DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

    In Russia , Christmas is annually celebrated on January 7th, thanks to the Russian Orthodox Church that has made it an official holiday in the country. Previously the occassion was observed on December 25th in much the same way as it was in the rest of the world, complete with Christmas trees and Christmas gifts , Saint Nicholas and the like. But after the 1917 Revolution , Christmas was banned throughout Russia, along with other religious celebrations. It was much much later, in 1992, that the holiday began to be openly observed again. However, the church in Russia still uses the old Julian calendar which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar used in the Western nations. This is why, Christmas is celebrated in Russia on January 7th. But these days, a few Russians have begun to celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December. A Christmas tree in Red Square    Today, Christmas is celebrated in the country in a grand fashion, with the faithful part

   This one comes from www.accenttheparty.com .  Looks very elegant, but oh so simple.  People at your next get-together are going to gobble them up.  Good luck and enjoy some of the fruits (or chocoate brownies) of your baking labor. How to Make Candy Cane Brownie Lollipops for Christmas Ingredients: 1 package (18-21 oz.) of fudge brownie mix (plus ingredients to make brownies) 24 candy canes 10 ounce chocolate flavored almond bark Additional decorations such as red jimmies (optional) Directions: 1. Line Medium Sheet Pan with a 13 inch piece of Parchment Paper. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Pour batter into pan. Bake 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached. Remove from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack and cool for 20 minutes or until slightly warm. 2. Meanwhile, cut straight ends of candy canes off to form 4 ½ inch sticks using Utility

   This comes form www.creativebreathing.blogspot.com .  Looks pretty cute.  Cold be used on any kind of jar.  Could possibly used to make  a mini cookie/candy jar as a gift. Since becoming a part of this creative community, I am having such fun revisiting the pages of Home Companion with the thought that perhaps I can make for myself some of the wonderful crafts to be found. I thought I would share with you my attempt to recreate this adorable snowman candy container in the hopes that you will be inspired to create one as well. With my "use what's on hand" crafting philosophy, an empty vintage jar with a lovely shape will become my base. Learned from Meri Wiley, Imagi Meri Creations, a Styrofoam ball becomes the perfectly perfect base for my snowman. Creative Paperclay purchased at Michael's for $6.00, a bit of water to wet your fingers. I am like you in that I don't know if I can make something I see, but I do have faith that I can

   This comes from www.sweetlittleparties.blogspot.com .  Very nice!  They would look really cool hanging up around your next Christmas party for either friends or family.  Make them in different sizes and styles. { create} tissue snowflake tutorial Thank you all so much for taking the time to comment on and share our red, white & silver christmas dessert table !! I hope I have described everything clearly enough for you!! Might be a good idea to look through all the instructions before you start! Any problems please let me know!! x These instructions are for creating a small tissue snowflake, finished size approx 24cm. You can create 4 of these small snowflakes from just one sheet of tissue!! 1. Take a single sheet of tissue paper 2. Cut into quarters (set three pieces aside, you just need one piece to create your snowflake) 3 & 4. Working with the tissue paper in a portrait orientation, create an acordian fold approx 2cm thick. 5. Collapse folds 6

      The Christmas Cake as we know it today comes from two customs which became one around 1870 in Victorian England. Originally there was a porridge, the origins of which go back to the beginnings of Christianity. Then there was a fine cake made with the finest milled wheatflour, this was baked only in the Great Houses, as not many people had ovens back in the 14th century. PLUM PORRIDGE    Originally people used to eat a sort of porridge on Christmas Eve. It was a dish to line the stomach after a day's fasting, which people used to observe for Christmas Eve, or the 'Vigil' as it was called long ago. Gradually, they began to put spices, dried fruits, honey etc in the porridge to make it a special dish for Christmas. Much later it was turned into a pudding, because it got to be so stiff with all the fruits and things, that they would tie it in a cloth, and dunk it into a large cauldron of boiling water and boil it for many hours. This turned into Christmas Pudding.