Tuesday 4  A Merry Little Christmas

1. Do you have a favorite Christmas carol and if so is there a particular version you especially like?  I love Christmas music! Oh Holy Night, Hark The Herald Angels Sing, Joy to the World, Do You Hear What I Hear, Away in the Manger and so many of the traditional songs I sang at my Gethsemane Methodist Church.  There are many newer songs that I love to like Mary Did You Know, Breath of Heaven and so many more.

2.Do you have a special dinner for the holidays? What foods are included?  Christmas dinner was always so special. My mom always set a beautiful table and as the family grew, we added more tables. There was always candlelight and flowers. I have carried on that tradition. Mom would make a prime rib or roast with all the trimmings. Once I got married, we spent Christmas Eve with my in laws and tamales were the feature item along with all the sides. All my kids spend Christmas Eve with their in laws. Then they come Christmas morning and we have breakfast before we open gifts. Later they all come back for dinner. I set a different table decor for each meal and I enjoy it. This year we are making a fresh pot of beans and Albondigas.(Meat ball veggies soup.) Daniel and Melinda are bringing Green chili chicken enchiladas. Andrew and Marina are bringing rice, Mexican bread and Sparking cider. Renee is bringing tamales and desert. I am making quacamole and baking cookies. Hubby is making Mexican hot chocolate for Sunday morning and there will be enough for the evening too.The desert table is ready to go!

3.Holiday movies ... which do you like to watch? A Christmas Carol, 1952 version is my favorite. It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas. We watched National Lampoon Christmas on Thanksgiving evening and Elf the next night.  Hubby and I have also seen Meet Me in St. Louis and Home Alone 2. The guys like to see The Christmas Story. We hope to see The Nativity Story on Christmas Eve.

4. What traditions do you continue to keep year after year for the holidays? Pass out new ornaments at Thanksgiving. The things we normally do but did not do this year are, baking gingerbread and going out to see the Christmas lights. Craft days with the grands. Get together with my whole family-sibling and all their kids/grandkids.  Lunch with friends. I am praying things will be normal next year. Here is the Peanut Shelf. A tree in one of the guest rooms has more Peanut ornaments.

For the past few years I have been doing Shepherd on the Search. It is like Elf on the Shelf. I have a tree in every room and some rooms have more than one. There is also a Nativity in every room. This is the main tree and it is filled with Disney Ornaments. There are more trees on the previous post.

 

Another thing we normally do is go to Christmas Eve service. I am not going to my church this year. I am going to a closer church that is having a candlelight service outside. Today my husband and I went to the cemetery to leave plants/flowers at our parent's graves. I guess you can say it is another tradition. It is so peaceful there.

 

Click on the girl below to get the Mexican Hot Chocolate recipe.

My Website is Susan's Garden of Friendship. The link is to the right. Lots of inspirational pages too. I have a whole Christmas site over there. My site has over 200 pages.

1. Just your weekly mid-week reminder that it's fall y'all and it's my favorite. I love nearly all the flavors of fall but let's weigh in with an either or today...pumpkin or cranberry? hot apple cider or pumpkin spice latte? cinnamon or maple? apple or pear? ginger or sage?  carrot or butternut squash? Yes you have to choose. What's a favorite dish made with one of the flavors listed here? 

~Cranberry Raspberry JELL-O Dessert~

1(6 oz.) JELL-O Raspberry Flavor Gelatin

2 cups boiled water

1 can  (16 oz.) whole berry cranberry sauce

1 can  (20 oz.) DOLE crushed pineapple, un-drained

1 (11 oz.) can of mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained.

1 apple, chopped in small pieces.

2/3 cup  walnuts

Mix Jello with boiling water. Let it cool. Add the pineapple and cranberries.

Put it in the fridge for a few hours, mixing occasionally.

Peel and dice the apple.  Take out Jello from the fridge, add apple and walnuts.

3- Refrigerate overnight or until firm.

I remember my mom making this in a beautiful mold. She would place some pretty dark green lettuce down on a plate and then turn the mold over the lettuce. It was so pretty!

2. Do you miss traveling? In this season of almost no travel do you think you've grown anxious or fearful about traveling again? Or has all this staying home not going anywhere made you restless to get out and see the world? What book have you read or what movie have you watched that has inspired you to travel? We were suppose to go back to Lake Tahoe this fall, but decided to wait. We were there last year this time. We spent a few days there and then two days in Yosemite and one day at Pismo Beach. My husband and I took a virtual tour of South Caroling this summer. I even made a travel journal for a crafting assignment. It was fun to watch YouTube videos on So Carolina. Since it was virtual, we could choose a hotel and restaurants with not budget. 

Yosemite October 21, 2019

 

 

 

3. A time you felt like you were 'flying by the seat of your pants'? Explain. I think we are doing that now by living with Covid.

4. Do you struggle with road rage or are you more of a 'Sunday driver'? Do you like to be 'in the driver's seat (literally and/or figuratively speaking) ? I don't drive as much as I use to in the past few years. My husband and I are retired and we take a few day trips and he goes all the driving. I don't struggle with road rage

5. Something you've recently 'put the brakes on'? Spending money! I don't go out as much as I use to. When I do, I really thing twice before spending my money.

6. Insert your own random thought here. I wore my heart monitor for the required 72 hours  and of course my palpitations were minimal. But the day after I took it off I had some fast beats and a little labored breathing. I feel better today. Don't know what is going on. But I do know all the signs of a heart attack. The advise nurse will call me back tomorrow. Of course if it was really bad, the fire department is a minute away.