Traditional Memories....

October came to an end...and November begins...

...It's quickly becoming "that time of year" again. I am thinking the two big holidays ahead. I must admit, I'm not much on Thanksgiving. To me it's been [for decades] nothing but over eating and football. And since I don't like the Dallas Cowboys, hours of the game is enough to make me wanna EAT all the more. But, I do look forward to the festive season; Christmas. The church was darkened, the candles glowed, a lighted star at the altar. It was quite a production and the patrons applauded us, after a startling silence, as we took our bows....reading Mrs. H's lips..."Good Job!"   And the story goes- - -When I was a teenager, I was part of the church choir. I even sang solo one year...well, the first verse of the hymn anyway...O HOLY NIGHT. Then, a boy [for the life of me I cannot remember his last name] ....Robert sang the 2nd verse of the same song, and then we started the chorus  [a repeat of the first verse] as the choir director directed the whole congregation to join the two of us.....it was a phenomenal evening.  We were ushered out and stood with the preacher as we bid a 'good evening' to everyone as they left the church. I grew up LOVING that part of the season; Christmas Eve Homily. And then, family. Each Christmas, we had a huge gathering of family at my folks' house. Even after Bud and I were married, the tradition continued. The family was so large that gifts were NOT part. Although some years we decided to draw names for gift giving...but, most of all it was the gift of loved ones being near us.  After my parents died, the Christmas tradition stopped...we all moved on to other traditions of our own.  Families moved and relocated away from Colorado to  California, Arizona, Texas, and back East.  It'll never be the same, but my memories remain in my heart and the traditions linger in my mind.

Of course, there was another tradition with my parents.  Over cooking.  My mom would spend weeks preparing for the 'big day'.  She'd start with all the sweets that could be put in the freezer 'til company arrived.  With the likes of cookies, home made marshmallow and chocolate fudge, Penuche, four different kinds of pies. The two days before, she'd make popcorn balls of red and green, rice krispie treats [for me!], sweet potatoes with caramel sauce, cooking fresh cranberries, she'd prepare the stuffing a day ahead of when the turkey was roasted. Etc. etc. My dad was the one in charge of salads and cooking the ham on the grill since the oven was full of home made breads and roasting the bird. It was always a feast fit for kings. The rest of us....it was up to us to share and divvy up the left-overs for family - what we called our 'care packages'. And we gladly cleaned up the kitchen and tables for them.



But speaking of baking. Do you have traditional dishes? I try to find at least ONE new or different recipe. And, while perusing the free store magazine from our local grocery chain, I found what looks like a simple, easy recipe for Ginger Cookies. Bud and I like ginger. So, this will be on my to do list. Like I said it's a free magazine, boasting Texas Pride and local interests such as holidays, sports, food preparation, and ideas galore . And you can find each issue online. Recipes can be found HERE

As I finished turning the pages and closed the magazine, I noticed the back cover and thought...."Wow! This is pretty cool"!! Instead of taking a photo, I quickly went out online to hershy's dot com and found it. It's made from Hershey's chocolate bars and Kit Kat. I don't do anything chocolate any more, but thought someone may want to have this idea for family....or maybe a church function or luncheon where you're in charge of desserts?

HOW TO'S website

Church Altar source