I Had Christmas Down in Africa

Don't assume: you have to listen to the entire song:

ANSWER to Thought for Thursday - and EARTH FRIENDLY FRIDAY

ANSWER TO THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY: A Nisse is a little gnome-like creature. Read more about it here.

At Christmas, these elf-like creatures help Kris Kringle but in Norwegian folklore one actually became Santa Claus. God Jul is Merry Christmas.

AND NOW FOR EARTH-FRIENDLY FRIDAY:

Lights, Camera…Christmas!

Okay, I want to set a green holiday scene but this is the one time of the year I splurge a little – at least when it comes to lights. I can’t help it. I love the holidays – always have. The rest of the year I am so watt-wise. But don’t worry, there are other ways we can go green without looking like we’ve turned into the Grinch who Stole Christmas.

Here are a few tips that I’ve been using for years.

1) Collect flower seeds all summer and then dry them in the basement or another cool dry place, package them in pretty envelopes, and make hand-printed labels to give the Seeds of Friendship.

2) I use old fabrics and cut them down and sew them into dishtowels, then I wrap my gifts in this recycled fabric. It’s easy to add ribbons and/or other embellishments to make them picture perfect.

3) Mix up your favorite cookie dough or hot spiced drink and then package it in a clean, glass container to give to a hurried mom. You can add a nice cookie sheet or mug to make the present even more practical. It’s easy to have home-baked cookies when the batters already mixed up and waiting in the refrigerator. Or, how about a nice cup of spiced cocoa? Just add some peppermint shavings to create a peppermint cocoa mix.

4) I also save scrap fabrics and sew them into beautiful Christmas scarves. If you don’t have scrap material sitting around, buy a yard or two of pretty fabric and you can sew plenty of projects for co-workers, friends or family.

5) If you can’t sew, you can buy a nice fleece material and merely cut the edges to make it into a pretty scarf.

6) There are also plenty of free-patterns on-line. Print out an easy knitting project, buy a pair of knitting needles and a ball of yarn to give to a young lady on your list. Knitting is cool again, so is crocheting. These are inexpensive presents that will stretch your budget and keep packaging to a minimum. Plus the result will be something useful, like a scarf, sweater, or hat.

Hand-Writing Analysis

Okay, Kelly Polark has shared this fun link and I thought I would too. Of course there are some free writing analysis sites on the web, but who wouldn't want a more personalized approach? If you're interested in having your handwriting analyzed check out Shelby's blogsite here.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

QUESTIONS: What is a Nisse?

Word for Wednesday

WORD FOR WEDNESDAY: YON.

We were singing Christmas Carols, and one line from Silent Night caught my attention: "Round yon virgin mother and child."

I remember wondering as a kid, what is YON?

Yon is an adjective or adverb meaning: Yonder

It can also be a pronoun, "that or those yonder."

A Very Jersey Christmas - Thanks to Jess

Danish Traditions for Christmas

One of the ways we celebrate any holiday is by beginning the morning with Ǽbleskiver. These are round-ball pancakes. We dip ours in jam and then powdered sugar. It is a special breakfast, we only eat a few times a year. You need these special Danish cast iron pans to make them correctly. If you want to see the recipe, click here.

Then on December 1st, we pull out the Advent Calendars. During the 24 days of Christmas there is a small present hanging on each day of the calendar. Here are our family calendars.


The Danes celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, December 24th rather than Christmas Day. This always worked out well for us because we celebrate Christmas with my husband’s family on Christmas Eve and we celebrate with my family on Christmas Day.

Do you have any special ways you celebrate the holidays?