Christmas in July - Day Thirty-One

 

And that's a wrap for Christmas in July 2024.  Thank you so much for reading and commenting.  It was lovely to wake up to your comments - since I'm on Pacific time, most of you read and commented while I was still asleep!

Exciting news today - the host for the Hallmark Channel Christmas Cruises, Sail 1 and Sail 2, has been announced as Jonathan Bennett, star of the Hallmark Movies The Christmas House and Christmas on Cherry Tree Lane.  I'm not exactly sure what all being a host involves but we will find out!

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Volume 562

 

It's time for the Hodgepodge.  Copy and answer the questions, click on the graphic, and add your link.

1. What is a childhood habit or preference you will never outgrow? 

Waking up super early on Christmas morning.  When I was a child, my parents always locked the living room door (where the tree was) so I couldn't get in there.  We spent a few years where I was up at the crack of dawn, waking everyone else up, and we were all cranky by 9:00am!  Locking the door kept me out and let everyone rise at a reasonable hour.  Now that I'm an adult, I still get up early, but I make myself a cup of coffee, turn on the tree lights, and spend a quiet time reflecting on the season.

2. Did you know July is beans month? What's your favorite bean? Your favorite recipe that calls for beans? When it comes to chili are you team beans or team no beans?  

I like most beans - kidney beans, black beans, baked beans, Great Northern beans, green beans.  My favorite recipe would be green bean casserole made with Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic (really ups the flavor) and with the French-fried onions sprinkled on top in the last five minutes (never added to the casserole mixture).  I'm definitely Team Beans in chili.

3. Some historical figures have a tag line after their name, something like 'the brave' or 'the wise' or 'the mad'...what would your tag line be? Explain why? 

Pamela the Extravagant - most likely a reference to a lot of my spending, but also to my extravagant love for my family and friends.

4. The way to my heart is through small but meaningful moments - holding my hand, surprising me with a bouquet of flowers, planning a special outing. 

5.  The calendar rolls into August this week, but before we go give us four adjectives that describe your July. 

Festive (Christmas in July), constructive (plans for the new deck are in full swing), sad (saying goodbye to a friend who moved to Florida), emotional (watching the end of Vic's 30-year career).

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Please STOP with the Olympics-bashing.  Ok, so you didn't like the Opening Ceremonies but is that really an excuse for saying "I won't be watching".  Really??  These young (for the most part) athletes have been training for years and deserve our loudest cheers!

Go Team USA!  Go Team GB!  Go Team Germany!  Go Team Philippines!

Christmas in July - Day Thirty (If this is Tuesday, it must be England #176)

 

Today's link is my favorite go-to for all things royal for gifts, The Royal Collection Shop.  Here are a few things that I have on my Christmas list.

Anything I can hang on my tree such as this miniature teapot, cup, and saucer, the Coat of Arms Miniature Set.  It's out of stock right now, but I'm sure as we get closer to the holidays, it will be restocked.

Anything from the bookstore, especially this one.

The Food Hall is a great place to find tea, biscuits, chocolates, and preserves for gift baskets.  Any fan of England would be delighted to receive a gift from the Food Hall.

Christmas in July - Day Twenty-Nine

For my final Crafts on Monday feature of Christmas in July 2024, I thought I'd share this link for a beach-themed Christmas ornament since I know several of you who have commented love the beach and this is a great way to make a memento.  The instructions are found here - DIY Beach Themed Christmas Ornament (h2obungalow.com) - the materials are inexpensive and it's not too difficult to put together.

Christmas in July - Day Twenty-Eight

 

The final ornament post of this year's Christmas in July is also along the lines of our travel courtesy of the Navy, this time through the NFL.

I started off with the San Francisco 49ers, from my time in California, still the longest place I've ever lived (12 years)...Army brat, Navy wife, hopping all over the USA and the world.

Next up is the Jacksonville Jaguars from our days in Florida.  We actually made it to a game about six months before we left.

The Chicago Bears for our time in Illinois although we didn't make it to a game while we were there.

Virginia was up next, but we don't have an ornament from there.  The closest NFL team would have been the Washington Redskins, now the Washington Commanders.  As soon as we moved to Rhode Island, however, a New England Patriots ornament adorned our tree.  Sophia is still a die-hard Patriots fan, even though Tom Brady has moved on.

And finally, a stock photo for the Seattle Seahawks as I don't seem to have a photo of it yet.

It's a great collection to have as another reminder of our travels.  I have to close by saying that we are actually faux fans, not football fans at all, but have rooted for the home team wherever we lived at the time!

Christmas in July - Day Twenty-Seven

 

As well as living in five different states - Florida, Illinois, Virginia (three times), Rhode Island, and Washington - we've also traveled through multiple states on our permanent change of station (PCS) cross-country trips.

In 2014, we moved from Virginia to Washington, taking the northern route and stopping at Mount Rushmore and the Badlands as well as Custer State Park in South Dakota and on to the Little Big Horn Battlefield in Montana.

2016 saw us take the return journey from Washington to Virginia, this time taking the southern route and stopping at the Redwoods, Hoover Dam, and the Grand Canyon.

In 2018, we were on the road again from Virginia to Washington, but this was a quicker trip as I needed to get settled and start work while Vic flew back to Virginia to finish up his tour of duty there.  Apart from a quick stop at the Cadillac Ranch in Texas, it was pretty much straight through as fast as we could travel.

And in 2022, after COVID, two years in Okinawa, and a year in Maryland, Vic and I were finally on our way to life in Washington together.  I flew to Maryland, and we drove across the country to Washington again, stopping only for a brief visit to the Devil's Tower National Monument in Wyoming.

My favorite ornament from all these PCS trips has to be this one that we picked up at the Grand Canyon.

Every year, as I hang it on the tree, I am reminded of our amazing visit.  Although the temperatures dipped into the 20s at night (it was November), the sun shone brightly during the day as we admired the stunning vistas of the South Rim.  We had Thanksgiving Dinner at the historic El Tovar Hotel and I purchased this ornament at the Hopi House where authentic American Indian arts and crafts have been offered for over 100 years.

Have you visited the Grand Canyon?

Christmas in July - Day Twenty-Six

 Even though our trip to Paris is over six months away, I'm all about all things French right now.  So, today's Food on Friday has a twist français!

Have you heard of the Thirteen Desserts, les treize dessèrts?

In Provence, the traditional Christmas meal is called le gros souper (the big supper). It ends with a ritual number of 13 desserts symbolizing Christ and his 12 apostles. The deserts must be served all at the same time and each guest must taste each one of them. They consist of pastry and fruit:

• dried fruit called les quatre mendiants (the four beggars), by analogy with the habits of the mendicant orders: raisins for the Dominicans, dried figs for the Franciscans, nuts for the Augustins, and almonds for the Carmelites
• the pompe à huile (pastry made with olive oil)
• light and dark fudge
• candied or fresh fruit, particularly apples and grapes saved especially for Christmas;
• candies like calissons (marzipan) or biscotins (cookies) from Aix
• and, more recently, the Yule log.

While flexibility and creativity are encouraged in assembling les treize, there are a few guidelines. The most traditional way to prepare this sweet Provençal feast is the following:

Start with four fresh fruits from the following: oranges, mandarins, apples, pears, white grapes, and honeydew melon.

Add three local candies, like white nougat, black nougat, marzipan, homemade jam, or calissons d'Aix.

Finish with five dried fruits or nuts from the following: raisins, dried apricots, figs, hazelnuts, dates, almonds, or walnuts.

Did anyone notice that 4 + 3 + 5 = 12?  I guess you add one more fruit, dried fruit, or nuts...or at my house, another from the candy category!

Of these items, four of the foods are incredibly common due to their symbolism of the Four Mendicant Orders — four religious orders having taken vows of poverty. These are almonds (representing the bare-footed Carmes monks), figs (for the Franciscans), raisins (the Dominicans), and walnuts or hazelnuts (the Augustins). While this is perhaps the most overtly Catholic part of the tradition, you don't need to be religious to take part. In fact, other Mediterranean societies have long concluded winter meals with local sweets, including the ancient Greeks, who enjoyed almonds, hazelnuts, prunes, and chestnuts on the winter solstice, or Sephardic Jewish people, whose Rosh Hashanah traditions may incude figs, almonds, grapes, and nougat.

Thirteen desserts may sound like a lot but if you only take a small bite of each one, it's an interesting combination and a new twist on dessert.

Source:  The 13 Desserts of a Provençal Christmas (allrecipes.com)

Monthly Musings - July 2024

 

1.  Summer travel - where have you been and what trips are still coming up?  Nowhere and none.  Vic is on terminal leave for two months (I know, the first thing everyone seems to think of is a terminal illness (!) but it's actually the leave he has on the books that he has to use before his official retirement date) so we're having a deck-a-cation.  Vic is going to demolish and rebuild our deck which has so far included lots of trips to Lowe's and the local lumber yards to check out needed supplies and the all-important decking materials.  I think he's made the final decision, I reached "Whatever you think is best, honey" a long time ago!

2.  Favorite things you have done so far this summer - celebrated with Vic on his last day at work after a 30-year career and celebrated again when his new job opportunity was finalized.  We celebrated the completion of the kitchen electrical outlet project and kudos to Vic for a great job (the inspector's words).  We got together with friends on Juneteenth (since everyone was off) work for a barbecue which was a lot of fun.  I celebrated Christmas in July with like-minded Christmas pals.

3.  Share your go-to outfits this summer - I seem to be living in something like this dress.

It's 100% cotton and comes in several patterns and lengths.

Going out of the house, I'm usually in one of these dresses.

I have this one in several patterns.

4.  Summer accessories you are never without - sunglasses!  I seem to be squinting at the slightest ray of sunshine, so I am never without my sunglasses.

5.  Share your go-to shoes this summer - anything from Vionic, these are currently on my wish list.

6.  Share anything spontaneous you did this summer, big or small - booked an Alaska Cruise for 2026!

7.  Have you seen any summer movies this year?  No, last time we went to the cinema was in April for The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

8.  Favorite summer sweet treat - strawberries and cream.  I'd rather be eating them at Wimbledon, but I'll have to be content with having them at home!

9.  Summer slowdown or ready for fall - SO ready for fall.  We haven't had too many unbearable days, if it's too hot, I just stay home in the air conditioning, but I would so rather be at home with a pumpkin spice latte, a blanket, and a movie full of fall foliage.

10.  Ready for back to school, if you have kids in school - not any longer, Sophia has long since moved on from school.  I do miss the lead-up to a new term or semester, shopping for school clothes and school supplies, seeing her new class schedule.  Fun times.

Christmas in July - Day Twenty-Five

From Around the 'Net today, holiday diffuser blends.  Do you use a diffuser?  Do you make up blends for the various seasons?

The first one is from Today's Creative Life using doTerra essential oils - there's a whole post here.

The second one is from Pinterest, no link available, and it uses Young Living Essential Oils.

I love to diffuse blends for the holiday season, and I'll be checking some of these out this year.

It's also time for Monthly Musings so this is post 1 of 2.

Christmas in July - Day Twenty-Four

 

More fun and games for Christmas in July.

This site, 50 OF THE MOST ENTERTAINING CHRISTMAS PARTY GAMES, has more fun that you'll need in a host of Christmases.  I think it's pretty hilarious from the get-go since the title says 50 games, but the link description says 25.  Then you have a giant graphic that says 45 games, preceded by a paragraph that mentions 48 games, and wait, the confusion is not over yet!   Scroll down to the very bottom and there are...drum roll...56 games!  Whether the author has a bad case of number-itis or not, the bottom line is there is a lot of fun here.

My favorites are #20 LEFT RIGHT CHRISTMAS GAME - everyone sits in a circle and starts with a gift in their hands. As you read a poem that’s filled with the words right and left, you pass the gifts right or left. It’s crazy, fun, and absolutely hilarious.  Here's a sample poem I found.

My second favorite is #40 THE PRICE IS RIGHT - See who can guess the prices of popular Christmas items like stockings and ornaments in this fun holiday themed version of the game show! This printable game is simple to play and great for adults who will likely have a better grasp of prices than younger friends!

**Looks like there is a small fee for the printables but you could easily make your own.   The Price is Right game cards are mostly on Etsy so I couldn't save the images to share with you.

Here's a fun one I picked up - the Antler Game.  Vic tried to get Malone to be the reindeer, but he wasn't having any of it!

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Volume 561

 

It's time for the Hodgepodge.  Copy and answer the questions, click on the graphic, and add your link.

1. The Olympics kick off this coming weekend. Will you be watching? If you could watch just one event in person, which one would you choose? 

Yes, we'll be watching, it's a bit like Wimbledon...nothing will be done chez nous while we watch the Olympics.  Since it's the Summer Olympics, I'd vote for watching the equestrian events in person.

2. Have you ever been to Paris? Is this a city you'd like to visit? What's your favorite 'French thing'?

I have never been to Paris, but we are going in 2025!  My favorite "French thing" is my perfume.

3. Macaron, creme brulee, chocolate soufflé, mille feuille, or an eclair...your favorite French patisserie from the ones listed? 

All of the above and more!  

My all-time favorite is the Jeanne d'Arc - Almond melting meringue, light chocolate cream, homemade chocolate shavings

The Great British Baking Show always has a patisserie episode, and the episodes feature many of the desserts on the chart above

4. July 24th is National Cousins Day...do you have many cousins? Are you close to them? Will you see any of your cousins on July 24th? 

The last time my cousins were together (and there were a couple missing) was at a family reunion in 2004.  Sadly, several in the group above are now gone.  Most lived in California but there is also Virginia, Ohio, and Oregon represented.  I'm as close as a phone call away and one cousin has visited us in Rhode Island, Virginia, and in Washington.  No, I won't be seeing any of them on July 24th.

5.  Last time you went somewhere that felt like 'everyone and his cousin' was there? 

Costco on a Saturday or Sunday!  It's always a zoo!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Let's talk about Stanley cups.  Do you have one?  Love it or leave it?  Do you say, "I'd never pay that price for a cup!" or do you think they are a good bargain?  I don't have one, I was a little put off by the lead controversy surrounding them (although that was completely blown out of proportion), and the frenzy at Target was mind-boggling (really, for a cup?), and I continue to be amazed at the Stanley hoopla.  Case in point:

I didn't list the prices (a quick Amazon search will give you the details) - but if you think the cups are expensive, this little lot really adds up!

Christmas in July - Day Twenty-Three (If this is Tuesday, it must be England #175)

 

 Christmas traditions observed by the Royal Family:

1. Christmas Eve Gift Exchange: On Christmas Eve, family members exchange small, often humorous gifts. This tradition is said to have been introduced by Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband.

2. Decorating the Christmas Tree: The Royal Family decorates a large Christmas tree at Sandringham House. The tree is adorned with ornaments, lights, and tinsel.

3. Christmas Day Church Service: As mentioned earlier, the monarch and other family members attend the morning service at St. Mary Magdalene Church. It’s a public event, and well-wishers gather to see the royals.

4. Christmas Lunch: After the church service, the family enjoys a festive Christmas lunch together. The menu typically includes roast turkey, stuffing, vegetables, and Christmas pudding.

5. Boxing Day: The day after Christmas (December 26) is known as Boxing Day in the UK. The Royal Family often participates in outdoor activities, such as hunting or horseback riding.

6. Charitable Activities: The royals engage in charitable work during the holiday season. King Charles III delivers a Christmas message, emphasizing goodwill and unity.

These traditions may evolve over time, but they reflect the family’s commitment to celebrating the season with joy and community spirit!

King Charles III and Queen Camilla (with the Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, and Prince George in the background) walk back from the morning service at St. Mary Magdalene Church and greet well-wishers lining the path

Christmas in July - Day Twenty-Two

 

22 weeks and 2 days until Christmas and today I'm sharing a sort-of-a-craft.  The craft part comes from however creative you want to get with the wrapping, but the main event is inside the packages - a Christmas book advent calendar.  Advent calendars are usually 24 days so you have just under enough weeks to pick up a book a week, or you can put some money aside each week if you want to purchase just Christmas books for the Advent calendar.  Wrap them up, label with number 1 to 24, and delight in reading to or with your children throughout the month of December.  If you don't have children at home, or grandchildren or nieces and nephews, make one for yourself.  You could even make one with magazines.

Not a craft topic but an interesting one about books - the Icelandic Jolabokaflod

Imagine this:  It's Christmas Eve and after receiving a brand-new book from your family, you cozy up in your favorite reading nook or in front of the fire with a mug of hot cocoa and spend the rest of the evening reading.

That's exactly how Icelandic people celebrate Christmas each year.  This tradition is known as Jolabokaflod, which translates roughly to "Christmas book flood" in English.

Jolabokaflod started during World War II, when paper was one of the few things not rationed in Iceland.  Because of this, Icelanders gave books as gifts while other commodities were in short supply, turning them into a country of bookaholics to this day.

Ever since 1944, the Icelandic book trade has sent out a book bulletin to each household in the middle of November when the Reykjavik Book Fair happens.  People use this catalogue to order books to give to their friends and family on Christmas Eve, the main gift-giving day in Iceland.  After all the presents are open, everyone grabs a cup of hot chocolate and cozies up to spend the rest of the evening reading their books.

Source:  Ashley Leath, Why Icelanders Spend Every Christmas Eve Reading Books and Drinking Cocoa, Country Living, November 29, 2021