The Bah! Humbug! Christmas thread.

I "bah humbug" your "oh my"!

Did you say something?

I'm making molasses pecan cookies. Let's hope I don't burn them.

To Seed, I grew up in a home with few records, as they used to be called. One was a packet with various single 78 records of strauss waltzes, and the other was Bing Crosby's White Christmas. I have no memory of what the turntable was.

http://salutetosanity.blogspot.com/search?q=molasses+pecan+cookies

Molasses Pecan Cookies
Yields 30 large cookies

Ingredients:
- 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon and cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup crushed pecans (or your favorite nut)
- 30 whole walnuts to decorate
- 1/2 cup of sugar for rolling

Method:
1. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt and spices
2. Beat the butter until creamy, then add brown sugar and molasses until smooth. Add in egg, continue mixing until well incorporated.
3. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Split the dough into two portions, rolling them into logs and wrapping each in plastic wrap. Place dough in the fridge for 1hour to settle.
5. Cut each dough log into 15 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, coat with rolling sugar and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Ensure at least 2 inches between cookies, as they spread out significantly. Flatten the sugar-coated ball with the bottom of a glass and gently press a decorative pecan into the center of the cookie. Repeat for all the dough pieces.
6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 14 minutes. Allow to cool for 1 minute on the tray, then remove to cooling rack.

Newton??? NEWTON???

Isn't he that one-armed golfer - walked into a propellor, or something?

My toxic aunt has commanderred my grandmother to attend Christmas festivites with one of my cousin's and his small family. The rest of the family (some of whom live with Grandma) will be having their own Christmas dinner without Grandpa this year (RIP) and now without Grandma too.

Me, going through a divorce. (relationship of 12 years) Always spent Christmas morning with the significant other. Now? No one but me and the 5 kitties and a mostly empty house bare of large furnishings and the normal Christmas cheer of friends dropping by.

Ex took all my Christmas ornaments (and decorations) so i don't even have the memories which surface every year as I decorate the tree. Keep telling myself it will be a good thing to spend the day relaxing solo......feel depression creeping in again...fighting but not winning. Debating on buying a fake tree so the kitties can have their annual Chritmas tree knock over fest...bah, not motivated to even do that.

Mom wants me to travel over the river, up into the mountains and snow to have Christmas with her and a few others. I hate hate hate driving on Christmas. It is just wrong to spend the whole day in the car traveling while getting to spend just a few hours actually enjoying the day....

Yes...changing my name to "Whiney McWhinerson" today.

Hugs to you, mm.
Christmas & divorce are definitely not a good combination. But hang in there.

Is it OK if I make a few suggestions on how to spend your day? (I hope I'm not being presumptuous.) I reckon the best way to go is simply to be very nice to yourself (& the Famous Five, too, of course! ) Consider all or some of the following: cook a nice meal for yourself, read a book you've been meaning to read, watch a DVD of a movie you've been meaning to see, have a long, luxurious bubblebath, give the darling cats lots of pats & a few special treats.....
You can't block Christmas out (no point in even trying!) but you can treat it as a day which involves some pleasurable things. Next Christmas will be easier. And the one after will be easier again, I promise you.

OK, I'll grudgingly acknowledge that there are some nice things about the festering season ...

Like this morning, finding a beautifully wrapped package on my doorstep (with lots of wonderful treats in it! ) from some dear friends. (Thank you, D & F )

BUT the whole point of this thread is to grumble & whinge & carry on amongst friends who understand ... so I won't linger on the positives for too long!

Oh another good thing! I am going to get away with posting late (today's the 24th) Christmas cards! We have a postal strike in Victoria & I intend to take full advantage of this fortunate state of affairs! I'm quickly whipping off cards now & will pop them in the post later today. Then, when they all arrive late , it will be the fault of the post office! How handy is that?!

Santa will know.

You have a point there, Deb.

Damn!


But I'm hoping he won't tell!

I'm doing that too... thus they're my "holiday cards". Miss the big rush..

And while in grumbling mode, let me say a word or two about turkeys & the US, in particular .... I've been feeling very sorry for them this morning.

I was in a butcher shop yesterday & there they were, all lined up for sale. Loads of them! All to be gobbled up on Christmas day.

And I thought: how unlucky to be a turkey in the US! If thanksgiving doesn't get you, then Christmas surely will!

Good thinking, osso!

Mm-
I've had a few christmases alone. I haven't entirely minded it when it's happened, those times being when family or most of my friends weren't geographically near or were out of town. On the other hand, I'm old and crusty and don't hang my hat on a lot of things like decorations, or even the underlying meaning of many holidays.

I do like the holiday - so called - season, for the reconnecting that does or can happen with it. One of those days I was all all alone on the cold cold day... I wrote up some New Years letters to old pals. Not such a shock since when I used to send christmas cards I was habitually late for at least some of them. I still have a longtime friend who only sends post New Years cards, those being his own drawings of native plants on the front of the cards.

Anyway, back on that cold day, I played some nice loud symphonies, made a few family phone calls. Probably had a steak, an old ploy as comfort food, though I usually don't eat it but once every few years.

One other year, I invited an artist who showed in our gallery and his wife over for a vegetarian (their choice) dinner, building it around italian food and american food choices like squash, just not the meat. Started a thread on it on the old abuzz site and it was a pretty popular thread (no, no tofu turkey). They didn't have many friends in our area, arriving there a year or two after I did. It was a good time, lots of talk and warmth in my home.

My simple divorce didn't go through the paperwork for a long time after our separation and I had already moved nearly a thousand miles when it did. Had friends around that year. Same with most of the separation years before, I had family and friends closer at the time.

I guess my advice would be, depending on your mood, indulge yourself by yourself, or reach out to other people to come over to your place -- or as a friend and I were talking about today, get involved with a soup kitchen type operation.

J

Thanks msolga, your suggestions are greatly welcomed!

I bought the kitties a new kitty tower so they got their present. On the way home I picked up some groceries and plan on making my favorite meal..Beef Stronganoff, got some special flavored coffee and some Bailey's to add a little cheer to it. Yum!

I also did a bit of shopping and splurged on something I've always wanted but never felt the 'need' for. This was my present to myself.

And bah...I found a prelit tree on sale for half price so me and the fab five are gonna have some fun playing tag around the house with the kitty friendly ornaments I bought for it. Maybe if I feel like it, I'll get some more pics of the kitties to share with y'all !

Osso, some great thoughts! Thank you for that! Maybe, this will be the day I start that fantasy medieval novel I always wanted to write and never had the time for. Once I get into my 'groove' I can really get a lot of from weaving a fanciful tale. I suppose I'll put Whiney McWhinerson in a box and pack her up for now.

She's a wise pussy tat Tiger!

And well done you for taking her advice.

Merry Christmas!

Meantime, hugs from me. I'm sometimes a bitch here at a2k, but mostly mean well.

You don't have to start the novel in one day.

Just dally with an outline, or storyline. Go ahead and toy.

OK, everyone. Ready for a bit of Tom Lehrer? I just heard this in the car, driving back here. Haven't heard it in years. Made me laugh. A blast from the past.

Good idea! I'll be in that, osso!