DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Tracing the roots of the artificial Christmas tree, we find they did not start out as being purple, nor did they start out costing the high dollars they do today.    The first artificial Christmas tree appeared in the Sears and Roebuck catalog.  It had a wooden base, 25 branches, five candle attachments, and was decorated with red berries.  The price for this tree was .23 cents.   By 1915, Sears and Roebuck offered artificial Christmas trees mounted in large white pots.  The thick branches were covered with artificial foliage and the price had skyrocketed to an unbelievable .98 cents.  In addition to the price of the artificial Christmas tree, the biggest change over the past few decades has been how the tree is put together once the consumer gets it home.  Back then, the artificial trees consisted of many small pieces that had to be fit together like a jigsaw puzzle.  Dad's across the country spent many long, frustrating ho...

    Now I know that some of you may not know exactly what a Christmas cracker is or what it does, but let me start out by assuring you that it is not something that you can spread cheese on and eat!  Well, you could, but you might regret it a short while after....    Perhaps not as well known in the United States. , The humble Christmas cracker has been a staple ingredient in every household in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia since time immemorial.  They are loved by children and adults alike and are always the first part of the traditional Christmas dinner every year.    They are basically a party favor, a small cylindrical cardboard tube, wrapped in festive paper and filled with a small prize, a paper hat and usually an awful joke.  There is a long, thin peice of paper that runs through the cracker that, when broken, produces a loud snapping sound, or "crack"-hence the name.  The idea is that you hold one end ...

300 million turkeys get cooked for Thanksgiving celebrations in the U.S. every year. The most extraordinary Thanksgiving dinner feast ever was the first meal eaten on the moon, celebrated with a turkey and all the trimmings by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. The person responsible for making Thanksgiving into a national holiday was Sarah Hale, who was the editor of the woman's magazine, Godey's Lady's Book.  She wrote to congress over a period of many years, petitioning for Thanksgiving to be made into a national holiday. The original Pilgrims were Puritans, who wished to purify the Church of England.  They were also known as Separatists for wanting to separate them selves from the Anglican Church The Indians that participated in the first Thanksgiving were the Wampamoag tribe and their leader or chief was Massasoit. Turkey is said to have come from the Hebrew word "Tukki", which means parrot or fowl. The original Plymouth Rock is cracked because during the ...

   One way to conquer that culinary anxiety that may accompany you during the holiday season, is to think about this time of year as just that---a season!  This is the most productive time of year.  There is always so much to do, and apparently so little time in which to do it.  These are the most favorable conditions for producing great food.  That's for sure!  The day after Halloween signals the start of what promises to be a flavorful culinary journey: which shall last well beyond New Year's Day.  By September, after the heat of summer has gone, we have already begun to prepare for the holiday season.  Sooner or later, something wonderful is bound to happen!    This is the time for cordials; homemade liqueurs.  Perhaps raspberry,cranberry, peach, or pear, maybe even hazelnuts.  Everything is set as early as September, in order to perfectly steep these delightful flavors in a neutral vodka and sometime in rum fo...

   The sound of happiness, sincere appreciation and the presence of family make the Christmas holiday one of the most festive occasions of the year.  Such festivities were also present during medieval times.  The spirit of the holiday was the closeness of family, serfs, lords and their workers and the communal sharing and preparing of the holiday meal.    The celebration of Christmas and the concept of Christ's birthday goes back much farther than the 19th century.  Originally a pagan festival celebrated during the Mid-Winter Solstice, Christmas, was eventually adopted by the Christians, thus being passed on through the generations.  In Medieval times a 12 day festival, held from December 25th to January 6th, opened the New Year with all of the contemporary fixings such as plays, processions, and the spreading of good cheer.  The actual gift giving took place on January 6th with the honoring of St. Nicholas, patron son of saints.  ...

   Cranberry's are actually an evergreen shrub or vine.  The fruit starts out white and turns a deep red as they ripen.  The leading producer of cranberries is Wisconsin where half of the U.S. production of cranberries is harvested.  The second largest U.S. producer is the State of Massachusetts, and they grow 28% of the total domestic production.  The peak growing season for is from October to January, just in time for the holidays.  The Native Americans were the first known people to use cranberries as food and probably taught the early settlers about them.  Those two facts together may be how cranberries are considered traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas food.   The Indians made a dish called pemmican, that is a mixture of cranberries and venison or bear meat, but they also used cranberries for medicine and for dye.  Cranberries are rather tart and not usually eaten raw.  Instead they are used primarily as sauces, juice or s...

      Burning Yule logs is a tradition dating back long before the birth of Jesus.  In pre-Christian times, the Yule log was burned in the home hearth on the winter solstice in honor of the pagan sun god Odin, known also as the Yule Father or Oak King.     The winter solstice, known amongst pagans as Yule or Gwyl Canol Gaeaf, falls on December 21 or 22, whichever is the shortest day and longest night of the current year.  The Yule festival symbolizes a battle between the powers of light (Oak King) and powers of darkness (Holly King).  A Yule log, typically a thick branch taken from a oak tree, would be burned in the hearth beginning on this night as a celebration of the Oak King's triumphant defeat over the Holly King.  Burning the Yule log     The traditional Yule celebration would begin at dawn with the cutting of the oak branch, which was then ceremoniously carried into the house.  Lit by the father or ...