Yummy Yuletide Recipes You Will Love

By: Jeremy White

Of all the traditions you'll embrace this Christmas season, few are as resplendent and revered as a bounteous holiday feast. A table full of family and friends with cups that runneth over truly brings joy to the occasion. Here are a handful of recipes to help with your holiday dinner preparations.



We're not chefs and space constraints do not allow us to plan your entire meal, but the recipes here are easy, time tested and will make a nice addition to the other dishes you plan to produce.



Whether you opt for ham, turkey or roast beef as your meat of choice, you won't go wrong with a side of garlic-cheese mashed potatoes. Give this recipe a whirl:



Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

3 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced

8 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed

9 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup Romano cheese, shredded

Salt and pepper, to taste



Halve potatoes and boil until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in pan. In separate pan, bring half and half to boil and remove immediately when it begins to boil. Mash the potatoes. Beat in butter first, then half and half. Add mashed garlic and cheeses, then mix to melt cheeses. Season with salt and pepper and continue to mix until potatoes are smooth.



While you are cooking and the children are playing, you'll need a soothing drink to keep your heart warm and your spirits lively. Apple cider is perfect for this.



Hot Apple Cider

1 gallon apple cider (apple juice will work)

4 cinnamon sticks

4 whole cloves

4 allspice berries

1 orange peel, cut into strips

1 lemon peel, cut into strips



Pour cider into a large stainless steel pot. Place spices and peels into a cheesecloth. Drop cheesecloth into cider. Heat until the cider comes just short of boiling.

Remove cheesecloth and keep cider on the stovetop, over low heat. Serve warm throughout the day.



If you seek to serve a traditional feast, chances are cranberry sauce will find its way to your table. Sure, you can buy a canned sauce. No harm, no foul. If you'd prefer to make your own the day before the meal, however, here's how:



Cranberry Sauce

4 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup apple juice

1 cup honey

1 orange rind, grated



Mix cranberries, juice and honey in a pot. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, until cranberries pop. Remove from heat and stir in orange rind. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate.



Lastly, it isn't a proper Christmas meal if you aren't breaking homemade bread. Try these yummy yeast rolls. It's a batter bread recipe, which is relatively quick and easy for beginning bakers!



Yeast Rolls

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup warm water

2 packages instant dry yeast

1 egg

3 1/2 cups flour



Heat milk, then stir in sugar, salt and butter. Set aside and let cool. Add warm water to large bowl, then add yeast. Stir until dissolved. Add milk mixture, egg and two cups flour to the water/yeast mixture. Beat until smooth and then add remaining flour to make a soft dough. Transfer to a greased baking tray, cover with clean towel and let rise for 30 minutes. The dough will nearly double in size. After 30 minutes, punch down dough and shape into rolls. Place them back into greased baking tray and bake in preheated, 400 F oven until done (10 to 12 minutes).

Author Bio

Jeremy White, a writer for Imaginary Greetings, Inc. (www.imaginarygreetings.com), is a regular contributing author specializing in features, sports, business and food writing, and frequently contributes to a variety of print and online publications. To make your holiday display magical, visit www.holidaylighting.com.

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A Family Christmas After Divorce

By: Jeremy White

The popular saying goes like this: "Breaking up is hard to do." Yet, when it comes to marriage in the U.S., a large percentage of us do it. Divorce, however unpleasant, is commonplace in today's society, and dealing with it during the holidays is a fact of life with which adults and children alike must deal.



A divorce - especially a fresh one - can be particularly trying during the holidays. The Yuletide season is one of giving and family, and the dissonance of a divorce can greatly threaten the joy of the season. The challenge to adults is to keep Christmas spirits high for the children. Just because a relationship has been ruined doesn't mean a child's Christmas has to be ruined as well. Here are some tips for making sure that doesn't happen this holiday season.



Put Your Kids First - Christmas is a selfless season. It's a time when we focus on charity. Keep it that way. Think not of yourself or how to "one-up" your ex-spouse. Instead, focus on the needs of your kids. Ask yourself what you can do to ensure the holidays are happy and productive for them. Then do it.



Buy Your Ex a Gift - As much as kids love getting gifts, they also want to be part of the giving. They revel in the opportunity to give both mommy and daddy a gift or two, and it's up to you to help make that possible. Your little one has no money and no transportation, so the only way they're getting your spouse a gift is if you suck it up and take them Christmas shopping. Don't be the parent that's too proud to buy your ex a gift. It's the child you'll end up hurting anyway.



Don't Hog the Kids - There may be a custodial agreement in place where the kids spend Christmas with mommy one year and then with daddy the next. Everyone loses when that happens. Unless mommy and daddy live too far apart, there is no reason the kids can't see both. Perhaps they spend the majority of Christmas Eve at one place, then move to the other to spend the night and wake up on Christmas morning. Next year reverse roles so that both parents have the opportunity to watch the little ones wake up on Christmas morning and see what Santa left them. See what you can work out with your spouse. Remember, do what's in the best interest of the child.



Don't Take the Phone Off the Hook - When it isn't possible for one parent to see the children on Christmas for whatever reason, don't shut them out completely. Let the kids call them to say "Merry Christmas."



Old Habits Die Hard - Since Christmas is about family traditions, a divorce naturally fractures those traditions. That's especially hard on the kids. When it's possible to maintain an old tradition, such as helping mommy make cookies or helping daddy select a tree, do so. When it's not, start new traditions with your kids. They need them.



Don't Bad-Mouth Your Ex - If you need to complain about your ex, do so to your adult friends - and don't do it in the presence of your children. No matter how you feel about your ex, your children still love them and look up to them. Don't hurt your kids by badmouthing their mommy or daddy.

Author Bio

Jeremy White, a writer for Imaginary Greetings, Inc., is a regular contributing author specializing in features, sports, business and food writing, and frequently contributes to a variety of print and online publications. For additional tips on how to truly light up your child's eyes this holiday season like never before visit www.greetingsfromsanta.com.

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Christmas Shopping with Kids

By: J Gardener

Remember when Christmas shopping was something you could put off until the last minute, and then rush through, in one evening? Alone? Ahhh-those were the days, weren't they?



Now you have little shoppers, and you can't rush through anything, anymore, and a trip to the store-any store-is an operation which requires military-style planning. You can't wait until late at night. You can't slide and squeeze and speed your way through the crowds. And, most of all, you can't dawdle, examining something on the shelf-when you're shopping with small children, dawdling is definitely forbidden.



You know you have to keep them moving, keep their attention engaged, keep them guessing; a few seconds' rest can put the brakes on your master plan:



"Mommy, I want that!"

"Daddy, I'm hungry!"

"I have to go to the bathroom!"

"Tommy touched me!"

"I want to go home!"



By the time Christmas rolls around, you never want to see the inside of a retail store, again.



The good news is, you're not alone. Parents of small children all over the world are sharing your pain. The bad news is, there's no easy way to shop for Christmas, with small children. There are, however, a few ways to take a tiny bit of the stress out of the process.



In the spirit of keeping your kids engaged and involved-rather than just being unwilling passengers on the journey-make your shopping trip their shopping trip, too. Have them make a list of things they want to give as gifts to their grandparents, cousins, or friends. Do your shopping, first, then deal with their lists-this can help keep them as anxious as you, to see that your shopping is done, quickly.



Plan a visit to the store's Santa, on the condition that your kids are well-behaved and as helpful as possible-but make Santa your last stop.



Bring snacks along-hungry kids tend to be irritable. Bring activities, like coloring books, to keep them occupied, while you shop.



During the holidays, many malls have kids' play areas with adult supervision. Talk with other parents you know, to discover which ones in your area are safe and trustworthy.



Talk with your children before your shopping trip. Plan a reward or discipline system for them, based on their behavior at the store. If they become unruly, don't take the bait and discipline them at the store-just be sure, when the trip's over, to follow through with your plan.



Know your kids. If you realize that a successful Christmas shopping trip with them is a hopeless dream, then find a way to leave them at home, with a sitter or your spouse.



Christmas shopping is a cultural ritual that's here to stay. Look at it this way-you only have to survive a few years of it, with small children. Then you can go back to the last-minute, late-night gift runs-they'll seem like a vacation, won't they?

Author Bio

J Gardener, a writer for Imaginary Greetings, Inc. (www.imaginarygreetings.com), is an award winning screenplay copywriter and a regular contributing author on many family oriented issues. For additional tips on how to truly light up your child's eyes this holiday season like never before visit www.greetingsfromsanta.com.

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Take Care When Choosing a Christmas Tree

By: Jeremy White

Selecting and decorating the Christmas tree is one of our most valued Yuletide traditions. Of all the symbols we associate with the holiday season, few are more recognizable than the Christmas tree. We take great care in selecting a beautiful, fragrant evergreen to place in our homes or businesses. We watch with delight as our kids hang ornaments, often as early as the day after Thanksgiving. We attend civic Christmas tree lightings in small towns and large cities alike. And, of course, on Christmas Eve we fill with anticipation as we wait for Santa to deliver the goods.



It all starts with the selection process, however. If, like millions of traditionalists everywhere, you've made the decision to trim a real tree versus an artificial one, your first step is to decide where you'll procure the evergreen and what type of tree you want.



While you can obtain a cutting permit and venture into a public forest yourself to down your tree, that may not be the safest or most efficient way to go. Today, most consumers opting for live trees visit a commercial Christmas tree farm or nursery, or they purchase one from a market vendor who has had the tree shipped from a nursery/farm.



Often, choices abound. Fir, spruce, pine, cedar and cypress all are popular varieties. Typically, a fir is considered the "true" Christmas tree. But the fact of the matter is that there are different species of fir trees and there truly is no right or wrong choice, no "official" Christmas tree. For example, a Colorado Blue Spruce serves as the National Christmas Tree outside the White House. Inside the White House, however, a variety of trees have been used over the years. There is no preferred presidential evergreen.



According to The National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), the 10 most popular Christmas trees grown and sold in the United States are as follows, in order:



- 1. Fraser Fir

- 2. Douglas Fir

- 3. Balsam Fir

- 4. Colorado Blue Spruce

- 5. Scotch Pine

- 6. Eastern Red Cedar

- 7. White Spruce

- 8. Eastern White Pine

- 9. White Fir

- 10. Virginia Pine



While not in the Top 10 in terms of popularity, the Leyland Cypress is a good choice for individuals who suffer from allergies but still want a real tree for Christmas, according to the NCTA.



When choosing the tree that works best for your family, you'll want to take several things into consideration - beginning with the tree's size. Know the dimensions of the space into which you hope to place your tree. How high is the ceiling? How wide is the area? Take along a tape measure so that you can be certain the tree you've chosen will fit.



Look for a green tree with no (or very few) brown needles.



Take a good look at the bottom of the tree's "trunk" to ensure it is both sturdy and straight. If it is knotted or curved it may not fit into your base - then you've purchased and hauled a useless tree.



A reputable dealer won't sell a tree with these blemishes, but we all know there are plenty of disreputable vendors out there looking to make a quick buck!



Just like you kick the tires before buying a car, it's a good idea to test a tree before buying it by taking a branch in your grasp and, with gentle pressure, pulling at it. Don't pull hard, but instead allow the branch of the tree to pass through your fingers and palm pressure. If all or a majority of the needles stay on, the tree is strong. If several fall off, you're dealing with a weak tree.



Once you have a tree set up inside your home, it's time to decorate! A first-rate tree-topper and ornaments are an absolute must.



Finally, real trees can become fire hazards if proper precautions are not taken.

Author Bio

Jeremy White, a writer for Imaginary Greetings, Inc., is a regular contributing author specializing in features, sports, business and food writing, and frequently contributes to a variety of print and online publications. To make your family's holiday magical this season, visit www.santas-depot.com for the best selection of everything Christmas.

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