DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Just as the parties from Christmas begin to dwindle, preparations are started for the celebration of New Year. It is a time when even the least-likely party-goer will ready himself for a night of booze, singing, and food. This list looks at 10 of the most common and interesting traditions of New Year from around the world. 10.  First Footing    First-footing is an ancient European New Year’s custom that continues into the present in many areas. The first person to enter a home after midnight on the first day of the year should be a male, preferably with dark hair. Blondes may have been associated with Vikings – visitors who never brought good luck. The first-footer should carry a gift, such as a coin for prosperity, bread for food, salt for flavor, or whiskey to represent good cheer. The first-footer can be a resident of the house, but must not be inside during the hour leading up to midnight. No fair stepping outside and coming back in again!

  This diy comes from  www.craftaholicsanonymous.net  .  Since Halloween and Christmas are over the front door is starting to look a little bare.  I thought this would go nicely.  The only thing I would do different is to make it just a little bigger.  Good luck! Initial Wreath Hey there ::waves hi:: to everyone joining me from Linda’s fab blog,  Craftaholics Anonymous , my name is Jen J. I am a long time reader of Linda’s blog and like to do a little crafting of my own here at the  World of Dennifer . I have a lot more crafts and DandR projects here on my blog, so while you’re stopping over, please feel free to look through my archives for some of my past projects and follow me (even grab my button if it tickles your fancy ;o) if you’d like to keep up with my future projects. I am so excited to be participating in the  Craftaholics Anonymous  Reader’s Tutorial Week and I hope you enjoy my wreath tutorial as much as I enjoyed making it…it was inexpensive to make and is so

    Every year on January 17th, the people of  San Bartolome de Pinares, Spain , celebrate  St. Anthony's  by riding their horese, donkeys and mules through piles of burning tree branches.    The unique tradition of leaping over and through flames dates back 500 years, but the men and women of  San Bartolome de Pinares  still celebrate it religiously.  They gather all the branches they can find in the days leading up to the festivities, and when dusk falls on the eve of Saint Anthony's, they light the branches into a bonfire.  Riders jump and run their mounts through the burning piles of the branches in the middle of the village, accompanied by sound of drums and Spanish bagpipes.    Jumping through the flames is said to bring the animals the protection of St. Anthony Abad, acknowledged as the patron saint of domestic animals, ever since the Middle Ages.  Locals believe the fire purifies their animals and protects them against illnesses, all year long.  So far as I kno

   These incredibly light, crisp candies come with a secret: a chunk of dark chocolate or candied cherry, hidden beneath a snowy meringue peak. Or not; the more basic version has you simply plop the "treasure" atop the dollop of meringue before baking. Either way, these easy treats are perfect for Valentine's Day, when chocolate rules and red cherries are the perfect complement to the day's signature color. DAIRY FREE, GLUTEN FREE Hands-on time: 15 mins. to 25 mins. Baking time: 1 hrs 30 mins. to 1 hrs 30 mins. Total time: 3 hrs 55 mins. to 9 hrs 55 mins. Yield: 20 to 24 meringues ingredients  Volume   Ounces   Grams meringues 2 large egg whites 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar dash of salt 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar filling candied cherries and/or bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chunks; we like  Peter's Burgundy chunks tips from our bakers This recipe is very easily doubled, if you're bak