DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

Maple Cheesecake with Maple-Cranberry Compote The key to this deeply flavored cheesecake? Reduced maple syrup. The sweet-tart compote is a delicious—and pretty—accompaniment. 10 to 12 servings Recipe by Abigail Johnson Dodge Ingredients reduced maple syrup 1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup (preferably grade A dark amber) crust 2 cups ground graham crackers (about 17 whole crackers ground in processor) 3 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon (scant) ground cinnamon 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted filling 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup maple sugar or (packed) golden brown sugar 3 tablespoons all purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup reduced maple syrup (see above) 2/3 cup s sour cream 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 large eggs Maple-Cranberry Compote (click for recipe) Special Equipment Heavy-duty stand mixer 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides Preparation REDUCED MAP

   Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on December 26, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and some other Commonwealth nations.    In South Africa, Boxing Day was renamed Day of Goodwill in 1994. In Ireland it is recognized as St. Stephen's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Stiofáin) or the Day of the Wren (Irish: Lá an Dreoilín ). In the Netherlands, Lithuania, Austria, Germany, Scandinavia and Poland, December 26 is celebrated as the Second Christmas Day .    Although the same legislation – the Bank Holidays Act 1871 – originally established the bank holidays throughout the UK, the day after Christmas was defined as Boxing Day in England, Scotland and Wales, and the feast day of St. Stephen in Ireland.  A "substitute bank holiday in place of 26 December" is only possible in Northern Ireland, reflecting the legal difference in that St.

  The Original Christmas Tree Ship    The story of the beginning of the Christmas Tree Ship is the story of the Schuenemann family, and most particularly the story of Capt Herman Schuenemann and his last ship, the Rouse Simmons.    In approximately 1885 August and his brother Herman Schuenemann moved to Chicago to seek out their fortune. Chicago’s Harbor was one of the busiest in the world at this time with over 20,000 vessels entering and leaving annually. As competition was fierce, the brothers became excellent businessmen as well as sailors. Although they made a relatively good living, two-thirds of their annual income was generated between Thanksgiving and Christmas with the sale of trees. August had become a truly competitive trader and by 1895 had a well-established reputation as a Christmas tree merchant. In early November of 1898, August was in Sturgeon Bay looking for trees that he would bring to Chicago on a ship named the S. Thal. He purchased 3,500 tre