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Christmas Cheesecake
This is a cheesecake that I have been making for over 20 years
if you follow the recipe to the tee you won't have any problem,
it is also colorful as well as the most lucious piece of pastry
that you ever put in your mouth.
1 1/4 cups...
Christmas Customs Around the World
December is well-known for Christmas but do you know how people in countries around the world celebrate it? Here are some customs from various parts of the world.
Australia
Greeting - Merry Christmas
Santa's Name - Santa Claus. Children...
Christmas Gifts - Making Your Shopping Easier
Buying Christmas gifts can either be a pleasure or a pain and the deciding factor is often centred upon whether you know what to buy for your recipient, or whether you are simply wandering aimlessly in search of inspiration.
So to avoid the...
Christmas Recipes: Main Dishes. No.12 of 12 - Spinach and Mushroom Pancakes
Christmas recipe serves: 4
calories per serving: 375
preparation time: 1 hour plus standing & soaking
cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes
suitable for freezing (pancakes only)
Christmas recipe ingredients:
white flour, plain 50 g (2 oz)...
Don't Throw Away Those Old Christmas Cards
Each year we get lots of Christmas cards from family and
friends. And, each year, I save them. But after a few years, the
cards do become clutter!!
My nieces were visiting with us last weekend, and we dug out
all the old Christmas cards....
How to Organize Christmas Toy Shopping
It's so easy to go overboard when shopping for kids this time of year. We want them to enjoy all the things we didn't have growing up. It's important to set limits though. 1. List all the children you'll buy for this Christmas. Don't forget an...
How to Survive & Thrive the Lead Up to Christmas
Hi there Hasn't time flown? Only seven weeks to Christmas! So
how does it feel to know that another year has gone by? Have you
taken control of your life or has life taken control of you?
To help you get a grip on Christmas I've prepared a...
Use H-O-L-L-Y to Beat Christmas Cooking Stress
What does holly, that untidy traditional greenery you just have to festoon your house with every year, have to do with not tearing your hair out before it's even Thanksgiving? Plenty. You can use H-O-L-L-Y to help you get organized. 1. H:...
What Do you give God for Christmas?
What Do you give God for Christmas?
Matthew 1:23-1:23 The first Christmas gift was given by God to us, so what do we give Him? Matthew 1: 23, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel,...
Wreath Christmas Tree
Do you live in an apartment or small house? Chances are, you
don't have a lot of floor space on which to put a Christmas
tree. On the other hand, there is often unused wall space. This
is a fun and novel project to solve your tree dilemma.
...
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FemaleMatters/ChristmasMatters
Christmas Matters
Every year I vow to make Christmas easier, simpler - less stressful.
Have I ever? One year I tried forgetting Christmas here in the UK and spent it in the Canary Islands. It was quite extraordinary really. Christmas day was spent around the pool. The staff brought round 'Christmas' cake at various intervals (not the fruit stuff but madeira cake) and Santa Claus arrived on the beach by parachute. The hotel was full of people trying to get away from the stress of the season. All regretted leaving families but felt the need to just 'get away'. The guy in the next room spent every Christmas away from his wife and family. His wife, children and grandchildren loved to do the whole British Christmas experience - he just wanted time to chill out and spent a good deal of his time alone. He didn't feel this was extraordinary at all!
One thing that did strike me was the friendliness and service from the hotel staff. How much holiday did they get? - they all seemed to be working so hard. I asked the receptionist. He explained that they had no concept of a long Christmas holiday. In fact the only time they did not work was Christmas Eve when they were given 24 hours leave from that afternoon to attend Christmas Mass with family and then to eat a celebratory meal with family and friends. No presents were exchanged - this happened on the Feast of the Epiphany 6 January when traditionally the wise men had brought their gifts to Jesus - and even then the presents to each other were single and modest. On Christmas day all staff had returned to work by late afternoon - as did all workers throughout the island.
There was a lot to think about as we picked up our champagne at breakfast and then spent the day smothered in sun cream,
snoozing in the sun.
I still love Christmas and the Christian celebrations which remind us of its true meaning. It's the shopping that gets me down. And to be quite honest I hadn't managed to avoid this - I just had to be more organised and distribute presents to friends and family well in advance of travelling to warmer climes. I suppose the problem is I like giving presents to people - although I spend a good deal of time worrying about their appropriateness. So - I don't have a formula for present giving but I do try to cut down on spending without appearing to be scrooge, I try to support charities with what I buy, I try to simplify the shopping process, I try to begin the process early. And all you can do is try!
Am I correct in thinking that Christmas shopping still falls largely to the female of the species? Is it just women who begin worrying in February about buying for the children or grandchildren. Is it the female mind that sees something in June which would be 'perfect' for Aunt Mathilda at Christmas? The internet offers wonderful opportunities to ease the pressure on shopping and having moved from a bustling city to a small island last year where choice is very limited this is a growing activity, not to say obsession in our household.
But is this the way Christmas has to be for us?
www.femalematters.org
About the Author
Lois Reeve has been a personal and careers adviser for twenty years. She provides individual coaching to individuals and employers on all aspects ot employment and training.
Life-long interest in discussing issues from a female perspective. Now established a website to provide a forum for women to discuss issues at www.femalematters.org
Free ezine as requested.
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