Oops, something went wrong. If you have been watching this site lately, you have probably wondered what has been happening. After all, you would expect a Christmas blog to at least have an occasional post during the Christmas season, wouldn’t you?

If you were at all concerned that I might have been run over by some crazy reindeer, I can relieve your mind. Everything here is just fine. I just got completely swamped in the Christmas rush. Something had to give and I finally decided that it had to be this blog (as opposed to making money for paying the rent and spending some quality Christmas time with the kids). My sincere apologies.

Anyway, after a while I started to feel so guilty that I didn’t even dare get back online (and the deluge of drug-related spam in my in-folder is rather disheartening - what is it about me that makes anyone think I am in the market???). But today I decided that was just silly. After all, not much longer and the countdown to Christmas will start up again. And what better time to start up with good resolutions than right here and now?

So here we go again - unless of course life gets way too crazy again.

We have finally done it! Our gingerbread house is finished. Rome wasn’t build in a day and neither was our gingerbread house. We actually split the work over four days this year: one each for preparing the dough, cutting and baking the walls, assembling the house and decorating it (the fun part).

We have made gingerbread houses for several years now and I thought I would share those lessons I have learned:

• Don’t even try to make your gingerbread house look like one in the magazines. That will only lead to frustration. Forget trimmings and fancy columns - I count the gingerbread house an architectural success if it stands up and doesn’t look completely lopsided. (Of course this rule doesn’t apply to you if you are an accomplished baker/cake decorator- but in that case you probably won’t be reading these instructions anyway)
• Take your time. This is a big project. The kids won’t have fun if it is turned into a marathon project. Depending on the age of your kids (and your patience level) some steps might be done best without them. I usually get fairly stressed at the assembling stage. Add to that the very hot sugar glue and it isn’t the best activity for little ones. However, everyone can help with the decorating!
• In my experience you have to make a decision: either the gingerbread house walls will be tasty to eat or the house will be sturdy. We have decided to go for the sturdy version (and basically discard the walls after the holidays). To get sturdy walls, just bake them until they are really, really hard.
• Don’t fool around with regular icing for glue to assemble the house. We instead boil sugar with a bit of water until it has a temperature of about 285°. Work quickly (otherwise the sugar will cool off too much and start to crystalize)! This works almost as well as cement (I am still trying to get some spilled drops off the kitchen table).
• However, the most important aspect of building a gingerbread house together as a family is to relax and have fun. Easy as it sounds, for people like me with a competitive/perfectionistic bent is quite difficult. However, practise really makes perfect here. This year I finally stopped worrying about the kids sneezing on the icing, the walls looking a bit bent or the candy sliding out of alignment. As a result, this year’s gingerbread house project was so much more fun than in previous years! The key here really is to enjoy the process and not to focus on the outcome!

Now I better run and take a picture of the finished gingerbread house before the kids eat off all the candy!

You may have noticed that I never got around to the promised description of our St. Martin celebration. Time got away from me and eventually so much time had passed that it just seemed rather silly to post about it. However, fear not, I will post about St. Nicholas and as it happens, the two celebrations are fairly similar, at least at our house.

Where we live, St. Martin is traditionally celebrated by the Protestant population and St. Nicholas by the Catholics. As I am a child of a mixed-denomination family (if that is what you call it) I was always in the lucky position to get treats on both days. And who am I to deny my kids the same advantage?
When the boys were still quite little, I made each of them a small burlap bag with a picture of St. Martin/St. Nick (they look fairly similar) on it.

I remember when I was little the Saint would come when it was dark, leave the treats and knock on the door. By the time I felt brave enough to open the door (both saints carry a switch to punish misbehaving children) he would of course be gone. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to figure out a way to surreptitiously get the treats outside in the bag and knock without the boys noticing. So for now, we do an easier (though somewhat less exciting) version: The boys hang the bags outside the door the night before and the bags are magically filled by morning time.

The typical treats are candy, apples and tangerines. However, I usually put in only a couple pieces of candy and add in some other presents. This year each of the boys received a small jigsaw puzzle and a Christmas-themed picture book.

B. received The Beautiful Christmas Tree and really liked it. It tells the story of a man who moves into a rundown house and who uses loving care to turn the building and a small whithered tree he plants into something special. It is neither too long nor too difficult for a three year old and the gentle story suits his personality.

J.’s book was The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. It tells of a gloomy woodcarver whose live has been bereft of joy since the death of his wife and child. It isn’t until a widow and her young son ask him to carve the figures for a manger scene that things change. When I first saw the book I felt a bit uncertain whether it would be right for my six-year old. The story is quite long and there is enough tragedy in the backstory that I feared J. might not care for it. However, I couldn’t have been more mistaken. He absolutely loves it. And I am truly astonished by J’s understanding of the more complex/less obvious aspects of the story. All in all, I would say this year’s St. Nicholas’ books were a big success.

Another family tradition is to make a gingerbread house on St. Nicholas. We did get one started but it isn’t finished yet. Like all great constructions it will take a while. However, today we have assembled the walls so all that is left to do is decorate it (which is of course the most important part). Hopefully, we will get to that tomorrow and I will post a picture of our creation (before the boys start sneaking the candy).

This weekend the plan was for me and the boys to bake a gingerbread house. Unfortunately, this morning I realized that though I had bought more butter at the store yesterday (no idea why; our gingerbread recipe doesn’t even call for butter), I had forgotten to get more flour (and let’s just say the recipe calls for lots of flour). Which meant that we would have to go shopping again today. And as we also needed various kinds of candy (after all, that is what gingerbread houses are all about) the limited-selection discount store in town wasn’t the best choice.
Now, the town we live in isn’t big but it just so happens that we live at one end and the stores are right at the other end. It isn’t a huge distance but it does take me a good 25 minutes to get there (on my own, without the kids). That still wouldn’t be a big problem but for one fact: our stroller is BROKEN.
If you are reading this you might well think a stroller is superfluous for an almost four year old. Unfortunately, B. doesn’t see it that way. To be honest, I am even more attached to the stroller than he is. We do not have a car so have to run all errands on foot. And let’s just say it isn’t exactly fun to drag a tired three year old across town to get a couple of stamps from the post office. Even more important, the stroller is very convenient for putting the shopping in. I absolutely hate, hate, hate walking all through town carrying bags with bottles of soda, bags of flour, cans of beans etc.
We managed the shopping today, even if I had to resort to bribing the boys with a short visit to the local McDonalds (also located at the other end of town). Still, it was rather a big production (and I forgot several items again!) So, much as I dislike the idea, I think we might be getting a new (or more accurately, a gently-used) stroller. Actually, the way things are looking right now, B. might still be riding in a stroller when he enters high-school.

For this week’s entry to Shannon’s WFMW blog carnival at Rocks in my dryer I wanted to share a special Christmas tradition our family enjoys very much. It is short, easy, and - at least for us - provides a good opportunity to feel the Christmas spirit in the middle of all the hustle and bustle.

Every night, right before bedtime, we have a short Christmas song sing-a-long. It is only one song, but the kids look forward to it all day - probably because the sing-a-long includes that wonderful secret ingredient, a candle with an open flame. Anyway, the process is simple enough:

1. Every night each one of us (me, J., B.) has a special job. The jobs rotate through. (Don’t forget whose turn it is to do what or the pleasant ritual will turn into a major fight - I know whereof I speak!)
2. The first one up gets to light the candle.
3. The second person gets to choose a song (no matter if big brother HATES “Jingle Bells” or if we had it three days in a row) and we all sing it together (just be glad you don’t have to listen!)
4. The third person gets to blow out the candle.

That’s it. Very easy, fast (no more than five minutes) and still something Christmasy to look forward to at the end of the day.

Family history has it that my grandparents almost got divorced about the purchase of a christmas tree in 1948. Apparently, my Grandfather kept promising to get one but kept putting it off until, on the 23rd, Grandma herself went out to buy one. They ended up with two trees (and probably not the best on the lot either). But that was 1948 and divorces weren’t easy to come by so they reconciled. Given the prevalence of easy divorces now, it might be a good idea to avoid the same problem.

Okay, maybe that’s putting it a bit strongly. Hopefully, your relationship is strong enough to withstand a Christmas Tree Argument. But Christmas tree purchases can lead to major family tensions. Which of course is not at all what the holiday season is about. So I spent a bit of time doing some research on how to get the perfect Christmas tree and will share some of these tips with you.

1. Do not wait until the last moment (Remember my grandparents!). Actually, mid-November is the best time. The sooner you buy, the better your choices. However, if you are looking for a Charlie Brown Christmas tree and do not plan on putting it up for long, you might wait and get a last minute deal.
2. Decide if you need a real tree or want to stick with an artificial tree. Artificial trees may be cleaner and less expensive, but for me only a real tree is the right thing (just think of the smell). Still, tastes and needs are different so you may feel different. If you are severely allergic to evergreen trees or if your rental agreement prohibits the use of real Christmas trees (yep, that can happen) do not dispair. Artificial trees are now quite good quality (or so I’ve been told).
3. Before you go out to buy your tree, decide where you want to put it. Find a place for the tree where it will be out of the way and safe from danger (Hard to do if you have a toddler, I know. One year we built a small fence around ours!) If the tree will be positioned against a wall or in a corner and not all sides are easily visible, you have the option of saving some money by buying a less perfect tree. After all, why pay for perfection that noone will notice? Measure carefully (height and width) and check your tree stand to make sure the tree of your dreams will fit.
4. Take a tape measure along for when you go out to get your tree. Don’t forget an old blanket to protect your car and rope to attach the tree to your car.
5. Most Christmas trees grow on tree farms where it takes around 10 years from it to develop from a seed to a 7 ft Christmas tree. You have several options for buying a tree:
   • You can get a tree at a cut-your-own farm (if you are not handy with an axe check beforehand if they will do the cutting for you)
   • At a lot
   • On the internet: This saves time but takes away the fun of chosing out in the lot (or on the farm). Especially handy for anyone who has trouble transporting the tree home afterwards.

Stay tuned for a second post about how to choose the perfect Christmas Tree in which I will talk about how to find the right tree for you.

We’ve been waiting for the longest time and today it is finally here - the first day of snow. When we got up this morning (WAY too early for a Saturday morninig thanks to B) there were a good three inches of snow lying on the ground. Hurrah!
It wasn’t really a surprise as the weather forecasts had predicted this - they are so much more accurate now than they used to be when I was a child. I remember them being completely wrong all the time when I was little (as in floods of rain when the prediction called for “nice and sunny”). Luckily, the forecasts are more reliable now. Which means I was able to buy all the ingredients for our special “First Day of Snow Lunch” yesterday and we don’t have to rush out this morning to get it.
Do you have a special meal you like to serve the day of the first snowfall (if you live in a snowy climate that is)? We usually prepare Chili, one of our favorite dishes.

Chili

Ingredients

• 1 Onion
• 1/2 green pepper (optional), some garlic
• 1 lb of ground meat
• 1 small can of beans
• pureed tomatoes or tomato paste
• paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, hot sauce
• balsamic vinegar (really)

Instructions

1. Chop onion (and pepper if used) in small pieces and sautee in a little bit of oil until they turn slightly brown.
2. Add in the meat and continue cooking until meat is browned.
3. Pour in some balsamic vinegar until you can smell it in the skillet.
4. Add in a good teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 tsp of cumin, hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste. (Sorry, but I can’t really tell you how much to use as it depends on how you like it. We eat our chili really, really spicy). Mix well and cook a minute or two.
5. Pour in the pureed tomatoes (or tomato paste mixed with water) and cook for about twenty minutes.
6. Drain the kidney beans well and put into the skillet. Add water to give the chili the right consistency. Cook another 10 minutes or so.
7. Tasty!

The chili is extra tasty with freshly baked cornmuffins!
Oops, I didn’t get to post it on Saturday (getting the photos put in always takes me forever - the main reason I have those boring, picture-less posts in between or I would never get to post at all), but better late than never, I say (that’s what I should have called my blog).