My Grown Up Christmas

The true test of a marriage happens during the Christmas season. My husband and I are just two boring white folks. You’d think combining our traditions wouldn’t be complicated but Christmas emphasizes our differences. It’s funny the things we hang onto from our childhoods. Remember that Friends Thanksgiving episode where Monica has to make different styles of potatoes to please everyone? I know one couple who makes two different batches of cabbage rolls. A cabbage roll is a cabbage roll, right? Not so. Christmas just isn’t Christmas without his Mom’s recipe and the same goes for her.

In our house, my husband takes a whole day to make perogies from scratch. His mom is Polish and perogies are typical Christmas fare. The kitchen looks like a bomb hit. Potato coats every surface. In the end, there is enough perogies to feed the entire Polish-Canadian population of the island. And I don’t eat perogies. Still, it’s sweet that he keeps this tradition. My own family has Danish roots. Every year we’d make Red Cabbage for our traditional Christmas dinner. It’s not Christmas without the smell of cabbage and caraway. I’m the only one who eats it. Here’s the recipe: Small red cabbage (chopped), 2 Tbsp vinegar, ¼ cup sugar, 1 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp rolled oats, salt & caraway to taste. Cook on low heat, stir often.

I don’t mind his Mom’s Melt-in-Your-Mouth Shortbread recipe though. These are the best!

Mary’s Shortbreads
1 lb butter
1 cup sifted icing sugar
3 cups sifted flour
½ cup cornstarch
Cream butter, add sugar & gradually add flour & cornstarch sifted together. Whip mixture until fluffy & mixture breaks or looks curdled. Drop by teaspoons or put through cookie press onto cookie sheet. Bake at 300F until light golden brown (about 20 minutes).


Today is the 12th, halfway between the 1st and Christmas Eve. Things are pretty crazy in the stores, office Christmas parties are underway. Take some time out to de-stress.
Make yourself a batch of my Mother-in-law’s shortbreads or try these Bittersweet Shortbreads (I use dried cranberries instead of pecans).

While you’re at it, how about a nice adult treat: Bailey’s Coffee
{1: Prepare some fresh coffee in a coffee mug 2: Top up with steaming hot milk 3: Pour in 50ml of Baileys}

Put up your feet and enjoy this free Christmas story from Girlebooks: The Romance of the Christmas Card. Or The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson (another Dane). The illustrations are quite pretty.

I love The Christmas Album from the Barra MacNeils. They're a group of siblings who play traditional Cape Breton and Celtic music. Here’s a sample: O Come Divine Messiah.




Wintersong by Sarah MacLachlan is so mellow. It’s sure to relax you.




Remember to visit these other bloggers during the Advent Blog Tour:

13 December - Jill (The Well-Read Child)/Stephanie (The Written Word)

14 December - Robin (A Fondness for Reading)
15 December - Alyssa (By The Book)
16 December - Rachel (A Fair Substitute for Heaven)
17 December - Literary Feline (Musings of a Bookish Kitty)/ Stephanie (Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic)
18 December - Dev (Good Reads)
19 December - Callista (S.M.S. Book Reviews)
20 December - Tiny Little Librarian (Tiny Little Librarian)
21 December - Carla (Carla Nayland Historical Fiction)/ Susan (Reading, Raving, and Ranting by a Historical Fiction Writer)
22 December - Carolyn Jean (The Trillionth Page)
23 December - Booklogged (A Reader's Journal)
24 December - Kailana (The Written World) / Carl V. (Stainless Steel Droppings)


Thanks to Marg and Kailana for organizing the Blog Tour. I've spent so much time putting this post together. I really enjoyed it. Also check out Scribbit's Winter Carnival today for more Christmas ideas.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

20 comments Advent Blog Tour, Holidays, Winter Bizarre

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