DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   December is a time to celebrate our faith, be with our family, and enjoy great food. But, there are more food holidays in this month than you might think. Actually there is a national food holiday for everyday of the year. In this article, you'll not only find out which food holidays are in December, but you'll also find suggestions on how to celebrate each holiday. National Pie Day December 1 : Pies are so easy to make, especially if you start out with store bought pie crusts. Just make a quick filling, bake, and enjoy. National Fritters Day December 2 : Try a nice apple fritter for breakfast with a big cup of coffee. National Apple Pie Day December 3 : Apple pies are so easy to make, but since you just made a homemade pie, why not pick up a Mrs. Smith's pie? Just bake and add a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. National Cookie Day December 4 :  This is definitely the time to bake cookies. Get out your favorite recipe and make a large batch for fr...

Ethiopia  (and especially the Ethiopian Orthodox Church) still use the old Julian calendar, so the celebrate Christmas on January 7th, not December 25th! The Christmas celebration in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is called Ganna. Most people go to Church on Christmas day. Many people fast (don't eat anything) on their 'Christmas Eve' (6th). At dawn on the morning of Ganna, people get dressed in white. Most people wear a traditional garment called a shamma. It's a thin white cotton piece of cloth with brightly colored stripes across the ends. It's worn like a toga. If you live in a big town or city you might wear 'western' clothes. The early Ganna mass starts at 4am! The Ethiopian capital city is Addis Ababa. It's a modern city. Most people who live outside big cities live in round house made of mud-plastered walls which have thatched cone-shaped roofs. Sometimes houses in the country are rectangular and made of stone. The design of Ethi...

     Plum pudding or Christmas pudding , as it is more popularly known, has its origins in England. It is often served about Christmas time, or usually around Advent time. It has been a family tradition in many homes to have a "stir up Sunday", when each child is allowed to stir the pudding and make a wish. What is Plum Pudding?     It's almost black color comes from the heavy dried fruits that are used to make it. Traditionally, plum puddings are boiled or steamed using a pudding cloth and would sometimes have charms mixed inside them.  The charms may either be a silver coin, a silver thimble, anchor or ring which all stand for good things in life such as good luck, wealth, a happy marriage and a safe trip.     A plum pudding does not really have plums in it, but it is full of dried fruits and nuts,mixed with beef suet and citrus fruit juices or alcohol such as beer, rum or brandy. It is often dried out before it ...

Christkindelmarkt, Leeds - a little piece of Germany in the heart of Leeds City Centre     Christkindelmarkt , Leeds   is one of the most established German Christmas Markets in the UK, with traditional wooden stalls, festive greenery, Christmas carousel ride and twinkling colourful lights all creating a unique continental style festive atmosphere in the heart of Leeds city centre.    Set in the stylish civic setting of the award winning  Millennium Square ,  Christkindelmarkt   attracts many hundred thousands of visitors to Leeds each year and forms an integral part of the city’s annual events program.     The market consists of over  40 wooden chalet stalls  from authentic German   traders  providing a wide range of seasonal gift ideas for everyone including; handcrafted toys, jewellery, Christmas cards and festive decorations, speciality foo...

 Welcome! So here is my first Christmas project for the year!! I saw something similar at our church's Advent celebration & pretty much straight up copied it. I couldn't help it. It was love at first sight! I plan to make a 2nd stack to go on the other side of my door, so I'm not completely done, but I thought I would share it with you anyway. I started with 3 different sized boxes...9, 12 & 14 inch cubes. I used an ice pick to punch holes in each of them so that I could run a rebar through them. (It's easier to do the holes first, before getting them all wrapped & pretty.) For the smaller boxes, I slightly off-centered my holes, so that the boxes would tilt on each other. Then I wrapped them and made bows for each. Tip: Keep your wrapping paper pattern running the same direction. Tip #2: Before you poke holes through the paper, put a little tape on it. It will help the paper from ripping. ...