The Candle in the Window - Is there room in your inn?

In Ireland a lovely Christmas tradition, handed down and still very much alive today is: ‘The candle in the window’. The ancient Irish custom of placing a lighted candle in a front window of a house on Christmas eve. The large lighted candle is placed there after dark, and not extinguished until after midnight. Now we use electric or battery powered lights just for decorations, but it was originally a symbol of welcome to Joseph and Mary, who, despite their need, were refused shelter in the inn. By this symbol, we offer shelter and room in our hearts for Jesus. As you see the candles in the windows, remind your children to open their hearts to Jesus.

Lattice Blueberry Pie

Ingredients
Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup ice water
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Cooking spray

Filling:
1 cup sugar, divided
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 cups fresh blueberries
1 1/2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine, melted
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1/4 cup flour and ice water, stirring with a whisk until well-blended. Combine 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add slurry; mix with a fork until flour mixture is moist. Gently press two-thirds of dough into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap; cover with additional plastic wrap. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Press remaining dough into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap; cover with additional plastic wrap. Roll dough into a 9-inch circle. Freeze both portions of dough 10 minutes. Working with larger portion of dough, remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap; fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap.

To prepare the filling, combine 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl, and sprinkle over blueberries. Toss gently. Stir in butter and vanilla. Spoon blueberry mixture into crust.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Remove top sheet of plastic wrap from remaining dough. Cut dough into 6 (1 1/2-inch) strips. Gently remove dough strips from bottom sheet of plastic wrap; arrange in a lattice design over blueberry mixture. Seal dough strips to edge of crust. Place pie on a baking sheet covered with foil. Sprinkle lattice with 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake at 375° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until crust is browned and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

The Christmas Tree - Part II

Despite many historians' attempts to link the Christmas tree to an ancient pagan practice, it is actually Christian in origin. The Christmas tree goes back to the medieval German mystery plays. One of the most popular "mysteries" was the Paradise play, representing the creation of man, the sin of Adam and Eve and their expulsion from Paradise. It usually closed with the consoling promise of the coming of the Savior with reference to His Incarnation. These plays were performed in the open, on the large squares in front of churches, or inside the house of God. The Garden of Eden was indicated by a fir tree hung with apples. It represented both the Tree of Life and the Tree of Discernment of Good and Evil, which stood in the center of Paradise. (Gen 2:9)

The Tree in the Home
When the pageant was performed in church, the Paradeisbaum (tree of Paradise) was surrounded by lighted candles and inside the ring of lights, the play was acted. After the suppression of the mystery plays in the churches, the only symbolic object of the play found its way into the homes of the faithful and the Christmas tree became a symbol of the Savior. Following this symbolism, in the 15th century the custom developed into the decorating of the Paradise Tree, already bearing apples, with small white wafers representing the Holy Eucharist. These wafers were later replaced by little pieces of pastry cut in the shapes of stars, angels, hearts, flowers, and bells. And finally, other cookies were introduced bearing the shapes of men, birds, roosters and other animals. The first known use of the fir tree as a Christmas tree is found in a description written by a German traveler visiting Strasbourg in 1605. He tells of trees being planted in rooms, and he notes that they were ornamented with roses of colored paper, apples, tinsel, sugar and cookies. (LaVern Rippley, Of German Ways, Barnes and Noble Books, 1970)

Until the 17th century the Christbaum (as the tree is called in German) had no lights. The Christmas candles, generally used in medieval times, were placed on the Christmas pyramid made of graduated wooden shelves. As time went on, the tree replaced the pyramid in its function of representing Christ as the Light of the world. The candles and glittering decorations were transferred from the pyramid to the tree. A reminder of the origin of the Christmas tree may still be found in sections of Bavaria where fir branches and little trees, decorated with lights, apples and tinsel, are still called Paradeis. (Francis X. Weisner, 1952, The Christmas Book. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1952)

Although the Christmas tree is now the principal symbol of Christmas in America, it was by no means in general use in American families until late in the 19th century. German immigrants most likely set up the first Christmas trees in America as early as 1710, however. Later, during the Revolutionary War, Hessian soldiers were responsible for disseminating the practice throughout the Eastern seaboard.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, pioneer families who settled in areas where evergreen trees were scarce made Christmas trees out of bare branches painted green or wrapped with green paper or cloth. Sometimes a "tree" would be made by drilling holes in a broomstick and inserting branches of cedar or juniper into it. Often the only Christmas tree in the community would be in the Church or in the school. In the absence of a Christmas tree, presents were often hung by ribbons from a decorated clothesline strung across the corner of a room.

Compiled by Marie Macri

Snowflake Cookies - Great for Decorations!

Prep: 2 hours (including decorating); Cook: 12 minutes; Chill: 2 hours.

Yield: Makes 20-24 (3- to 4-inch) cookies (serving size: 1 cookie)

Ingredients
COOKIES
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Meringue Icing

Preparation
In a medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, and salt.

In large bowl, combine sugar, oil, and butter; beat with a stand or hand mixer at low speed until blended (about 3 minutes). Increase speed to high; beat until light and creamy (about 3 minutes), occasionally scraping side of bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; add egg whites and vanilla, beating until smooth. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat just until blended.

Divide dough in half; flatten each half into a disk. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours or until dough is firm enough to roll.

Preheat oven to 375°. Using a floured rolling pin, roll 1 dough disc to 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Use cookie cutters to cut out as many cookies as possible. With a lightly floured spatula, place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased large baking sheet.

Bake cookies until lightly browned (about 10-12 minutes). Transfer cookies to wire rack; cool. Top with meringue icing. Repeat procedure with remaining dough and trimmings.

The Christmas Tree

On Christmas, so soon to come, let not the parents take the position that an evergreen placed in the church for the amusement of the Sabbath school scholars is a sin; for it may be made a great blessing. Keep before their minds benevolent objects. In no case should mere amusement be the object of these gatherings. While there may be some who will turn these occasions into seasons of careless levity, and whose minds will not receive the divine impress, to other minds and characters these seasons will be highly beneficial. I am fully satisfied that innocent substitutes can be devised for many gatherings that demoralize.

Christmas is coming. May you all have wisdom to make it a precious season. Let the older church members unite, heart and soul, with their children in their innocent amusement and recreation, in devising ways and means to show true respect to Jesus by bringing to Him gifts and offerings. Let everyone remember the claims of God. His cause cannot go forward without your aid. Let the gifts you have usually bestowed upon one another be placed in the Lord's treasury. . . . In every church let your smaller offerings be placed upon your Christmas tree. Let the precious emblem "evergreen" suggest the holy work of God and His beneficence to us; and the loving heart-work will be to save other souls who are in darkness. Let your works be in accordance with your faith. . . .

Every tree in Satan's garden hangs laden with the fruits of vanity, pride, self-importance, evil desire, extravagance - all poisoned fruit, but very gratifying to the carnal heart. Let the several churches present to God Christmas trees in every church, and then let them hang thereon the fruits of beneficence and gratitude - offerings coming from willing hearts and hands, fruits that God will accept as an expression of our faith and our great love to Him for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. Let the evergreen be laden with fruit, rich and pure and holy, acceptable to God. Shall we not have such a Christmas as Heaven can approve?

By Ellen White - Review and Herald, January 29, 1884

Christmas Wreaths - Make Your Own!

One of the Christmas decorations that we have during the holidays are Christmas Wreaths. Christmas wreaths have had a long history and they are one of the original decorations used during Christmas until today. However, did you ever stop to think about its meaning and significance?

Today, many regard the wreath as a symbol of the Lord’s undying love and the blood He shed for us. Specifically, the red holly berries as well as the scarlet ribbons signified this. Moreover, other people take the Christmas wreaths as a symbol of the Lord’s crown of thorns. The circle represented eternity because of its never ending repetition.

Understanding the history of the Christmas wreaths is necessary if we want to find the right place for it in our homes. It simply makes it more meaningful for us knowing what they symbolize. When it comes to decorating the wreaths, most people buy premade ones. However, you can actually create your own wreath. All you need is a wreath ring, florist wire and then some vegetation to decorate the wreath.
You can buy the wreath ring and the florist wire in any crafts store. They are definitely affordable and will not be difficult to find. As for the vegetation, you can find them in your area. Conifers can serve as an interesting base while holly, ivy’s and other shrubs would be interesting to incorporate in the wreath. If color is important, go for berries, seedpods, poppies, teasels, and pinecones, even fruit.

First thing to do once you have everything is to secure a certain length of wire at the bottom of each foliage. Use the wire to tie the foliage to the wreath ring. Keep on repeating this procedure until the foliage becomes steady and secure. After you have managed to place everything, you can start adding the vegetation. You can go ahead and design it the way you like. This is where your creativity and input comes in. Just make sure that it will look pleasing to the eye. The more interesting things you add, the more unique your wreath will become.

Coconut Cupcakes!

Recipe by Amber Bonny Burhans. Prep and Cook Time: 45 minutes, plus about 40 minutes for cooling and frosting.

Yield: Makes 30 cupcakes

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons each vanilla and almond extracts
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon each baking powder, baking soda, and salt
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut, plain or toasted
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 3/4 cups powdered sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, cream together 2 cups butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in 1 1/2 teaspoons each vanilla and almond extracts.

In another large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter and sugar mixture in 3 batches, alternating with coconut milk. Stir 1 cup flaked coconut into the batter.
Fill 30 paper-lined muffin cups (1/2-cup capacity) in two or more muffin pans about 2/3 full with batter.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing muffins from pans. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, 3/4 cup butter, and 1/2 teaspoon each vanilla and almond extract until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Frost cupcakes and sprinkle with remaining coconut.

Bethlehem - "House of Bread"

Bethlehem means “house of bread” – and the baking of special breads during this season centuries ago were in honor of Bethlehem. Specifically “gingerbread” became a special treat at the Christmas season in Germany. The tiny houses made from gingerbread were originally made to remind them of the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem. Now gingerbread houses have just become part of the “season.”


I suggest that you have fun and make gingerbread stables for your kids and allow them to be creative in making the manger scene – this is a great activity if they have 4 sheets of gingerbread – one long one for the back of the stable, 2 short ones for the sides, and a larger one for the roof. You can buy premade gingerbread cookie dough and roll it out and make a pattern to trace around it before you bake it. Follow directions for baking. Once it has cooled – all they need is a can of frosting, some coconut (add yellow food coloring to make hay), pretzels, marshmallows, all kinds of candy to decorate with – and you will be amazed at the mangers, marshmallow sheep and other animals that your kids can make – and if you don’t have time to make gingerbread – let them use graham crackers to build with! You can use cookie cutters to make animals out of the gingerbread – or just plain sugar cookie dough (you can buy it pre-made if you don’t have time). Just have fun – make it as big as you want – you don’t have to be fancy to have fun.

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed zucchini
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 tablespoon bottled minced garlic
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons raisins
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked couscous

Preparation
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in broth and the next 9 ingredients (broth through tomatoes); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
While the chickpea mixture simmers, prepare couscous. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Serve the stew over couscous.