Friday's FIVE!

Christmas traditions are a part of the excitement and anticipation of the season... Those special things you look forward to during this blessed season. I'm a rich traditionalist - so our Christmas traditions are many. While we participate in the typical Christmas traditions such as Christmas dinners, Gift Exchanges, gatherings with family and friends and Christmas eve services at church- this weeks Friday FIVE! are five of a our families special Christmas traditions...

1. Red and Green Foil Paper

Santa Claus doesn't have time to put ribbons or bows on packages - so he wraps all presents in foil paper. Red foil paper for girls, Green foil paper for the boys. At our house - Santa Claus didn't bring all of the packages - he brought each child just one present.... usually the 'big' item on the Christmas list. This was the way Santa brought gifts to my house when I was a child, it is the way he brought gifts to my children...and it is the way he brings gifts to my grandsons at their home.

I remember Santa bringing Betsy "Talking Big Bird" - and the joy on that childs face still warms my heart. I remember the look on Katie's face when she got her Cabbage Patch Dolls - and I remember Teddy Ruxpin. The reflection of the Christmas tree lights on the shiny foil paper emits a warm glow on Christmas morning that says "Santa Claus has been here!!".... Let the fun begin!

2. Recycled Gifts

Christmas of 1976 - Steve and I had just married, and we didn't have much money. I taught myself to macrame' and made gifts for everyone. I made plant hangers and wall hangings and key chains. When Christmas came, I still had one item left to make - a Belt for my brother, Roger. That Christmas, I packed up his buckle and the beads and the jute that would become his belt - and wrote a note as an IOU - a promise that I would make the belt after the holiday.

The belt didn't get done - and he wrapped it up and gave it back to me the following year. We passed the belt back and forth for 25 years. The box would hold poems or some creative way to pass the gift back and forth.... On the 25th anniversary, we decided to retire the tradition. Roger put a few of the beads on his key chain... and I hang the buckle and a few of the beads on my Christmas tree each year. Sometime when the girls were in high school - they began passing back and forth a stinky strawberry candle that came from a Cross Country Team Christmas exchange. The smell of that horrible candle has not waned with years... it still smells as bad now as it did over 10 years ago.

3. Christmas Jammies

When the girls were really small, they would get Christmas Jammies for Christmas at Grandma Dubie's house on Christmas Eve. They would put them on at Grandma's house so they would have their jammies on and be ready for bed as soon as we got home (often falling asleep in the car) When the girls got a little older I started buying the Christmas jammies - I would carefully choose pajamas that fit personalities or the 'theme' for the season. When we would get home from Grandma Dubie and Grandpa George's house on late on Christmas eve, they would have one present to open ... and of course, that present would be the jammies. This tradition has continued throughout the years...and while I haven't bought Christmas jammies for two years, I'm sure Tyler and Trevor will be in new Christmas jammies this year!

4. Coffee Cake and "Grandma' Salad"

When I was a child - we always went to Grandma and Grandpa Pence's house on Christmas eve - and Grandma and Grandpa Alexander came to our house on Christmas morning. We always had "Grandma's Salad" at Grandma Pence's house - it was a recipe passed down from my Great Grandma Ballard - and my Grandma Alexander always brought a coffee cake to our house on Christmas day. We still eat "Grandma's Salad" at Christmas....and I know my cousins, Nancy and Amy continue this tradition... and we still have Grandma's Coffee cake for breakfast on Christmas morning!

Grandma's Coffee Cake

2 C Sugar

1 C Melted Butter

2 Eggs

1 C Sour Cream

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 C all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 C chopped pecans

2 T brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Combine sugar and butter. Beat in eggs, add sour cream and vanilla until combined.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt - gradually mix into sugar/butter mixture.

Pour 1/2 of the batter into greased/floured 10" bundt or tube pan. Combine the pecans, sugar and cinnamon - sprinkle on top of the batter in the 10" pan. Add remaining batter.

Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes - invert cake onto serving plate and dust with confectioners sugar.

"Grandma's Salad"

2 Large cans of Pineapple chunks

2 Eggs

3/4 C Sugar

2 heaping T flour

pinch of salt

chopped pecans

2 C mini-marshmallows

Drain pineapple and reserve 1 1/2 C juice, add sugar, wisk flour and salt into juice, add 2 beaten eggs - cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat, cover with wax paper and allow to cool. When cool - Fold in chopped pecans and marshmallows. Garnish with Maraschino cherries and pecan halves.

5. Special Christmas items

When I was growing up - we had three angels with red feather dresses...I don't know whatever happened to those angels - but I loved them so much. They always sat on our fireplace mantel.

When Katie was a baby, my mother gave me a little ceramic frozen pond winter scene with a snowman iceskating on it. The kids have always loved it - and it is one item they still expect to see when the Christmas decorations come out. One of my mothers most treasured items is her Nativity Scene that she had as a child....a primitive little creche now at least 75 years old, that she still puts out. She doesn't do much decorating for Christmas anymore - but the Creche is still the central theme of this blessed Christmas holiday....

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!