New Year, Same Me

The calendar will soon flip over from 31st to first and I’ve prayed a lot that the anxiety, panic and grief I've experienced in 2022 will be erased. I know it won’t. The day changing or year changing really won’t magically make everything disappear no matter how much I want it to. I can keep hoping though and that’s why I keep looking forward to 2023. 

A season of Hope.

Out with the old.  In with the new.

A ritual or tradition for me at this time of year is to sit down with my new calendar and write in all the important dates.  I'm still one of those people who buy calendars and keep track of such things in writing.  I'm not sure most people do this anymore and just rely on adding it to their phone or tablet.  I do that too.  However, I like to see things in writing.  I like to see a visual of how many days until the birthday or anniversary or concert or whatever next big thing is coming along.  I add birthdays and anniversaries and throughout the year I keep track of appointments and other achievements.

This little tradition also means that I get to flip through the calendar I've just finished and reflect on everything that's passed.  As I've mentioned in previous blogs and if you know me then you'll know there's been a lot going on in 2022.  Enough dwelling!  I want to focus on all the good things instead.  

The Good Things.

I've continued to make my health a priority and while this year's weight loss total is only about 15 pounds, it's still nearly 90 over all and I know in 2023 I will finally get to the goal weight I set out for myself.  

I've worked really hard in my job.  I've had to say goodbye to some special students but at the same time those people have made me far far better at my job of teaching music and I am so thankful and grateful for that.  In August, I had a student achieve the highest exam mark in the province and as a result received a medal commendation from Conservatory Canada.  I’ve had this happen before but prior to the pandemic.  It confirms to me that teaching the joy of music through piano lessons is what I was truly meant to do.

I've made a huge effort to be more gracious and giving in ways I wasn't previously.  I’ve tried to lend an ear and lend a hand. I baked and gave lot's away to friends, neighbours and family.  I'd like to continue to share in that way if I can, not just because it’s the holidays, but because an unexpected surprise always makes someone else’s day a bit brighter and it also brings me joy in knowing that  

I've tried to reach out more.  Rekindle friendships.  Form new friendships.  Join communities.  I'm a homebody at heart.  Whenever I do make myself go out and experience things I always enjoy them so I need to step out of my box more.

I’m hoping I’ve learned from my mistakes because holy smokes I made a doozy of one last year.  It all turned out okay but I still think about it and it still rolls around in my head on those nights I can’t quite get to sleep.  

And OMG I need to be less paranoid.

This is turning into a bit of a resolution type of thing isn't it.  Do you make New Year’s resolutions? That's not what it's meant to be at all because I don't need wide sweeping changes. I also don’t really believe in making resolutions just because the calendar changed.  I like myself.  I like the work I’ve put in.  I can decide to change something on any day, week or month...

...or even any year.

So, friends, in this new year, 2023,  I'm going to be mostly the same me but a better me because we can all strive to be better.  I just want to be a better me now and always. 

Merry Christmas

Before we all get super busy with our Christmas celebrations, I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has followed and read along with my posts over the last month or more. I’ve received some very nice comments and appreciate the conversations. 

I had wanted to share a few more things, but our schedules get so jam packed this time of year so those memories and stories will have to wait for another time. I will do some follow up posts about my advent calendars, which I loved and which I thought were the best for my money so stay tuned for those.

I plan on keeping up this blog now that I’ve attracted you all here but if you’ve found yourself here from ABC Football and wonder where that talk is, don’t fret, I fully intend on getting back to that site as the CFL season ramps up for 2023. 

I hope you have a fantastic Christmas shared with those you love and you get a moment to rejoice and marvel in the glow of the lights, bask in the sounds and immerse yourself in the delicious smells of the season. 

Let It In

I had wanted to write a blog about our 30th anniversary and the Christmas that followed our wedding.  Truth be told I don't remember lot's about the Christmas at Fredlund's house and feel like I should because most people in Hubby's family recall that as THE Christmas.  Maybe it was because I was so new to the family and it was just all overwhelming.  I'm not sure but when I think about it I also think about all the family members who aren't with us anymore and that reminds me that even though I've been trying to share all kinds of heartfelt things on this blog, the holidays are not full of happy memories for everyone and some people are living with celebrating a first Christmas without their loved ones.  We are also that family.

It's been a year.  That's all I can say.  2020 was a cakewalk compared to 2022.  Stay at home and bake brownies all the time while working from home?  Sign me up because back then everyone was well in my family and safe.  2022 was a year where I didn't dare ask 'what next' and kept saying over and over God will not give us more than we can bare.  

It's been a test of Faith.  When the pandemic hit, we stopped attending church like most people.  We keep saying we need to go back but haven't.  We've watched like many do on YouTube.  I know attending church is important but I also think praying in the quiet stillness of home is what's helped me endure.  I'm reminded that no matter how messy our life is, God is there to help us pick up the pieces.  And man, 2022 has been messy.

I've had to lean on a lot of people.  Of course my family and friends were there for us but it was my coworkers who probably should get an award for the amount of venting they've endured!  At the same time, wow, what special people they are.  They listened without judgement and it really meant a lot.  The ice cream cake for my 50th birthday, which should have been a fun day, was amazing but happened during a time of grief and misunderstanding.  The Moderators on ABC Rider Fans just took over when things got really tough and they listened and listened and listened some more.  It's because of all of these people that when the holiday sparkle was slightly ignited back in November, I decided to let it all in.

Kicking Up Their Heals

At some point during the Christmas season, my parents would attend my Dad's work Christmas party and I would get to go spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  I was young and it was a long long time ago now and I don't remember specifics but I know spending time with them was always special.

We'd sit at the dining room table and play card games.  Grandma and I would play Go Fish and Grandpa would play Solitaire.  We'd drink tea but Grandma would always call it "coffee/tea" and laughed about the time she poured tea into Grandpa's coffee making it real CoffeeTea.  Grandma would also say things like "heavens" when I'd tell a far fetched story and reply with "they're busy kicking up their heals" when I'd inquire as to what my parents might be doing.

I remember cousin Kim being there once and teaching me how to draw Snoopy and I remember Grandpa carefully teaching me how to make an origami bowtie.  It's something I can still remember how to make today.  However, one very special thing stands out first and foremost.  One time Grandpa got out the Consumers Distributing Christmas book and it very well could have been the Sears Wish Book or both.  I was writing my letter to Santa Claus.  Grandpa told me it was very very important to tell Santa all the page numbers, product numbers and prices of everything I wanted.  I wanted a lot.  This was the year the new Barbie-like doll Sindy came out.  She had an elaborate house with incredibly detailed furnishings.  There were tiny dishes and cutlery and just amazing things that tickled my fancy.  I carefully wrote it all down for Santa.

In those days, Christmas Eve was spent at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We would exchange gifts with them and have snacks.  This particular time there were many gifts with my name on them.  When I got to open my presents they were all the items I had so carefully listed for Santa Claus making my wildest childhood wishes coming true.

It would take hours to set up that Sindy house and it took up lots of space but it was so special.  It would stay set up forever because it took so much work but as I grew up and was less and less interested it all got packed away.  I'm pretty sure its still in storage at my parents.  I don't know if there's anything like it for kids these days.  I don't know if today's kids would even want to play with such things, but I sure did, and for a while it was the best gift ever.

Mocha Sugar Cookie Latte Bites (Recipe Included)

This is not my recipe although the adaptation is 100% mine.  I can't tell you where the actual recipe originated but I did have it printed out and tucked into my Tried & True Recipe Binder.  The trouble is, the original name "Cappuccino Love Bites" doesn't exactly scream Christmas baking, now does it.

No.

Nor does it sound festive for Hubby or anyone else for that matter to take to their work potluck or cookie swap.  It also doesn't help one cook use up not one bag of Hershey's kisses, but two which she bought on sale at Costco.

Cookies cooling

The original recipe uses shortening but I use butter or margarine with the same results.  I can't remember the last time I bought actual shortening.  It also says to use coffee liqueur or milk but I think Kahlua would be great.  What I thought was a small bottle in our refrigerator door turned out to be Irish Cream and I don't think that would work with my flavour combination.  It uses instant coffee but be aware if you are sensitive to caffeine that may be an issue.  I didn't want a whole container of instant coffee so I bought a tin of Maxwell House Café Suisse Mocha.  I'd also think it would be interesting to play around with tea flavours in this recipe but I'll save that for another season.  You don't have to fret over what flavour of Hershey's Kisses to pick up.  I used the Sugar Cookie flavour and I think the Candy Cane flavour would be excellent as well.  Just stay away from the ones that have the soft centers.

I won't regale you with how I baked these while the snow was gently falling and the Christmas tree was twinkling away.  Instead, it was a regular Saturday evening two weeks before Christmas and my back was sore from a rather hectic shopping trip to Costco.

Double Dog Dare (A Cookie Review)

On Saturday night I poised a question over my social media pages.  I simply said, which do you prefer - Dare Viva Puffs Candy Cane Holiday Edition or Dare Whippet Mint Holiday Edition cookies?  Is there a difference?

I just stood in my walk in pantry examining the ingredient lists on both boxes of cookies.  The ingredients are nearly identical although some are not in the same order which would usually mean its a lesser ingredient since they are listed from biggest to smallest.  The Viva Puffs say "Chocolatey Coating" and the Whippets say "Sweet Chocolate".  Both cookies are peanut free although it's only the Viva Puffs that have it boldly printed on the box while the Whippets only have it on the side so it's not very noticeable.  The same can be said for being Canadian. Both are probably manufactured in the same plant and say they may contain wheat, soya and milk.  

Yes, Sandra, but what do they taste like?

This is my opinion remember and you have to decide for yourself.  I personally enjoyed the Viva Puffs more.  The coating is more of a milk chocolate flavour and the cookie base is more tender.  The candy cane flavour is minty but reminds me more of the more expensive candy canes which have a lighter more candy flavour rather than in your face cool mint.  The Whippet Mint cookies have a firm base and the sweet chocolate coating is a darker and harder chocolate.  The mint flavour is really minty.  The Whippet cookies also have bolder coloured marshmallows.  They are nice as well and unless comparing them side by side you'd likely not realize a difference although the difference of coloured chocolate is apparent.

That is until you are in the grocery store gazing and drooling over the cookie aisle.  A 300g box of Viva Puffs are $4.19 and the Whippets are $4.79 for a 285g box.  The Whippets cost more!  Each box contains 15 cookies but the Viva Puffs are a slightly larger cookie.  

A serving of each is 2 cookies so each box contains 7.5 servings. Who gets that 1/2 cookie?  Viva  Puffs (40g) are 170 calories and Whippets (39g) 160 calories, but remember Whippets are a smaller cookie.  So you are paying more for a smaller cookie.

If you are concerned about your pocketbook then the Viva Puffs are the better product to buy.  A box of Viva Puffs are 60 cents cheaper and a slightly larger cookie.

Which do you like best?  Which would you purchase?

I'm going to throw one more kink into the review.  If you want a more decadent treat, then look for a product by Tunnock's called Tea Cakes or Snowballs.  They are delicious and have real fresh marshmallow and no flavouring mint or otherwise.  The Snowballs do have coconut.  They are imported from Europe so harder to find and will be more costly however, one wrapped serving (6 in a box) comes in at 100 calories but a great way to enjoy a seasonal special favourite.  I found mine at a local store called Churchills British Café.

No matter what you decide, have fun with your own taste test and enjoy all with your favourite seasonal tea or coffee as you watch the Christmas lights twinkle this holiday season.

Christmas Beans to Eat (Swedish Brown Beans Recipe)

At Christmastime 1999, I got the Hanson Snowed In CD.  It's still one of my very favourites to listen to for getting into the holiday spirit.  There's one song titled "Christmas Means to Me (My Love) but my husband has changed the words to be Christmas Beans to Eat.  We had just moved into our new house and had Brother In Law and family as our first house guests.  I remember how hectic it was to get the house finished for their arrival.  When we moved in the kitchen wasn't even finished!  The best memory though, is our Nieces singing and making up dance routines to that Hanson CD.

Sunday Roast Supper

I am not Scandinavian.  Well, unless you count my Grandfathers sister (I think it was) married a 

Norwegian man...but that doesn't have an actual impact on me.  What does have an impact is that apparently when you marry someone who is Norwegian and Swedish you yourself adopt lot's of their traditions.

One of us!  One of us!

My favourite Christmas item on the big festive meal is Swedish Brown Beans.  The odd thing is that those who grew up in the family prefer other items, but for those of us who married in we love and look forward to the brown beans.

My Mother In Law grows Swedish beans in her garden.  She has a fantastic garden and even when she says things haven't turned out you can guarantee they're more prolific there than anywhere else.  A good number of years ago she gave me a cool whip container of beans.  I'm going to say it was at least 5 years ago.  I put them in the back of the pantry with the intention of one day cooking them.

One day finally came last Saturday morning where I awoke with the idea to cook them in the instant pot.  I got out the "Cooking Favorites of Covenant Women" cookbook from my treasure trove of cookbooks and quickly searched for the recipe.  It had been submitted by Mrs. Doris Anderson.  See all good recipes worth making come from this cookbook and I have one which was passed down to us.  The inscription in perfect handwriting says "To Aunt Emma From Evelyn" with my name and Hubby's added below.

The photos and instructions below are my account of cooking these Swedish Brown Beans in my Instant Pot in about an hour.  The original recipe states 4 hours.  You should be able to 'right click and save' if you're so inclined to try it out and please let me know if you do!

 

My Dad Knew Santa

Faint jingling bells could be heard from the other end of the hallway that led to the Bridge Room on the top floor of the Prince Albert Daily Herald.  The room was filled with little kids dressed in their Christmas finery and bursting with excitement.  I was one of those kids and what made it even more special was that my dad actually knew Santa Claus himself.

You see, my dad was the Press Room Foreman at the Daily Herald and co-chaired the Social Club.  He was in charge of organizing the children's Christmas party.  A few days before the big event, Dad would bring presents home, on Mr. Clauses behalf, to hand out to the kids.  They'd be from The Bay and would be wrapped in festive wrapping and bows.  Ice cream cups would be picked up...you know the kind, with those little wooden spoons that even as an adult leave you with a dry taste in your mouth.  The entertainment would be planned, and hamburgers ordered.

There was wild anticipation but there would always be a movie or two.  The movies would be rented from the library and were the real kind of movies using a film projector.  Every year, we'd watch the one about the Maple Leaf hockey sweater.

Then...

"I think I hear Santa coming!" Dad would say and sure enough the Big Man himself would start the jingling and Ho Ho Ho-ing as he entered the room.  Santa would greet the kids and do the customary questions like whether we'd been good or not.  Of course, we'd been good!  Treat bags would be handed out containing bridge mixture, those little foiled bell chocolates and balls and of course candy canes.  The most important would be the gifts because it was always something we really wanted.  One of the last gifts I received was a large plush stuffed pink and white teddy bear.  The kids would rip into their gifts and paper would fly as holiday chaos ensued.  

Santa would make another round of greetings and he'd be gone.

We'd eat our burgers, fries and ice cream.  Families would start leaving and after tidying up the Bridge Room we'd leave for home too.  It was the best afternoon ever.

Hectic Holidays

There's a Christmas mash-up medley that I love to teach called Hectic Holidays.  It's got snippets of every well-known Christmas carol and a few surprises too.  The idea of the song is to mimic what it's like to dash from store to store while Christmas shopping and hearing the songs being played in each store.  It's a great arrangement but not the easiest to pull off.

I was a piano teacher for about 10+ years when we moved and instead of continuing with that career at the time, I chose to work in retail.  If there's anything more fun than shopping for yourself, then its helping other people shop!  I worked for a women's clothing retailer which specialized in sizing from 4-24 and is no long in business.  Before I worked there, I shopped there, and one of the perks was the employee discount and of course you were made to wear the clothing while working.

The holidays were especially crazy and fun to work.  There were lots of specialty items that would be marketed just for season.  The polar fleece sweaters with adorable festive prints were favourites for many.  Wives would come in and set things on hold for their husbands to come do their Christmas shopping later on.  Some poor forlorn husbands would rush in on Christmas Eve expecting to still find the sweater their sweetums saw back in November and we'd have to tell them no, sorry, that's sold out.

The store would hire special staff just for the holiday rush and for the chaos that ensued on Boxing Day.  The change rooms always looked like a bomb went off.  Shauna was our fitting room guru.  I'd never seen someone create such magic in the helping and clearing of the change rooms.  I'm not sure I've even seen it since!  I have some really great memories of that time and sometimes I can still feel what it was like to be in the store at closing time, cleaning and folding in the quiet, and what it sounded like to close the door at the end of the day.

When I'd moved on to management with a different Canadian retailer, the mall held Midnight Madness.  The stores would stay open until midnight, and we'd all have to take turns working a shift once.  I remember one particular time we were lacking energy and maybe for some reason it wasn't that busy at that particular time, so I went down to the Starbucks on break and returned with chocolate covered coffee beans.  Myself and my coworker ate them, and the result was energy alright but also insomnia for the rest of the weekend!

I worked in retail for about 5 years when the fun left and the hours and staff drama started to get to me.  I remember walking into the music school and the director at the time asked, "what's taken you so long?" Teaching was really my calling and I'd gotten several signs that I was indeed meant to return to it.  While that's still true these many years later, I still try to be kind when I'm shopping and even the other day a cashier complimented me for being so patient with her.  I've been on that side of the counter and there's no point getting upset.  It doesn't prove nor solve anything.  If we can't be kind during the holidays then really, when can we be?

I've noticed a real return to non-covid shopping this year.  In my excursions parking lots are once again full and stores are bustling, and the Christmas tunes are flowing.  It's so great to see that maybe Christmas doesn't all come from an Amazon box after all.  If you are out and about doing your holiday shopping, soak in the atmosphere, be kind and thank your frazzled retail workers.

Ye Olde Photo Camera

I was watching the Hallmark movie Haul Out the Holly last week and there was a part of the story where the main character had a Polaroid camera.  It was a flashback to when she was young and took photos of the Christmas celebrations in her town.  It got me to thinking that I also have a Polaroid camera.

It was very late and possibly midnight, but in a fit of nostalgia I dug through the cabinet doors of the hallway built in, to find my Polaroid camera.  There it was in its carrying case as pristine as ever.  I knew there was film left in it because a number of years ago I took it to work with me as part of my tourist Halloween costume.  I stood in the corner in my pajamas and lined up my camera in hopes it might still work and snapped a photo of our Christmas tree.

Nope.  It didn't work.  Well, it did take a photo but because the film cartridge has its own battery power it was likely so old that it just didn't want to work to its potential.  So, the two photos which were left didn't want to pop out nor were pictures visible.

Bummer.

A quick perusal of Amazon, London Drugs, and the Polaroid website told me that yes, indeed you can still buy Polaroid film in a vast array...for $29.99 which I suppose isn't that bad for some thing so retro.  But hold the train, that only buys 8, yes, EIGHT, photos.

Yikes.

I have 1000 photos saved on my iPad alone.

The difference is that besides sharing them on Facebook or Instagram, no one really sees them.  Gone are the days we'd take a roll of film to be developed only to find out weeks later how the pictures turned out.  We'd save them into photo albums and haul them out to show family members and guests.  One of the favorite activities at my In-Laws is to look through old photos and hear the stories connected to them.  I don't remember a Christmas as a little kid at my Grandparents where there wasn't at least one or two pictures resting on the coffee table waiting for the images to appear.  Now we post, share, like and maybe comment before moving on and it's all forgotten.

It's not all bad.  If it weren't for social media helping us to see what is going on in each other's lives I wouldn't get to see my friend who lives in Edmonton on the beach in Mexico.  I wouldn't get to see my Nieces share photos of their little one's meeting Santa.  This last year, when we wanted to gather photos of loved one's remembrance, I dove into the photo albums though.

The last time I had photos printed was in 2019 and at Costco.  Now they don't even have a photo department.  I made my Husband a collage shadow box of our trip to Utah and Nevada for Christmas that year.  It now hangs in our living room.

At work, I take photos of my students and print them myself to post on my classroom wall.  They love to see themselves and others who have completed the same music books they have.

Some of you still take special Christmas family photos for the annual Christmas card.  Are you planning on taking pictures this year?  How will you share them?  Maybe this is the year to set them out on the coffee table for the family to enjoy.

Cookies! (Recipe Included)

 

From "Christmas Cookies" by George Strait

I saw a meme last week that says every recipe blog starts off with how the blogger was out for a wintery walk and it reminded them of tobogganing as a child and yadda yadda yadda and the poster just wanted to hurry up and get to the recipe and who cares about the other stuff.  While I do feel the pain of having to navigate all that nonsense to get to the real information, I think we all want to share our warm fuzzy memories of the season with our readers, family and friends.

There's a Roughrider fan in every crowd!

Some of my fondest Christmas memories are of my Mom and me baking cookies. I remember having to kneel on a kitchen chair at the cupboard and watching with wild anticipation as Mom would roll out the dough and then we'd choose just the exactly right cookie cutters.  I was really blessed to have a childhood which contains sweet memories like these.  I was equally fortunate to have a niece and nephew who I was close to, so when I was older and married, I'd invite them to my house to make cookies.  One year in particular, my niece was sick and couldn't come for cookie decorating so my nephew and I did it but put some aside in a special care package to take to her.  She proclaimed that the Christmas cookies held special healing powers because upon eating them she immediately was feeling better.

Jingling Rider Fan Medicine Woman.

Flash forward to when I became a more enthusiastic Saskatchewan Roughrider fan.  I purchased a set of Wilton Football Themed cookie cutters.  The set includes shapes for pennants, footballs, jerseys and helmets.  I only used the jerseys and helmets pictured below, although the recipe, which is coming up soon, makes enough cookies for the whole neighbourhood and then some so you can use your whole array of cookie cutters.  I do have a very extensive collection from all the obvious Christmas shapes to Snoopy and that cute truck with a tree in the back.  Of course, you may already have your own favourite sugar cookie recipe, or you might not have the time to make it and in that case the cookie dough in the cooler section will do just fine.

Makes 5 dozen cookies

Without dragging it out farther... here is the recipe for Mom's Sugar Cookies.  There aren't any special instructions except throw it all in a mixer to combine.  Form it into a roll, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.  If you don't refrigerate the dough, it will be pretty much disastrous and frustrating as the dough won't be able to be worked with.  Roll out the dough and cut into shapes, football themed or otherwise and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 8 minutes.  I use silicon mats on my baking sheets, so the cookies don't get overly brown and so cleanup is a snap.  One substitution you can make is the butter/shortening.  You can use margarine instead and the recipe still turns out wonderfully.

Once the cookies are completely cooled you can frost them with your favourite method.  Back as a kid we'd just use your regular butter cream homemade frosting with a myriad of sprinkles.  These days because my Hubby calls sprinkles "gravel" I bypass that method.  One year I purchased Cakemate Cookie Icing in various colours and although it didn't turn out to be my favourite product the cookies turned out pretty and tasty.

Go Riders!

Another year, I coated the cookies in white frosting and then used food markers to decorate.  These turned out to be my favourite cookies although the process was very time consuming because the markers had to dry completely, or they'd smudge.  That was also the year, where Hubby didn't know of how I'd toiled over the cookies and a good portion of them had "disappeared" before I'd found out.  

The table display for New Years Eve 2019

Maybe you want to make a batch of these for your favourite Riders fan or just make some sweet memories with some close family members.  I hope this blog was enjoyable to read and if it was, please share it with others on your Christmas list.  Nothing says love like a homemade gift-wrapped stack of sugar cookies shared with your family and friends.

Oh Snap! Looks pretty happy for a guy who just lost a leg!

Christmas Cards

Do you send Christmas cards?

I had stopped for a really long time.  Before that, I was the person who had the letter written in October and had all my cards addressed and stamped to go out in the post December first. We would receive so many cards that we had a specially designed wreath just to display them all. Then over the years, we stopped getting a lot of cards in the mail and friends and family chose to send virtual greetings or not to send at all, so it seemed like there was less meaning in putting in all the time and effort and expense into sending cards.  

One year, I quipped, "sure would be nice to get something in the mail other than flyers and bills." and I even mentioned to Hubby how much joy it brought me to receive something in the mail that was personal and didn't require payment.  He simply responded with, "why don't you give that feeling to other people?"

He was right.  

So, I set out to reform my card list.  That was a chore.  Some people on the list had passed, lot's moved and some had grown up to have families of their own.  Just making sure I wasn't leaving anyone out or spelling names wrong was another adventure.  I had once had a really cool adobe type list where I could add the date and whether I'd sent or received cards.  Surely there must be something similar for this new tech world.  I mean, there must be an app for that right.  Well sort of.  I found an app for my iPad simply called The Christmas Card List.  For me this works perfectly.

I remember being a kid and sitting with my mom at the dining room table as she addressed cards.  There seemed to be an art to choosing just the right design and poem to send to each person. It took what seemed like hours just choosing and writing.  When I was in a store this past weekend, there was a couple picking out Christmas cards.  I overheard their conversation about who they needed cards for as they looked and selected.  It was very sweet.  I tend to buy a box of cards that are all one design so then everyone gets the same card.  That's kind of like wrapping all your gifts with the same paper.

I've done that too.

Sunday night after all the hustle and bustle of the shopping day I sat down with the box of cards and my card list app.  I had bought more than enough Santa stamps and I even had some American stamps left.  Sometimes the thought of the task takes more time than the actual task, but I felt good at the end of it.  It's a part of the season we seem to have forgotten about and it's important to continue to let our loved ones know we are thinking about them. Addressing the cards helped me reminisce about friends and family over this last year, which has been a hard one for not only me, but many others.  Maybe a joyous Christmas card will be winging its way into your happy mailbox soon! 

CFL Advent Calendar

Fridays around here are either for football or flashbacks and sometimes it's both!  I've had a flood of ideas recently and I was thinking about a post I wrote called CFL Subscription Club on ABC Football.  The entire blog is talking about how you can subscribe to all kinds of services to bring you monthly boxes of anything from food to underwear and my argument was why doesn't one exist for the CFL?  Well, since it's Christmas, this got me thinking, (by the time you read this I'll already be into my advent calendars) why doesn't a football, a CFL in particular, advent calendar exist?

Well, likely because no one in marketing has thought of it.

* crickets * - CFL marketing department probably.

Imagine, as Grey Cup hysteria winds down, that you could purchase a CFL advent calendar.  24 days of CFL football items behind little doors of some kind of football themed box.  Hey, I can't have allll the ideas now, can I?  I'm not talking about big ticket items, but I know for a fact that the Roughrider Store has pins, stickers, tattoos, earrings, keychains, Christmas ornaments and likely other small items which would tuck very nicely into a decorative box.  December 1st you scramble over to your CFL advent, peel back the door and reveal...

With my luck it would be a Blue Bomber pin.

Every person who purchased an advent calendar would end up with a nice collection of memorabilia from all 9 CFL teams.  The items could be traded on social media and Facebook groups.  Fans could wear their items to events for the upcoming season. 

"Hey, where did you get that cool Gainer pin?" 

"Oh, it was in my CFL advent calendar!"  

The entire Christmas Countdown calendar would culminate in day 24 where there could be a coupon to be redeemed in team stores!  Then every fan could flock to their local team CFL store on Boxing Day to purchase an item of their wildest dreams.

* sigh *

My little green Roughrider heart swells with the thought of it.  Let's face it, there hasn't been much for us Rider fans to be excited about this last year.  It's too late for this year of course with Christmas already a couple weeks away, but hey, CFL get with it - get with the times.

Something like this could be marketed for the countdown to the 2023 CFL season and debuted during training camp and then the 24th door of the calendar would coincide with the home opening weekends...

...but I'm just the ideas person.  Just a fan.  Just a girl writing little ol blogs - wishing there was something football related to go with her tea and jam Advent Calendars.

Diet is NOT a Christmas Word

Every day on my way to work I pass by a Tim Horton's.  I've noticed a sign advertising a new seasonal promotion but can't quite make out the phrasing.  So today I looked up the slogan online.  "There's Snowplace like Tims"  Cute.  Then I saw some of their holiday items...

Gingerbread Oat Latte 280 calories.

Candy Cane Hot Chocolate 390 calories

Gingerbread Chocolate Dream Donut 480 calories.

Holy smokes Batman.

Don't get me wrong - they look amazing, and you know what?  If you want one, then go for it.

It's coming on December, and this is the season where we are once again gathering and celebrating together.  There may be some pressure to look better than you have in a while.  I mean, during the whole pandemic some of us got a little loosy goosy with our dress codes.  Is Christmas really the time to decide to go on a diet?

No.  Absolutely not.  I am giving you permission to let yourself off the hook this holiday. 

This is the time of year where we bake all the cookies and family favourites and yes, I'm the weirdo scoping out all the shops for the best mince pies and while we are on that subject, why doesn't fruitcake have marzipan on it anymore?  Anyhow, when we're doing and making these things, why on earth would we tell ourselves we shouldn't have one or two?  We love them so much we only have them once a year?

Just because I'm giving myself permission and you as well, doesn't mean we can go hog wild and eat the box of chocolates stashed on the top shelf of the pantry which your husband probably doesn't know about.  What I am saying is that when we associate so many happy memories with food and especially Christmas food why would we not only restrict ourselves but make ourselves feel guilt over it.  The diet industry makes a load of money by telling us we should feel guilty over food, punish ourselves and that we should make resolutions and join whatever fad is happening.  Don't give them that power.

Me, taken December 2019

In case you don't know, and I'm assuming many do not, during the pandemic and summer of 2020 I decided to better myself.  I started with the app MyFitnessPal and recorded all my food choices in an effort to be healthier.  Within a month I'd lost 15 pounds.  When I realized what I was doing was working I wanted to make life long manageable changes, but I also knew that if I told myself I could never eat another cookie or brownie or whatever again then there was no point.  So, I gave myself permission to have those things but only if I stuck to the recommended servings.  So almost every evening since then I've had tea and 2 cookies.  Guess what?  I'm satisfied with those 2 cookies.  To date I've lost just under 90 pounds.

Me, taken November 28 2022

I'm not saying that works for everyone because it doesn't.  Boundaries are also important during this holiday season.  You stuffing yourself with your families cooking doesn't mean you love that family member more or less.  It's okay to say no, thank you.  We joke around about wearing our stretchy pants to Christmas dinner but it's so uncomfortable and many like me end up with bloated stomach aches afterwards too.  I once said something to the effect of, "yes I can let my pants out, but I can't let my stomach out" Everything in moderation but knowing when enough is enough is important too.

So don't start the diet now.  Remove that word from your life.  Who needs that negativity?  Spend the holidays making happy memories and by golly eat the donut and don't give it a second thought. 

The Humbug Bush

I LOVE Christmas decorations.  One of my favourite things used to be heading to the Hallmark store or Carlton Cards to see the newest decorations.  They used to come out in July and plenty of people would complain about it, but I loved it and looked forward to it.  Those stores no longer exist here so how does a Christmas addict survive?  Well, obviously, a trip to the Festival of Trees at the Western Development Museum (WDM) of course!

It must be 20 years since the first time we ever took in this event.  It used to coincide with the Sundog Craft Fair at SaskTel Centre but since that time the dates have changed.  It used to be a weekend where we'd kick off our holidays and go to these things with my in-laws or parents.  It was lots of fun!

I started seeing ads pop up on Facebook and checked into the dates and admission.  It's just $12.95 per adult and you get admission to the entire museum.  That's pretty reasonable.  The only issue was my Hubby's dislike of crowds, so it took a lot of convincing to make him agree to go with me this year.  We decided the best time to go might be Sunday during the Santa Claus Parade.

We arrived at a small line at the admission counter but after about a 5–10 minutes wait we were admitted to Boomtown.  The decorated Christmas trees lined the pioneer era street and white snowflakes dangled from the ceiling.  There were Christmas trees of every description and theme.  Most of the trees had white lights and themed coloured decorations.  Some stand outs were the Peanuts tree, the tribute to the Queen and two different trees decorated with teacups!  Hubby's favourite were decorated in contrast with black which really surprised me.  One tree even had a raven as the tree topper!  

The Christmas trees were priced and most of them had sold signs.  The most expensive was $1800 and included a wreath and other decor besides the tree itself.  

As mentioned, Hubby is not that fond of the season but then again, I have more than enough Christmas cheer for both of us.  He refers to our Christmas tree as "The Humbug Bush" and we often call each other Scrooge and Cratchet!  My Humbug Bush...er, Christmas tree is not themed or perhaps the theme is purely CHRISTMAS.  There's lots of ornaments which are meaningful to me and were collected from trips, from students and from family.  There's every colour in decoration, Snoopy's, Grinch's, snowflakes, mittens, trucks...and the list goes on and on, all topped off with an angel.  Christmas lights are my favourite colour!  

I don't think anyone would pay for my tree.

Do you have a theme for your Christmas tree?  

We spent nearly 3 hours gazing at the Christmas trees, walking amongst the buildings, looking at the Eaton's display, the retro cars and marveling over the Gingerbread Lane gingerbread houses.  There was one house which was a replica from Home Alone called "Merry Christmas, ya Filthy Animal" and it was hard to believe that it was edible.  My gingerbread houses never look like that!

It was a very very good afternoon and if you have never taken in the Festival of Trees, I'd urge you to do so.  When we were leaving, the admission line was out the building and into the parking lot, so it is a very popular Saskatoon event.  They do have special events and pictures with Santa so it's well worth the time to check out.

Upon arriving home, we made a nice cup of hot cocoa basked in the glow of our Humbug Bush and I'd dare to say our Grinchy hearts grew at least one size.

O Tannenbaum

If you are feeling like you should be in the Christmas spirit and just aren't feeling it, there's one sure thing to help you out.  

Smelling Christmas trees.

Back in 1993, we purchased an artificial Christmas tree from Zellars.  Back then it was all up to you to put on your own lights and pre-lit trees were just a fantasy.  Zellars was having a sale and these trees were so popular they'd sold out and so when I went to buy one, they actually substituted with a more expensive tree for the same price of $59.99.  All these years later we still use that same tree even though it loses needles like a real tree.  The only thing missing is the smell.

I don't mean the smell of the light bulbs burning the tinsel on the tree either.

That's a childhood sensory memory isn't it!

In Saskatoon, in my opinion, the best place to fill your nostrils with seasonal scents is Dutch Growers.  Dutch Growers is a locally owned gardening centre and retail store.  In the summer months they sell plants and anything to do with gardening and in the fall winter they convert to hay bales and then Christmas trees and decorations!   

There weren't a lot of shoppers there when we arrived, and we wandered around the Balsams with noses in the air before going to examine every Christmas decoration with an effort to pick out just the exact special additions to our tree.  I love anything retro and reflective.  I also love the whole red truck theme.  Indeed, I did find some treasures.

At one time, Hubby's parents would visit us the first weekend of December to kick off their holidays season.  We'd take in the Sundog Craft Fair, go shopping at Costco and Midtown and drive through the Enchanted Forest at the Forestry Farm (zoo).  One time after we'd done the Enchanted Forest we stopped at Dutch Growers and that will always be one of those warm fuzzy memories.  The store seemed so pretty and sparkly.  It's probably why I enjoy going back at this time of year every year.

Do you have a favourite Christmas tree memory?  Does the smell of a tree make you reminisce?  Is there a place you can go to indulge your senses?  It's does wonders for our hearts to seek out these experiences.  Some of us have had really tough years and we need to find happiness wherever we can.

Even in a garden centre. 🎄

Advent

There's all this talk about Advent Calendars but do you know what Advent really signifies?  When every company is promoting their products through a countdown box, what is it we are really supposed to be doing during the holiday season?  Well, I'm here to help settle the question or in the very least explain the intention of the advent season.

It's simple really.  Advent is the period of time in which Christians prepare for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.  Advent begins not on December 1st as the calendars would have us believe, but rather on the 4th Sunday prior to Christmas Day or the Sunday which falls closest to November 30th.  So that would mean the first Sunday in Advent for 2022 is November 27th. How do we celebrate Advent?  Well, of course it varies wildly depending on your faith, church and religion.  The lighting of an Advent wreath seems to be one of the most popular customs.  The wreath consists of a candle for each Sunday in Advent and are different colours to represent different meanings. Three purple, one pink and one white.  Purple represents repentance and royalty, pink means joy and rejoicing and the white means purity and light.  Each Sunday in Advent a different candle is lit and scripture is read.  If this custom interests you, read more about it here on Learn Religions.

Do you acknowledge Advent?

Our lives ebb and flow and sometimes we pay attention to these rituals and sometimes we don't.  I do have some great memories from some Advent celebrations!  Hubby and I were planning our wedding back in 1992.  We picked a date a week before Christmas.  The church we attended asked us as part of our marriage counselling to light an advent candle on a particular Sunday.  Nearly 30 years later, I cannot recall which Sunday it was, but it seems like it might have been the first one.  

I've also attended Christmas Eve services which of course is the culmination of Advent.  One of my favourite memories is attending with my friend Olivia and her husband Ross.  We had never been to their church before and upon entering were given a scrap of wrapping paper.  During the service we were told to crunch is up and throw it on the floor.  We weren't allowed to pick it up.  By the end of the service, we'd found out the meaning behind this.  It was about leaving our worries and giving them up to God and how He is there to help clean up our messes.  That's not the only reason this service was memorable.  At the end, everyone was given a candle and one by one they were all lit.  The Congregation stood around the perimeter of the sanctuary with lit candles, and it was really quite beautiful.  Then Ross leaned over and whispered, "I wonder what the fire regulations are in here!"  It still makes me chuckle!

During the pandemic, we'd stopped attending church and like many churches the services went live on streaming platforms.  Ours went on YouTube and still does.  Christmas Eve 2020, Hubby and I had a nice meal and then sat in our living room with tree all aglow watching the service on our 55-inch tv.  It seems so simple but that year it felt really special.

At the writing of this post, I cannot tell you what our plans are or how we will be involved with Advent or even the Christmas holidays this season.  I do hope that I keep the meaning of Christmas alive in our home and even as we open the little doors on our calendars to see what gifts are in store.  We do have so much to be thankful for this year and always.

Advent Calendars Galore

Advent Calendars aren't something I remember having growing up.  That's not to say they didn't exist, but I only recall the chocolate ones and I don't think I ever had one as a youngster.  Over the last several years, countdown and advent calendars have definitely evolved from the chug all the chocolate on December first type.  You can have an advent calendar of every type these days.  I have jumped in with both feet over the last couple of years and 2022 is no exception.

The gateway calendar is a chocolate countdown.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with picking up the regular chocolate calendar from your local Walmart.  Pretty much every chocolate company makes one.  I even saw one priced for $1.99 at the Shoppers Drug Mart.  I'm sure they're all completely enjoyable.  It seems, although I don't know from experience, that the Lindt calendars which I've seen at Costco seem to be one that many enjoy.  There really isn't bad chocolate is there?  

If you are a tea drinker like I've become then you'll know that one of the most adored calendars is produced from David's Tea.  The first one I purchased was lovely and I really looked forward to having a special cup every evening.  Customers ooh and ah over the designs every year and this countdown is one of the few which will give more than 1 cup of tea behind every door.  This worked nicely for me if I enjoyed a particular flavour more because then I got to have extra cups.  Lot's of calendars will provide one tea bag behind every numbered door.  You may want to take that into consideration when purchasing.  You want the most bang for the buck right!  

Another sought after tea advent calendar is from Bird & Blend which is a tea retailer in England.  I've been fortunate enough to have had this one the last couple of years.  Their flavours are unique and really great.  The big consideration with ordering with them is the shipping and handling and let's face it...we've all tightened our purse strings a little so while I LOVE this company whole heartedly, I have not purchased this one for 2022.  What they provide that's a one-of-a-kind experience is a message board dedicated to their calendars and sharing with other tea drinkers.

So what did I buy this year?  

I purchased 3 advent countdown to Christmas calendars.

Actually 4...but one isn't for me.

I purchased a tea advent calendar from Tea At The White House which despite its name is a Canadian tea company.  This is a company in Ontario and when surfing their website, I'd compare them to the British Bird & Blend.  They boast flavours like Sticky Toffee Pudding and Royal Chocolate Biscuit Cake.  How could you possibly not want to test your taste buds with those?!  This was very affordable and easily ordered.  Each day consists of one tea bag and it's a mixture of non-caffeinated and caffeinated.  I just wish I had also ordered their scone mix as well...

...I wish I had the scone mix because I also ordered the Bonne Maman calendar.  I saw this one all over social media last year.  It is a little tricky to get in Canada, but I was alerted by Youtuber Tea With Jann that it could be ordered from Papa Jack Popcorn.  Bonne Mamman makes one of the best strawberry jams I've ever had and so much so I've gotten other family members hooked on it.  They make a HUGE array of flavours.  So, for the month of December, breakfasts will consist of toast and jam, English muffins and jam, crumpets and jam...you get the idea.

The most expensive advent calendar I spoiled myself with is from The Body Shop.  As I said, literally everyone is coming out with these little gems, but the Body Shop countdown is anything but little.  I stumbled upon it back in early September when visiting the store for some hand lotion.  Not only was it on promo for its release but I was able to apply some loyalty coupons to the purchase and voila!  It came home with me.  The Body Shop has two calendars and the one I liberated was the lesser priced of the two.  I've opened it and looked at the numbered boxes several times and I cannot wait to dive in on December 1st.  I'm assuming the products are perhaps travel sized, but we have to wait and find out.  I only dream of how luxurious the higher priced version must be!

The advent calendar which I purchased for someone else aka Hubby was a cheese calendar.  Hey, I said they make them these days for everyone.  It was already on my radar when I stumbled upon it in the deli section of my local Co-Op Marketplace.  It must be refrigerated and is hidden in the bottom of our fridge so the mouse in the house doesn't decide to imbibe early.  I also suspect I won't get many samples nor photos to share here or anywhere else.  That being said, I will try to post a review in some form or fashion upon its completion.

So those are the advent countdown calendars hidden away in my house.  Which one are you getting this year?  Is this something your family participates in?  

I'd like to give an honourable mention to a calendar I had last year which I thoroughly enjoyed was a Keurig coffee countdown which I purchased from a fantastic store called Ecs Coffee.  I completely would have purchased it this year as well, but believe it or not, I did show some restraint with the boxes I did buy.  We can't have them all!  If you have a coffee lover in your life, by all means check this one out!

Every holiday season, I share mostly on Instagram what I've enjoyed each day so you can check that out when the time comes.  I'm thinking of also writing blogs for my favourite of the week here as well.  Regardless, how excited are you to dive into the holiday festivities!  I know I can hardly wait.