Great Ideas for Christmas Costumes and Holiday Party Outfits

Christmas costumes are here and it is that time of year again to get excited and be ready for trips to the malls, the office parties, and being the host of one at your house. The parties start the day after Thanksgiving and go until the new year.

Here are some ideas on wonderful costumes you can wear for all these occasions?

The most famous costumes is Santa Clause of course. To get the jolly suit plan ahead and order online, or you can rent it at a costume store. They will have everything you need to make you look just like the ho, ho, ho, man himself.

Just know that with the Santa suit if you start looking before Halloween you will be able to find it. But if you decide to do this at last minute you can always look at the stores where they sell Christmas lights and other holiday products.

Santa always needs a helper to hand out that wonderful candy cane after the children see the big guy. The elf is the second best person in the holiday season. They are helpful and funny, and always lets the kids see Santa.

There are green outfits and big shoes help topped with a little green hat. And of course you have to paint a little red on your cheeks to make you look happy as you can be. Green tights help top off the ensemble.

Who gets Santa and the elves to the mall? It is the famous reindeer! They do have these costumes available at the costume store. If you are good at sewing you just need fur brown cloth and a big red nose for the most famous of them all.

Mrs. Claus is the right hand lady that keeps everything running smoothing. You need a red dress that goes down to the ankles, a white lace apron, and a old fashion hat that looks like the pioneers wore to bed at night. You always want to put a little red circle on each cheek to make her look rosy.

Angels are very easy costumes to make. Get a white gown, put a gold wrap around your waist, a beautiful gold halo on the top of your head, and some very nice wings on your back.

Frosty the snowman is always nice to sing with in the snow. He would be easy to find on the internet. Frosty would be good to have at an office party, or at a party you are going to have for children. They would love to have him. Just make sure he has a big black top hat with a flower on it. Add a pipe and you are set.

The Grinch that stole Christmas is always a great costume for office parties, kids parties, or when you have one at your house. If you host one just remember that he is green with fur all over, and he is mean at first. When he is nice you can put a huge heart on his chest to say I am nice and I love Christmas.

Churches always have the kids do events with the nativity. Characters include The famous Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus, You also have the angels who float around, and the wise men that have important parts in these scenes. With the animals you have camels, goats, horses, lambs.

When making the nativity costumes they are usually made by hand by the church kids. This let’s them take pride in what they did by themselves.

Christmas costume theme parties are very popular now. You just host a party and have every one dress in there character they love the most and have a wonderful themed party. Dressing up is not just for Halloween and for kids any more.

Remember the Christmas season is to have fun and being at a theme party where every one wears a Christmas costume will be festive and will remembered for a long time.

Printed Christmas Party Invitations, Halloween Invitations Cards, Mardi Gras Party Cards for All Holiday Party Occasions!!

Christmas, Halloween, Mardi Gras & Other Holiday Party Invitations It seems as though holiday cards have been around as long as the holidays have. History tells us a different story. You may be surprised to know that holiday cards, specifically Christmas cards, first appeared in London in 1843. The very first Christmas cards were requested by Sir Henry Cole that year, and sold for a shilling. Several decades later, Louis Prang offered the first Christmas cards to Americans. It was not too long after, that Christmas cards began to be mass-produced.

Over time, holiday cards evolved into what you have today. Holiday Party Invitations have featured everything from patriotic Christmas wishes to presidential Christmas wishes. Today, cards are sent out for just about every holiday, not just Christmas, although Christmas does represent the original holiday for which cards were created.

Today, you can buy a card to celebrate just about any holiday, from Easter and St. Patrick’s Day, to Oktoberfest, Cinco de Mayo, and even New Year’s Eve. You can literally find a holiday card for just about every occasion, regardless of culture or religion. Whether you’re sending out greetings and well-wishes, or inviting people to a holiday party, there is no better way to say it than with a holiday card.

Holiday cards are easy to find just about anywhere, but in most cases, you are limited to the particular style of the store that sells the holiday cards. It can sometimes be difficult to find a card or a series of cards that will be able to send your friends and family member the right message for the holidays. Sometimes, the wording or phrase on a card is right, but not the image. Holidays are times for family, and you don’t want to give your relatives and close friends an impersonal-sounding card, so what choices do you have?

One choice is clear: shopping online for personalized cards. Many websites allow you to create customized and personalized invitations at an affordable price, and offer you the latest in design options, from photos and images, to verses and sayings. By utilizing the tools available on the web, have the ability to create holiday cards that are unique to your needs, customs, and traditions. The holidays are important to you, and now you the chance to give your family and friends something more personal than a card that thousands of other people also have access to.

Through the web, you can add your own photos and words, making each Photo Christmas Invitations unique and special. You even have the ability to preview your work before you send it out to be printed. Many companies offer same day printing and shipping. Whether you’re celebrating Oktoberfest, Hanukkah, or Christmas, many stores are ready and able to help. Shopping online presents you with the perfect avenue to creating cards for the holidays that will be able to say exactly what you want to exactly whom you want to say it to. Celebrate your holidays by ordering personalized cards. Let skilled professionals help you make the perfect holiday memories by creating the perfect Halloween Party Invitations Cards.

Decorate Your Home With the Christmas Spirit, for the Ultimate in Holiday Decor

Capture the elusive Christmas Spirit and bring it home for the holidays! Remember what it was like when you were a kid at Christmas time? When you were filled with that warm fuzzy Christmas feeling that seemed to penetrate the whole house? How did our parents do it? Was it the innocence of childhood or is there something more to it? Get started today and your home will be bursting at the seams with that old time Christmas feeling.

Practice acts of shopping kindness. Smile at people. Smile and say hello to the busy clerk behind the counter. Let them know you’re not just another impatient customer waiting in line. Smile at the harried mother with fussy young children. Let her know your not judging her parenting skills. Let that person with only one item go ahead of you at the cash register. It feels so good when they flash an appreciative thank you your way. Open doors for people. Smile at them. Let that car merge into your busy traffic lane. Wave a friendly hello. In a single shopping trip you will have given the gifts of patience, kindness, acceptance and courtesy. It’s free, it’s fun and the more you give the more you’ll get!

Get sentimental. Snuggle on the couch and watch the classics; ‘Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer’, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ and ‘A Christmas Story’. Share childhood stories of holidays’ past with your children. Tell them how scared you were of the Abominable Snowman when you were little. How you would squirm in your seat when he had Rudolph trapped in the cave! Listen to Bing Crosby sing ‘I’ll be home for Christmas’. Sing ‘Frosty the Snowman’ when you’re stuck in traffic and laugh at yourself. Surprise an old relative or friend with a phone call. Hang mistletoe. Stop and take notice of children all happy and excited in their holiday dresses.

Engage the senses. Make Christmas warm and fuzzy again. Sautee onions in a frying pan and then run out onto the front porch for a few moments. Step back in and enjoy the smell of home cooking! Play Christmas carols while you’re making dinner. Dance in the kitchen to ‘Little Drummer Boy’. Laugh. Flirt with your husband. Hug your kids. Hug the dog! Light those cinnamon scented candles you’ve been saving forever. Sit in the dark and stare at the Christmas tree lights. Make hot chocolate, spiced cider or eggnog.

Appreciate! Take the time to really appreciate all that you do have. Be thankful that you have a home to come home to, a warm bed to sleep in and food in the cupboard. Say a silent thank you for the loved ones in your life. Say thank you for good health, transportation, indoor plumbing, garbage service, family pets and your house plants that keep on living. Remind yourself that even the poorest people in America live better than many around the world. Take the time to acknowledge what a luxury your hot shower really is. Appreciate; really, really appreciate what you have right now, today! Give something, anything, big or small to charity. Be thankful you have it to give.

Take a lesson from the Grinch. He learned that the Christmas Spirit can’t be purchased, wrapped up and put in a box. It’s something that comes from within. It isn’t created with pretty decorations; it makes the decorations prettier. It isn’t created with ham and turkey dinner; it makes the ham and turkey taste better. It isn’t created by putting up the Christmas lights; it makes the lights shine brighter. Christmas Spirit is created in your heart. And it grows every time you express it with your love and appreciation. Practice giving it and you’ll discover what Dorothy from the ‘Wizard of Oz’ learned. What you were looking for was in your own backyard all along! Now you’re home is ready for the holidays. Merry Christmas!

Are you Using LED Christmas Lights this Holiday Season?

geeks.pirillo.com – http – I’ve had this particular light string on for the past three days. Each of the bulbs is still cool to the touch. It’s also highly energy efficient! If you’re going to string lights inside or outside your house, this is what you need to use. chris.pirillo.com Distributed by Tubemogul.

Holiday Vid [ II ] – Starlit Nights (Christmas Lights) ORIGINAL [FREE MP3!]

download the mp3 to this here! glowing-vision.net also check out these links to learn how to play it =] glowing-vision.net glowing-vision.net just right click and “save link as” X (10) more videos to go. =D 12 in total. smile and be merry! this is a song i wrote almost 2 years ago… and i rewrote some words to fit the occasion. hope you guys like it. check out the original on my myspace! myspace.com LYRICS: christmas lights they keep me lookin at your starlit eyes the way the stars impact …

Christmas–a Wonderful Holiday

So– it is Christmas, you have spent a great deal of time shopping for that perfect gift for your loved ones. Dealt with crowded lines, a great deal of traffic, and in some places did this in extreme weather. You are now ready to spend hours wrapping those gifts, and filling out the little tags that go with them. The days ( Or Months ) prior to this you have picked out Christmas cards to send to Friends and Family. Armed with rolls of stamps, you write little notes in these cards, place them in the envelope, and stuff them in your mailbox ( Let us remember to leave something for the Mailman)

It is time to prepare the Fiest. Yes for the most of us, there is the Christmas dinner. You Know–the one where you spend all day preparing a wonderful meal so your children, grandchildren, friends and family can invade your quite home, sent the cat into hiding, break a dinner tray (Or Two), leave wrapping paper in places you never dreamed possible, and leave.

After you have done the mountain of dishes, picked the scraps off the floor, given your Cat an Anti-deppresant—you are now ready to relax and enjoy the evening. As you sit in front of the TV and think of the charges you have put on your credit cards, the News informs you that the major retail stores are thrilled with the unexpected turnout, and are looking at a great deal of profit–meanwhile your wishing you had bought Junior that 80 dollar bike instead of the 150 Dollar bike you bought.

So–minus the fact that you have now spent your Life Savings, your Retirement is gone, and there is the possibility of a Second Mortgage, Christmas went well. Friends and Family loved the Meal and were greatfull for the gifts (Or the opportunity to exchange them for what they really wanted) Hopefully you did not forget to invite anyone to this celebration–Well–Chances are you missed one–JESUS!

Yes–Jesus, you Know–the one whom this Holiday is actually for! Did you thank Jesus for the gifts he gave you. That beautifull daughter, Her successfull Husband, and those three adorable children (OK-now I’m pushing it). While stewing over the Debt you incurred on this day–were you thankful that you could even do so? Did you thank HIM for the blessings you have in your Home and Family Life–some are not so lucky–Did you take the time to offer a little prayer for the less fortunate. Isn’t that what Christmas is about. Christmas is not suppose to be about making the “Major Chains” wealthy, it is not about what you wrapped in that little box, nor that turkey or ham you prepared.

So–Next Christmas, enjoy your Fellowship with your friends, hug your children and grandchildren, on the way to the Mall to spend your Cash–stop and say Merry Christmas to that Homeless man. But most important of all–don’t wait till Christmas to invite Jesus into your home–invite him in everyday!

Grandma Hystad’s .holiday Recipes, Bar Mixes, Food, Christmas Information

CONTENTS

CHRISTMAS INFORMATION

GRANDMA’S WRAPPED TURKEY

WEIGHTS, ROASTING TIMES

TURKEY

GRANDMA’S BAKED HAM AND APPLES

AUNT PAT’S BUTTER TARTS

MOM’S MINCEMEAT COOKIES

GRANDMA’S SHORTBREAD

LIGHTSIDE

WARNING

FOOD INFORMATION

RESPONSIBLE DRINKING, BAR MIXES

CHRISTMAS INFORMATION

The word Christmas comes from the words Cristes maesse, or “Christ’s Mass.” Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the Christian religion.

Many of our Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before the Christ child was born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the Yule log, the giving of gifts, carollers’ who sing while going from house to house, the feasts, and the church processions can all be traced back 4000 years.

In 350 AD Julius1, a Bishop in Rome chooses December 25th, as the
observation of Christmas.

Both Australia’s and New Zealand, Christmas occurs during summer and is celebrated at the beach.

Christmas celebration was outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681, however residents of Virginia and New York celebrated the Christmas holiday freely.

Christmas was declared a U.S. federal holiday in 1870.

Many public buildings once commonly included Nativity scenes.  By doing so the practice led to lawsuits, claiming the government was endorsing a religion.

In 1984 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a city-owned Christmas display, including a Nativity scene did not violate the First Amendment.

For a complete history on Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Ramadan,
Christmas Customs, Carols, crafts, click on the link below:
http://www.ask.com/web?q=christmas+history&qsrc=8

Christmas Around The World. History from most countries.
http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm

GRANDMA’S WRAPPED TURKEY

Place dressed turnkey, breast up in centre of greased, wide,
heavy foil.  Bring ends of foil up over breast.  Overlap fold
and press up against ends of turkey.  Place bird in shallow pan.
Open foil last 20 minutes to brown.  Bake at 450 F, (230 C)
according to timetable.

Weights Roasting Times

Ready To Cook Weight.               Roasting Time.
8 – 10 lbs.                         2 ¼ – 2 ½ hours.
10 – 12 lbs.                        2 ½ – 3 hours.
14 – 16 lbs.                        3 – 3 ¼ hours.
18 – 20 lbs.                        3 ¼  – 3 ½ hours.
22 – 24 lbs.                        3 ½  – 3 ¾ hours.

TURKEY

1 whole turkey fresh or thawed (12 -13 lbs.) 

1/2 cup of butter 

1 cup of mixture of fresh chopped herbs (thyme, tarragon, sage, summer savoury etc.) 

Salt and pepper 

1 whole peeled onion

Mix the butter and herbs and set aside.

Clean the turkey inside and outside and drain dry.

Using your hands, slide through the skin and the meat of the breast and thighs as much as you can.  Now take knobs of the herbed butter and spread it all over underneath the skin and onto the breasts and thighs.  Also rub some of the butter all over the outside skin as well.

Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the bird and inside cavity.  Put the whole onion into the cavity of the bird. 

Put the bird onto a disposable aluminum-roasting pan and put it into a hot BBQ, cooking it using indirect heat.  Ensure the BBQ is about 325 -350 degrees throughout the cooking process. Adjust temperature if needed. 

Baste every ½ -hour for about 2 hours until temperature reads 180° at the thigh level. Tent the turkey with aluminum foil loosely around the pan if the skin is browning too fast.

Let rest 10-15 minutes before carving.

Cooking time two hours

 

GRANDMA’S BAKED HAM AND APPLES

2 large slices of ham steak.
2 teaspoons……………..(10 ml)………………….prepared mustard.
4 tablespoons………….(60 ml)……………………brown sugar.
2 tart apples.
1 ½ cups…………………………(375 ml)…………………apple juice.

Place the ham in baking dish and rub with mustard.  Sprinkle
with 2 tablespoons (30 ml), of brown sugar.  Core the apple
and cut into thin slices.  Cover the ham with the apple slices and sprinkle with rest of brown sugar.  Add apple juice. Bake at 300 F, (150 C), for 30 minutes or until tender.
YIELD:  4-5 servings.
TIME:   40 minutes.

AUNT PAT’S FAVOURITE BUTTER TARTS

1/3-cup ………………………(80 ml) …………………butter.
1-cup………………………………(250 ml)…………………brown sugar.
2 tablespoons…………(30 ml)……………………milk or cream..
1/3 cup……………………….(80 ml)……………………currants
1 egg beaten well.
1 teaspoon……………….(5 ml)………………………vanilla.

Mix all ingredients together.  Put in unbaked tart shells. 
Bake at 450 F, (230 C), for 8 minutes.  Turn down to 350 F,
(175 C), and cook until brown.

MOM’S MINCEMEAT COOKIES

¾ cup…………(185 ml)……..shortening

1 ½ cups………(375 ml)…..sugar

3 eggs beaten

3 cups………(750 ml)…….flour

¾ teaspoon…..(3.75 ml)……salt

1 teaspoon…..(4 ml)………soda

1 cup……….(250 ml……..canned mincemeat

3 tablespoons..(45 ml)…….water

1 cup………(250 ml)……..walnuts

GRANDMA”S SHORTBREAD

1-cup butter 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

½ cup fruit sugar

In a large bowl, cream the butter.

Add sugar to creamed butter and cream the mixture together.

Slowly mix in 1 ½ cups of the flour.

Place mixture on clean surface and knead in the remaining flour.

Spread mixture in an 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Alternatively, you can form them into 2 big cookies, each ½ inch thick, and place on a non-stick baking tray. Using a fork, punch holes all over mixture. Bake at 300°F for 40-45 minutes.

 

LIGHTSIDE
A priest dies and is in line at the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter asked the guy ahead of him his name.  The guy replies, “I am Sam Horton, taxi driver from New York.” Saint Pater gives him a silken robe and golden staff and said, “Enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Now it’s the priest‘s turn. He booms out “ I am the Right Reverend Anderson.” Saint Peter gives him a cotton robe and a wooden staff, and says to the Priest, “Enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”  Taken back the priest asks, “ That man was a taxi driver why does he get a silken robe and golden staff”.

“Results,” Said Saint Peter. “While you preached, people slept.
When the taxi driver drove, people prayed.

WARNING
DEEP-FRYING CRAZE
With the coming of Christmas people can do themselves serious
injury attempting to deep-fry their turkey. In the past deep-frying has burned down houses and put cooks in hospital.

Deep-fried turkey is juicy, and better tasting. However with
this high-risk method of cooking, besides the above, your turkey can end up charred by the resulting inferno.

There is an advantage of deep-frying due to its speed. Cooking
time is 3 1/2 minutes per pound. A big turkey is done in less then an hour. If you are going to deep-fry your turkey use a commercial pressurized fryer, rather than vats on a stand.

FOOD INFORMATION

Improper food storage (inadequate refrigeration temperature or hot holding temperature). Safe refrigeration temperature is less than 41 degrees Fahrenheit, and safe hot holding temperature is greater than 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

* Improper washing of hands and fingernails.

* Improper cooling of foods. Safe cooling of foods is getting the foods to less than 41 degrees Fahrenheit within a four-hour time period.

* Cross-contamination (such as from uncooked meat to salad ingredients).

* Improper cleaning and sanitizing of eating and cooking utensils, work areas and equipment.

* Contamination of food, utensils and equipment from flies, roaches and other pests.

Tips to prepare turkeys safely:

* A whole turkey should be cooked at an oven temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

* An 8-12 pound unstuffed turkey should be cooked for 2-3 hours.

* Preparers should use a meat thermometer. Every part of the turkey should reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Frozen turkeys should be kept frozen until ready to thaw.

Price Check out the latest prices, compare, by clicking on:
www.shopping.com
www.dealtime.com

RESPONSIBLE DRINKING
If you have teenagers, or in fact any adult, impress on them
the risks of driving while intoxicated.  Statistics demonstrate
many fatal road accidents are caused by drunk drivers.

If you’re having a Christmas party, provide food with drinks.
Offer non-alcoholic substitutes such as fruit, soft drinks.

2 drinks taken within an hour by a person 100 pounds produces a 075 reading.  One drink is equal to about 1.5 oz. of whisky or 2 bottles of beer. The rate of elimination for each hour after drinking has stopped is 015.  A 200-pound person, after 1 drink produces a reading of .019, so you can see there is a bigdifference due to weight.

As a host it is your duty to make sure no one leaves your party impaired.  Have some one drive them home.

BAR MIXES, Drinks

EGGNOG

4 eggs, 4 cups milk, 4 tablespoons lemon juice ½ cup cream. 

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup sugar.

Beat eggs until thick and lemon colour

Add sugar, nutmeg, and lemon juice

Add ice-cold milk and cream

Beat with rotary beater until frothy

Makes: 6 large glasses

Christmas Juice Punch.
2 quarts apple juice.
2 quarts cranberry juice.
8 oz. lemon juice.
8 oz. Sugar.
2 bottles ginger ale.
Combine everything except the ginger ale.
Stir well.  Add ginger ale plus chunks of ice before serving.

BLIZZARD.
3 ounces bourbon.
1 ounce cranberry juice.
1 teaspoon lemon juice.
2 teaspoons sugar syrup.
4 ounces crushed ice.
Combine in blender until the drink is thick. 
Serve straight up.

Christmas Gift Basket Ideas – Theme your Holiday Gifts

Giving Christmas gift baskets are a fantastic way to avoid the hard work of finding a suitable Christmas gift for even the most demanding of your friends and relatives. You can buy or make Christmas gift baskets that have particular themes to fit the lifestyle and hobbies of the intended recipient. One of the really fun things about giving themed Christmas gift baskets is using your imagination as you start to collect the various items needed to fill your surprise basket.

You can make your Christmas gift baskets as simple or elaborate as you like. If you are looking for an inexpensive gift for your childrenâ??s teachers or your co-workers that you would like to acknowledge during this time of year, then it is quite simple to put together a basket that looks great but doesnâ??t cost the earth. Your Christmas baskets can be filled with relatively cheap trinkets and thoughtful items such as soaps, homemade jams, chocolates and Christmas decorations that are easily sourced from your local stores or from a specialty stores that sell these items in bulk.

Food Baskets

One of the most popular types of Christmas gift basket ideas today is the food basket. You can fill these with a variety of delectable goodies, from decadent desserts and sweets to entire meals. Why not try an Italian Christmas gift basket, you can fill these with fresh pasta and sauces, breadsticks and donâ??t forget to add a bottle of Italian wine. For the younger recipients, why not go for the snack Christmas gift baskets stuffed with popcorn, nuts, lollies and a mixture of dip mixes and biscuits. You can find ready-made food styled Christmas gift baskets that will literally tantalize any palate, or you can create your own with your personal concoctions and specialties. For example if you enjoy baking and cooking, then this is the perfect way to turn your own favorite recipes into an entire gift ensemble for everyone on your list. Add some special herbal teas, flavoured butter and a pair of mugs, and your gift basket is ready to go.

Hobby Baskets

Is your best friend a golf enthusiast or an avid gardener? If so why not put together a Christmas gift basket that is full of tools and supplies to support their pastime or special hobby. Every gardener would just love to receive Christmas gift baskets jam packed full of flower or vegetable seeds together with a new trowel and some gardening gloves. A golfer can always use more golf balls, towels and other useful items. For others why not put in a calendar or some humorous books and magazines. If your intended recipient likes sewing, cooking or rock climbing, you can always find a few bits and pieces to create a unique Christmas gift basket that is tailored to that particular person. Make sure you throw in one or two items that are strictly just for fun as well as those useful tools that a hobbyist always needs.

Really the best part about giving Christmas gift baskets is that they are almost as much fun to create, as they are to receive. If you are looking for a creative way to delight everyone on your â??to receive present listâ?? this year, why not consider preparing unique Christmas gift baskets customized to those special folks. Rest assured that your Christmas gift baskets are guaranteed to be a total hit and may even start a trend for years to come, so go on get your thinking cap on and start buying for this festive season.

Photo Christmas Invitations Cards for Holiday Christmas Party Celebrations

Enjoy the Holiday Spirit this Christmas with Unique Personalized Party Invitation Cards Mark this year’s Christmas season with the best party of the year. Online stores will cater to your Christmas party invitation needs. They have a wide selection of custom Christmas Party Invitations, open house Christmas invitations, Christmas photo invitations and a whole lot more. When you visit shop online, you will definitely find that party invitation you were looking for.

These stores know your party needs and have every Christmas Photo Invitations Cards ready for your choosing. Whether you have a themed party, an open house party or a dinner party, you can find your party invitation solution. All custom-made Christmas party invitations can be personalized according to your preference. You can even choose from printed Christmas card invitations to photo Christmas card invitations. For a more personalized feel to your party invitations, how about choosing a photo Christmas party invitation option? You can upload your own photos for us to work on. Just provide your party announcements and everything will be ready for you.

You are not only offered personalized services but fast service, too. With same day printing and shipping offer, all your Christmas party invitations will be sent to you immediately. This time around, you won’t have to worry about the getting your Christmas party invitations out on time.

Have a Christmas card party invitation in mind? You can share it and it will be make it possible for you. Worried about wordings, sayings, or verses to put on your Christmas cards? Worry no more because there are available wording ideas for you to browse through. You can even come up with your own and it will be placed on your personalized Christmas card party invitation. Worried about all the services offered and how much you might end up spending? There’s no need to worry for all services are made affordable. You can rest in knowing that no other party out there is sending out the same Christmas invitation cards as you. The designs are unique and made even more so because of your personalized touch.

Plan ahead and get matching Holiday Thank You Cards to hand out after your wonderful party. You can choose matching or unique Christmas cards, whichever your preference. The thank you cards are also made affordable. There’s absolutely no added cost this Christmas. You can throw a terrific party without being burdened by costs. Our Christmas cards are beautiful and inexpensive, perfect for this season of giving.

These stores are at your service for every occasion, more so on Christmas. Be merry and be surrounded by friends and family. You can make all this possible with unique and affordable Xmas party invitation cards. When you use these services, not only will your party be the talk of the town but your Xmas party invitation cards will be too. Beautiful and affordable party invitations don’t come around often, but they do all the time online.

Grandma Hystad’s .holiday Recipes, Bar Mixes, Food, Christmas Information

CONTENTS

CHRISTMAS INFORMATION

GRANDMA’S WRAPPED TURKEY

WEIGHTS, ROASTING TIMES

TURKEY

GRANDMA’S BAKED HAM AND APPLES

AUNT PAT’S BUTTER TARTS

MOM’S MINCEMEAT COOKIES

GRANDMA’S SHORTBREAD

LIGHTSIDE

WARNING

FOOD INFORMATION

RESPONSIBLE DRINKING, BAR MIXES

CHRISTMAS INFORMATION

The word Christmas comes from the words Cristes maesse, or “Christ’s Mass.” Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus for members of the Christian religion.

Many of our Christmas traditions were celebrated centuries before the Christ child was born. The 12 days of Christmas, the bright fires, the Yule log, the giving of gifts, carollers’ who sing while going from house to house, the feasts, and the church processions can all be traced back 4000 years.

In 350 AD Julius1, a Bishop in Rome chooses December 25th, as the
observation of Christmas.

Both Australia’s and New Zealand, Christmas occurs during summer and is celebrated at the beach.

Christmas celebration was outlawed in Boston from 1659 to 1681, however residents of Virginia and New York celebrated the Christmas holiday freely.

Christmas was declared a U.S. federal holiday in 1870.

Many public buildings once commonly included Nativity scenes.  By doing so the practice led to lawsuits, claiming the government was endorsing a religion.

In 1984 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a city-owned Christmas display, including a Nativity scene did not violate the First Amendment.

For a complete history on Christmas, Kwanza, Hanukkah, Ramadan,
Christmas Customs, Carols, crafts, click on the link below:
http://www.ask.com/web?q=christmas+history&qsrc=8

Christmas Around The World. History from most countries.
http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm

GRANDMA’S WRAPPED TURKEY

Place dressed turnkey, breast up in centre of greased, wide,
heavy foil.  Bring ends of foil up over breast.  Overlap fold
and press up against ends of turkey.  Place bird in shallow pan.
Open foil last 20 minutes to brown.  Bake at 450 F, (230 C)
according to timetable.

Weights Roasting Times

Ready To Cook Weight.               Roasting Time.
8 – 10 lbs.                         2 ¼ – 2 ½ hours.
10 – 12 lbs.                        2 ½ – 3 hours.
14 – 16 lbs.                        3 – 3 ¼ hours.
18 – 20 lbs.                        3 ¼  – 3 ½ hours.
22 – 24 lbs.                        3 ½  – 3 ¾ hours.

TURKEY

1 whole turkey fresh or thawed (12 -13 lbs.) 

1/2 cup of butter 

1 cup of mixture of fresh chopped herbs (thyme, tarragon, sage, summer savoury etc.) 

Salt and pepper 

1 whole peeled onion

Mix the butter and herbs and set aside.

Clean the turkey inside and outside and drain dry.

Using your hands, slide through the skin and the meat of the breast and thighs as much as you can.  Now take knobs of the herbed butter and spread it all over underneath the skin and onto the breasts and thighs.  Also rub some of the butter all over the outside skin as well.

Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the bird and inside cavity.  Put the whole onion into the cavity of the bird. 

Put the bird onto a disposable aluminum-roasting pan and put it into a hot BBQ, cooking it using indirect heat.  Ensure the BBQ is about 325 -350 degrees throughout the cooking process. Adjust temperature if needed. 

Baste every ½ -hour for about 2 hours until temperature reads 180° at the thigh level. Tent the turkey with aluminum foil loosely around the pan if the skin is browning too fast.

Let rest 10-15 minutes before carving.

Cooking time two hours

 

GRANDMA’S BAKED HAM AND APPLES

2 large slices of ham steak.
2 teaspoons……………..(10 ml)………………….prepared mustard.
4 tablespoons………….(60 ml)……………………brown sugar.
2 tart apples.
1 ½ cups…………………………(375 ml)…………………apple juice.

Place the ham in baking dish and rub with mustard.  Sprinkle
with 2 tablespoons (30 ml), of brown sugar.  Core the apple
and cut into thin slices.  Cover the ham with the apple slices and sprinkle with rest of brown sugar.  Add apple juice. Bake at 300 F, (150 C), for 30 minutes or until tender.
YIELD:  4-5 servings.
TIME:   40 minutes.

AUNT PAT’S FAVOURITE BUTTER TARTS

1/3-cup ………………………(80 ml) …………………butter.
1-cup………………………………(250 ml)…………………brown sugar.
2 tablespoons…………(30 ml)……………………milk or cream..
1/3 cup……………………….(80 ml)……………………currants
1 egg beaten well.
1 teaspoon……………….(5 ml)………………………vanilla.

Mix all ingredients together.  Put in unbaked tart shells. 
Bake at 450 F, (230 C), for 8 minutes.  Turn down to 350 F,
(175 C), and cook until brown.

MOM’S MINCEMEAT COOKIES

¾ cup…………(185 ml)……..shortening

1 ½ cups………(375 ml)…..sugar

3 eggs beaten

3 cups………(750 ml)…….flour

¾ teaspoon…..(3.75 ml)……salt

1 teaspoon…..(4 ml)………soda

1 cup……….(250 ml……..canned mincemeat

3 tablespoons..(45 ml)…….water

1 cup………(250 ml)……..walnuts

GRANDMA”S SHORTBREAD

1-cup butter 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

½ cup fruit sugar

In a large bowl, cream the butter.

Add sugar to creamed butter and cream the mixture together.

Slowly mix in 1 ½ cups of the flour.

Place mixture on clean surface and knead in the remaining flour.

Spread mixture in an 8 x 8-inch baking pan. Alternatively, you can form them into 2 big cookies, each ½ inch thick, and place on a non-stick baking tray. Using a fork, punch holes all over mixture. Bake at 300°F for 40-45 minutes.

 

LIGHTSIDE
A priest dies and is in line at the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter asked the guy ahead of him his name.  The guy replies, “I am Sam Horton, taxi driver from New York.” Saint Pater gives him a silken robe and golden staff and said, “Enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Now it’s the priest‘s turn. He booms out “ I am the Right Reverend Anderson.” Saint Peter gives him a cotton robe and a wooden staff, and says to the Priest, “Enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”  Taken back the priest asks, “ That man was a taxi driver why does he get a silken robe and golden staff”.

“Results,” Said Saint Peter. “While you preached, people slept.
When the taxi driver drove, people prayed.

WARNING
DEEP-FRYING CRAZE
With the coming of Christmas people can do themselves serious
injury attempting to deep-fry their turkey. In the past deep-frying has burned down houses and put cooks in hospital.

Deep-fried turkey is juicy, and better tasting. However with
this high-risk method of cooking, besides the above, your turkey can end up charred by the resulting inferno.

There is an advantage of deep-frying due to its speed. Cooking
time is 3 1/2 minutes per pound. A big turkey is done in less then an hour. If you are going to deep-fry your turkey use a commercial pressurized fryer, rather than vats on a stand.

FOOD INFORMATION

Improper food storage (inadequate refrigeration temperature or hot holding temperature). Safe refrigeration temperature is less than 41 degrees Fahrenheit, and safe hot holding temperature is greater than 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

* Improper washing of hands and fingernails.

* Improper cooling of foods. Safe cooling of foods is getting the foods to less than 41 degrees Fahrenheit within a four-hour time period.

* Cross-contamination (such as from uncooked meat to salad ingredients).

* Improper cleaning and sanitizing of eating and cooking utensils, work areas and equipment.

* Contamination of food, utensils and equipment from flies, roaches and other pests.

Tips to prepare turkeys safely:

* A whole turkey should be cooked at an oven temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

* An 8-12 pound unstuffed turkey should be cooked for 2-3 hours.

* Preparers should use a meat thermometer. Every part of the turkey should reach a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Frozen turkeys should be kept frozen until ready to thaw.

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RESPONSIBLE DRINKING
If you have teenagers, or in fact any adult, impress on them
the risks of driving while intoxicated.  Statistics demonstrate
many fatal road accidents are caused by drunk drivers.

If you’re having a Christmas party, provide food with drinks.
Offer non-alcoholic substitutes such as fruit, soft drinks.

2 drinks taken within an hour by a person 100 pounds produces a 075 reading.  One drink is equal to about 1.5 oz. of whisky or 2 bottles of beer. The rate of elimination for each hour after drinking has stopped is 015.  A 200-pound person, after 1 drink produces a reading of .019, so you can see there is a bigdifference due to weight.

As a host it is your duty to make sure no one leaves your party impaired.  Have some one drive them home.

BAR MIXES, Drinks

EGGNOG

4 eggs, 4 cups milk, 4 tablespoons lemon juice ½ cup cream. 

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/3 cup sugar.

Beat eggs until thick and lemon colour

Add sugar, nutmeg, and lemon juice

Add ice-cold milk and cream

Beat with rotary beater until frothy

Makes: 6 large glasses

Christmas Juice Punch.
2 quarts apple juice.
2 quarts cranberry juice.
8 oz. lemon juice.
8 oz. Sugar.
2 bottles ginger ale.
Combine everything except the ginger ale.
Stir well.  Add ginger ale plus chunks of ice before serving.

BLIZZARD.
3 ounces bourbon.
1 ounce cranberry juice.
1 teaspoon lemon juice.
2 teaspoons sugar syrup.
4 ounces crushed ice.
Combine in blender until the drink is thick. 
Serve straight up.

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