Christmas decorations

Pictured are Christmas trees cut from walnut logs and decorated with garland, stars and lights. At front are ceramic figures of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

Many holidays have two sides, pagan and Christian. Christmas is one of them. For years they have coexisted but more and more there is a big push to rid any reference to Christianity from the holidays. Yes, everyone must choose for themselves, but to force the issue is dangerous either way.

Most symbols of Christmas have a secular meaning and a Christian meaning. The original meanings have been changed over time to where not many people know what they symbolize. Today the choice of what to use as a decoration is usually done with what is pleasing to the eye and not with symbolism as the main emphasis.

Historically for pagans the Christmas tree was part of the feast of Saturnalia - the birth of the Sun in the sky at the Winter Solstice. For Christians the Christmas tree represents the celebration of the birth of Christ.

The custom of gift-giving on Christmas goes back to Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Kalends. In the beginning they were simple items such as twigs from a sacred grove as good luck emblems. Later they used food, small items of jewelry, candles and statues of gods as gifts. To the early church, gift-giving was a pagan holdover that was frowned upon. However, some justified gift-giving by relating it to the gifts given by the Magi to Jesus, and from figures such as St. Nicholas.

Santa Claus today is fat, jolly, has a red suit trimmed in white fur, usually carries a sack of toys, his sleigh flies through the air, pulled by eight reindeer - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen. His visits occur on Christmas Eve after everyone has gone to bed. This is when he leaves gifts under the Christmas tree and in the stockings for good children. He enters the house through the chimney. This is far from St. Nicholas who was known for giving gifts to needy children.
Poinsettias are from Mexico. The Mexicans in the 18th century thought the plants were symbolic of the Star of Bethlehem. Thus the Poinsettia became associated with Christmas.
The Druids used mistletoe to celebrate the coming of winter. They believed the plant had special healing powers for everything from female infertility to poison ingestion. Scandinavians thought of mistletoe as a plant of peace and harmony. They associated it with their goddess of love, Frigga. The custom of kissing under the mistletoe is believed to come from this belief. The church fathers banned the use of mistletoe and suggested the use of holly as an appropriate substitute for Christmas greenery.

The abbreviation Xmas used for Christmas is of Greek origin. The Greek word for Christ is Xristos. In the 16th century, Europeans began using the first initial of Christ’s name, “X” in place of the word Christ in Christmas as a shortened form of the word. Later Christians who did not understand the Greek language mistook Xmas as a sign of disrespect. Today in fact the abbreviation is used by some who think they are eliminating Christ from Christmas.

Decorating for the Christmas holidays is in full swing along with debate of what the meaning of each decoration is. Should extra care be taken to scrub the holiday of all Christian symbols? Do we even agree what is a Christian symbol and what isn’t? What about the future. Will this lead to restricting or banning the practice of Christianity altogether? In some countries it has. Will ours be next?

Leftover uses

Squash lasagna uses Thanksgiving dinner leftovers.
Traditions at holiday time usually include family getting together, eating a traditional meal and even watching a parade or sports games on television. Some would not even consider doing it any other way.

Our holidays are not always celebrated in a traditional way. Sometimes we are by ourselves for the holidays. With children grown and busy with their own lives they do not always come on the traditionally celebrated days. We choose to coordinate with them and pick a day that works for all of us.

When we hear of others that have no family to be with we invite them to join us. For us flexibility is the key to having good holiday gatherings.

Many who had a traditional Thanksgiving meal yesterday are now looking for ways to use the leftovers. Turkey and winter squash or pumpkin leftovers are great in this lasagna recipe. Our favorite winter squash is butternut but others work just as well. For those who prefer a vegetarian meal the meat can be left out.

Ingredients include:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, chopped

2 pounds Swiss chard or kale, tough stems removed, leaves washed and chopped

1 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups winter squash or pumpkin, cooked and pureed

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan

1/2 cup milk

9 cooked lasagna noodles

1 1/2 cups chopped turkey or chicken meat, cooked

Cooking directions:

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to moderately high and add the chard, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Stirring until the chard is wilted and no liquid remains in the pan, 5 to 10 minutes.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the pumpkin/squash, cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1 teaspoon salt, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sage, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.

Pour the milk into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Top the milk with one third of the noodles. Then spread one third the pumpkin mixture over the noodles and half the meat. Layer half the Swiss chard over the pumpkin/squash and top with a second layer of noodles. Repeat with another layer of pumpkin/squash, meat, Swiss chard and noodles. Spread the remaining pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of Parmesan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden, about 15 minutes more.

We are always thankful for the time we can spend with family and friends whether it is on a holiday or some other day. Our memory banks are always full of good times we can remember whether others are with us or not. Whether it was with loved ones or just memories we hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.

Custom headboard

Padded headboard front and rear views.

Something we have always wanted but did not have until now was a padded headboard for our bed. We did have a headboard with shelves but it never suited us well. To be comfortable while reading in bed we would stuff it full of pillows.

After looking at purchasing a ready-made padded headboard we determined they were too expensive. So we decided to attempt to make one ourselves. Going through materials we had on hand we decided we needed to purchase a sheet of half-inch plywood and two yards of an imitation suede fabric for the cover.

To determine how big to make the headboard we measured the width of the bed, ours is a California king size. Then for the height we wanted it to be 26 inches above the mattress which was 10 inches high. So we made the total height 36 inches.

We rounded the top corners to make it look better. To attach it to the bed we used four recycled 2x4’s, one on each end and two spaced in between. These attached to the back of the headboard as well as to the pedestal of the bed.

Then deciding some shelf space would be nice for things like a Kleenex box and electric blanket controls we made one long one going all the way across, just below the top and a short one on either side about half way down. The top shelf is below the top just enough to keep the items on it out of view from the front. We cut the shelves from other recycled boards we already had on hand. To keep things from falling off the shelves we added a thin strip of molding to the back edge of each shelf.

To cover the front we first cut a piece of two-inch thick foam the same size as the plywood. Then we went to cover it with fabric and discovered it was shorter than the two yards we had ordered. Looking through our collection of fabric on hand we came up with a contrasting piece to sew a strip down the middle. After cutting the larger piece in half and sewing the strip in we stretched it over the foam and plywood. We secured it to the back of the plywood using a staple gun.

After securing the finished headboard to our bed there was only one thing we wanted different. We wished we had made it over 27 years ago. That way we could have enjoyed it our entire married life.

Pictures can be enlarged for better viewing.

Party pleasers

No-bake power balls and peanut butter balls along with walnuts make great party goodies.

Many people are planning to attend parties during the holidays and will be looking for easy-to-make goodies to take with them. The no-bake power balls we recommended in our October 12 column in the Daily News would be great to take to any party, at least if the amount of each ingredient were printed in the article.

It appears that they were eliminated in the editing process after we sent it to the Daily News. This blog site has the proper amounts of ingredients listed, but for those that only read this in the Daily News we will list the recipe again.

The ingredients include:

1/4 cup margarine

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup carob powder or cocoa powder

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or other nuts

3/4 cup soy milk powder or regular milk powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon flax seeds or sesame seeds, optional

These ingredients are mixed together in a bowl. Then we form the mix into balls and roll them in unsweetened coconut flakes, granola or more chopped nuts. The recipe we use for granola was in our June 29 blog.

The power balls can be eaten as soon as they are made or stored in the refrigerator for later use.

Another no-bake favorite goodie we like to make is a peanut butter ball.

The ingredients include:

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup powdered milk

1 cup oatmeal

1/8 cup sesame seeds

1/8 cup flax seeds

2 tablespoons hot water

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Form them into balls and roll them in chopped walnuts. We like to use the red walnuts as they add a bit of color.

Store balls in refrigerator until ready to use.

Other goodies we like to take to parties are flavored nuts, both candied and seasoned mixes. Our favorite recipes were posted on Friday, April 20 on this blog.

We welcome our readers to post their favorite party recipes below for others to enjoy.

Children gift ideas

Pictured are items that can be used for a hippopotamus theme story bag.

Walnut harvest is done and we took a much needed day off to do some shopping. What we saw in almost every store was Christmas displays. From the hardware stores to department stores, all are getting a jump on Christmas and it was still October.

Children are making known their wish list. These days top items are electronic, battery operated and lack the need for imagination or a chance to learn. Then throw in the current issue of possible lead paint problems with many toys.

We would like to offer some ideas that are fun, educational and help children be creative. When our children were younger we were introduced to the idea of story bags. This is a cloth bag about the size of a pillowcase filled with items related to a specific theme. One example is things about hippopotamuses.

Items in the bag can include: a stuffed animal, wood puzzle, books with facts about hippos and fiction story books with a hippo as the main character, color books, drawing books, writing paper, pencil, crayons or markers. The items can be age appropriate such as color books for younger children and writing paper for older children to write their own stories.

One idea especially popular with boys is one that includes the book “Backyard Ballistics” by William Gurstelle, accompanied by safety equipment such as ear plugs and goggles to use as they build and experiment with some of the suggested projects. Another book that will intrigue boys is “The Art of the Catapult” by the same author. It gives instructions on how to build seven historic catapults. It will teach them about the physics of levers, force, torsion, tension and traction.

Other story bag themes can be about science topics such as weather which can include a thermometer, barometer, wind gage, rain gage, books about weather and a note book and pen to keep records. Other science topics could be about the solar system, water, geology or animals.

Ideas for other themes could be specific crafts such as origami which could include instruction books and paper to make the different designs. Other crafts ideas could be rubber stamping, paper making, wood crafts or plastic modeling. Included in the bag would be instruction books and items to make the crafts.

Bags could be made for learning to cook, sew, knit, crochet or weave. The ideas are endless. Whether it is for Christmas, a birthday or other special occasion a story bag full of items can spark imagination and learning that can last for years.