague series – Marguerite Henry
  2. The Silver Brumby series – Elyne Mitchell
  3. Billy and Blaze books– C.W. Anderson
  4. The Jimmy Vega mystery series – Suzanne Chazin
  5. Black Stallion series– Walter Farley
  6. The Survivors series – Erin Hunter
  7. Fire and Thorns trilogy – Rae Carson

Favorite Authors

Honorable Mentions

Well, woof the deck! Or something. All this reading and book-ing makes me hungry. About that leftover pot roast… You gonna eat that?