HOLIDAYS
HOLIDAYS
Here's a holiday Mad-Lib: 'Twas the night before Christmas and _________. Whether decking the halls or mixing up a last minute batch of cookies to entice Kris Kringle, every family fills in the blank with their own special Christmas Eve traditions. Before the presents are unwrapped and the stockings spill out their Christmas morning surprises, here are a few easy ways to make old-fashioned traditions new:
If you’re feeling ultra-adventurous, try and make your own marshmallows. Here’s the Christmas candy recipe to get you started.
Ingredients
- 3 Envelopes Unflavored Knox Gelatin
- 1/2 Cup Cold Water
- 2 Cup(s) Granulated Sugar
- 2/3 Cup(s) Corn Syrup
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Cup Confectioners' Sugar for Dredging
Steps
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for 10 minutes.
- Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed. Add the salt and beat for 12 minutes. Add vanilla and incorporate into mixture. Scrape into a 9 x 9-inch pan lined with oiled plastic wrap and spread evenly. (Note: Lightly oil hands and spatula or bowl scraper). After pouring marshmallow mixture into the pan, take another piece of plastic wrap and press mixture into the pan.
- Let mixture sit for a few hours. Remove from pan, dredge the marshmallow slab with confectioners' sugar and cut into 12 equal pieces with scissors (the best tool for the job) or a chef's knife. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners' sugar.
Instead of just mixing in milk to the childhood favorite seasonal sipper, try and make-over the mundane mug this year. Stock a hot chocolate bar with plenty of fun fixings and tasty toppers this year. Let your kids be the elves in the hot chocolate work shop:
Ingredients
- 1 Can/Tub Whipped Cream/ Cool Whip
- 8 Oz Any flavor syrup (try Peppermint, Mocha, Raspberry)
- 1/2 Cup Graham Cracker Crumbles
- 1/2 Cup Slivers of Candy Canes
- 1/2 Cup Bits of Sugar Cookies
- 1 Quart Hot Chocolate
Steps
- Set up a self- serve bar so guests can help themselves and try their own combinations
Serves: 6
How to Serve: Hot
Holiday Movies
- Instead of gathering the gang around the fireplace for “A Christmas Story” marathon, try a film that doesn’t star Mr. Scrooge. The brand-new FLIP digital video camera is easy enough for grandma or grandchild to capture season greetings in style. Affordable and easy to use, script your relatives in scenes both silly and serious.
Christmas Eve Dinner
- That last minute jaunt to the shopping mall, with lines out the door, really took it out of you. So, why would you want to spend your entire evening off slaving over a hot stove when you could be sipping hot toddies with friends? Instead invite friends, neighbors and relatives over for a Christmas Eve Pot Luck dinner. Surprise your guests with a fun theme, and assign each one their own course. You’ll save in the kitchen and get to experience a variety of fun flavors.
Holiday Story time
- We all know the classic holiday tomes by heart so why not get creative and write your own Night Before Christmas tale? Create a stirring and stage photos as you deck the halls, hang your stockings and enjoy a night rocking around the tree. Add captions and log on to Blurb.com to together build and publish your own book full of personal memories. Once you’ve unwrapped all your presents, one last one will arrive in the mail-a bound printed version for you to treasure for Christmas Eves to come.
Living Holiday Decor
Vintage Christmas
Party
Party
Holiday Cupcakes
