Country Cousin

Decorating...

Hi Folks!

Thanksgiving is over, Advent is here, and the countdown to Christmas has begun. Calendar says Winter will be here in about three weeks - Thursday, Dec. 22 to be exact - but as usual, that nasty Old Man Winter arrives early in this part of the country and generally stays late.

At least before long we’ll probably get enough snow to cover up the worst sins of neglect in our yard until Spring. Now, if He could just teach the stuff not to fall on roads and sidewalks we’d be all set. Meanwhile, even if it came with cold weather, the recent sunshine is a wonderful change.

MORE DEER TALES

Hunting Season is over for another year, but the stories aren’t. Some of the stories don’t happen until the mighty hunters get home.

For example, there’s the old tale about the luckless hunter who always had a great time carousing with the guys at Deer Camp, but always came home empty handed.

This year, when preparing for his annual trek to deer camp, his devoted wife packed his spare socks in his gun case. His other garb, you understand, was packed as it should be.

The game was up when he got home. Complained to the missus that he had to wear dirty, wet socks all season!

One of my personal favorites - a photo in the big city paper proved it is true - involves the fellow who carelessly set off his rifle while cleaning it prior to setting off for hunting camp in the great north woods.

Shot went right through the ceiling and destroyed a dresser in the room upstairs. Went hunting anyway, without success.

But when he got home, there was his trophy, hanging proudly from the limb of a side yard tree for all the world to see.

Yep!

The wounded dresser was on display, registration tag tied to a fine set of antlers attached by prankster friends.

CHRISTMAS DECORATING

Christmas lights are up already on many homes, and they certainly do look cheery. Have finally gotten used to the idea of decorating early, although since we generally run late that probably won’t happen at our house.

Some day!

Years ago, in Appleton, the store windows downtown were always beautifully decorated with animated displays for the holidays, the old Prange’s in particular.

Before Christmas the theme was Santa Claus, Christmas trees, toy trains, elves, cookies, gingerbread and the like. Then, on Christmas Eve, store personnel worked late to change the windows to the manger scene, wise men, camels, and the star of the east that tell the story of our Savior’s birth, which of course is the real reason for Christmas.

At Easter it was the same - bunnies, baskets, candies and eggs, and then on Easter morning, there was the empty Cross and the empty tomb, symbols of Christ’s resurrection, which of course is the real reason for Easter.

Today, some stores are so deficient in moral courage that not only do they refuse to display any of the Christ-related symbols of Christmas, they won’t even allow employees to say “Merry Christmas.” They let them say, “Happy Holidays,” though, because they do want the money the Christmas shoppers bring.

It isn’t fair for them to have it both ways!

Personally, any store in which employees refuse to share a “Merry Christmas” won’t get one thin dime from my gift giving budget. Might even take that a step farther, and buy only from merchants that display a Manger Scene.

BUY AMERICAN!

Speaking of Christmas shopping, the time to do it is seriously here.

Friend Dave, who is an active and involved American, suggests we should make Christmas 2011 time for the birth of some new traditions, and at the same time help our home grown business people operate in the black.

He notes that as the Holidays approach, giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods, merchandise produced in their mainly non-Christian nations without the restrictions (and expenses) American manufacturers are subject to, and at the expense of lost American jobs.

Dave would like us to make this year different and not buy the foreign-made goods that fill our store shelves. Says it’s not true that gift shoppers cannot find products made by American hands. “It’s time to think outside the box,” Dave says. Meaning that literally, he asks, “Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, and come wrapped in Chinese-produced wrapping paper?”

What locally produced gifts can we give?

How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership? Appropriate for all ages, anyone thinking about some health improvement.

Gift certificates for car detailing at their favorite car wash?

Instead of a large ticket gift from the shopping center, how about certificates for driveway sealing, a summer’s worth of lawn mowing or a winter’s worth of snow plowing?

Perhaps games at the local golf course would be a prized gift, or gift certificates for meals at a locally owned eatery.

How many people could use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

A heartfelt gift for mom? She’d love the services of a local cleaning lady for a day, or perhaps one day a month.

Give the computer buff a tune-up for his favorite desktop toy, and at the same time help some young guy struggling to get his repair business up and running.

For more tangible gifts, buy from a local crafter. Very small local producers often spin their own wool and knit it into beautiful scarves, mittens or sweaters. They make jewelry, dried floral arrangements, hand-embroidered or hand painted garments, quilts, and wood crafts of all kinds.

Or consider locally produced maple syrup, honey, jams, relishes, pottery, candles, beautiful wooden boxes, carved figurines, works of art, and more.

“Christmas shopping should no longer drain American pockets so China can build another glittering city,” Dave urges. “Christmas should be about caring about US, encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away, to follow their dreams. When we care about other Americans, when we care about our communities, the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn’t imagine.

This, he hopes, will become the new American Christmas tradition, that of buying from our friends and neighbors who own their own businesses.

These are some great ideas. Thanks, Dave.

His suggestions tie in nicely with a recent advertising campaign urging all of us to “Buy Small” and support the small local business people who keep our communities strong. (Oops. That was wrong. The people aren’t small. Their businesses are.)

Merry Christmas, everyone! May your preparations be aimed at a blessed holiday season, filled with love for one another, and for the One who made it possible!

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Speaking of preparations, think about keeping things simple this year, about doing a few things well instead of ending up stressed and depressed because you can’t do everything. Even too many fun activities can bring on Stress Syndrome.

Incidentally, though, even if you’re not a regular church goer, and even if you no longer have youngsters who perform in them, do make time to attend at least one Christmas program at church or school this year.

Don’t expect too much real Christmas spirit from most of the school programs any more, though, unless it’s a parochial school. Most of them too have succumbed to blackmail from those trying to pretend we aren’t a Christian based nation. The secular school productions can be beautiful, and Christmas is mainly about kids, but unless your school has an exceedingly wise (and courageous) school board and administration, don’t expect to enjoy the Christmas carols that are sadly being lost from our American traditions.

Want some fun?

Call your school office or school board president and ask if they are having a “Christmas Program” or a “Holiday Concert,” and if students and staff get a “Christmas vacation” or a “winter break.” Question is really, did they have the moral courage to stand up for things they believe in, or did they cave to the pressures from anti-religious Big Brothers in Washing-ton and Madison?

ON THE SOAP BOX

CAPITOL CHRISTMAS TREE

Gov. Scott Walker isn’t one to avoid stepping on toes when the cause is right, and he did it again recently by unofficially renaming the large decorated balsam tree in Wisconsin’s Capitol Rotunda a “Christmas tree,” instead of what some claim is the more politically correct “holiday tree.”

For 70 years, from 1916 to 1985, the magnificent rotunda of the state capitol in Madison was graced during the Christmas season with a beautiful Christmas tree.

But in 1986 that was changed, and for the last quarter-century, lawmakers have called it by the more “politically correct” name of “holiday tree.”

Gov. Walker made the switch without making a big deal out of it. He simply put out a press release inviting Wisconsin residents to help “decorate the Capitol Christmas Tree.”

However, a spokesman for the governor’s office said the decision was made purposefully. “It’s a Christmas tree ... in all honesty, I don’t know what more to say about it.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is unhappy. The group’s president says of Walker’s decision to call the Christmas tree a Christmas tree: “It’s essentially a discourtesy by the governor to announce that. He intends that to be a slight and a snub to non-Christians, otherwise he would not do it.”

Guess those who disagree with Gov. Walker’s announcement think it’s better to insult and snub God. Glad our governor seems to have his priorities straight.

One who agrees with him is State Rep. Jim Steineke, a Republican legislator from Kaukauna, who recently introduced an Assembly Joint Resolution that would rename the “Capitol Holiday Tree” the “Capitol Christmas Tree.”

Obviously a small step into the realm of political honesty, but perhaps a significant one. He said items from various other religions and belief systems are on display in the Rotunda without requiring a name change. “A Christmas Tree is a Christmas Tree,” Steineke said. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with calling it as such.”

Congrats and thanks, Gov. Walker, and ditto to Rep. Steineke, for saying what most us have been thinking, and for doing what most of us think ought to be done!

COOKIN’ TIME

Here in TIMESland not so much, but for folks in and around Appleton years back, St. Nicholas Day was an important holiday. Maybe it still is. Sort of hope so. Kiddies set out their shoes with carrots in them before going to bed on Dec. 5, and woke in the morning of St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6, to find that the good saint had left treats, toys, or - horrors! - for the bad ones, lumps of coal. That tradition had much to do with the strong Dutch and Belgian heritage of the area. The real St. Nicholas, said to be the precursor of today’s Santa Claus, lived from the year 271 to 350. How wonderful that people still today celebrate his teaching that giving is good!

SPECULAAS COOKIES

These delightful ginger cookies are a homemade version of the popular “windmill” cookies that seem to be getting hard to find these days. The dough is traditionally cut in the shape of St. Nicholas, or gingerbread men, and served on St. Nicholas Day. In some countries in the old days it was traditional to create man and woman cookies, known as bachelors and spinsters, that would be given to single friends. The cookies can be served frosted or not, but provided there’s enough time, it’s fun to paint them with brightly colored decorative frosting, which is indeed applied with small new paint brushes. An old friend used to bake these cookies very crisp, with a hole for hanging. Painting on the decorations was a family tradition. They’d then run a string through the holes and use them to decorate the Christmas tree.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

2 cups dark brown sugar

2 eggs

grated rind of one lemon

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

Optional: thinly sliced almonds, decorative icing

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, and then beat in the lemon rind. In a separate bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients, and stir this gradually into the butter and egg mixture. Cover well with plastic wrap and chill several hours or overnight. (If you’re really in a hurry, wrap and place in freezer for about half an hour.) When it’s baking time, roll out the dough about an eighth of an inch thick, or a quarter inch for larger cookies. Cut with cookie cutters or shape by hand into gingerbread men, Christmas trees, or other shapes of your choice, perhaps stars. If you have one, this dough can also be used with a cookie mold. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly moisten almond slices and place them strategically on the cookies if you like. They make cute eyes or buttons for the larger gingerbread men. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and bake until lightly browned, slightly longer for extra crisp cookies, a shorter baking time for softer ones. If you want to paint the cookies, let them cool. In very small containers mix powdered sugar, a bit of water, a bit of lemon juice and food coloring to get the shade you want. Apply with small paint brushes. Makes about 3 dozen cookies, fewer if you make larger gingerbread men.

THE WHOLE ENCHILADA

Still faced with leftover squash? Here’s an easy way to get extra veggies into the family menu. They won’t even know the squash is there. Do serve with a green vegetable as well, for a well rounded meal that won’t create a well rounded family. Can be made with low fat cheese and cottage cheese, but we much prefer the real thing. Carbs are the culprit anyway, but if this recipe is divided to into eight servings, each has only 28 grams of carbs. If made with low fat cheeses, there are 9 grams fat and 290 calories. Reminds me of a Mexican lasagna.

16 ounce container cottage cheese

1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cooked pureed squash (frozen is

fine, but thaw and drain it first)

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 (15 ounces) can enchilada sauce

12 (6 inch) corn tortillas

1 1/2 cups corn (thawed if frozen)

2 cups diced cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 13x9” baking dish, or spray with cooking spray. Mix the cottage cheese, squash, eggs, cumin and chili powder together thoroughly. Spread about a third of a cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Cut the tortillas in half and arrange eight of the halves over the sauce in the baking dish. On top of these put 1 cup of the squash mixture, 1 cup of the chicken half the corn, a half cut of cheese and a half cup of enchilada sauce. Repeat the layer, starting with the tortilla halves. For the final layer, in order, put the remaining tortilla halves, squash mixture, enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake, uncovered, about 35 minutes or thoroughly heated and bubbly. A nice lettuce salad with onions, green peppers vinegar and oil dressing goes very well with this.

Thought for the Week: Lord, as we proceed toward Christmas, let us keep You in our hearts and in our plans. Help us use Advent to prepare our families for a Christmas that makes You glad You came. Amen.

COUNTRY COUSIN

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