Christians celebrate Christmas to observe the birth of Jesus Christ, which is an event and not a tradition. But many other activities related to celebrating the Christmas season evolved from certain traditions, many of which are from other countries, particularly from peoples in Europe.

Among common items used in Christmas decorations are the holly and the mistletoe. Both are used primarily in wreaths and garlands. The Druids started the tradition of using the mistletoe as decorative items up to two hundred years before Christ. To celebrate the winter season, the Druids would gather the plants and use them to decorate their homes. The Druids believed the mistletoe would bring good luck and ward off evil spirits. They also believed that the mistletoe had a healing quality and could be used for everything from healing wounds to increase fertility.

In Scandinavia, the mistletoe was seen as a plant of peace and harmony and was associated with Frigga, the goddess of love. This association is probably what led to the custom of kissing under the mistletoe. In the Victorian period, the English also would hang mistletoe from ceilings and in doorways during holidays. The habit developed that if someone was standing under the mistletoe, someone else in the room would kiss that person. Such outright behavior was not generally seen in Victorian society. The use of the mistletoe in Christmas celebrations was once banned by the church however because of its associations with pagan traditions, and the use of holly was suggested as a substitute.

Poinsettias are another traditional decorative flower used at Christmas. It is native to Mexico and is named after Joel Poinsett, who was the first U.S ambassador to Mexico and who brought the plants to America in 1828. Mexicans believe the plants were a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem and that’s one reason they are associated with Christmas. There’s also the story that a young boy was going to see the Nativity Play at a church but realized he didn’t have a gift for Baby Jesus. The boy gathered some green branches, which others scoffed at. But as he placed them near the manger, a bright red poinsettia flower started to bloom on each branch, which gave rise to their traditional use at Christmas.

Candy canes became a Christmas tradition not because their red and white stripes matched the colors of the season, but for the most unusual reason of discipline. that’s because they were first used as treats that were give to German children to keep them well-behaved for the duration of church sermons. Over time, the legend of candy canes at Christmas came to be associated with some of the strongest symbols and beliefs of Christianity: the Father, Son and Holy Ghost known as the Trinity, the Blood of the Son of God, Jesus as the embodiment of holiness, purity and without sin and the Son of God as the shepherd of man. The candy cane represents these symbols respectively with its three stripes, its red and white color and its shape.

Sending greeting cards during Christmas and the holidays is as prevalent today as the custom of giving gifts. The tradition of sending Christmas cards started in 1840 in Britain with the start of public postal delivery service of the ‘Penny Post.’ Then from about 1860, large numbers of Christmas greeting cards started to be produced. The popularity of the cards increased in Britain when they could be sent by the postal service for one half-penny, which was half the price to post a standard letter at the time, if they were in an unsealed envelope. Religious pictures of Mary, Joseph , Baby Jesus, the angels, shepherds and Wise Men were traditionally placed on Christmas cards. Some cards today include scenes from the Nativity, but pictures of Santa Claus, winter scenery, Christmas trees, gift packages and others are also depicted on contemporary Christmas greeting cards.

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When planning a New Year’s Eve party appetizers are one of the items the host spends a great deal of time considering. This is because appetizers, along with cocktails, are one of the most popular food options for a New Year’s Eve party. Unlike other parties which typically take place during a meal time, New Years Eve parties usually start later in the evening. This makes planning the food for the party a little more complicated. New Year’s Eve parties may start at around 8:00-9:00 or even later. This is too late to serve dinner but because the party will last at least until midnight it is too long of a time to expect your guest to go without any food. For this reason, most New Year’s Eve parties feature light food items such as appetizers or sandwiches.

When selecting appetizers for your New Years Eve, it is important to consider the number of guests you will have at your party. While it might be acceptable to allow 4-5 appetizers per person when the cocktail reception is held in conjunction with a dinner, this is not appropriate for a New Years Eve party. Considering the duration of the New Years Eve party, the lack of more substantial food and the alcohol consumption which is likely it is much more appropriate to allow for 12-15 appetizers per person. Considering this large number, you should plan on providing at least five different appetizers for your party to ensure your guests will get to taste a wide variety of items.

When selecting appetizers for your New Years Eve party it is also important to consider the set up of the party. If you will be providing tables and chairs for the guests, it is appropriate to include appetizers which require a fork to eat. However, if you will not be providing seating, it is more appropriate to only include appetizers which can easily be eaten with the hands. You should also consider how convenient the appetizers are to eat. There are many great appetizers which can be quite messy or require elaborate dipping sauces. These types of appetizers are not a great idea for a New Years Eve party where guests are likely to be dressed quite elegantly. Sticking to items which are easy to eat and do not result in a great deal of mess will be greatly appreciated by all of the guests.

It is also important to consider appetizers in a number of different categories when selecting appetizers for your New Years Eve party. In particular you might want to consider serving both sweet and savory appetizers. If you opt to provide both types of appetizers, you have the option of either offering both types of appetizers throughout the evening or offering the savory appetizers for the majority of the evening and then switching to sweet appetizers just before midnight when the New Years Eve party is likely to end within an hour or two. Whichever option you select it is important to plan the number of appetizer according to your distribution strategy. For example if you plan to only offer sweet appetizers in the last hour of two of the party, you should purchase or prepare less of these appetizers than the savory appetizers. However, if you will be distributing both types of appetizers throughout the evening you should purchase or prepare a more equal distribution of appetizers.

Finally, in selecting appetizers, it is also important to consider how the appetizers will be distributed. This is important because if you will have servers circulating with trays of appetizers you can prepare differently than if the appetizers will be left on a buffet table. Specifically if you plan to offer appetizers on a buffet table, you may wish to select mostly items which do not have to be eaten hot if you do not have a method of keeping these items warm. However, if the appetizers will be passed by servers you can serve hot items because the servers bring out only small portions at a time and the rest can be kept warm in the kitchen until needed.

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Preparing food for a New Years Eve party can be a great deal of fun or it can be a great deal of stress. It can even be a combination for the two. Those who are experienced at throwing parties may be able to plan a menu for their New Years Eve party and execute their plan with ease while still enjoying the party. However, those who do not have a great deal of experience hosting parties may have difficulty planning a menu and may feel a great deal of stress on the day of the party. In either case, it is wise to begin planning the food for your New Years Eve party in advance to ensure your guests enjoy the food at the party. This article will offer some tips for preparing food for a New Years Eve party.

Whether you are an accomplished chef or a novice cook, preparing food for a New Years Eve party can be quite a challenge. One of the first decisions you will have to make is what kind of food you will like to prepare for your guests. You may opt for offering a sit down dinner early in the evening and light snacks and desserts afterwards. Likewise you may opt to offer a dinner buffet early in the evening and snacks and desserts throughout the remainder of the evening. Alternately you may choose to skip dinner because the party will likely start late in the evening and simply offer an assortment of sweet and savory appetizers throughout the evening. Once you have selected one of these options you can make other decisions such as what types of foods to offer and how much food to prepare.

Regardless of the types of foods you decide to offer, you will also have to make decisions regarding the preparation of the food. The simplest, but also likely the most expensive, preparation option is to have the party catered. In this case you pay a caterer to prepare and deliver all of the food. They will also likely provide the methods for keeping the foods hot or cold if necessary. This is an excellent option for hosts who do not want to spend a great deal of time preparing food for the party and who do not want to have a great deal of responsibility related to food preparation on the evening of the party.

Another option for preparing food for your New Years Eve party is to prepare all of the food ahead of time. With a little research you will surely find a large number of recipes for items which can be prepared ahead of time. These recipes can include items which can be served chilled, room temperature or hot. For items which should be served hot, you will only have to worry about reheating the food on the night of the party. Preparing the majority of the food ahead of time is a great idea and will really help to enable the host to enjoy the festivities on the evening of the party.

Still another less popular option is to prepare all of the food during the party. This helps to ensure the food is all fresh and is served at the appropriate temperature but it is also a great deal of work for the host. The host will not likely have a great deal of time to socialize with the guests because she will likely spend a great deal of time busy with food preparation.

When planning a New Years Eve party, you can also consider hosting a potluck event. This greatly simplifies the food preparation process for the host. If you opt for a potluck, it is important for the host of the party to coordinate with the guests to determine who will bring what to the party. This is important because you do not want everyone to bring a dessert. Likewise you don’t want everyone to bring an entrée either. Ideally a couple of people will prepare entrees and the remainder of guests will bring side dishes, salads and desserts to the party.

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The Christmas holiday season is a busy time and its probably a time when you could do with a little of the work load being lifted. If you are planning to host a New Year’s Eve party this year, why not make the party a pot luck event. Most people consider potlucks for picnics and parties for other occasions but a potluck is rarely considered when throwing a New Year’s Eve party. However, there are a number of advantages to hosting this type of event. As well as reducing the amount of work required by the host of the party, ensuring the guests all enjoy some of the food provided and cutting down on the amount of leftovers the host has at the end of the evening. It also gets everyone involved and gives them a chance to show off their different ideas and recipes for party food. This article will examine the logistics of hosting a potluck New Year’s Eve party.

A potluck is a good idea for a fun New Year’s Eve party. Some hosts may be hesitant to ask their guests to contribute a dish for the party but there are a few ways to make the potluck a great deal of fun. One way to do this is by implementing a theme for the party. The host can take the responsibility for preparing the main course and then assign each guest to bring another part of the meal to the New Year’s Eve party with the stipulation that the dish they bring should fit with the theme of the party.

While a potluck New Year’s Eve party greatly reduces the responsibility of the host in terms of food preparation, it is important for the host to remember she is still responsible for coordinating the meal. The host should take care of ensuring all of the elements of the meal are provided. This is important for preventing each guest from bringing a dessert and none of the guests bringing savory items such as the main course, side dishes, salads or appetizers. One way the host can do this is to indicate on each guest’s invitation which type of dish they should bring. The guest may assign 2-3 people to bring side dishes and 4-5 people to bring appetizers, 4-5 people to bring side dishes, 4-5 people to bring salads and 2-3 people to bring desserts. This will help to ensure there is a variety of item in each category.

It is also important to consider food service when planning a New Year’s Eve party. This logistical matter is especially important if guests will be providing items which must be served hot. The host might want to consult with the guests to determine what they will be bringing to contribute to the New Year’s Eve party and how the food should be served. If it is necessary to serve the item hot, the host should plan ahead to make accommodations to reheat the item or keep the item hot if the guest arrives with the item still hot. This is important because dinner will not likely be served immediately when guests arrive.

Beverages should also be carefully considered when planning a potluck New Year’s Eve party. One way to deal with beverages is for the host to supply all of the beverages. This is a good solution because alcoholic cocktails are particularly popular for New Year’s Eve parties and the host may prefer to plan on providing a few signature cocktails throughout the evening and will want to ensure they have the ingredients necessary to create those categories. While the host may want to provide all of the alcoholic beverages, she may allow a few guests to bring non alcoholic beverages as their contribution to the pot luck.

Finally, when planning a New Year’s Eve potluck it is important to ensure guests are aware of any dietary restrictions which should be considered when making the food for the party. For example if the host is aware that several guests require special diets such as diets for diabetics or diets for those with high blood pressure she want to make sure guests who will be preparing food for the party are also aware of these restrictions. The host may also want to ensure at least one main dish item is vegetarian in case any of the guests do not eat meat.

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The day before Christmas is one that is filled with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. There’s anxiety at putting all the final plans and finishing decoration touches in place and getting all the necessary shopping done. There’s also much anticipation about all the merriment and excitement of Christmas day. Children are usually hardly able to control themselves as they think about the Christmas gifts they hope to get the next day. They may try to stay up through the night to catch Santa Claus, or they may just be too excited to sleep.

Christmas Eve is also important for the simple reason that in ancient custom, and among some cultures today, a holiday or other celebrated day really starts from sundown of the day before the actual day that is celebrated. Therefore, festivities  and observances for Christmas Day would really begin on Christmas Eve.

One of the most significant aspects of Christmas Eve however, is related to religion. Attending Midnight Mass or earlier church services is mandatory for many people whose religion is Christianity. This is so even for people who aren’t regular churchgoers during the year. Evidence of the importance of these church services can be seen in the overflow of congregations at the churches.

Many churches will also have an added service earlier in the evening to accommodate the above normal attendance, and also for individuals like the elderly who would prefer a service that is earlier than Midnight Mass.

Another important aspect of Christmas Eve celebrations is related to retail operations. On the day before Christmas, stores make a last ditch effort to push sales of Christmas and other merchandise. There often are special promotions last-minute advertised to capitalize on late, desperate Christmas shoppers and other impulse buyers. This last effort is also aimed at increasing sales for the Christmas period.

Some stores will remain open late, even up to midnight or just before midnight. Macy’s department store in New York City, which bills that particular store branch as the world’s largest, stayed open until midnight on Christmas Eve of 1867 for the first time. Christmas Eve culminates the single biggest shopping season, which started the day after Thanksgiving, for retailers.

Christmas Eve is also important for the traditions associated with it. It is the night when parents have to play the role of Santa Claus and sneak toys and other Christmas gifts under the Christmas tree to the absolute delight and surprise of children who awake on Christmas morning to find the presents.

The idea of Santa Claus coming descending chimneys on Christmas Eve to leave gifts for good boys and girls was made popular by a poem, attributed to Clement Clarke Moore. In that poem titled ‘An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas, ‘which Moore wrote in 1822 and which is now popularly known as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,’ Moore described Santa Claus s ‘a right jolly old elf’ who went from house to house with his sleigh pulled by reindeers flying through the air to deliver Christmas presents to all the girls and boys who had been well behaved.

Food plays a big role in making Christmas Day special and much of its preparation often begins on Christmas Eve. Poultry and other meats are often prepared by letting them stand in a mixture of various herbs and spices, puddings and pies are baked on Christmas Eve, as well as a fresh batch of gingerbread and other cookies and treats.

The scents and flurry of activity related to all these preparations also help to make Christmas Eve a memorable day on its own.

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Just because you’re stuck in an office all day doesn’t mean Christmas fun can’t extend to your workplace. Depending on the environment at your work, it’s definitely possible to mix holiday fun with work.

One obvious choice for some fun at the office during the holidays is to have a party. You could have several, in fact. How about a cookie exchange party? Plan to do this at lunchtime one day, and during that block of time, everyone brings several dozen cookies they have made. You have to set a particular number of cookies everyone brings. Because once everyone has an empty plate, they go around the table picking up cookies that look good to them and place them on their empty paper plate. If everyone brought 3 dozen cookies, say, then everyone gets to take home 3 dozen cookies. This is not a particularly unique idea, but one that brings a bit of fun into the workplace.

Keeping in mind whether or not the public visits your workplace, you might choose to decorate. Why not have a Christmas tree decorating event? Everyone brings 6 ornaments and as a group activity, everyone decorates the tree. This is a good way to build team spirit and decorate your workplace at the same time.

Don’t forget to institute a “secret Santa” event at work, where you secretly buy gifts for someone and have some type of gift exchange. But what about a “Santa’s helper” activity? Someone in the group has to begin this on the sly. Essentially, this first person (the only one in the know about how the whole thing began) puts together a little gift. Ideally, it’s a basket with a few gift items in it. They might be decorative items, or baked goods or even bath items. Attach a card saying that “Santa’s helper” dropped by and brought these items. Now the person who received the “helper’s” gift must put together a little something for someone else and – again on the sly – deliver it to the next person. It continues until everyone has received a visit from “Santa’s helper”.

Nothing brings people together like a group activity designed to help others. What if your officemates came up with an activity designed to help people less fortunate at the holidays? You might adopt a local family and everyone in the office purchases items for that family. You might choose to purchase  Christmas Gifts or food for needy families. If the public visits your office often, you might even begin a “sharing” tree and people can bring items to put under the tree for needy families or children. As a group activity, the office workers can then deliver these items to the needy.

The particularly festive office might want to have someone come in and do a cooking demonstration. If there are enough people interested, you can hire a cook or baker to come into your office on your lunch hour and do a demonstration or class. Say you want to bake but don’t know what to bake this year. A baker can come in and demonstrate cookies or other goodies you might not have thought to make. Or someone can come in with ideas and samples for the perfect Christmas meal. These ideas are perfect for the environment where people work many hours and are quite busy but still want to do their regular cooking and baking each year.

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Family is at the core of the Christmas season, so creating fun memories with your family is always at the top of the must-do list this time of year.

What fun activities can you incorporate into your family life that makes Christmas memorable and fun? Plenty, really. There are the traditional and the things a little bit out of the box.

Think back to your childhood and Christmas time in your house. Are there particular memories that are clearer than others? Those are likely the traditions your parents created for you and your siblings. Trying to create traditions in your own home with your own children is one way to make Christmas fun, exciting and memorable. Perhaps it’s decorating cookies, or making gingerbread houses. Maybe when you were younger your mom always had something yummy smelling coming from the kitchen. You can create the same tradition by simply keeping potpourri warmed and smelling nice, if you don’t have the time to bake frequently.

If you want to do a fun family activity in the kitchen, but baking’s not your thing, you can make a variety of other gift items in your kitchen. The kids love making chocolate and candy covered pretzel sticks, and you can pair those with homemade hot cocoa mix to give as gifts.

Be sure to incorporate music into your family’s traditions. How about some family fun singing Christmas carols or creating your own family music CD? Record your family singing Christmas carols and use that CD as your music CD for the holidays. If you all are particularly talented, you could make these look pretty and give them as gifts.

Many families like to cut down their own Christmas tree. This is a really fun family activity that can add a lot to the Christmas season. Christmas tree farms are located just about everywhere. Check into a local grower’s group for locations. You simply show up, grab a saw (this is mom or dad’s job) and go hunting. Depending on the location of the tree farm, you might walk only a short distance, or you might have to hike up and down hills and far into the farm’s reaches to find just the right tree.

To add even more fun to this activity, create another family tradition that will annually go with the tree cutting. It can be as simple as also having lunch (at the same place each year) and picking up candy to eat in the car on the way home. You might also add a shopping excursion to the day; after the tree is safe at home in a bucket of water, you might all go shopping as a family for some new ornaments.

Other fun family activities can include annual visits to certain places in your community. Does your town have an annual “Christmas tree lane” where all the homes on one street decorate (sometimes in an over the top fashion) for the holidays? You can make a tradition of driving down the street each year, or walking the entire street, if the weather allows. Walking gives the kids a chance to see some of the details of the various décor items.

Many children think hot cocoa is an essential part of the Christmas season. If that’s the case with yours, you could start a fun family activity each year where you make a big batch of hot cocoa mix at the start of the season. Let the kids have a small cup each night before bed during the month of December and closer to Christmas, add special items to the hot cocoa, like mini marshmallows one night and whipped cream another. Be sure to leave this family-made hot cocoa for Santa on Christmas Eve!

At a certain age, children enjoy decorating their room for the holidays. One fun family Christmas activity is to encourage this decoration by letting the kids shop for items to put in their rooms and letting them do the decorating. Be sure to take a picture of them in their decorated room each year. They’ll enjoy looking at the pictures year after year.

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Sliced Christmas Leg of Ham looks scrumptious on the table an tastes even better when its a naturally smoked ham.   Where smoked goods of any kind are concerned, it is well worth insisting on naturally smoked produce.

When choosing a leg of ham, buy a small leg which will provide the best quality and tasting meat. A large leg of ham comes from a mature pig and has drier, darker meat whilst boar meat will also have a very strong testosterone stench.

The method used to cure, smoke and cook the ham will also greatly impact on the flavour of the meat.  Many butchers prepare their hams, sausages, bacon and corned silverside with nitrates which is a man-made chemical that preserves and enhances the colour of cured and salted meat. The “smoking” of meat is produced by using an artificial ingredient known as ‘liquid’ smoke during the cooking process which also greatly reduces cooking time.

Cancer Councils around the world are warning people against the use of cancer-forming nitrates found in some dried and cured meats, sausages, hams, bacons, and other smoke flavoured meat goods.

Traditional preparation of cured, smoked meats is an exacting, precise and relatively long process but does not use nitrates. A precise ratio of four naturally occurring elements is combined to form a brine mixture which is injected into the meat in a precise ratio to salt the meat. The meat is then smoked to produce a rich golden colour and give it a distinctive flavour depending on the blend of wood chips and saw dust burned, i.e. hickory wood, pine saw dust, plum wood, etc. The meat is then slowly steamed to retain all the moisture and flavour. The smoking and cooking stages take approximately ten hours.

Traditionally produced hams may take some time to track down and cost a little more but your health and taste buds will love you forever!

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This is a magnificent White Fruit Cake full of glace pineapple, cherries, lemon and orange rind, raisins, almonds, & egg whites.  It is excellent for any celebration.  I have made it for weddings, engagements, Christmases, parties, business launches, and it’s good to eat when you just need a lift too.  If you don’t like Dark or Light Fruit Cakes, this White Fruit Cake this will probably change your mind.  If you can’t cook find someone who will make if for you!

The cake is better for making it ahead of time and leaving it for at least three days and I am told preferably a couple of weeks before eating it (a cake has never lasted out of the freezer for more than three days in our house – there’s always someone who wants to sample it straight after its cooked!) It freezes well if you need to make it ahead of time or can be left in an air tight tin for some time (but I do find that it gets sticky fingers attacking it, if left unguarded!)

The cake is too sweet and beautiful to hide under icing.

Makes: 2.5kg (5½ lb) cake

Equipment:

Cake tin: spring form tin with a tube centre or a 25cm (10 inch) angel food cake tin
Greaseproof paper
Kitchen Scales
Teaspoon Measure
Sharp Knife (Use under supervision)
Cutting Board
Mixing Bowl
Blender (Use under supervision)
Wooden Spoon
Oven (Use under supervision)

Ingredients:

Crystallised Pineapple (6 Slices)
Candied Citron (170g/6oz)
Candied Lemon & Orange Rind (225g/8oz)
Glacé Cherries (halved) (112g/4oz)
Seedless Raisins (170g/6oz)
Slivered Blanched Almonds (170g/6oz)
Plain Flour (455g/1lb)
Baking Powder (2 teaspoons)
Salt (2 teaspoons)
Fat (Lard or Vegetable Fat) (170g/6oz)
Butter or Margarine (66g/2oz)
White Sugar (455g/1lb)
Milk (112ml/4fl. oz)
Egg Whites (8)

Method:

1. Prepare baking tin by lining it with two layers of greaseproof paper.
2. Cut the candied fruit into large uniform slices so that the cut slices show beautiful colours.  You can arrange some of the fruit in patterns on the base of the cake and gently spoon the mixture on top without disturbing your pattern.
3. Combine fruit and almonds with sifted dry ingredients.
4. Cream together fat, butter or margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Stir in combined fruits, nuts and sifted dry ingredients alternatively with milk to make a stiff batter.
6. In a separate oil free bowl beat egg whites until stiff then gently fold into cake batter.
7. Spoon mixture into prepared tin.
8. Bake in a slow oven (300°F, Mark 2, 150°C) about 2½ hours or until firm to touch and skewer comes out of cake clean.
9. If top seems to be browning too fast, cover it with heavy greaseproof paper during last 45 minutes of baking. Do same with bottom of cake if you have floor gas or electric heated ovens.

Enjoy!

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