Advent Calendar - December 16 - Christmas at School

Advent Calendar - December 16 - Christmas at School

Originally posted 12/16/2010:

When I was 9, we lived in a teeny, tiny town in Northern California. By “teeny, tiny” I mean it was population 50 (FIVE ZERO). My school had two classrooms: one for Kindergarten through 2nd grade and one for 3rd through 8th. I was in 4th grade and so in the older class. We had 12 children. For high school, they had to be bussed into town an hour and a half away.

The times were different then (although just the 1970s) and my class put on a Christmas pageant telling the story of the birth of the baby Jesus. I can’t believe there wasn’t a big stink about it, but I guess in a town of 50, the 38 people left that weren’t IN the pageant were mostly fine with it. Had it been larger, I’m sure my parents would have objected, as we are not religious, but what’s the point of making a point to 38 people?

So we did a play in the front of our classroom one night. I was the angel who blessed the Baby Jesus (a doll) with one line. My mom, who like me does NOT sew, had to come up with a costume. So we went with one of Dad’s white t-shirts and my hip 1970s tall white Wonder Woman boots. I had one line (I can’t remember it now, but I know that I rocked it then.)

But right after my scene was over, I forgot that they were changing the set around and accidentally ended up on the show side of the divider for the next act. So I panicked inside for a bit and then went with it and pretended I was an angel from above looking over them. I made “praying hands” and kept nodding and smiling at all of the actors on stage.

Awkward…

Advent Calendar- December 15- Holiday Happenings

December 15- Holiday Happenings

Originally posted 12/15/2010

As I went through my genealogy database for December birthdays, I didn’t have a single one for ancestors. I have a living cousin who is very special to me born in December (hi, Paul!!!), but I don’t want to give too much info on the living (unless it’s me), so I turned to marriages in December. There are numerous distant cousins who would be celebrating their anniversaries, but nothing I felt like writing about. So I moved to deaths and scrolled through looking for someone who spoke to me this Wednesday morning.

As my eyes came to Victoria Helen Robbins, I knew I found my gal. She was the first wife of my great grandfather, Cora Edwin Shelton (aka Charles). I’ve told Cora’s story before, but I haven’t delved much into his first family. As I looked at Victoria’s December 5, 1907 date of death in Oakland, Alameda County, CA , I just knew that she’d be the next person I learn more about. I pulled a FTM report for her and suddenly, her story came a bit to life. Or at least the end of her story.

In my version of Family Tree Maker, on the Facts tab, you see birth date, death date, and any other stuff you’ve put in. The Relationship tab, houses information about others. As I’ve learned from telling a story, 5 Dec 1907 is great information. It truly is. But really, can it be more boring? “Victoria Helen Robbins died on 5 Dec 1907 in Oakland, CA.”

Is that fun? Does that make you love Victoria Helen Robbins? Not me. I never loved her.

Until the relationship tab showed me that she had a baby on November 30, 1907. A baby that died that same day. And her 4 days later. Now her death means a bit more.

I know she grew up in Prairie du Chien, WI. And I know my great grandfather was supposedly in WI at the time of his mother’s death in 1906. I don’t know how he ended up in WI, but I’m having to fill in some lines with possibilities- there is an elder Shelton in Prairie du Chen- possibly an aunt or even grandmother of Cora.

I know he was a troublemaker. At the divorce, did Mom say, “John, I can’t handle that boy. You take him.” I know he was with John and his new family in 1880. Did John then say, “Oh my holy hell that boy is trouble!” and send him to live with great aunt Harriot? No idea. He’s not in a census there, but I haven’t looked harder. I just like to guess for awhile and then prove myself entirely wrong.

Anyway, back to our lady of the hour, Victoria. At some point soon before this baby and this death, she traveled from WI to CA. Far from family and friends. I know they had children with them (2 boys and 1 girl). And I know that (as I mentioned) he was known to be quiet, keeping to himself and moody. What a freaking lovely trip that must have been. Plus she was pregnant. Then she had the horror of losing a baby and then her own live.

Now I want to know “my” Victoria better. I want to learn all about her even though she isn’t my own great grandmother. She fits in nicely with my family, so I’m adopting her.

Updated 12/15/2011:  In researching Victoria, I found that she and Cora had quite a few children, but most died.  Their first is buried next to Victoria's grandmother Sarah Chapman in Milwaukee.  Victoria's parents were William Robbins and Jane Ellsworth.  They lived in Prairie du Chien until about 1890 and then moved to Milwaukee.After Sarah died, Jane (a widow) left and went to her brother's in California.  Jane's brother was Eliphalet Ellsworth, who came to California and had a profitable farm in Napa.  Cora, Victoria, and the children went with her.  All of them are buried in Napa, California.

Advent Calendar- December 14- Fruitcake

December 14- Fruitcake

Originally posted 12/14/2010

Yikes, no. I admit to only actually having it twice, but neither time appealed to me. And I do not like those green and red cherry things. I did have someone once share a fruitcake recipe and it made it sound much better than others, using real fruit and cloth wrapped in rum or some such thing. But the time it would take to make would not be worth it, just to see if there was a fruitcake I enjoyed.

I will be reading the blogs today to see what others have to say. Maybe I just haven't had a good one!

Advent Calendar- December 13 – Holiday Travel

December 13 – Holiday Travel

Originally posted 12/13/2010.

We never had to travel far for Christmas. Our family was near enough and then, in the past 25 years, everyone has traveled to us. I'm a homebody for Christmas and have no desire to spend much time away from my Christmas tree and Christmas decorations.

We did travel this year in December, though, for a 5-day visit to Disneyland. We had a wonderful family vacation that we will all remember for years to come. But we are home for Christmas.

Advent Calendar - December 12 – Charitable/Volunteer Work

Advent Calendar - December 12 – Charitable/Volunteer Work

Originally posted 12/12/2010.  Updated below.

Sadly, we have never made charity a priority as we should. We do Toys for Tots each year- the children now choose and buy a gift with their own money. And I sell children's books and donate all of my commissions from September through December to a charity.

But we've never done soup kitchens or the like. Just simple canned food/toys for tots, etc. This year we will be caroling at a retirement center and apparently that is charitable, but I find it charitable on their part more so than ours...

12/12/2012- This year we volunteered for a food drive in front of a local grocery store.  We asked for people to buy certain foods as they did their shopping and then bring to us out front.  We also had bags ready if they just wanted to give us $10.  My 5-year-old son was a kick in the pants.  Completely in their faces.  "WOULD YOU LIKE TO PUT FOOD IN OUR FOOD BANK?"  And he remembered if you said you were going to do it on your way out and then didn't.  And call you out.  In front of God and everyone.  All the way to your car.

We also helped out at an underprivileged children's party.  So we are stepping up our volunteer game.

Advent Calendar- December 11 – Other Traditions

December 11 – Other Traditions

Originally posted 12/11/2010.

We love to watch Christmas movies. As a kid, it was all those on ABC, NBC, or CBS. Rudolph, Frosty, Charlie Brown. We always got the TV Guide and I'd go through it and mark the dates and times for Christmas movies. Now with DVR, DVD etc, we pretty much have all bases covered, but we still like the above classics. Add in Christmas Story, Elf, Christmas Vacation, and Funny Farm and I'm all set with Christmas movies.

Advent Calendar- December 10 - Christmas Gifts

December 10 – Christmas Gifts

Originally posted 12/10/2010.

Our gifts always started on Christmas Eve, where we could open ONE gift. It was a teaser gift- usually pajamas or a stuffed animal to sleep with.

Then in the morning, we went first to the stockings, then to the Santa gift, and then to the others. We gave and received gifts from everyone- never drew names or the like. We still don't do the name drawing thing.

Now a'days, likely due to my learning to be crafty, most gifts are homemade. Not for Marc and the children, but for just about everyone else. I love spending time on gifts, since I'm not so great at shopping. Plus, people buy what they want for themselves- they don't need me doing it. So I give them my time and my love and create things for them. And it's these same kinds of gifts that I love to receive. Homemade and filled with love.

Except that one year when Marc surprised me with a pet hamster. That was pretty awesome.

Advent Calendar- December 9 – Grab Bag

Advent Calendar- December 9 – Grab Bag

Originally posted 12/9/2010.  Updated 12/9/2011 at the bottom.

Last year we began another new tradition with Advent Calendars. I noticed the December before that we were so busy doing fun things that we didn't have time to enjoy the fun things. So last year, I made one fun thing a day (even if it was a coloring page).
I put the ingredients for the fun thing (or a slip of paper outlining the fun thing) in paper bags alternating red and white and lined them up on the bookshelf. Every morning the children got to open a bag and find out what our thing was that day. They liked it so much, that we are doing it again this year, but with fancy boxes instead of lunch bags.
Here are some of our fun things:

• Decorate the house
• Make Christmas cards
• Movie Night
• Disneyland treat (Signa chose candy and William chose suckers)
• Dinner at the Rainforest Cafe
• Outfit at Build-a-Bear
• Decorate the Tree
• Drive around and see lights
• Go caroling
• Make wrapping paper
• Go out for ice cream
• Go shopping
• Decorate cookies
• Go see Santa
• Make reindeer food
• Have hot chocolate and cookies
• Have a gingerbread decorating party

12/9/2011- we are doing many of the same things this year, but with more focus on crafts and less on OUTINGS that cost MONEY.  The kids don't seem to care which it is, so I figure if I can save a buck AND get a free decoration, why not?!?!  So far I have new ornaments (salt dough and outdoor bird feeders), new garland made of paper, and lots of snowflakes all over.  We do have some fun outings planned, though.  I've been posting our daily activities on Facebook.

Advent Calendar- December 8 - Christmas Cookies

Advent Calendar- December 8 - Christmas Cookies

This was originally posted 12/8/2010.

I already shared the recipes for my mother-in-law's fig cookies. My own mom has made chocolate chip cookie bars and Russian tea cakes every year for as long as I can remember. She makes big batches and gives away giant platters as gifts and never ever does anyone say, “Gee, that’s too many cookies.” They are so delicious that before you can finish saying the second “e” in “Gee”, the cookies are GONE.

Advent Calendar- December 7 - Holiday Parties

Advent Calendar- December 7 - Holiday Parties

Originally posted 12/7/2010.  Updated at the bottom.

We have family get-togethers, but not “parties”. Our get-togethers are loud and crazy and exciting. Everyone is excited because IT’S CHRISTMAS! The children want gifts and ate too much candy and the adults catch the excitement from their children. The sound is deafening and wonderful.

We have three such events these years. The first is with Marc’s family. We drive to his mother’s where she makes ambrosia salad (and other things) and the children all get car-loads of gifts. The second cousins all play with each other like they won’t see one another again for a year. Which is true of most of them. They do make up for lost time, though, and we are all sad when it’s over and promise to do it more often next year.

We then have a new tradition of going to my brother’s for Christmas Eve. We sing and eat and sing some more. Now with my new nephew, it will be even more wonderful to spend time there helping him have traditions to remember his whole life.

And then Christmas Day at our house with chili and crazy excited children and hopefully a new Sally for the porch!

Updated 12/7/2011- This year, we are hosting Marc's family Christmas party at our house.  There is no Christmas Eve at my brother's, though, since he is headed to his wife's family for a week or so.  We are also going to have a fun Gingerbread House Decorating Party with the kids' friends and their parents.  So lots of parties this year!

Advent Calendar December 6 – Santa Claus

Advent Calendar December 6 – Santa Claus

Originally posted 12/6/2010.

Santa has always come to our house on Christmas Eve. He fills our stockings with trinkets and leaves a gift for the children. He used to leave gifts for us, but when we had children, he switched to giving them gifts instead. I’m sure he must have known that this is what makes us happiest. Plus one year, he brought us a family present, so I can't feel too disgruntled.

Santa eats a cookie and has egg nog while he works at our house. He also sometimes leaves crumbs and beard around here and there. We look for it every year. And this wasn't just the past few years that we've had children.

Since we don’t have a real chimney, we have a special key for him that we hang on the door outside. It only works for Santa and it’s VERY fancy. The kids sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn and we hang the key and tuck in for the long night.

Advent Calendar - December 5 - Outdoor Decorations

Advent Calendar - December 5 - Outdoor Decorations

Originally posted 12/5/2010.  Updated at the bottom.

We mostly lived in the country and I don’t remember ever doing any outdoor decorations. Now that I have Marc, he goes all out. Last year, in addition to the lights on the house, he created a Jack Skellington who appeared on the porch Christmas morning. Created out of pipes and boxes and junk.

I heard rumors that Sally will be appearing this Christmas…


12/6/2011- No Sally last year, but we did get the evil wreath.  And an inflatable Oogie Boogie.  Here we are this year. Holey jeans and flip flops in December...

Advent Calendar - December 4 - Christmas Cards

Advent Calendar - December 4 - Christmas Cards

Originally posted 12/4/2010.  Updated 12/4/2011 at the bottom.

My mom ALWAYS sends Christmas cards. Always. It’s a big ordeal as she writes notes in each and sends to everyone, keeping in touch annually. She makes me proud.

I strive to do this. I have at least addressed and put together holiday cards every year- it’s just that I know of at least two years in the past where I never mailed them. By the time I got around to buying stamps, it was time for Valentine’s Cards.

But hopefully those years are over and I now have my fancy homemade cards ready to go and the post woman is supposed to bring my stamps any day now (delivery is my new favorite word).

12/4/2011- This year I had Snapfish do my cards.  I really decided that I didn't have time to make them this year and that if I committed to it, I'd be committed.  FOR it... so the cards are here and I just need to address them.

Advent Calendar - December 3 – Christmas Tree Ornaments

Advent Calendar - December 3 – Christmas Tree Ornaments

Originally posted December 3, 2010 .  Edited 2011 to add picture of my brains.

As I mentioned on the Christmas Tree page, our tree growing up featured a lot of red glass bulbs and then a mish-mash of keepsake ornaments. I inherited most of those "keepsakes" (i.e. Homemade in Kindergarten) and they now hang proudly on my tree every year. There are many that I admire and smile at as I hang them- the felt ornaments, now completely falling apart, the pinecones with googly eyes glued on to make them look like owls, the silly toys that have doubled as ornaments for years.

But my personal favorites (patting myself on the back here, but oh well) are the pair of Debbie’s Brains. They are so ugly and so stupid, but I made these in grade school and I love them. Each one is a melted piece of circular plastic with broken glass inside. There is a curly ribbon tied through them so that they can hang on the tree. They are so ugly.

And I love them the best. Even more than the ornaments my own kids have made. Shhhhhh.

Another item I have that I consider a family heirloom and, in fact, it sits on my desk year-round is the first Christmas decoration that my parents bought together. It’s amazingly tacky and I amazingly love it.

Advent Calendar - December 2 – Holiday Foods

Advent Calendar - December 2 – Holiday Foods

This was originally posted on 12/2/2010.


These days and for many past, we stay home on Christmas Day and have an open house. I started making Christmas Chili about 20 years ago and never stopped. I do it in a slow-cooker and it is ready all day for whoever stops by. Sadly, I do not have a recipe, as I just put stuff in until it’s just right. This is the year I will try really hard to write it all down for prosperity.

As a child, we usually went to my aunt’s for Christmas Eve and somewhere else for Christmas Day. Food for children on Christmas is really actually superfluous; why eat when there are TOYS and COUSINS! So I remember nothing about actual food, except that ambrosia salad was always part of the deal. Grandma made it. My aunts made it. And now, my mother-in-law, Millie, makes it just for me at every family party. I looked through Millie’s recipe book she made us and didn’t find the ambrosia salad recipe. I’m guessing she just throws it together for me, but here is one from the internet that looks much the same.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/coconut-ambrosia-salad/Detail.aspx
Coconut Ambrosia Salad
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
3 1/2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 cups shredded coconut
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup milk
1 cup maraschino cherries

In a large bowl, combine the oranges, pineapple, whipped topping, coconut, marshmallows and milk. Mix together well and chill 1 hour before serving. Garnish with cherries.

One recipe that is here in her book, though, is for Italian Fig Cookies, which she features
at her Christmas party every year. We all love these cookies (adults, not children, which is just fine by me!)

Italian Fig Cookies
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup shortening
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup milk
1 beaten egg
1 8-oz package (1 ½ cups) dried figs
¾ cup light raisins
¼ cup slivered almonds
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup hot water
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash pepper
Confectioners’ Glaze
Sprinkles

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and baking powder. Cut in shortening and butter until pieces are the size of small peas. Stir in the milk and egg until all is moistened. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill about 2 hours or until easy to handle.

For filling, in a food processor bowl, process figs, raisins, and almonds until coarsely chopped. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ¼ cup sugar, hot water, cinnamon and pepper. Stir in the fruit mixture. Let filling stand until the dough is thoroughly chilled.

Roll each half of the dough into a 12-inch square. Cut each square into twelve 4x3 inch rectangles. Using a heaping tablespoon of filling for each rectangle, spread filling along one of the short sides of the rectangle. Roll up from that side. Place rolls, seam side down, on an ungreased cookie sheet. Curve each roll slightly. Snip outer edge of curve three times.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until done. Remove and cool. Spread with Confectioners’’ Glaze. Immediate sprinkle with decorative candies. Makes 24.

Confectioners’ Glaze: Combine 1 cup sifted powdered sugar and ¼ teaspoon vanilla. Add enough milk (about 1 tablespoon) to make it spreadable.

EDITED TO ADD:
Olives! Really, how in the world could I forget olives! Olives and ambrosia salad were ALWAYS at our Christmas parties. That is the only food sustinance that the children got. 10 olives (one for each finger) and a bowl of ambrosia salad. Thank you, Greta's Genealogy Blog, for reminding me.
http://gretabog.blogspot.com/2010/12/advent-calendar-day-2-holiday-foods.html

Advent Calendar- December 1 - The Christmas Tree

Advent Calendar- December 1 - The Christmas Tree

I'm participating in the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories (http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com/) this year, so I'll be posting on Christmases past. Today's theme is the Christmas Tree.

This was originally posted on December 1, 2010 and updated at the bottom.

As a child, we always had a real Christmas tree. We would go as a family to the tree lot (or a few times when we lived in the country, we’d go to the forest) and pick out our tree. Our trees always had a significant amount of the glass red bulbs meshed with homemade and keepsake items. We’ve kept that tradition in my own grown-up household, with the substitution of a fake tree since that fateful Christmas when a friends' neighbors' house burned down on Christmas morning.

Our trees were usually in the 4-foot range, but when you are a child, four feet is the top of the world. And family made it seem even bigger.

We usually get a wreath from the tree lot just so the kids have the tree lot/tree smell experience, although we have been known to skip that tradition.

One tradition that is all our grown up tradition and began almost 25 years ago when we had our first Christmas together and found we had no tree topper. Marc scavenged and found the perfect thing for us. And I hope it will be passed down for generations to come.

Sitting atop our tree every year is the Terry the Pterodactyl. The orange pterodactyl model has been perched on our tree since 1986 and I can’t imagine Christmas without him.

 

Updated 2012:  Terry is celebrating his 25th year atop the Mascot Family Christmas Tree (yes, that is Frankenstein with a Santa hat on him in the background- that's just how we roll).  We put our tree up early this year, due to having the kids at Gramma's for 3 days.  We had time and energy for it...  Signa also got a highly-coveted purple tree this year.  (Not sure why the pictures are sideways- will have to fix later.  Stupid iphone)