Christmas Past and Present

By Marilyn Hunter

“Tell me about Christmas,” Nicky says to me with a twinkle in his eye. “Tell me your favorite thing when you were a little girl.” I tell him about how much I loved baking cookies with my brother to leave out for Santa on Christmas Eve and how we would fight to stay awake to hear the sound of reindeer hooves on the roof. It seems like yesterday, those sleepless Christmas Eves. My brother and I could hardly wait until sunrise.

After all these years, I now understand the work that went into making those Christmas mornings so magical. They’re as sleepless for the parents as they are for the kids. We work to assemble and arrange toys, wrap presents and set the table for breakfast. Round about midnight, I appreciate my parents’ efforts and now understand why Dad was so droopy eyed at dawn when we came rushing from our rooms.

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‘Tis the Season for a Simple Pot Roast

By Lori Powell

With the first snowfall of the season just a couple of weeks before Christmas, what could be cozier than a roaring fire and a pot roast in the oven while decorating the Christmas tree?

Pot roast is one of the easiest of dishes to make as long as you allow time, 2 to 3 hours’ worth, and resist the temptation of trying to quicken the cooking since it smells so darned good!!

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Family Matters

By Sandy Hu

I’m going to ask Chris to find Special Fork when he comes home for Christmas this year. Chris is a freelance photographer’s assistant in New York City. And Special Fork is his own invention.

If you follow my blog, you know the story. A child of few words, Chris would swap out his dinner fork for the one mismatched fork in the utensil drawer to signify a meal he especially liked. This was a quiet compliment to mom or dad – whoever happened to make the meal that night. In time, he – or we – named the utensil, “Special Fork.” Chris continued to signal his approval via Special Fork through high school, until he went away to college.

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It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

By Marilyn Hunter

Nothing compares to the sights, sounds and smells of Christmas. This season is truly magical… from the moment we carry in the tree to the moment we climb out of bed on Christmas morning.

In our house, the season begins the day after Thanksgiving. I try to recreate that warm, wonderful feeling of going home…the magic, sparkle and spirit of the season that delights and inspires. We set aside a weekend to trim the tree, decorate and bake gingerbread.

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