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NORAD is ready to track Santa’s flight
This is so much fun! Last year my boys and I pulled up NORAD’s site at www.noradsanta.org and watched Santa travel around the world on Christmas Eve. It was so much fun talking to my boys about different cultures, different time zones, the way the earth spins, different parts of the world and the boys and girls that live all around us, all while watching Santa ZOOM from place to place. You can follow them on Facebook to keep up with the latest: http://www.facebook.com/noradsantaMake this part of your Christmas Tradition. You won’t regret it: NORAD is ready to track Santa’s flight Dec. 1, 2011PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. — The North American…
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Elf on a Shelf
Read about the Letter our Elf bringseach yearWe are a family of tradition. Old ones from the days of my forefathers (this is what my mom tells me); ones created in my own childhood (the wife of an airman living thousands of miles from family my mom had creative juices flowing all the time); now traditions that I am creating for my own children. Tomorrow, as is tradition each December 1st, our Elf comes to visit! For a number of years he has been visiting and he moves around the house each night. Who knows where he is going to pop-up next. Each morning my boys get up excited to figure out where…
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Christmas Traditions Decorating at Home and at Church
As the leftover Thanksgiving turkey is down to turkey salad, Christmas decorations are hauled from the closets. Boxes, cartons and plastic bins hold memories, treasures and herald the coming holiday. The last plastic bin was rifled through hoping to reveal perky Christmas towels. There on the bottom, as if an afterthought was a sheet of typed, well copied paper from Keflavik Naval Air Station’s PWOC about Christmas tree history. A paper reminder of good times, great ladies, strong values: military spouses of all services and NATO nations. Christmas Tree HistorySince the earliest days of the bringing of evergreens indoors at Christmastime has been one of the first ways of giving…
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Talking Turkey (leftovers) Tasty Tuesday
A crowd fills the house at Thanksgiving each year. Chairs are mixed and matched to heights of a child’s lap. Tables are added domino style… fitting this end, turning a corner with several tablecloths draped over them. My table is a center point of the Thanksgiving action for me. For me. Now, for more than half of us it is the Macy’s Day parade which spills into football. Hors d’oeuvres fill the gap from the yeasty breakfast rolls or bowls holding fruited steamy oatmeal to dinner. A steady aroma of turkey feeds an appetite that nothing else can satisfy. Our menu has turkey highlighting the table at 2 P.M. and…
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Small Business Saturday
I am really intrigued by this idea of “Small Business Saturday”. The premise is the Saturday after Thanksgiving you go to your local family-owned, small business stores to do your Christmas Shopping. I got this ‘chain email from my mother-in-law a couple weeks ago. Usually I immediately hit delete on chains. Sorry, I get about 50 emails a day – and that is just personal. But this one caught my eye and hits right along the Small Business Saturday concept: As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods — merchandise that has been produced at the…
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The Holiday Budget
It is that time of year again. Festive lights, decorated Christmas trees, homemade treats and the celebration of traditions with the promise of a bright future. It can also be a very stressful time of year. The focus has become retail. We spend our time fretting about the ‘perfect gift’, the ‘perfect meal’, the ‘perfect ensamble’ for the brigade or unit party. All of this when we should instead be focusing on what the holiday is about. We have found joy in spending, getting the biggest, best, most luxurious. The worst of it: the stress lasts well into the new year when we overspend, don’t budget and simply spend on impulse instead of planning. Want some simple tips on…
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“Ride for Our Heroes” in New England – A Wordless Wednesday Thank You!
Two quotes about Ride for Heroes in New England:“The biker community has a long history of riding to support veterans. We hope the Ride for Our Heroes can become another great tradition to honor those who suffer from the ‘invisible wounds of war’–post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. We are honored to work with the biker community on this event,” –John Parrish, MD, Director of the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program. “It is rewarding to know that we have a partner in the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital’s Home Base Program assisting us in providing the additional support and services soldiers…
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Tasty Tuesday Hungarian Chicken
Hungarian food is rich in tradition and paprika! Creamy, red and spicy food that fills the need for a hungry family. Hungarian chicken makes a rich sauce that compliments pasta and vegetables. This meal just asks for time to linger at the table and share the highlights of everyone’s day. The aroma whets the appetite before the table is set! Try this on a cold night served with noodles tossed with butter and crisp croutons. Beautiful!This recipe is revised from the one in the James Beard American CookeryHungarian Chicken3 large skinned chicken breasts1 c flour1 T paprika1 t kosher salt1 t dried parsley1/2 stick butter (4 T)4 T olive oil1…
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Definition of Family
Family … it can have a lot of meanings. Moms, Dads, Children, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, Nieces, Nephews, Cousins. All are family… and over the past couple weeks I have seen them. Hugged them. Cherished them. We spent time at my folks’ house, over the river and through the woods. (It is not a road trip of epic miles … but with a family of six it can be a few hours, a bit of “Are we there yet?”, and quite a few “MOM, I have to go to the bathroom!”s. While we were at Mom and Dad’s the grandchildren put on their own nativity scene, we ate /too/ much (always…
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Spouse’s Corner: Traditions – The Backbone of the Holidays
By now the decorations are up, the menu is being set, the cards and invites are purchased and stamps have been budgeted. Well, maybe in a perfect world. But the thought process has traveled down that project list. We hold traditions to keep the family on track as to what the family does: traditions help define family values and heritage. Some of these traditions can be left by the wayside without hesitation. I grew up in a Norwegian household. Lutefisk was always there on the table, but not anymore! Now I don’t even know if it is available in Michigan where I live. Oranges and walnuts were stuffed in our…
