Mending Broken Links

Since this blog has been around for going on five years now, a lot of the posts from Christmases past have broken links therein, as folks out there on the internet move stuff around, or forget to renew their domains, etc. YouTube video links, in particular, are vulnerable – you tube is like some insane [...]

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“The Holly and The Ivy”- George Winston

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Christmas Punch: “Raspberry Shrub” (non-alcohol)

A raspberry-based Christmas punch seems fitting for this particular part of the state, considering that Whatcom County boasts the largest annual raspberry harvest in the United States. In case you’re wondering about the term “shrub,” the name of this and other drinks in the “shrub” category come from the Arabic word sharab which means, literally, [...]

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Meatless Mincemeat

Chopped beef and beef suet have been a significant ingredient of mince pies since day one, hence the name mincemeat. A 17th century poem contains a verse which reads: Drink now the strong beer, Cut the white loaf here, The while the meat is a-shredding; For the rare mince pie And the plums stand by [...]

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“The Mistletoe” (circa 1815-30)

THE MISTLETOE When winter nights grow long, And winds without grow cold, We sit in a ring round the warm wood-fire And listen to stories old! And we try to look grave (as maids should be) When the men bring the boughs of the Laurel tree. O the Laurel, the evergreen tree! The poets have [...]

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“The Fire on the Hearth” (1864)

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Christmas Greeting

Traditional Sing hey! Sing hey! For Christmas Day; Twine mistletoe and holly, For friendship glows In winter snows, And so let’s all be jolly.

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Beggar’s Rhyme

Traditional Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat, Please to put a penny in the old man‘s hat; If you haven‘t got a penny, a ha‘penny will do, If you haven‘t got a ha‘penny, God bless you.

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Christmas Piano Medley

“The Holly and the Ivy” + “O’ Christmas Tree,” and “Carol of the Bells.” Magnificent piano playing and ultra-big Beethoven hair from Paul Todd.

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How to make a cranberry-popcorn garland

Yes, it’s true that garland is relatively inexpensive, and can be purchased almost anywhere. It wasn’t so in days of yore, and rural families most often simply made their own. Thematically, what the garland was made of depended on what was available, but most commonly popcorn was used, or ribbon with or without baubles and [...]

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