aloha friday

today i give you the history of mele kalikimaka, for a very happy and joyous friday.

The Hawaiian people did not celebrate Christmas prior to the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778. It was, however, the protestant missionaries from New England who first arrived in 1820 who first introduced Christmas to the Hawaiian people.

The missionaries reduced the Hawaiian language to written form, enabling the Hawaiian people to read and write in their own language. Many words for which there were no clear Hawaiian language equivalents were translated phonetically.

Mele Kalikimaka - Merry Christmas. The words "Mele Kalikimaka" are a phonetic translation. When the missionaries and other Westerners first brought the custom of Christmas to the islands the Hawaiians had difficulty pronouncing Merry Christmas and turned it into words that rolled more easily off their tongues.

trivia thursday

in the Charlie Brown Christmas special, just before her remarks about Christmas being a big commercial racket, Lucy refers to Charlie Brown simply as Charlie. This is the only time she does this in any of the TV specials: every other time it's Charlie Brown.

christmas elf spotlight

we all know that santa claus is one amazing person, but he gets a lot of help from the elves up at the north pole as well. the elves do much of the toy-making, as well as processing of the letters and emails from folks from all over the globe.

in my research, i have found that there are the following elves helping santa claus out:

1. Alabaster Snowball - Administrator of the Naughty & Nice list.
2. Bushy Evergreen - Inventor of the magic toy-making machine.
3. Pepper Minstix - Guardian of the secret of where Father Christmas's village is located.
4. Shinny Upatree - The oldest friend of Santa and the cofounder of the secret village in Lapland.
5. Sugarplum Mary - Head of the Sweat Treats, she is also known as Mary Christmas. She is an assistant to Mrs Claus and helps her in the kitchen.
6. Wunorse Openslae - Designer of Father Christmas's sleigh and responsible for its maintenance. He also looks after the reindeers and it is believed that his reindeers reach speeds faster than Christmas tree lights.

cranberry orange scones from pamela

i did get a chance to try the gluten free scone recipe yesterday on rudolph day, so here is the recipe:

Cranberry Orange Scones

2-1/3 cups Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup cranberries

4 tablespoons butter

1 egg, beaten

2/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon orange zest

Yield: 10 to 12 scones

Mix the dry ingredients together. Cut in the butter using two knives. Add the milk and beaten eggs. Mix together with a fork. Dough will be thick. Drop large, tall dollops of dough (scones will spread when baking) onto lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 15-17 minutes

[source: http://www.pamelasproducts.com/recipes/printrecipes/printSconesCranberryOrange.html © 2006 Pamela's Products, Inc.]

may 2009 rudolph day

i just got back from michaels craft store since i had a special 20% off coupon for memorial day + a 40% off coupon for one item. i bought a glitter stamping set from the martha stewart crafts line. it came with some really cute deer stamps that i can use for holiday stamping!

i am going to watch "love actually" tonight. i was going to make gluten free cranberry scones (test run!) but i am not sure i will have time or the ingredients since our refrigerator has been acting up lately. as for christmas gifts, i have definitely started an ideas list. i am holding off on buying - i have to get through my husband's birthday first.

trivia thursday

here are some fun reindeer facts for trivia thursday...

• Reindeer are one of several subspecies of caribou found around the world.
• Reindeer are herbivores, which means they eat vegetation. In the summer, they eat leaves and herbs. In the winter, they eat lichen and moss.
• Reindeer generally don't run very fast. In fact, a white-tailed deer could outrun a reindeer.
• Reindeer use their antlers like a shovel to break through the crust of snow to reach the vegetation underneath.

[source:http://christmas.howstuffworks.com/christmas-trivia4.htm]

the santa express

one of my favorite christmas traditions in chicago is when the L trains get decked out for the holidays.

The Chicago Transit Authority pulls out all the stops to spread Yuletide cheer and good will to its customers with CTA's Santa's Express Train!

The train -- a festive six-car model decked with ornaments, holiday music and Santa riding a sleigh aboard a flatcar -- operates around the outer Loop 'L' between 4:00 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. The impressive display is decorated by CTA's Rail Operations employees and has more than 30,000 lights.

CTA customers paying regular fares are welcome to ride on any of the six passenger cars on the train.

The CTA's Santa's Express Train pulls up to rail stations throughout the city on selected dates and times, with CTA employees on hand spreading holiday cheer by distributing candy to customers along the routes.

For over 20 years, the CTA also uses the train to distribute food baskets to needy families. CTA elves team up with Santa Claus to distribute more than 150 holiday meal boxes to needy families at three stations along the Blue Line: Division, 18th Street and UIC-Halsted.

[source: http://www.transitchicago.com/news/default.aspx?Archive=y&pg=93&ArticleId=1716 ©2009 Chicago Transit Authority]

top ten tuesday

here's a top ten from "the late show with david letterman". enjoy!

TOP TEN ELF COMPLAINTS

10. Bells on clothing target for jeers at truck stops
9. Need two pieces of I.D. to buy beer
8. Santa's union-busting goons killed a guy last spring
7. Black elves control the weight room
6. R&R weekends in Aleutians spoiled by trigger-happy shore patrol
5. Incredible markup at North Pole 7-11
4. Workmen's compensation doesn't cover "mistletoe-lung"
3. The Colonel practically runs my life (Sorry, that's a Elvis complaint)
2. Dead elves just tossed out on tundra
1. Santa only invites his favorites to join him in the Jacuzzi

decisions, decisions

there is a pretty good sale going on at a few stores and i found a few items that would make good christmas gifts. however, i cannot decide if it is too early to start my christmas shopping. usually i wait until july or even september to start and i am always finished by thanksgiving so i can enjoy the holidays. if i buy this early, will the gifts stay "nice and new" and in perfect condition until christmas?

halfway celebration

we are halfway to the christmas season! the season begins on november 13... i cannot believe how quickly the time passes.

trivia thursday

for "a charlie brown christmas", the actors (all children) learned their lines phonetically, often not knowing what they meant, which led to the now familiar peanuts delivery-style.

feeling zen'd out

last night i spent some time on my planners & idea books and they look fabulous. i need to take some photos and show them on my blog but until i get around to that, i am just taking a cue from zen santa here.

it's all coming together

this weekend i started my christmas planner only discover i am going to need 2 planners. the planner i made this weekend contains craft ideas, recipes, & fun articles and pictures. last night i went out to get supplies to make what i am calling my rudolph day planner, which will be holiday specific.

and i am going to have to separate out halloween, thanksgiving, and christmas in my planners. right now they are all just thrown in together which will make it difficult to find my halloween crafts, etc.

i need to get some scrapbook supplies so i can make some fun intro pages and covers for my books as well! fun.

scavenger hunt

last year i started collecting my nativity of choice, which was - of course - promptly discontinued by the manufacturer.

i have the holy family & the star + the creche. i would like the 3 wisemen this year. and hopefully i will be able to get animals, a shepherd, and an angel in the next couple of years thanks to eBay. here's hoping...

i found the wisemen on eBay this morning, new in box, for about a hundred dollars! time to save up.

starting a christmas notebook

today i am going out to get supplies to start a christmas notebook, and i am also going to get supplies to start filling in my christmas scrapbook (starting with christmas 2008).

i have a bunch of clippings from magazines, catalogs, etc that i will put in my notebook. i just want it to be a happy little book for me to put in christmas stuff - decor ideas, menu ideas, fun tidbits. i'm not sure what else i will put in it. does anyone have any ideas?

aloha friday

happy aloha friday, everyone!

in hawaii, friday is a day to take it easy and look forward to the weekend. therefore, posting should be easy too, so i'll pose a simple question with a simple answer.

my question this week: do you prefer coca-cola or pepsi?

my answer this week: coca-cola all the way! it just tastes better. and in related christmas trivia, i always look forward to the coca-cola santas on cans and bottles around the holidays.

Most people can agree on what Santa Claus looks like -- jolly, with a red suit and a white beard. But he did not always look that way, and Coca-Cola® advertising actually helped shape this modern-day image of Santa.

2006 marked the 75th anniversary of the famous Coca-Cola Santa Claus. Starting in 1931, magazine ads for Coca-Cola featured St. Nick as a kind, jolly man in a red suit. Because magazines were so widely viewed, and because this image of Santa appeared for more than three decades, the image of Santa most people have today is largely based on our advertising. Before the 1931 introduction of the Coca-Cola Santa Claus created by artist Haddon Sundblom, the image of Santa ranged from big to small and fat to tall. Santa even appeared as an elf and looked a bit spooky.

[source: The Coca-Cola Company, all rights reserved. © 2008 http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_santa.html]

trivia thursday

a Charlie Brown Christmas is the longest-running cartoon special in history, airing every year since its debut in 1965.

pies galore

So remember while December
Brings the only Christmas Day,
In the year let there be Christmas
In the things you do and say;
Wouldn't life be worth the living
Wouldn't dreams be coming true
If we kept the Christmas spirit
All the whole year through?

i cannot believe how quickly time passes. my husband and i were talking last night about strawberry picking in june. it's right around the corner. and we are thinking about where we might want to go in the fall for thanksgiving as we need to make reservations soon.

i am going to make 4 pie crusts for the freezer - i make 4 pies a year, each after we go to a farm and get fresh produce. strawberry pie in mid-june, blueberry pie in early august, apple pie in mid-october, and pumpkin pie just before thanksgiving. it's that time already to plan my baking! i will be trying a new gluten free pie crust recipe this year from pamela's recipes. i hope it turns out wonderfully.

top ten tuesday

Susan: I believe... I believe... Even though it's silly, I believe. ("Miracle on 34th Street")

it's top ten tuesday so i am going to list my top ten favorite christmas movies, in no particular order becuase i cannot play favorites. *wink*

• A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
  
• White Christmas (1954)
  
• Love Actually (2003)
  
• Santa Claus is Coming to Town (1970)
  
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
  
• It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
  
• Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
• Dr Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
• Holiday Inn (1942)

[source: "Miracle on 34th Street", 1947. 20th Century Fox]

dreambook

i started a new yoga class last night, and it was wonderful. my intention was to be present in my practice. being present has so much meaning for me - 1, it is a gift/present to be able to soak up and enjoy every second of every minute and 2, i want to be fully engaged in what i am doing.

the christmas season goes so quickly in november and december. it is a yearly gift that i celebrate with all year 'round.

planning ahead

haven't been feeling today, so i took some time to get caught up with my rudolph day assignments.

i reviewed the hallmark dreambook! i will post some of my favorites soon.

i also looked through some recipes because i need to bake an item once a month to try it out and see if it works before i try and make it at christmas. never again will i have a christmas like this past one (my first gluten free christmas). success will be had!

so for may rudolph day, i am going to do the following

• bake cranberry orange scones
• plan menus
• buy a few christmas gifts
• watch the movie "love actually"

aloha friday

happy aloha friday, everyone!

in hawaii, friday is a day to take it easy and look forward to the weekend. therefore, posting should be easy too, so i'll pose a simple question with a simple answer.

my question this week: what is your favorite flower?

my answer this week: gardenia