Tag Archives: Christmas

Christmas Traditions

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I’m not even sure where to begin since there are so many traditions that my family has had and ones that I wanted to start with my son (And future kids!). To keep things simple we can talk about the ones I grew up with and then move on to ones that are new to bring into my Son’s life! And if I want to continue it with him I will mention that as well too!

My Family Christmas Party
This is something that was started so long ago and somehow it always falls off on my Uncle or my Mom to throw the party. however maybe when we buy a new home we will take it on! This is just my dad’s side of the family however there is sometimes my Nanny (Mom’s mom) Who comes as well since my grampie passed away. Though with Covid this year there is no party (Not that I am happy but I don’t feel bad about missing out since there is nothing to miss!)

Annual Tree Hunt
Before, when I was younger we used to get a tree for ourselves, Now we go and get a tree for friends of ours. This is when we go about an hour or so drive to a pot luck dinner. It is a bunch of friends of the family and my grandparents used to bring my mom and siblings to this, then my mom brought my siblings and I to it, And now (Well next year) I will be bringing my son to it! Everyone goes to a tree lot to chop down their tree (If they still have a real one!) And then we all go back for a potluck dinner with everyone. Again, Another thing Covid has cancelled.

Christmas Eve
This can be quite a busy day for us. We started the day mid afternoon by stopping at my mom’s friend from high school. Usually chatting for a little bit. Afterwards we would all go to my Aunt’s house, Well Great Aunt. They would make rappie pie. Which is like a weird acadian dish with potatoes and chicken pieces and stock, with bacon sprinkled on the top baked. The consistency was like boogers from your nose when you had a bad cold. Simply yucky and I cant even try it. My boyfriend loves it but screw that noise. Yuck. After my Aunt’s house we would go back to my parents house. That’s where we would prep for the evening. Normally my Dad has his brothers (Who live close) to come over. Normally they would wait til my parents were ready to put us to bed to come over and get us all excited since only one of them understood the concept of time. Now that we are older we just hang out at my mom and dad’s for a bit. When we were a kid we would go to bed and now as adults we go to our parents friends, Brenda and Juniors. Sadly Junior passed away a few years ago but we still head over and shoot some pool for a bit before hitting the hay. Oh, And dont forget to leave out milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer as well too! Sometimes if we got them from school we would even leave reindeer feed for them to find their way to our house (This was normally glitter with oatmeal or what not so that you threw it on your lawn and Santa would know that there is children in the home!). We also always read the Night Before Christmas. We had the Hallmark version from way back when and it was a pop up.. I checked amaon and it was 300 dollars so needless to say I got a nice version that was a very small portion of that price. Maybe some day I will snag that version but until then the new book will do!

Christmas Day
When I was younger we would take turns going from my grandparents house to my parents for dinner. We would make Log Cabin Potatoes and by we I mean either my dad or my Grampie. Now that I am moved away though I make them for my house and my brother makes them for his, (I’ll share the recipe at the end of this post). Since my Grampie passed however, My dad normally makes them at home and we pick my grandmother up and go to my parents for dinner. My sister and her 2 kids will sleep over at their house since they dont have a Christmas tree due to her and her husbands religious beliefs but we all still celebrate the meal and exchange of gifts together. I know my parents would love for my family to also stay over there but I can say once we buy a new home next year I do not think we will be since there is barely enough room or beds let alone we have our own tree in our home that we will be opening gifts under. Not to mention I just enjoy sleeping in my own flipping bed! We typically ate around mid afternoon so that by supper time we could be in our own homes and relaxing in our food coma.

Boxing Day
Boxing day is pretty fun for my family as well. We typically go to my Dad’s oldest brothers house. We go about mid morning for a visit and for him to showcase all the things him and my aunt exchanged or got for Christmas. We are kind of pranksters and while he shows us things we really get him to give us the “full package” so to speak by taking everything out of their boxes or bags even if they are in an orgional box. We make the typical “Oooooo” and “Awwww” for the items and if my Uncle tries to tell us he doesnt want to do it we give him grief about it and he gives us grief back and it’s all in good fun! Even being away from home living in a different province if the time is right I will video chat with them for a bit and we will still pull the same tricks from a different province too!

Most of the traditions that I had done as a child I want to continue with my son, and future kids too. One in particular that I never had as a child I would like to start with him would be the pajama box on Christmas Eve. This is where they receive a gift of new jammies, and as they get older they would get some hot chocolate, maybe some popcorn, or a treat, That way they can have a nice movie and unwind before bed. I don’t think my Uncles would be making their way over since they have their own grand kids and what not already. And we won’t be doing the pool thing while our children are young since the evening wasn’t met for children. It was just for the adults. Though we may swing by though to say hello! Another I would like to do also when my children get older is to hide the pickle on the Christmas tree. Whoever finds the pickle gets a special gift. Something silly to match the little game. Elf on a shelf will also be happening however that is a bit away til my Son and future children understand what they are too!

As you can see, there really is many traditions that I had as a child and I am sure there will be many more for me to find out about and decide if they are right for our family!

What are some of your Christmas or Holiday traditions?

I would love to hear them.

-StaySeeJ08

Holiday Baking + Recipes!

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As the holidays are fast approaching and I am sure they are well welcomed this year due to 2020 not being the most pleasant of years to date in my life time anyways, I think most can agree that holiday baking is one of the things we all look forward to the most. There is probably some recipes that have been handed down that you may make yourself or you just wait for a loved one to make. For me I think I kind of wing it but I also have some recipes that I make that my mom has made too! Let’s dive in shall we!

Pretzels. Pretzels. Pretzels. This is a staple for my holiday baking. I love to make chocolate bark. Normally I use chocolate wafers for this however this year due to the virus I decided to get milk chocolate since it was at my local grocery store. I always start with a layer of pretzel on the bottom and melt whatever I am using, whether it is chocolate or the chocolate wafers (Which are cheaper if you are looking to save money!). I typically make two kinds, the first one I chuck some holiday M&Ms so red and green, so it adds a bit of color, sometimes I swirl different colors on it as well like white chocolate in there. The 1st is more about salty and sweet than anything so I try to keep it simple. The second one I did this year was a peppermint one. To do that I just lined pretzels on a tray with melted milk chocolate and put some candy canes on the top. Normally they are crushed but this time I just put them hole and would break them as they would be cut, and then I took girl guide mint cookies and cut those into pieces to put on the top as well! It seemed to work well and they look great too!

Next I make peanut butter balls. Funny enough, my mom called me the other day asking for the recipe and I really don’t have one. But for the sake of this I will do my best here.

2 Cups of Peanut butter
3/4 cup of butter/margerine
3-5 cups of icing sugar (Til the mixture becomes clay? It should not stick to your finger if you touch the mixture)
1-2 cups of Rice Krispies (Depending on how crunchy you would like your balls to be!)

For Dipping
Dark Chocolate
Vegetable oil OR paraffin wax
Sea Salt (Optional)

Start with the peanut butter and margarine/butter and melt it in a pot.

Once everything is melted and mixed start adding icing sugar, You will know when you have enough when the mixture will no longer be sticky. It will almost form kind of a ball or clumps. When it starts to get this way slowly add icing sugar as to not add too much that you are unable to incorporate it in. The point is when you start to make the balls the dough/mixture will not stick to your hands because the icing sugar will be there to keep it not sticky.

Once you hit this stage it should be a bit tough to even stir to be honest, and you can start adding rice krispies to your mixture/dough. You can add as little or as much as you like.
(My mom does this step backwards where she will add the rice krispies before the icing sugar and it just turns out fine I suppose. For me I like this way as it really makes things blended and not clumpy).

Once you have everything combined, start to roll the mixture into balls and put them on a tray with some sort of protective layer like foil, or parchment paper or wax paper. (Remember they have to be dipped in chocolate so bigger is not always better!)

Once you have them rolled throw them in the fridge.

Melt your chocolate on a double broiler on low heat. I use a touch of vegetable oil when the chocolate is melted just to slightly thin it out and make it easier to coat. After you dip the chocolates you can sprinkle some sea salt over the top (Flakes or rock). I didn’t do this as there was none in the house but it is possible to do!


Next I make a whipped shortbread cookie. This is by no means my recipe nor is it a family one or anything. It is one my mom uses from a Companys Coming cookbook. Im sure you know someone who has this book as there are legit SO MANY different collections. The recipe that I use is here:

Whipped ShortBread Cookies

1lb Butter (2 Cups)
1 Cup Icing Sugar
1\2 Cup of Cornstarch
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Cups Flour

Beat all ingredients until it looks like whopped cream. Drop by the teaspoon on cookie sheet. Bake at 350f for 10 minutes. Add chopped red or green cherries on top before baking.

I think this can really go any way you wish. I dont do the cherries however I do roll them into balls. Then I use a fork to push it down too, since if you dont do this they will not level out on their own! This year I also dipped them into red sugar and sprinkles before pressing them down with a fork too. It really depends you also could probably roll them out and use cookie cutters too if you wanted to also! Use your imagination!

And lastly but certainly not least, My world famous Bits and Bites mix! Okay, Maybe they arent world famous (Yet) And they are a knock off of the recipe on the box of Crispex but I have dont the same modified recipe since I was a kid. This was one of the first things for baking that I was able to do since I loved them so much my mom let me take the reins. This is how I made it this year, Obviously things are inter changable and optional. Ill write what I put in and what I have put in also so you can build your own mix!

1 Box Crispex Cereal
1 Box Cheese Nibs
1 Box Swiss Cheese Crackers
Pretzels (To your liking)
Peanuts (To Your Liking)
1 Box Cheese Bits

Sauce
1 Cup Butter\Margerine
1 Small Bottle Worsherchire Sauce
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
(I put a lot of each, Way more Onion Powder than Garlic Powder as I find it makes the mix a touch sweet, however if you find baking that you didnt add enough you can always shake some more of which ever you want as it is baking since you have to mix every 15 minutes)

Preheat oven at approx 325f, Once all the ingredients are added and the sauce mixed in. Place on a deep dish baking tray. Not small but enough that it can be easily mixed without making a mess too. Baked for 45 minutes stirring every 15. I also taste along the way to check flavors normally trying a piece of each I put in just to be sure coating is good.

Things that I have seen added are:
– Different types of nuts
– Gold Fish Crackers
– Cheerios
– Popcorn (popped obviously after by adding it.. Do not add this to the oven for obvious reasons.. HAHA)

And that is the extent of my baking this year! I may make more when we hopefully move back home but right now it is basically myself and the boyfriend eating things and I didn’t want us to have so much stuff. Also have to save a few recipes for next years blog post too! Can’t spoil it all! If y9ou found this helpful or you have slight variations let me know! I am always curious about what people add for their recipes too!

-StaySeeJ08

The Great Remembrance Day and Christmas Debate

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In Canada every single year around this time of year we see the great debate about whether or not you should put up your Christmas decorations before Remembrance Day or should you wait til after to do so.

Remembrance Day to Canada would be the same as Memorial Day in the USA, I do believe, Where you take a moment to remember all the fallen soldiers in the wars that have fought to protect the freedoms and rights of the people in our country. Normally around the country there is different ceremonies taking place (However with Covid-19 I don’t know how many are really doing different things or if they are going to be virtual as well). At 11am we take a few moments of silence where we really reflect on this. I am sure that there is also a lot of folks who don’t participate and well, that is their right to not take part. This is also why you may see on Canadian news stations that the broadcasters are wearing poppies. This has to do with the poem Flanders Fields and remembering as well. That is a whole different blog post though.

Now here is the juicy drama. In Canada at least, Every year there is many people who have nothing better to do then to complain about the decorations being put out too soon. They say this for many reasons, One being that it takes away from Remembrance Day. Apparently if you decorate your home with Christmas lights and decorations you magically lose your memory and ability to remember fallen soldiers. I know, Crazy right. Actually crazy. Another reason is we so much want to commercialize the holidays. Since apparently every year right after Halloween you see Christmas Decorations earlier and earlier. I can see the argument of it being so early to jump from Halloween to Christmas. The stores and shops even have things started before Halloween is over by making their aisles blank and prepped for all of the Holiday things to be placed on the shelves waiting for suckers like me to come in and dump loads of money (Maybe not loads) on new things to decorate with every year. They would basically have a skull that screams when you walk by next to a batch of Christmas Tree lights or ornaments too.

If you notice, Or haven’t, I freaking LOVE Christmas. I decorate right after Halloween. The magic that is Christmas makes me feel extremely happy and when its over I am ready for my own place again. That being said. I don’t judge if people want to wait or put them up like I do. I put and have put them up every year on November 1st. Outside especially because normally the longer you wait the colder it gets and what fun would it be to put up Christmas lights in minus 20c. Not a lot. Not to mention I love gifting and prepping. Since I was a child I have loved it. Do I care what people say, No. I normally post a photo on Facebook about the tree being up and what not and I see the same people every year saying “Oh it is too early and its not right”. I even start on the posts to be reminding people about the golden rule, “If you have nothing nice to say don’t speak”, as my mom would remind me all the time. I even see people tag me in post saying if you decorate early than Santa kills an elf or something like that. Insert a HUGE eye roll here.


Fun Fact: If you were to ask the older generation about their thoughts for the decorating prematurely for the holidays. Chances are they wont really care. They went to war and to fight for our freedom. If they were to care that would be a bit hypocritical right. They don’t mind if they see decorations and things. They want us to show who we are and if we love Christmas and decorations why not show that off! There has even been articles online that I am sure you can find about people asking Veterans what their thoughts are because this is such a controversial subject up here that people just had to know what they thought about it. My grandfather was a vet and mind you, He would probably say it is super early for the decorations to be up, But I don’t think he would really mind or give someone a hard time about it. Not to mention, He tried to beat the system and he would keep his Christmas Lights up all year just unplug them so that he only had to plug them back in again come the next season.

Interestingly enough, in Quebec City apparently the mayor has offered up a refund of sorts to businesses to decorate early as well. For most, Christmas is a time of joy and family. And with Covid-19 around it really isn’t that great either. So by decorating it might make the city look a bit more festive and create some great vibes for everyone around. Not to mention how can you not smile when you are driving or walking around and seeing houses lit up in their own unique way with old school or the newest lights. I know this year my son will be about 9-10 months old and chances are he will fall asleep but we for sure will be doing an evening where we go driving around looking at Christmas lights none the less. Even just to say that we did it would be fun!

So as you can see, Canada has their little fights between citizens as well. Though the issues may not be as cray as some may think. It really is a downer. At the end of the day, Live and let live. Putting your decorations up early is not hurting anyone at all, again I know, crazy right. And if it makes you happy, whose to stand in the way of your happiness right!

-StaySeeJ