You Can Trust the Sender! Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas! We've downed our first pot of coffee, opened the goodies in our stockings (I received a lovely pair of vintage periwinkle blue clip-on earrings I'd admired on Etsy), and treated the dogs to a mega game of fetch with their new extra tiny squeaky tennis balls. Music is playing, we're sipping our eggnog, and all is well!

I read once where a man from Mexico said he was intending to take his family back there to experience a true Christmas celebration. I've never forgotten his remark: "You Americans don't have Christmas. You just have presents." How true, and how sad!

Turn off your television sets! Find some Christmas music. If you don't have any on hand, I suggest turning to KBPS or 89.9FM. They have Christmas music playing all day, online, free, at this site: http://www.allclassical.org

When the kids were young, we had a myriad of active traditions to fill the Christmas holidays with fun and continuity from  year to year. I think it's very important. I know it's important. We had a treasure hunt every Christmas Eve so they could open their one early gift. My daughter got all her dolls together for an annual Christmas Eve tea party. We danced--well, after our fashion! We played sardines on Christmas day. We always took a walk in the woods late in the afternoon (where somehow, mysteriously, Santa was always spotted in the distance) and when we returned home, there were the presents, waiting to be opened! And before the kids went to bed, replete with play and the satisfaction of wonderful new toys and books, we had a lighted plum pudding. Wyatt was very little when he excitedly recalled the fun of "glow-in-the-dark cake" so I knew the extra effort had made its impression and was worth the effort, even if none of us had the appetite to eat it afterward!

The games and the treasure hunt have more or less gone the way of the dodo in recent years; our fun is of a much more tame sort. Music and singing, yes, we have kept up. A few silly rounds of Mad Libs (sometimes we write our own--much more fun that way!), and we relax and read our new books during the afternoon before we open our gifts at twilight. 

But we still make eggnog on Christmas morning, and I'll share the recipe with you here. Yes, it has raw eggs in it. Nobody's had salmonella from it yet. Just use fresh eggs and examine them for cracks before using. Drink it up the same morning you make it, and you should be fine. 

I've had my recipe since 1982. I altered it from a colonial recipe, which required massive amounts of liquor and an aging period of 5 days. (Actually, scientific tests have shown that if you're going to age it, it's better to do so for 2-3 weeks rather than the 5 days in this recipe. The liquor eventually kills any harmful bacteria that way. Ours never has a chance to age and it never lasts that long, so it's a moot point, as far as I'm concerned.)

Here's a photo of my recipe, much stained and with many penciled-in notes over the years:

Don't worry, I don't expect you to be able to read that. Here's the recipe as I make it---mine is a half batch:

3/4 cup sugar
6 eggs
1 pint heavy cream
1 pint milk
1 cup brandy
1 tbsp. vanilla

You will need a number of large bowls. Into one put the separated egg whites, into another the separated egg yolks, and into one put the cream. You'll also want a punch bowl or large mixing bowl for the final result.

First, whip your egg whites until stiff, adding 1/4 cup sugar at the end.

 

Next, mix your egg whites with 1 cup of sugar until very thick and lemon-colored.

Now whip your cream.

Okay, that's the bulk of the work. Now for the fun of combining!
You'll want a whisk for this, if you have one. Gently fold (don't stir) all the ingredients you've whipped up, adding 1 pint (2 cups) milk, 1 cup brandy (or liquor of your choice--rum, bourbon, Southern Comfort, or ...) and 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Yes, mine is a tame version compared to a traditional recipe, but 1 cup of brandy is quite enough for us, thank you! If you prefer, you can use brandy or rum flavoring to taste.

Now pour it all into your punch or serving bowl, sprinkle well with ground nutmeg, and let it sit for a while until lovely rich layers begin to separate.

Waiting for your eggnog to separate is a great time to take a relaxing bath with that new cologne your husband got you for Christmas, or with that lovely new scented bar of soap you received!

And now, enjoy!

 

Who needs breakfast when there's rich, creamy homemade eggnog to enjoy?

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I read an excellent Christmas devotion this morning and I wanted to share it with you. It was written by David McCasland and it's from the devotional booklet Our Daily Bread.

 

Hoping you all have a most meaningful, peaceful, and delightful Christmas, filled with love and laughter!
 

Glad Christmas...Quiet Christmas

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

Luke 2: 10-11

We are filled with joy and gratitude this morning for the gift of the Saviour, Jesus. We are especially thankful that He is not a Saviour afar off, but linked to our nature in the manner of His birth, in childhood, in humility, in love and sympathy. He who saw the light of day in the midst of the beasts of burden when first He threw the mantle of humanity over Himself, has lifted from us the burdens of sin and anxiety. In Him we are glad.

With all the angels who celebrated His nativity we add our voice of joy. With the humble who inquired what these things meant, we still search for the truth of the incarnation. Give joy this day to all people, we earnestly pray. Bless all children, the babes of the land. Be with the poor, and give to us all, and to all others, the spirit of good will and of charity. Bring peace to earth, a reception of the good tidings also. May the gifts of love manifest the spirit of Jesus, we ask in His name.  Amen.

(Rev. Robert W. Thompson, Pittsburg, Kansas. From God's Minute)

Good morning to all, and may I wish you all a glad Christmas!  Here at our house we're having a quiet, restful morning after the frolic of last night. Later today I'll prepare Christmas dinner (roast beef and Yorkshire pudding) but for now, I'm content to sip coffee, relax, and listen to music. I'm even going to read, in the middle of the day, instead of last thing at night--oh, luxury! I have a "new-to-me" book of Christmas poems and stories, The Light of Christmas edited by Frances Brentano and it has a trove of enticing tales I'm eager to begin.

The dogs made short work of the furry toys I made them, and I do mean short work! The filling was flying within seconds, so I guess it at some point I need to learn better techniques for dog toy construction. It was a very exciting five minutes for them, though, and now they're all contentedly chewing on on their sinewy "pizzle sticks". My husband, son, and I enjoyed the gifts in our stockings while sipping our traditional homemade eggnog and downing a pot of peppermint coffee. Round about dusk, we'll open our other gifts.

 

Eggnog comes but once a year, and boy, is it good!

 

If you've never made or drunk homemade eggnog, it's a real treat, and the making of it on Christmas morning is a pleasant tradition.

My recipe is one I've altered from a colonial era recipe used by the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. While their recipe is quite potent and I've toned that aspect down significantly, there is liquor in it. If you wish to leave that ingredient out, you can still get a reasonably authentic flavor by adding a bit of brandy or rum flavoring.

The original recipe makes a massive amount, so I make half a batch and that more than suffices. (The half batch is the recipe shown below.) It's easy to make, but an electric mixer is definitely recommended, and you'll want a lot of bowls. (I can't imagine the work it was to make this before the days of electrical conveniences! One's arm would have ached for days!)

 Eggnog My Way

3/4 cup sugar, divided

6 eggs

1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream

1 pint (2 cups) milk

1 cup brandy

1 tbsp. vanilla   

     Separate egg whites from yolks. Beat egg whites until stiff, adding 1/4 cup of sugar at the end. In a second bowl mix egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar and beat until thick and smooth. In a third bowl, whip the cream until stiff, adding the vanilla at the end. Now combine yolks, whites, cream, milk, and brandy together, folding carefully with a wire whisk. (Don't beat.)  Pour into a large glass punch bowl, sprinkle with nutmeg, and allow the rest briefly before serving. The eggnog will separate into layers of rich, brandy nog at the bottom and wonderful foamy, creamy richness at the top. Dip through to serve so you get a bit of both. 

(Be aware that this recipe features raw eggs, supposedly a no-no in today's health-conscious society. I've been cheerfully eating undercooked eggs all my life with no problem, and I've been making this eggnog for probably 25 years or more with no problem, but do be aware of the potential risk. Frankly, if you're really health-conscious you probably aren't into imbibing lovely butterfat-rich eggnog anyway, so maybe it's a moot point!)

Later today I'll try and post a lovely children's story for a family read-aloud. Meanwhile, may you enjoy your own special day, in your own special way. God bless and keep you!