Christmas Traditions

[greyhair biker]

Yes! This is my favorite holiday of the year. Im sure most everyone has a tradition or two here. This is one of ours...stained glass candy! When this gets made the whole house smells like christmas.

[savanna3313]

My friend's mother always makes that kind of candy each year. It smells as good as it tastes. :2thumbs: Our Christmas tradition (neighbors love us this time of year!) :haha: is the making of southern pecan pralines* and divinity. This is passed down from my maternal grandmother who taught me just about everything I know about cooking. I am afraid the tradition will die with "the sisters" since my nieces have no desire to be in the kitchen.

*For you Yankees in the group, praline is pronounced "praw-leen" not "pray-leen". Down south, if you pronounce it incorrectly, you will be automatically charged a tourist fee. :lol8:

[Jaxx]

I have never heard of this before. It sounds like something the kiddies would like. What flavors did you do. I just got some recipes off the internet but it is for 2 lbs of the same flavor. I assume you can just split up the stuff after you cook it then add the flavor and color?

[Felicia]

I used to make fudge to give as gifts.

:popcorn:

[Scout Master]

I plan to visit at least 12 different parties including going to one in a one horse open sleigh.

[greyhair biker]

3 1/2 C. sugar
1 C. corn syrup
1 C. water

cook mixture to hard crack stage. Remove from heat. Add food coloring and 1 tsp. Lorann Oil of your choice.
Pour mixture on a marble board or cookie sheet sprinkled with powdered sugar. Sprinkle powdered sugar over mixture and cut into squares with a pizza cutter. Let cool and break apart. Shake powdered mixture through strainer to remove excess sugar. Enjoy.

Anyone who has ever attempted making candy knows that this isnt as simple as it sounds. My wife has been making this for over 30 years.

You can purchase Lorann Oils at your local pharmacy counter or close to it. Smiths or Harmons should have them in abundance. This year we used peach, sassafrass, clove, bavarian creme, anise. In years past we used every other one that can be found. Cinnamon is usually the strongest and used last but this year we discovered that clove is much stronger!

[greyhair biker]

I still get to make Marzipan....my side of the family tradition :2thumbs:

[Sombeech]

My tradition? Ask for a bunch of stuff I won't get.

[erial]

pretend we're at the drive-in . . .

[greyhair biker]

going out to the company christmas dinner...another 'tradition'...yeah, sometimes I clean up to go out:

[double moo]

We have a great tradition of making up christmas related stories... complete with scritptural back up... and passing them out to the neighbors with small gifts. I've spread more BS around our ward than most could imagine!

It all started a couple of years ago when one of our neighbors gave out dish towels with this nice story about how jesus was wrapped in swaddling chlothes and that the towel would remind us of him throughout the year. Anoth neighbor decorated a light bulb and sent it with a story about jesus being the light in their life. This crap is what gives the season a bad name - if you are part of this type of behavior - stop it.

So we responded by giving out a dozen bagels from Einstiens with a well crafted story about the Jews wandering the desert - as they went out to collect the manna sent from heaven they stuck it on a stick to help them carry more... hence the hole is the bagel is a reminder of their struggle in the winderness. Story was a full page, complete with scriptural references (also mostly made up).

We love it when the neighbors thank us for enlightening them on the true meaning of christmas. One of our neighbors noted that they keep our stories in their Christmas scrapbook and pass them on to others each year. One of our neighbors questioned the story a couple of years back... After swearing him to secrecy I came clean and told him we make them up every year - then I told him the real meaning behind some of the stories - he laughed his ass off.. now he calls to see if this year's is ready yet!

Next week we will sit down as a family and start on this year's story. Usually takes us a week or two to get it all proofed and ready for distrubition.

Anyone got any and BS I can manipulate into true and everlasting doctrine this year?

[Brewhaha]

I can't think of anything for you Double Moo. But I am going to share with my family and friends the Christmas story of how the Three-Wise Men brought Gold, Frankincence, and Ping I-10 Irons. Hopefully, someone will want to reenact this tradition.

[greyhair biker]

today we put up the tree and most of the decorations in the house.

[Brewhaha]

That's quite a collection of nut-crackers. Looks like you are just missing the Hillary Clintion...errr....I mean President Clinton cracker.

Also, as a man I don't think I could sleep soundly with all those nutcrackers around.

[rockgremlin]

I still get to make Marzipan....my side of the family tradition :2thumbs:


mmmmmmmmmmm....marzipan...second only to chocolate and/or fudge for the title of best dessert on earth...and a very close second at that!

[greyhair biker]

I still get to make Marzipan....my side of the family tradition :2thumbs:


mmmmmmmmmmm....marzipan...second only to chocolate and/or fudge for the title of best dessert on earth...and a very close second at that!
I must concur! not much better than marzipan dipped in dark chocolate :slobber1:
...and I make several flavors, two of my favs are traditional almond and rum flavored...yum!
...I think Ill start the first batch tomorrow!

[fourtycal]

This is one of ours...stained glass candy! When this gets made the whole house smells like christmas.

Hey my wife has the same tradition :five: where did that come from? Everyone likes the stuff, especially our dentist :haha:

[savanna3313]

going out to the company christmas dinner...another 'tradition'...yeah, sometimes I clean up to go out:

I'd say that you *clean up* quite well darlin'....... :naughty:

:2thumbs:

[DiscGo]

My family instead of making ginger bread house, makes graham cracker houses. It is a little white trashy (mostly because of how they look when we are done), but it is a lot of fun!

[greyhair biker]

going out to the company christmas dinner...another 'tradition'...yeah, sometimes I clean up to go out:

I'd say that you *clean up* quite well darlin'....... :naughty:

:2thumbs: :oops: :mwink:


HEY, anyone getting together for a uutah christmas party? see Savannah..you got me thinkin' :naughty:

[Jaxx]

3 1/2 C. sugar
1 C. corn syrup
1 C. water

cook mixture to hard crack stage. Remove from heat. Add food coloring and 1 tsp. Lorann Oil of your choice.
Pour mixture on a marble board or cookie sheet sprinkled with powdered sugar. Sprinkle powdered sugar over mixture and cut into squares with a pizza cutter. Let cool and break apart. Shake powdered mixture through strainer to remove excess sugar. Enjoy.

Anyone who has ever attempted making candy knows that this isnt as simple as it sounds. My wife has been making this for over 30 years.


We did this the other day. I burnt the first batch but the second batch I didn't stir while it was boiling and it turned out perfectly. My daughters loved it, and so did I. We did strawberry because that is what I had in the cupboard. I think I will make this a tradition. Thanks for the idea!

doublemoo your idea is awesome. I wish I had some good ideas for you but I'm not that creative.
My wife always makes something delicious to pass out the the neighbors and it pisses me off to get crap back. This year I told her to not pass it out and we will just give to those people that come to our house like the rest of the neighbors do, she is too nice to do that.

I do the graham cracker thing to DiscGo. I don't really like gingerbread and I love Graham crackers so it works out good. Last year I made a replica of our real house. I wish I had a pic.

[Scott Card]

We have a great tradition of making up christmas related stories... complete with scritptural back up... and passing them out to the neighbors with small gifts. I've spread more BS around our ward than most could imagine!

It all started a couple of years ago when one of our neighbors gave out dish towels with this nice story about how jesus was wrapped in swaddling chlothes and that the towel would remind us of him throughout the year. Anoth neighbor decorated a light bulb and sent it with a story about jesus being the light in their life. This crap is what gives the season a bad name - if you are part of this type of behavior - stop it.

So we responded by giving out a dozen bagels from Einstiens with a well crafted story about the Jews wandering the desert - as they went out to collect the manna sent from heaven they stuck it on a stick to help them carry more... hence the hole is the bagel is a reminder of their struggle in the winderness. Story was a full page, complete with scriptural references (also mostly made up).

We love it when the neighbors thank us for enlightening them on the true meaning of christmas. One of our neighbors noted that they keep our stories in their Christmas scrapbook and pass them on to others each year. One of our neighbors questioned the story a couple of years back... After swearing him to secrecy I came clean and told him we make them up every year - then I told him the real meaning behind some of the stories - he laughed his ass off.. now he calls to see if this year's is ready yet!

Next week we will sit down as a family and start on this year's story. Usually takes us a week or two to get it all proofed and ready for distrubition.

Anyone got any and BS I can manipulate into true and everlasting doctrine this year?

:roflol: :roflol:

This may be the best Christmas tradition yet. And people wonder why Utah is the scam mecca of the universe. I tend to be a church goin' sort of guy and I too do not like the little dish towel poems...etc. To me they detract from or water down the true meaning of Christmas. Just give the plate of treats or light bulbs or something and leave the other stuff home. I must tell my wife about your tradition. My wife writes a fake christmas letter and sends it out. The letter incorporates all of the worst statements from other christmas letters/novels we receive in to one "_______ family Christmas Letter". They are pretty funny.

Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and almost all that goes with it.

[greyhair biker]

We do the 'christmas letter' too, personally, I think its impersonal but I'M not the one typing it up :haha: I just get to read it and say 'thats nice' :roll:

[Brewhaha]

I stopped writing a long, rambling, newsletter after the realization that most people don't read them anyway (at least I don't.) Instead, I just send out a page with a bunch of pictures from the past year.

[Scout Master]

Holding baby's

[Scott Card]

Holding baby's

That is a great shot. You even have the twinkle in your eye. Hey, I believe. :2thumbs:

[greyhair biker]

Ok, today I finished up the marzipan. Several different flavor combinations but here are a few pics...Oh, recipe...
This time I used a 3# bag of raw almonds

1C. ground almonds
1C. powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons of rosewater *
1tsp almond flavoring

*rosewater is made by taking essence of rosewater and mixing it with cold water...it's potent stuff so you may have to experiment. This is an ESSENCIAL ingredient people tend to overlook but it is a must for the real thing.
blanch almonds - barely - drain, and squeeze to remove skins. Spread out on cookie sheet to dry for a day or two. Process about a cup at a time in cuizinart for a few minutes...doesnt need to be powder but ground up. THEN, mix 1cup of ground almonds, 1C of powdered sugar first. If you are using dry almond powder you can mix in in at this time, otherwise the almond flavoring has to go in next. Then as it's blending, add the rosewater. You should end up with a cookie dough-like mixture that will stay together when formed into balls or whatever shape you want. Some recipes call for baking after sorta like cookies. I just let then dry for a day and they are perfect for us & we give 'em out every year.
A variation I like to use is to add 2T of rosewater and 1tsp RUM extract, or for the adult version, real rum of your choice - delicious rumballs! or, variations of the DaVinci flavorings. Doing this you end up experimenting with the liquid to get the cookie dough consistency.
Now Pics:

[savanna3313]

Holding baby's

That is a great shot. You even have the twinkle in your eye. Hey, I believe. :2thumbs:

Agreed! You make a wonderful Santa. :2thumbs:

[Scout Master]

Thanks. I'm loving it.

[erial]

nick pickin'