Christmas Round Up: A Few of My Favorite Things
What’s Christmas without a few of our favorite things?
AUTHOR: ARTSYCHOWROAMER
Christmas Round Up
A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
It’s that time of year again and even though 2020 has been exhausting and horrifying I still wanted to get you into the spirit by sharing a Christmas round up of a few of my favorite things. Everybody has traditions and customs that make the holidays special and my family is no different.
While we may have to adjust a few things and get creative we can still do most of the things in my round up from the comfort of home. Maybe you do some different things but perhaps you might consider adding a few of these and change it up for your family this year.
Get into the spirit of things with a Paloma with tequila and grapefruit Photo: Hacienda Bar & Grill
ROUND UP TIP #1-PICK A FANCY COCKTAIL
Right now our go to cocktail for the holidays this year is a Paloma. You can shake it or make it frozen and it is delicious either way. I prefer the recipe from Ina Garten which incorporates sugar, kosher salt, grapefruit juice, lime juice, simple syrup and white tequila.
You can serve it in a martini glass or a short margarita glass. Salting the rim and using a wedge of lime or grapefruit makes it delicious and pretty. I think the martini glass feels more festive and this also makes a great substitute for the standard margarita if you’re planning any Mexican food on your menu.
I am also a big fan of a Duke’s Cosmopolitan which is also a recipe by Ina Garten. This involves cranberry juice, lemon juice, cointreau and vodka. This is served in a festive martini glass. Both of these drinks are fresh and tart which I prefer. They are also in Ina’s last two cookbooks which are great. I recommend them for your collection as her recipes are easy and no fail.
Vanilkove Rohlicky (Vanilla Crescents) are tasty and one of our favorites
Mevedi Tlapicky (Bear Paws) are so much fun to make-the kids love this one! Photo: The Spruce Eats
ROUND UP TIP #2-CZECH CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Since I married a Czech I try to incorporate traditions from his memories of home; that means Czech cookies. The baking season begins on St. Nicholas day, December 6th, and all the goodies are referred to as vánoční cukrovi (vah-NAWTCH-nee tsoo-KRAW-vee).
Two of our favorites are vanilkove rohlicky (vanilla crescents) and medvedi tlapicky (bear paws). While the crescents are somewhat labor intensive to keep them consistent in size and shape they are truly light as air in a way American cookies will never be.
The bear paws are easy with help from a food processor and the dough is pressed into a form pan. You can make vanilla or chocolate. The vanilla can be dipped in chocolate and form the bear claws with almond slivers. The chocolate can be dusted in confectioners sugar for a light sweet finish.
These recipes make for great family fun and any of them will keep you coming back year after year. Once you try Czech cookies you might never go back to the recipes from previous holidays again.
ROUND UP TIP #3-CHRISTMAS SPECIALS
There are so many specials to watch this time of year. While I can take or leave many of them, I tend to go old school. That means it wouldn’t be Christmas without the adorable Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the jazzy Charlie Brown Christmas and the wicked Grinch Who Stole Christmas.
Some may roll their eyes and say kid stuff and I did grow up watching them but there is something more then that to each one. They bring the magic of the season to life in a way you used to see it as a child. There are also some sophisticated themes that still work even today.
Rudolph offers a look into why being different is not necessarily a bad thing and bullying for it is not the right way to go. Even Santa learns the lesson that different can bring something necessary and great to the team. And who doesn’t love the catchy music sung by Burl Ives?
Charlie Brown is always a lesson in hanging in there. You are a hero no matter how many times they snatch the football away or make fun of your tree. The jazzy music makes you want to get up and dance with them at times and mellow out at others. It is just feel good fun on steroids.
The Grinch invites you to discover that Christmas is not at all about the stuff, presents and decorations. It’s about togetherness, family, love of place and being grateful just to be together. Again, who could ignore the music and that deep recognizable voice of actor James Earl Jones (stink…..stank…..stunk…..2020 yes?)
ROUND UP TIP #4-GOT MUSIC?
I love the traditional songs but I have a tendency to lean into old school over the newer stuff when it comes to the holidays. I might put White Christmas on to hear the smooth voices of Cosby and Clooney and I always put the favorites of Elvis Presley on too.
I call the best ones the strippin’ Christmas songs because Elvis used to like a little double entendre in his music just like some African American artists of the time did. You weren’t supposed to sing about sexy things and relationships so the entertainers would find a way to sing about it to slip by the censors.
We thought they were singing about one thing but they were really singing about something else entirely. The joke was on us most of the time if you didn’t realize what was really going on. Listen to Elvis sing Santa Clause is Back in Town with that in mind and suddenly that song takes on a whole new meaning!
ROUND UP TIP #5-PICK SOME MOVIES
Come on it isn’t Christmas without Bruce Willis and Die Hard…..ammma right? Yippee Ki-yay m&%$#@ f&%$#@ still makes me laugh out loud to this day like the first time I heard it on a giant screen in an actual theater. It still holds up and sometimes you can catch a marathon with the whole series. Make some fancy popcorn-make a few drinks-have a few laughs-enjoy!
Amanda Biddle’s take on a Christmas bread pudding with bourbon sauce Photo: Striped Spatula
ROUND UP TIP #6-WHAT’S YOUR FIGGY PUDDING?
If you read my blog, get my emails and newsletters you know that I am a reader of a food blog by Amanda Biddle called Striped Spatula. She has wonderful recipes which I have tried more than a few times. They are fail safe just like Ina’s. I happen to like this bread pudding recipe because she uses leftover Pandoro which is similar to a Panettone (Italian yeasty bread with bits of dried fruits).
We always buy one for Christmas with just enough left over that I can make a small bread pudding out of it. Trust me-this is a luscious recipe and the bourbon sauce just makes it all the better with rich flavor and added moisture.
What exactly is a figgy pudding anyway? Well it started in Britain back in the 14th century as a way of preserving food with meats and savory items. By the 16th century fruit was more plentiful and it became a sweeter more cake like thing. The carolers were often of a lower class that couldn’t afford the fruits and were probably having a joke on the upper class by demanding the pudding before they left.
You might like it if you try it or maybe you have another family favorite pudding or cake for the holidays. My grandmother made a smashing good fruit cake which is the only one I can abide. Hers is moist and has black walnuts giving it a very different flavor from others. I don’t make them as it is too labor intensive but the secret recipe has passed from her to my mother and now my oldest sister.
ROUND UP TIP #7-SNOW & FIREPLACES
If you don’t live in a place where these two things might come together naturally or say during a pandemic, there are some great options. I always have some CD’s or screen savers with holiday themes and noises like crackling fireplaces going while we cook or make baked goods.
There are all sorts of videos on You Tube for just this purpose when you want to feel like you are in a snowy cabin somewhere with a great fireplace instead of in sunny California or Florida for Christmas. Get your snow on and pick one out for your computer or TV; this is just one suggestion above with 9 hours of play time!
ROUND UP TIP #8-THE NUTCRACKER BALLET
Finally, I never miss watching The Nutcracker ballet production with Mikhail Baryshnikov. There simply is no better performer in this part than him. Once you have seen the height of his leaps, his artistry and talent no one else even comes close.
it is the very first ballet my dance teacher ever took me to see and it is the one that I got my first part in when I was able to be en pointe. I played a moth in Waltz of the Flowers and it was so exciting that I still feel the wonderful fluid moves every time I hear the music.
CONCLUSION
Now you know the round up of items that put me in the best of holiday moods and have helped me get through 2020 with some sense of normalcy. I hope you have your list of things and that you might actually add some of mine for a change up this year with your family.
Most importantly, stay safe, wear your masks and stick to the bubbles within your own family that are doing the same. Let’s take a lesson from the Grinch and understand that Christmas is not about stuff and travel and decorations. It’s about family, friends, love of place and being together. Next year you want to be with everyone in your family because you kept them safe this year.
If you enjoyed what you read, you might like other posts in Just Because. Hey, don’t be a stranger! You know I like hearing from you. Let me know what your favorite things are this time of year and if you have been able to carry them through during a pandemic and what you did instead if not. I’m up for trying new things myself this year too. Until next time…
Cheers!
ArtsyChowRoamer
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