From ABBA and I. :0)
Dec 31, 2010
Dec 27, 2010
December 27 is ~ Make Cutout Snowflakes Day
I love snow. I love to sit at my front window, with a cup of hot chocolate, and watch the snowflakes fall. I love the way the snow flocks the pine trees in our neighbors yard, and there's something magical on a still night, when the blanket of freshly fallen snow on our front lawn sparkles in the glow of the streetlight.
One day, a few winters ago, I went to pick up my kids from school. It was fairly early so I was the first mom there. There were no cars on the street. It was quiet and peaceful, and it was snowing. As I sat bundled up in my car waiting for the heater to finally warm up, I turned and looked at my window. I noticed that as each snowflake fell and lit on the cold window, it lingered there for a moment, just long enough for me to see each one's beautiful, intricate pattern, like tiny ice doilies dotting the window, and then each one would quickly melt into a drop of water. I was filled with such awe at the beauty of these tiny creations and I felt like I had been given a special gift that day.
Today, why not sit down with some paper and scissors and create a winter wonderland for your home. Here at Snowflakes.info you'll find some nice, basic instructions on how to make a six sided snowflake. And here at PaperSnowflakes.com you'll find patterns that you can actually print out and cut out to make beautiful snowflakes. Following, there is a video that demonstrates one of the snowflake patterns from PaperSnowflakes.com. You can also go here and here to make virtual snowflakes. Let your creativity shine today and have lots of fun making cut out paper snowflakes!
Image: MarthaStewart.com
Dec 26, 2010
Happy Kwanzaa!
Several years ago when I heard that Patti Labelle was coming to perform in Salt Lake City, I begged my husband to take me to her concert. He bought the tickets and I anxiously awaited the date to arrive. The night of the concert came, and when we walked into the concert hall we quickly realized that we were probably the only two white people in the entire place, until a black gentleman walked in late with his white girlfriend, at which time Ms. Labelle put him on the spot and jokingly razzed him about picking a white woman over a black woman. The concert was awesome, Patti Labelle was fabulous, the people in the audience were on their feet dancing and singing and having so much fun and we had a ball!
Now, when I first read about Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba, or seven principles of Kwanzaa, I thought: "Wow, this is a great holiday. Every family and community should strive to follow these seven principles. I wonder if anyone would care if this fluffy old white lady joined in the celebration." and then I continued to read that Kwanzaa was developed as a holiday exclusively for African American people to celebrate their African American heritage rather than "simply imitate the practice of the dominate society" and I thought: "Oh, darn! I can't horn in on that." But then I read that over the years things have become more relaxed, and even non-African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa. Oh yay!
I respect African American people, their culture, the struggles they have endured, and the strengths they have developed because of those struggles and I truly do not wish to steal their holiday. But what a wonderful world this would be if all people adopted the seven principles of Kwanzaa and strive to be better family members, better neighbors, better people. Happy Kwanzaa to all!
Even little red monsters celebrate Kwanzaa. :0)
Now, when I first read about Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba, or seven principles of Kwanzaa, I thought: "Wow, this is a great holiday. Every family and community should strive to follow these seven principles. I wonder if anyone would care if this fluffy old white lady joined in the celebration." and then I continued to read that Kwanzaa was developed as a holiday exclusively for African American people to celebrate their African American heritage rather than "simply imitate the practice of the dominate society" and I thought: "Oh, darn! I can't horn in on that." But then I read that over the years things have become more relaxed, and even non-African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa. Oh yay!
I respect African American people, their culture, the struggles they have endured, and the strengths they have developed because of those struggles and I truly do not wish to steal their holiday. But what a wonderful world this would be if all people adopted the seven principles of Kwanzaa and strive to be better family members, better neighbors, better people. Happy Kwanzaa to all!
Even little red monsters celebrate Kwanzaa. :0)
Dec 25, 2010
Kwanzaa Begins
Kwanzaa is a week long celebration observed by African-American and Pan-African communities. It begins on December 26 and ends on January 1st. It is a celebration of family, community, and culture.
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor of African Studies at California State University. It was created as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African culture and historical heritage. It is based upon ancient African "first fruits of the harvest" celebrations and incorporates the strong work ethics, values and practices established within the African culture. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning first fruits of the harvest.
Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa focuses on one of the seven principles (or values) of Kwanzaa as established by Dr. Karenga. These seven principles are:
Kwanzaa decorations include seven specific items along with two supplemental items which hold symbolic meanings, they are:
Almost everything you need to know you'll learn from Sesame Street.
Sources: The Official Kwanzaa Website, Wikipedia
Image: Cultured Expressions.com
Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor of African Studies at California State University. It was created as a means to help African Americans reconnect with their African culture and historical heritage. It is based upon ancient African "first fruits of the harvest" celebrations and incorporates the strong work ethics, values and practices established within the African culture. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, meaning first fruits of the harvest.
Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa focuses on one of the seven principles (or values) of Kwanzaa as established by Dr. Karenga. These seven principles are:
- Umoja (Unity): To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.
- Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves.
- Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers' and sisters' problems our problems, and to solve them together.
- Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together.
- Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.
- Kuumba (Creativity): To do as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.
- Imani (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.
- The Mat (Mkeka) - The foundation. Symbolic of tradition and history.
- The Crops (Mazao) - Symbolic of African harvest celebrations and the rewards of productive and collective labor.
- The Candle Holder (Kinara) - Symbolic of African American roots, their parent people - continental Africans.
- The Corn (Muhindi) - Symbolic of the children and the future which they embody.
- The Seven Candles (Mishumaa Saba) - Symbolic of Nguzo Saba, or the seven Kwanzaa principles. The black candle, placed in the center represents the first principle, Umoja (Unity). The three red candles represent the second, third, and fourth principles and are placed to the left of the black candle. The three green candles represent the fifth, sixth, and seventh principles and are placed to the right of the black candle. The black candle is lit on the first day of the celebration, and the remaining candles are lit afterwards from left to right on the following days. This procedure is to indicate that the people come first, then the struggle, and then the hope that comes from the struggle.
- The Unity Cup (Kikombe cha Umoja) - Symbolic of the foundational principle and practice of unity which makes all else possible.
- The Gifts (Zawadi) - These are symbolic of the labor of love of parents and the commitments made and kept by the children.
- The Flag (Bendera) - The colors of the Kwanzaa flag are the colors of the Organization Us (an organization founded by Dr. Karenga), black, red, and green: black for the people, red for their struggle, and green for the future and hope that comes from their struggle.
- Poster of the Seven Principles (Nguzo Saba Poster).
Almost everything you need to know you'll learn from Sesame Street.
Sources: The Official Kwanzaa Website, Wikipedia
Image: Cultured Expressions.com
Dec 24, 2010
Dec 22, 2010
Festivus ~December 23rd
Festivus is celebrated every year on December 23. However, one element of this holiday is that it can be celebrated on various days in December and even at various times throughout the year, according to the celebrant's discretion.
Festivus is a holiday that was introduced on an episode of the television sitcom "Seinfeld" on December 18, 1997 and over the years it has become increasingly more popular. In the episode "The Strike," Frank Castanza describes to Cosmo Kramer how and why he came up with the Festivus holiday several years earlier. Frank explains that during an encounter where he and another father were fighting over the last of a certain doll, upon which time Frank inflicted several blows upon the man, destroying the doll in the process, Frank decides he doesn't like the commercialism of Christmas and figures there must be a better way to celebrate the holidays. And thus Festivus was created.
Origins of Festivus
In reality, Festivus was created in 1966 by a writer named Dan O'Keefe. O'Keefe had read about a similar event in a book, made a few tweaks to the idea, and, after the named popped into his head, decided to call it Festivus. The original Festivus took place in February 1966, as a celebration of O'Keefe's first date with his future wife Deborah, but is now celebrated on December 23.
So how did Festivus turn up on the Seinfeld show? Well, Dan O'Keefe is the father of Daniel O'Keefe, a screenwriter for the Seinfeld show. The younger O'Keefe wrote the comical storyline into an episode of the show, adding a few new elements, and the rest is history.
Elements of Festivus (from festivusweb.com)
Sources: festivusweb.com, wikipedia.org
Festivus is a holiday that was introduced on an episode of the television sitcom "Seinfeld" on December 18, 1997 and over the years it has become increasingly more popular. In the episode "The Strike," Frank Castanza describes to Cosmo Kramer how and why he came up with the Festivus holiday several years earlier. Frank explains that during an encounter where he and another father were fighting over the last of a certain doll, upon which time Frank inflicted several blows upon the man, destroying the doll in the process, Frank decides he doesn't like the commercialism of Christmas and figures there must be a better way to celebrate the holidays. And thus Festivus was created.
Origins of Festivus
In reality, Festivus was created in 1966 by a writer named Dan O'Keefe. O'Keefe had read about a similar event in a book, made a few tweaks to the idea, and, after the named popped into his head, decided to call it Festivus. The original Festivus took place in February 1966, as a celebration of O'Keefe's first date with his future wife Deborah, but is now celebrated on December 23.
So how did Festivus turn up on the Seinfeld show? Well, Dan O'Keefe is the father of Daniel O'Keefe, a screenwriter for the Seinfeld show. The younger O'Keefe wrote the comical storyline into an episode of the show, adding a few new elements, and the rest is history.
Elements of Festivus (from festivusweb.com)
- Slogan ~ "A Festivus for the rest of us!"
- The Festivus Pole ~ The Costanza's tradition begins with an aluminum pole, which Frank praises for it's "very high strength-to-weight ratio". During Festivus, the unadorned Festivus pole is displayed. The pole was chosen apparently in opposition to the commercialization of highly decorated Christmas trees, because it is very "low-maintenance", and also because the holiday's patron, Frank Costanza, "find[s] tinsel distracting." (Don't we all?) (The Festivus Pole was not part of the original observance, it was added for the Seinfeld show.)
- The Airing of Grievances ~ At the beginning of the Festivus dinner, each participant tells friends and family of all the instances where they disappointed him or her that year. As quoted from Frank Costanza: "I've got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're going to hear about it." (Go to kwillis.com to download a grievance worksheet.)
- Festivus Dinner ~ In "The Strike," a celebratory dinner is shown on the evening of Festivus prior to the feats of strength. The on-air meal appeared to be meatloaf or spaghetti in a red sauce. The original holiday dinner at the O'Keefe household featured turkey or ham followed by a Pepperidge Farm cake decorated with M&M's.
- The Feats of Strength ~ After the dinner, the head of the family tests his or her strength against one participant of the head's choosing. Festivus is not considered over until the head of the family has been pinned to the ground. A participant is allowed to decline to attempt to pin the head of the family only if they have something better to do instead.
- Festivus Miracles ~ Another growing tradition, although not used by all celebrants of the holiday, is the phenomenon of the Festivus Miracle. (This is when fairly non-extraordinary coincidences are referred to as Festivus Miracles.)
Sources: festivusweb.com, wikipedia.org
Dec 20, 2010
What Think Ye of Christ?
In the wee hours of the morning on Friday, December 17, 2010, the historic Provo Tabernacle, an LDS church house in Provo, Utah caught on fire and burned for more than a day before firefighters were able to put out the blaze. The structure was completely gutted by fire and everything was destroyed, but take a close look at the second picture:
Photos by Scott G. Winterton from the Deseret News, accessed from KSL.com.
Firefighters recovered a painting of Christ that was burned in the fire. The fire burned the entire painting except the image of Christ near the center. Amazing!
Check This Out!
Here are some adorable Christmas Elf gift tags from the Jolly Allsorts blog. I just love everything Jenny B. Harris does!
Happy Go Caroling Day ~ Dec. 20
Today is Go Caroling Day. Christmas Caroling has pretty much gone the way of the hand muffs, petticoats and bonnets. You don't see it too much anymore. I remember as a teenager, our youth group climbing upon a truck pulled trailer, filled with hay, to go Christmas caroling. It was so much fun to drive up and down the quiet streets of our neighborhood as the snow gently fell and glistened in the moonlight while we sang every Christmas carol we knew along the way. Of course it didn't hurt the fun factor a bit to have the cute boy that I liked (and that I had spent the last hour dolling myself up for) sitting right across the trailer from me.
Maybe the creator of Go Caroling Day wishes to bring back this long lost tradition and revitalize the joy of the Christmas caroling experience.
Here is an innovative way to do it - new age Christmas caroling - "flash mob" style. Alphabet Photography Inc. organized this 100 member flash mob to wish everyone at The Welland Seaway Mall in Niagra Falls, Canada, a Merry Christmas. As of now, this You Tube video has received over 23,500,000 views and has gained more attention than it's organizers ever imagined it would. How much fun is that?! Enjoy!
Maybe the creator of Go Caroling Day wishes to bring back this long lost tradition and revitalize the joy of the Christmas caroling experience.
Here is an innovative way to do it - new age Christmas caroling - "flash mob" style. Alphabet Photography Inc. organized this 100 member flash mob to wish everyone at The Welland Seaway Mall in Niagra Falls, Canada, a Merry Christmas. As of now, this You Tube video has received over 23,500,000 views and has gained more attention than it's organizers ever imagined it would. How much fun is that?! Enjoy!
Dec 19, 2010
National Hard Candy Day ~ December 19
 |
| Rock Candy Wreath from Food Network.com |
Following are four videos that I hope you can take the time to watch. They demonstrate just what an artful craft it is to make these beautiful candies. I think you'll find them very interesting.
And, there are four things that you should probably know about me, they are:
Here's Dolly Parton singing ~ Hard Candy Christmas
from the Best Little Horehound... I mean The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Dec 16, 2010
Happy National Chocolate Covered Anything Day!
 |
| Chocolate Dipped Strawberries from Simply Recipes.com |
 |
| Chocolate Covered Bananas from My Recipes.com |
 |
| Chocolate Covered Marshmallows from Martha Stewart.com |
 |
| Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons from browneyedbaker.com |
 |
| Chocolate Covered Bacon from And All The Trimmings |
 |
| Chocolate Covered Chili Peppers photo from Go Smell the Coffee |
 |
| Chocolate Covered Potato Chips from Manifest Vegan.com |
 |
| Chocolate Covered Pork Loin photo from Worth1000.com |
Dec 13, 2010
Great Christmas Printables Site
- Printable Christmas Cards
- Christmas Lacing Cards
- Christmas Bingo Cards
- Christmas Word Posters
- Christmas Gift Tags
- Christmas Games
- Christmas Coloring Pages
- Nativity Felt Board Printables
I especially love the cute Nativity Felt Board Printables. They would be great for teaching the Christmas Story to children.
Dec 12, 2010
National Ding-A-Ling Day
Today is National Ding-A-Ling Day. You may think that this is a day to ring in the Christmas season by ring-a-linging your Christmas bells but it's actually a day to let loose and be the biggest ding-a-ling you can be. That's right, go out and let your freak flag fly!
My cute, but prudish husband suggested I not post the following video, but in the spirit of the day and because this song fits so well with it... well, here it is. (You can't go wrong with Chuck Berry).
Chuck Berry ~ My Ding-A-Ling
My cute, but prudish husband suggested I not post the following video, but in the spirit of the day and because this song fits so well with it... well, here it is. (You can't go wrong with Chuck Berry).
Chuck Berry ~ My Ding-A-Ling
Christmas Crafts For Kids ~ a Baker's Dozen
Craft Stick Christmas Star from Danielle's Place.
Craft Stick Snowflakes from Craftideas.info
Dangling Snowman from FamilyFun.go
Cotton Ball Santa from AllKidsNetwork.com
Decorate a Virtual Gingerbread House from JennyBHarris.com
Minnie's Polka Dot Wreath from Family.go.com
Mickey and Friends Color-In Snowflake Ornament from Family.go.com
Currogated Cardboard Star Christmas Tree Ornament from Craftideas.info
Sugar Cone Christmas Tree from AllKidsNetwork.com
How to host a Cookie Decorating Party from ehow.com
Nativity Paper Dolls and Santa Claus Paper Dolls from MakingFriends.com
Here, here, and here you will find more CHRISTMAS COLORING PRINTABLES than you can shake a peppermint stick at!
Dec 11, 2010
Worldwide Candle Lighting
If you haven't heard about this event, I think you will find it to be a lovely idea. At 7:00 p.m., on the second Sunday in December, we are asked to light a candle and keep it burning for one hour to honor and remember all children who have died at any age from any cause. As one community after another around the world lights their candles at 7:00 p.m., their time, it will create a virtual wave of light moving from one time zone to another, circling the globe for a 24 hour period. This wave of light signifies that the light of a child's life goes on and on and will never be forgotten.
This event, which is believed to be the largest mass candle lighting on the globe, is a gift of friendship, love, and understanding to all people around the world who have suffered the loss of a child. It continues to grow in support every year. You can light candles in your own home or you can find a list of local Candle Lighting Services here.
Dec 8, 2010
A Sincere Apology
I would like to offer a sincere apology to my readers today. In May, I made some comments in a post regarding religion. I stated that I would rarely do a feature post on the various religious observances because, since I am not an expert on religion, I was afraid of offending people by possibly conveying incorrect information. But yesterday as I was preparing yet another post about Christmas and it dawned on me that tomorrow is the last day of Chanukah, I realized that I was being a holiday blogger hypocrite and that it was probably more offensive to ignore another religion's holiday than to make an attempt to learn more about it and share what I learn. It's like I'm saying, "I want what is important to me to be important to you, but what is important to you is not important to me" and that just is not the case!
I'm going to try to do better. I'm still pretty nervous about conveying information in areas of unfamiliarity and would welcome any comments correcting mistakes I make, because it's important to me that my blog be a reliable source for accurate holiday and observance information.
I'm going to be upfront with you. I am a Christian, and I love all of the fun things that go along with Christmas and Easter, etc., and so my blog may tip a little heavier along the lines of the things I'm familiar with, but I promise to make a concentrated effort to learn more and share more about the various religious observances. If I come across religious observances that are complicated and beyond my realm of understanding I will steer clear of those but will always include reference links. Please stay tuned, and we will attempt to expand our horizons together! Fun, fun, fun!
And here's a start. :0)
I'm going to try to do better. I'm still pretty nervous about conveying information in areas of unfamiliarity and would welcome any comments correcting mistakes I make, because it's important to me that my blog be a reliable source for accurate holiday and observance information.
I'm going to be upfront with you. I am a Christian, and I love all of the fun things that go along with Christmas and Easter, etc., and so my blog may tip a little heavier along the lines of the things I'm familiar with, but I promise to make a concentrated effort to learn more and share more about the various religious observances. If I come across religious observances that are complicated and beyond my realm of understanding I will steer clear of those but will always include reference links. Please stay tuned, and we will attempt to expand our horizons together! Fun, fun, fun!
And here's a start. :0)
Take It In The Ear Day ~ December 8th
Today is Take It In The Ear Day, but I ain't takin' nothin' in the ear, or anywhere else, until someone can tell me what this day is all about (and probably not then either)!
Sorry friends, can't help you with this one.
Image from: onecitizenspeaking.com
Dec 7, 2010
National Cotton Candy Day
Hi, and happy National Cotton Candy Day! It seems weird to celebrate Cotton Candy Day in December when we usually associate cotton candy with summertime and amusement parks, and in fact, according to Mahalo.com, there are actually two National Cotton Candy Days ~ Dec. 7th and July 31st. Maybe to the creator of the December 7th observance, cotton candy reminded them of mounds of freshly fallen, soft, billowy snow. Makes sense to me.
In case you missed it, here is a link to my cotton candy post from National Candy Month last June. You should find everything you need to know about cotton candy there.
But where do you buy Cotton Candy in December? Right now, our local grocery store is selling Charms brand Fluffy Stuff Snow Balls Cotton Candy for the Christmas season. I've tried it and love it! If you can't find it in your area, you can purchase Cotton Candy online.
Some Cotton Candy Fun:
Cotton Candy Macaroons from Life's a Feast
In case you missed it, here is a link to my cotton candy post from National Candy Month last June. You should find everything you need to know about cotton candy there.
But where do you buy Cotton Candy in December? Right now, our local grocery store is selling Charms brand Fluffy Stuff Snow Balls Cotton Candy for the Christmas season. I've tried it and love it! If you can't find it in your area, you can purchase Cotton Candy online.
Some Cotton Candy Fun:
Cotton Candy Macaroons from Life's a Feast
Cotton Candy Cake from Rachael Ray
Cotton Candy Cupcake #1 from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen
Cotton Candy Cupcake #3 from The Cupcake Curriculum
And, have you ever wondered how they make cotton candy in China? Well, here you go. :0)
Dec 6, 2010
Dec 5, 2010
Kookie for Christmas Cookies
December 4th is National Cookie Day. Christmastime is a great time to celebrate cookies because they are a fairly inexpensive, easy to make treat to serve at parties or to give away as gifts. Here's a little bit of cookie trivia for you ~ Americans consume 2 billion cookies per year, that's about 300 cookies for each person annually.
Did you know that cookies are actually the offspring of cakes? That's right, we could just call them "happy little accidents". Culinary historians believe that cookies began in 7th century Persia (today's Iran). Persia was one of the earliest known cultivators of sugar. Long before ovens had thermostats, bakers would make lavish cakes for the rich, and rather than ruining an entire cake, a small amount of cake batter was poured onto a baking pan to test the temperature of the oven. The name cookie is derived from the Dutch word koekje, meaning "small or little cake".
Today we have so many delicious, festive, and beautiful cookies to choose from. I would like to share with you some delectable creations that I happened to come across, beginning with some cookies that are pure artistry.
Cookies That Are Works of Art:
- Nutcracker Gingerbread cookie from Sweetopia.
- Christmas cookies galore from Sweet Sugarbelle.
- Beautiful cookie garland from Glorious Treats.
- "Cool" Peppermint Candy cookies from Bake at 350.
Classic Christmas Cookie Recipes:
- Sugar Cookie and Royal Icing recipes from Sweetopia.net
- Soft Sugar Cookie and Basic Frosting recipes from Squidoo.com
- Gingerbread Cookie recipe from Christmas-Baking.com
- Cute ideas for decorating Gingerbread Man (and woman) cookies from Foodnetwork .com
A plethora of Christmas Cookies:
- 11 Traditional Christmas Cookies from delish.com
- 12 Days of Cookies from Foodnetwork.com
- Top 25 Christmas Cookie Recipes from Christmas-Cookies.com
- 30 Favorite Christmas Cookies and Recipes from browneyedbaker.com
- 50 Holiday Cookies from Foodnetwork.com
I hope you can find time this month to bake your favorite Christmas cookies. You might want to schedule your cookie baking day for December 18 because that is Bake Cookies Day.
Just For Fun. :0)
Source: whatscookingamerica.net
Dec 1, 2010
World AIDS Day
Today is World AIDS Day. The threat of AIDS is just as real as it ever was. There are 33.3 million people living with AIDS/HIV worldwide. The good news is, there are medications and treatments that can help but there are millions of people that are unable to get the help they need. Here's what some people are doing to help. What can you and I do?
3 Ways to Honor World AIDS Day, Without Leaving Your Desk.
World AIDS Day 2010 Nike (RED)
Prevention
3 Ways to Honor World AIDS Day, Without Leaving Your Desk.
World AIDS Day 2010 Nike (RED)
Prevention
Sesame Street Magazine
Here is a link to the December issue of Sesame Street Magazine that you can download and print for your kiddies to enjoy. As far as I can tell each magazine is only available for that month, so grab it while you can!
 |
| December Issue |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
