Day 25, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

25) Give your time
Did you know that helping organizations such as Meals on Wheels still run on holidays? The normal volunteers often ask for some time off for Christmas. When we were in high school, my parents started a tradition. We would wake up early Christmas morning, pack a bunch of freshly-baked breakfast goodies (cinnamon rolls, muffins, biscuits, etc.) and a couple of thermoses of Christmas coffees and head downtown Dallas. We would spend Christmas morning helping Meals on Wheels deliver Christmas dinners to house-bound individuals, usually senior citizens with no family to help take care of them. It was a treat and such a great way to start the day with the focus on something other than presents. Since it's a little late to start this tradition this year, here's something to do first thing in the morning before the stockings and presents are torn to shreads. Read the Christmas story together. Here it is for your reference:

Luke 2
1In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to his own town to register.
4So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels 8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

God bless you and yours this Christmas. I have truly enjoyed compiling this list of Christmas tips. I will be taking a brief break (not sure how long) from this blog, but I'll be back soon with more crafty, baking goodness. =)

Merry Christmas!

Day 24, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

24) Cookies for Santa
Around here, Santa loves a variety of cookies. So surprise him this year with something special that he probably did not just have at the house next door. These cranberry-lemon sandwich cookies are well worth the trouble...for Santa, of course. =)

Cranberry-Lemon Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened 1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar 1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs 2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp grated lemon peel ½ tsp salt
¾ cup dried cranberries

Filling:
2/3 cup butter, softened 2 ¾ cups powdered sugar
¼ cup milk 1 ¼ tsp grated lemon peel

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, and sugars. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, cream of tartar, peel and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in the cranberries. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Roll into 1-ince balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a glass dipped in sugar.

Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. Combine filling ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Spread on the bottom half of the cookies and top with remaining cookies.

Note:
This recipe make a bunch! It’s easier if you try to make the cookies all the same size. Also, I rub the bottom of the glass with the sliced lemon before dipping it in sugar to press the cookies flat. It adds a hint more lemon flavoring which I love...I mean, which Santa loves!

Day 23, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

23) Reuse

I saw an idea to string packing peanuts on thread to use as a Christmas tree garland. It looked really cute on a casual tree with hand-made ornaments (maybe a kids' tree). Then these arrived, and I knew the perfect pink tree to hang them on. I haven't finished stringing them yet, but it's been a fun job to work on in front of the TV in the evenings.

Day 22, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

22) Reading
Books are a big part of our life in our little house. This is a little late in the 25 tips, but these are a little scattered and really just for reference for me for future years as well. So hopefully it's not a total loss for you.
I saw the cutest idea (and I can't remember I where I saw it). Put a Christmas basket near the Christmas tree. Put a different Christmas-themed or winter-themed book inside after the kids go to bed each night. Then each evening as the day is winding down, read that book by the light of the Christmas tree with your family snuggled close. Doesn't that sound like a great tradition for the kids to look forward to during the holiday season?
Such a sweet idea, I think.

Day 21, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

21) Angel Kisses

Here's another cute idea for a quick, inexpensive gift. This would be cute for teachers, neighbors, or secret santa gifts.

What you'll need:

Hershey kisses, sparkly pipe cleaners, wooden beads, glue gun, markers (black and pink).

Directions:

Bend a pipe cleaner into wings that would be an appropriate size for the kiss.

Also bend a pipe cleaner into a circle. Glue the circle onto the wooden bead. Decorate the bead to look like a face. I just did two black dots for eyes and two pink dots for cheeks. My marker ran terribly, so please pardon the pictures, but you get the idea. Glue the bead to the top of the kiss and the wings on the back.Attach a ribbon to the back to use as an ornament. Or you could fill a cute coffee mug or bowl with Hershey kisses, add a few of these angel kisses to the top, and attach this tag. I actually got this as a gift years and years ago. It was given in a tiny clay pot with this poem printed on cardstock and glued to a popsicle stick stuck into the pot of kisses. It was so cute.

Day 20, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

20) Storybook Crafts, Part Two

The Legend of the Christmas Spider is a cute story of German origin that explains a fairytale reason behind why we decorate our trees with tinsel. Read this story with your kids before making spider ornaments. My mom has a gorgeous gold beaded spider in her ornament collection that we used to love to see on the tree (I still do!). This would be easy to make, and I'm making one for my tree, so you can follow along.

Here are the supplies you'll need:

craft wire, one large bead, seed beads, wire cutters, glue gun

Directions:

Cut 4 3-inch sections of wire. This does not have to be accurate at all. Just make sure that they're long enough to go through the large bead and have plenty of length left for legs. Curl one end of each of the wires to hold the beads on like this:

Thread seed beads onto the wires until you reach a little less than halfway.Thread all four of the wires through the large bead. It may be helpful to use the glue gun to help hold the wires in place once they're threaded through the large bead.Thread the remaining wire with seed beads leaving enough room to curl the ends like you did before. Bend the legs to look spider-like. There's your Christmas spider! Give her a special place on your tree. =)

Day 19, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

19) Storybook Crafts, Part One

The Christmas Mouse, which I've had a lot of trouble finding (and I'm not quite sure this is the right one) is a sweet tale of the story behind the Silent Night - from a mouse's perspective. This craft is straight from my preschool years. My teacher read this story, and we made these little mice. The body is glued into half of a walnut shell. The body is made of two pom poms - one large, and one small. The eyes are seed beads, the ears are pinecone pieces, and the tail is leather. There is a pipe cleaner glued to the bottom to twist it onto the tree branch. Of course, you could make these ornaments, or you could make some yummy treats like these instead to tie into the book. So cute. Directions are here.

Day 18, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

18) Since today's my birthday, I thought I'd stick with the birthday theme

With all the glamour and lights, presents and festivities, the birth of Christ can easily get lost in the celebration of Christmas. So why not start the day with a birthday party for Jesus to put things in perspective and to direct the focus on Him? My sister-in-law shared this recipe years ago and has started a tradition of baking it as a birthday cake for Jesus each Christmas. Not only is it absolutely delicious, but it's seasonally-appropriate and aptly named. =) Hope you enjoy.

Santa's Favorite Cake

Ingredients:

1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
3 egg whites
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (9 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons red food coloring
1 teaspoon cider vinegar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup margarine, softened
2 (16 ounce) packages confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons peppermint extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9 inch round cake pans.
In a large bowl, combine white cake mix, 3 egg whites, 1 1/3 cups buttermilk, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Mix with an electric mixer for 2 minutes on high speed. In a separate bowl, combine yellow cake mix, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 egg, cocoa, red food coloring, and vinegar. Use an electric mixer to beat for 2 minutes on high speed.
Spoon white batter alternately with red batter into the prepared cake pans. Swirl batter gently with a knife to create a marbled effect.
Bake in preheated oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Let cool in pans for at least 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and margarine until smooth. Gradually blend in sugar until incorporated and smooth. Stir in peppermint extract. Spread peppermint cream cheese frosting between layers, and on top and sides of cake.

(recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com - can be found here)

Day 17, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

17) Handmade ornament
This is such a cute idea. Why not make a dozen or so and string them together hand-to-hand to use as a garland in your kitchen or on your tree?

Day 16, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

16) Frohliche Weihnachten
Here's a yummy German recipe to add to your Christmas stash. It's for Beirocks, or Runzas. They're little dough pockets stuffed with cabbage and beef. Even if you don't think you'll like them, believe me - you will!

Ingredients:

1 (1-lb) loaf frozen bread 4 C shredded cabbage
1 small onion, diced ½ tsp salt
½ lb. ground beef ¼ C butter

Directions:
Divide thawed bread dough into 6 pieces and roll into balls. Sauté onion in a large saucepan until browned; add beef and cook until beef loses its red color (do not overcook). Stir in cabbage and salt. Cover and steam until cabbage is wilted. Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll each ball of dough into a 5x5 inch square. Fill the center with about ½ cup of beef mixture. Bring opposite corners of dough together and seal. Place the smooth side down on a lightly greased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and butter top of each pastry. Serve with mustard.

Day 15, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

15) Homemade hot chocolate
I am NOT a going-through-the-motions type of person. I like to know the reason behind why we do certain things. And I do not like to get caught up in the hype of things and just follow the leader just because. For this reason, I do not celebrate the 'hustle and bustle' of the holiday. Instead our focus is on Christ's birth during the holiday. We have certain traditions, but so far in the 6 Christmases Chris and I have shared since our wedding day, we have not gotten attacked by the holiday stress. If we don't accomplish something, it matters not - our expectations for the holiday season is to enjoy time with family and to relax and reflect. I am not a procrastinator in the least, so I'm never running around last-minute for gifts. THAT would stress me out for sure. So I just refuse to do it. All this to say, life still happens during the holidays, so I like to have a few tricks up my sleeve to bring everything back down a notch and to enjoy the simple things as a family. Yesterday (which was actually Thursday - I write these posts ahead of time and schedule them - see, not a procrastinator =) was a CRAZY hectic day around here, and I couldn't just go to bed without winding down. So as Chris drove home from work at almost 10:00 last night, I put some homemade hot chocolate on the stove. I can remember my grandma doing this, and it truly hits the spot and warms the soul. Caution - this is extremely rich, and a tiny little bit goes a long way.

Homemade Hot Chocolate

(Since I serve the hot chocolate in mugs, I also use those mugs to measure so I don't have to dirty up measuring cups)

2 mugs of milk

2/3 of a mug of chocolate chips

1/8 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

Heat the milk on the stove until hot, but not boiling. Add sugar and chocolate chips stirring frequently until everything melts together. When it is heated through and all melty, remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla. Serve piping hot while snuggling on the couch listening to Christmas music. =)

You can also add a cinnamon stick or a candy cane to the pot to spice it up. Or, it you're extra daring, add an eighth of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Yum!

Day 14, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

14) It's a little late in the month to start advent, but this is a great idea
Make, collect, buy 25 tiny stockings labelling them with the numbers 1-25. String them in order on a piece of twine or ribbon, or hang them along the fireplace. Put a treat inside each one for your children (or husband =) to discover each day on the countdown to Christmas.
Here is a great pattern for this idea.
And here is a cute one to buy if you're not wanting to be crafty.
And here is a great idea of something to put inside of each stocking to celebrate the true Spirit of the holiday.

Day 13, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

13) Be a blessing
One of our Christmas traditions is to get all bundled up in our pajamas, pile in the car, play Christmas music, and look at Christmas lights together. My family did this for as long as I can rememer, and Chris and I have continued every Christmas since we were married. There are some special houses that we always make sure to visit each year. I heard an idea this year that we are definitely going to add to the tradition. Since the people who decorate those incredible houses go out of their way, and since we always enjoy looking at all of their incredible decorations, why not show them our appreciation? We're going to pack up a few extra boxes of Christmas cookies this year (and when I say boxes, I really mean decorated empty formula cannisters! =), and stick them in the car to take with us while we look at lights. We'll drop them off at the houses that we frequent every year along with a thank-you note.
Other ideas for being a blessing to someone this Christmas:

• drop of cookies or candies and a card to your local fire station
• hand-deliver your Christmas cards to your neighbors this year
• grab a group of outgoing friends, and go caroling around the neighborhood
• gather your plastic grocery sacks, and deliver them to a local preschool with a sweet note - they use these for everything from dirty clothes to painting projects
• donate a handful of books to your local library
• clean out your closets and take your old clothes to Goodwill or Salvation Army
• volunteer to wrap gifts for an elderly neighbor (hey, you could also volunteer to do their shopping!)
• gather your old towels and rags to donate to your local animal shelter

Day 12, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

12) Thrifty Christmas Cards

I saw this hilarious idea on Regis and Kelly the other morning. To save money on Christmas cards, cut or tear a cardboard box into postcard-sized rectangles. Address one side, and add a stamp. On the reverse side, write or stamp, or apply a label that reads,

Money is tight

and times are hard,

so here's your darn

old Christmas card.

(Of course, instead of 'darn old', you could write thrifty.) This idea cracked me up and made me wish I hadn't already gotten all of my cards signed. =)

Day 11, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

11) Toddler Art
I'm borrowing inspiration today from other crafty folks on the Internet. Here is a great list of things to do with your toddler's scribbles this Christmas season. My favorite idea is here...so precious!

Day 10, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

10) Reindeer Food
Another Christmas tradition we had in my classroom each year was to make food for the reindeer to go along with the carrots. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, raisins, and red and green sugar. On Christmas Eve, have the kids sprinkle it outside for Santa's reindeer.
[Helpful Hint: Since the point is that reindeer will eat this food, it might not be a good idea to spread it in the grass. Instead, spread it in the driveway so you can easily sweep some up once the kids go to bed so it's obvious the reindeer have been there when they wake up. It sure would be a pain to have to go out and painstakingly pick oats out of your grass. =)]

Day 9, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

9) Charitable Gifts
Instead of buying meaningless trinkets for friends and family just to check them off your list, consider donating to a charitable organization in their name. Or you could support stores that support the disadvantaged. My grandmother used to buy a Christmas decoration for me every year when she was alive from Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade store that empowers artisans from disadvantaged countries. The work is all hand-crafted and amazingly beautiful. In fact, I keep some of my Christmas stuff up all year from them because it's just too unique to hide in a box 11 months out of the year. I hope this becomes a Christmas tradition for all of you!

Day 8, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

8) Homemade Seasoned Salt

I saw this idea on Rachael Ray and thought it was a great idea for a small, inexpensive homemade gift. I try to have a handful of these types of things on hand for those last-minute gift needs (hostess gifts, unexpected guests, etc.).

Basically just add one tablespoon of any spice (paprika, smoked paprika, garlic-herb seasoning, cayenne pepper, chili powder, etc.) or a total of one tablespoon of combined spices to one cup of kosher salt. You can also used dried herbs like chives, cilantro, basil, parsley, etc. at a ratio of two tablespoons of herbs to one cup of kosher salt.

Stir the mixture to combine, and package it in a plastic bag, a cute jar, a small bowl, label it with what type of salt you made, then add a gift tag. I made one for you to use if interested.

Let me know if you try this. I'd love to hear your ideas for combinations.

[You can also do the same with sugars, mixing them with nutmeg, cinnamon, a vanilla bean, or any other yummy comination. You could include a note saying that it would be good sprinkled on toast, yogurt, oatmeal, or in cider or tea.]

Day 7, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

7) Reindeer cookies
To make cookies shaped like reindeer heads, take your favorite cookie dough (I always use store-bought for this), and roll two balls - one 2-inches, and one 1-inch. Place the balls on a cookie sheet making sure they are touching very closely. Stick pretzels into the larger balls where the reindeer antlers would be. Bake according to the directions. When they come out of the oven, decorate them to look like reindeer faces.

Day 6, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

6) Here comes Santa Clause:

We are definitely left wanting in the snow department down here in sunny, warm Texas. But Santa gets snow all over his boots on Christmas night delivering gifts all over the world. Sometimes he accidentally leaves snowy footprints on the floor as an indication of his presence while we were sleeping.

How to: Trace around a shoe on a piece of scrap paper, and cut out the print only leaving a shoe-print stencil. Place on the floor somewhere in between the fireplace and the Christmas tree, and dust with baby powder, corn starch, or flour leaving a white, snowy boot print in its place. Clean-up is as simple as a broom or a vacuum followed by a wet rag on hard-surface floors.

Day 5, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

5) Got someone naughty on your list? Fill a clear plastic bag or a small clear jar with mini marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles, and attach this note:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Update

Ironically two people mentioned tonight that they made the chocolate chip cookies recipe that I posted. And both commented that their cookies came out flat. The only reason I can think that they'd be different is the altitude and humidity. We have no humidity here, so that could be the problem. Shortening makes cookies cakey-er =), so I would try using half shortening, half butter. If you like the butter flavor, Crisco makes butter flavored shortening.

Let me know if you make them again and if this helps!

Day 4, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

4) Grandma Trudy's Snickerdoodles
My grandma was an amazing woman with an equally amazing life story. She grew up in Nazi Germany and met and married my grandpa when they were 16, and he was fighting with the American Resistance in WWII. He brought her back to the US on a Navy ship when the war was over, and they lived in New Buffalo, MI from then on. Much of her household had a German influence from her cooking to her decorations to her traditions. One of her favorite things to do was to bake cookies. My aunt made a cookie jar in an art class for her when she was in high school which my grandma proudly displayed on her kitchen counter. And it was ALWAYS full. Even when she got sick, she made sure that there were at least store-bought cookies filling that jar. At Christmastime that jar was filled with dozens of different kinds of her special Christmas cookies. She made thumbprints, snowballs, snickerdoodles, chocolate chip, sugar cookies, etc. She even made traditional German Apfel Kuchen and stollen each year. A few months before she passed away I called her and asked her for her recipes since many of them were not written down. It is absolutely not Christmas without her snickerdoodles in my heart. I have had them every single year since I was born, and I am so blessed to have the recipe to continue to bake them every year. I thought it would be fun to share it with you.

Grandma Trudy's Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 2/3 unsifted Pillsbury flour

1 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar + 2 Tbsp cinnamon

Directions:

In a mixer, combine butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. (I always use Mexican vanilla and double the amount any recipe calls for) In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salk. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients mixing after each addition. Cover the mixing bowl and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

When the dough is firm, roll into 1 1/2 inch balls, then roll in sugar and cinnamon mixture to coat. Place on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes at 375. Do not overbake! The cookies should be very lightly browned around the edges only.

I hope these become a Christmas tradition in your home too!

Day 3, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

3) Elves
If your kids are into the whole Santa thing, they are definitely aware that he sends elves to keep an eye on the kids and report back to him. Now there's actually a book along these lines, Elf on a Shelf. But the elf is a little creepy if you ask me (which you didn't, but I'm just sharing...). Anyway, when I taught pre-K, we had a couple of fun traditions that we'd institute at Christmastime that the kids LOVED, and I figured these might work at home too. We talked about how elves smelled like candy canes and sounded like jingle bells. We let the kids know that if they heard bells or smelled candy canes, it just might mean elves are near. And we all know elves are trickly little fellas who are hard to catch. So most of the time the only way we know they're around is if we smell them or hear them. Rarely will we actually catch a glimpse.

So we also used this to our advantage. We hung huge jingle bells on the outside of our classroom door with a sign that asked passers-by to ring them (especially if they noticed that our class was extra rowdy). We'd also carry 2 bells on a string in our class notebook (that had to accompany us wherever we went) that we'd ring at key moments. As for the smell? We filled a tiny squirt bottle with water and a few drops of peppermint essential oil. When the kids weren't looking, we'd spray some of the water in the air. I cannot even tell you how excited the kids would get when they'd smell that peppermint spray or hear the jingle bells. We'd always emphasize the good times way more than the not-so-good by saying things like, "Wow! We heard jingle bells, and you were all obeying exactly what you were asked to do! Do you think maybe an elf saw that?" We would never say anything like, "Did you smell that? When you were hitting your friend, I smelled peppermint. I'll bet that elf ran to tell Santa." =) We wanted to keep this as a very positive thing.

So grab a couple of jingle bells and a spray bottle of water and peppermint oil and see how your kids' eyes light up when they use their senses to detect elves.

Awesome Raffle Opportunity!

I've mentioned MckMama before on my blog, but this is huge and worth mentioning. A brief nutshell of her story is that they were given a fatal diagnosis for their unborn son at 24 weeks gestation. By God's grace, he is alive and well and just celebrated his one-month birthday. I posted asking for prayer for their family on his birthday. (This is also the recipient of my funky orange and hot pink quilt.) Anyway, she's having an enormous raffle that I cannot even begin to describe how badly I would love to win. If you're interested in donating to a great cause and, possibly, winning an amazing prize, head on over. If you're interested in another way to support String of Pearls, head on over to my etsy page and go shopping.

Day 2, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

2) Let's all make a new tradition this year and send a card to a recovering soldier. I got this idea in an -mail and wanted to share. While addressing your Christmas cards, add this address to your list.

A Recovering American Soldier

c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center

6900 Georgia Avenue,NW

Washington , D.C. 20307-5001

Day 1, 25 Days of Christmas Tips

1) Spiced cider is delicious and makes your house smell very Christmasy. I mix one jug of apple juice with 20 cinnamon starlight mints. Pour everything in your electic coffee urn or a soup pot and heat until the mints melt. Serve piping hot. Yum!

Also, I've replenished my stock of Quiet as a Chick and Quiet as an Owl bags in my etsy shop.