Bitter Sweet Holidays

Today's Guest Blogger is Maria, author of the blog Tough Cookie Mommy. A native New Yorker who shares her stories, reflections, triumphs and so much more. Stop by her blog to gain some insight into who she is and maybe, make you reflect upon who you are.  You might be a tougher cookie than you think...


BITTER SWEET HOLIDAYS

The holidays have a wonderful way of bringing out the best and the worst in people. More often than not, we hear holiday stories where everyone had an amazing time as much as we hear stories of family gatherings gone wrong. It is a unique time of the year where everyone's emotions are running high and a lot of stress and preparation goes into getting ready for a few days of festivities. As a result of this, there are many things that we all love about the holidays and, unfortunately, there are also many things that we all dread about the holidays. I guess you can't have a complete holiday season without experiencing both. Being that I happen to be somewhat of an expert on the "good, bad, and the ugly" of the holiday season, I thought I would enlighten you with a list of the 5 best things about the holidays and the 5 most dreaded things about the holidays:

5 Things That We All Love About The Holidays:

1) Buying presents for all our loved ones.

2) The looks on children's faces as they open their presents.

3) Eating all of the wonderful food that we prepare around the holidays.

4) Spending time with those who matter the most to us.

5) Singing along to holiday music.


5 Things We All Dread About The Holidays:

1) Seeing those family members that we work so hard all year long to avoid seeing.

2) Looking at our bank accounts after the holidays.

3) The morning after New Year's Eve...

4) Going crazy trying to buy that "must have" toy for your child that is sold out everywhere.

5) Having to clean up after all of your guests go home.

*HONORABLE MENTION* Your Mother In Law!

Luckily for most of us, the holidays are such a magical time that we very often think that the good experiences outweigh the bad ones. It is really important that you don't lose sight of the things that truly matter during the holidays such as family, friends, and unity. This is the time of the year where we slow down from our daily grind and focus on our loved ones and what they mean to us in our lives. This year, I am especially grateful for my two sons and the fact that they are healthy and happy. At the end of the day, that is what celebrating the holidays is really about, celebrating life and all of its many blessings. I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very healthy and happy holiday season and New Year.

Wordless Wednesday :: Holidays!

Macy's, NYC

Fisher Nuts Cookbook Giveaway

The air has turned from warm to cool and soon the ground will be coated in white. I don't know about you, but for me, it means time for holiday decorating and baking! I bake A LOT of cookies and treats to share with friends and family. To give something homemade is really giving something from yourself. It makes you feel good to give it and makes the person on the other end feel good to receive it.

Soon, kitchens will be warm and full of sweet smells. Trays will be piled with sugary confections, wrapped and topped with a bow to hand to a neighbor, teacher, co-worker or mail carrier. Ahhh, I love this time of year! How about you?

 Fisher Nuts are a staple in my kitchen. I use the pecans for pie and chocolate "turtle" candy, walnuts for all types of cookies and about 5 other types of nuts to make an italian cookie that my father's grandmother used to make.

In honor of the upcoming "baking" season, we are going to have another giveaway sponsored by Fisher Nuts!! Woo-hoo!

Entering this giveaway is going to be easy and the best part is, if you win, you get to share! That's right! Five lucky readers will win TWO cookbooks, one to keep and one to share with a friend! How about that for giving!

To enter this giveaway, simply share in the comments below:

Your favorite holiday treat that you make or one that you receive. Why is it your favorite?


This giveaway will begin today (11/23) and end (11/30). US residents only. Winners will be chosen randomly on 11/30 and announced on this post 12/1. Please be sure to leave your email in  comment so I may contact you for mailing.

Good Luck!!

I wanted to also let you know that Fisher Nuts is also having a "Handmade from the Heart" Sweepstakes going on until 12/10.

 Share your favorite dessert recipe or gift giving tip that includes their brand and you could win a $50 Visa Gift Card!!  It's easy: "Like" their Facebook page and click on the "Sweepstakes" tab. You should so enter!!


***Cookbooks were provided by Fisher Nuts for this giveaway.****

*************WINNERS ANNOUNCED!! ****************

List Randomizer
There were 7 items in your list. Here they are in random order:
1. 8
2. 2
3. 1
4. 7
5. 5
6. 3
7. 6
Timestamp: 2010-12-01 03:06:40 UTC

I counted from top to bottom, (skipping my comment) to place in random order, then with a click of a button, the computer decided and we have the top 5 that will be sent a cookbook to keep and one to share with a friend!

Congrats go to :
Dawn W., Andrea, Suburban Prep, Susitravl and Tanya!

I Love Those J-I-N-G-L-E, Bells...

This photo is from the blog "Simply Marvelous" a beautiful blog on horses.

I have two favorite versions of the "Jingle Bells" song; one sung by Frank Sinatra and the other by Harry Connick Jr. Every time I hear them, it puts a little hop to my step and I can't help but sing along.

One of my favorite holiday trivia questions is this :

What is the name of the horse pulling the sleigh in the song "Jingle Bells" ?

I'll wait while you sing the song in your head....

We had friends stop over last night and over a glass of wine, we discussed the holiday and if we were "all done". I was so surprised that I found myself saying "yes"! I cannot remember the last time I felt "ready". It seems I am always cramming to get last minute things done like baking cookies, mailing packages or cards. This year, my cards have been mailed, packages have gone out and I have only a few recipes left to bake. It is leaving me feeling as if I am forgetting something!

Friends and family joked because last year, we did not send a Christmas card, but a Happy New Year card. From our discussion last night, I now realize why. There were other priorities.

This time last year we were without power due to a massive ice storm. I'm not talking a few hours without power, I'm talking days. My husband was in Chicago. He was trying to beat the storm home (which he did) and come to my rescue as I had a very long day bailing out our sump pump and snaking extension cords to neighbors' outlets to help me save our month old finished basement. Can one feel thankful and also feel like they are getting kicked in the pants at the same time? Well, I guess that's how I would describe it, because thankfully, the other half of our neighborhood DID have power, so I was able to plug in to get the sump pump working. The kick came when at night, I could look out my window and see every light, every Christmas light display and even heat escaping from chimneys, as some neighbors were blissfully unaware that Siberia was out their back door.

Generators were at a premium on day 2. We were able to get one and keep the sump pump and our refrigerator working. I never realized how dependent we are on electricity! More luck for us: we replaced our electric stove for a gas version, so at least I could cook! By day 3, winter camping in our house was beginning to get old and we decided that if the power did not come on the next day, we would go where it was available. While sharing pizza with our friends, we noticed that Christmas lights were blazing on our side of the neighborhood. We asked in disbelief, "Now why would you waste generator power on lights?!!" Then we saw lights up and down the street. "We have POWER!!, Ok, love ya and thanks for the pizza, but we are going home!" I never knew turning on ALL the lights in one's house could bring such joy! I guess I was listening to the radio when the power went out, because as we walked in, I could hear Frank singing "Jingle Bells".

Did you figure it out?

I know, it's a trick question. The song doesn't say- but most people think it's Bobtail. The lyrics are actually:

"Bells on bob tails ring, making spirits bright..."

It was fun to sing it though, wasn't it?

Yup, my spirits are bright this year and so are the lights on my tree.

Giving Thanks

Yesterday, I had the best Thanksgiving meal ever and I'm not talking about the food (well, not entirely).

There is something special that happens when we have this holiday at my in-laws. I can't quite place my finger on it, but it's a combination of perfect food (how does my mother-in-law do it?!) and perfect conversation. I love that the dining room table is the center of the universe at this house and all who enter through the door are drawn to it to share a meal or story of the past or present.

A few years ago, we decided to rotate this holiday so that travel could be kept to a minimum and to give my mother-in-law a break. We hosted last year and my sister-in-law the year before. As fun and relaxing as those were, it is just not the same as being around Mom and Dad's table.

Dinner was ready by 1:00 and all 19 of us sat down to the traditional turkey, stuffing, greenbeans and lasagna and wine. Yes, in this house, lasagna is tradition. Relatives young and old gave thanks for being together and a hearty "salute" shared by all before we dug in.

The magic at this table seems to be that 10 conversations can happen at once and yet we are all part of one big discussion. To my left, my sister-in-law, who in the spring will be traveling with her family to Italy, was practicing her Italian with my father-in-law. They would confirm with my mother-in-law who was mid-way down and across the table if they were saying the words right. To my right, talk of relatives who have passed and how unsafe visits to the cemetery are these days. It seems lately, folks are getting accosted when relatives are visiting gravesites and muggings are on the rise. So much for resting in peace. Further down the table requests for a cranberry dish are made because rumor had it from another table spot that it was de-lish. More conversations of trips to Italy and the top 5 things to see, how big all the kids are getting and days gone by.

After dinner, desserts replace the main dishes. Some folks move into the living room to watch football, some move into the kitchen for clean up duty and others remain at the table to continue conversation. More relatives and cousins stop by and seats begin to fill again at the table. Stories last well into the evening.

What could we possibly talk about for hours on end? Everything and anything and it is wonderful.

I am so thankful that I am a part of this family and have shared this magic for close to 20 years.

No Rip Van Winkles This Holiday Season

No snoozing allowed.

I thought it was pretty bad that while the Halloween costumes were being placed on shelves,  stores were secretly unpacking the tinsel and twinkle lights and putting them in the last rows hoping shoppers would not yet mosey back that far.

I must say, I used to think retailers were pushing it when things would show up near Thanksgiving. Now they have moved into Jack's (O'Lantern) territory. Yes, Halloween was a few weeks ago, I know. I hardly had time to put out my decorations, let alone pack them back up. Tom Turkey shows up in less than 2 weeks and I can't  find ANYTHING with the traditional cornicopia for harvest time. Well, that's not entirely true. I think I did find some dish towels that I could hang on the oven door. That can technically count as a decoration, right?

Do not get me wrong...I LOVE the holiday season. I can't wait to free all the red and green items, the boughs of holly and garland that have been stored away for a year or to prepare my baking list for all the yummy treats that will be shared with friends and family as well as that jolly old elf. It truly is my favorite time of year. But, on November 12th ( I remember looking at my watch just to make sure of the date!) I was seeking through radio channels when I heard the voice of Johnny Mathis singing "Silver Bells". I thought, "Already?? Christmas music is ALREADY on the radio?!"  
 
My husband is no Rip Van Winkle; he's bought into it all...the lights were hung outside (with care) yesterday.
 
I, on the other hand,  just want to enjoy my chocolate Hershey Bars and fall into a dreamy tryptophan induced sleep while watching football before I have to deck the halls.