tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post6002933586982921535..comments2024-03-29T07:08:24.818-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Rhys Bowen Serves up "The Twelve Clues of Christmas" Jungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-77739678860834325312012-11-06T19:37:23.432-05:002012-11-06T19:37:23.432-05:00When my girls were small, having both sets of gran...When my girls were small, having both sets of grandparents in the same town, we went to my mother's for Christmas Eve dinner and celebration. The girls got to open presents from my family. Christmas morning both sets of grandparents came to our house to be there for the grand present opening and brunch. Christmas evening we went to my husband's mother's home for dinner and more presents for the girls. Poor little deprived girls, three Christmas present openings. Now both sets of grandparents are gone, and my girls and their families come to our home for Christmas dinner and family time. <br />Some of the best memories I have of those earlier days are all of us standing around my Mom's piano while my Mother-in-law played Christmas carols and we all sang with great abandon. I must say some sounded a LOT better than others, my sister can't carry a tune even with a very large bucket, but she loves to sing, so we grin and bear it. <br />Rhys, so happy that there is a new Georgie book, I can hardly wait to read it. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14411301837112711875noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-43792305441526735812012-11-06T15:24:04.331-05:002012-11-06T15:24:04.331-05:00When I was a child, we lived near a huge family - ...When I was a child, we lived near a huge family - 18 cousins - plus aunts, uncles and grandparents who all went to church on Christmas Eve, and to Grandma's house on Christmas Day. Then, when my children were small and we lived a long distance from family, I started baking fruit breads for all the neighbors, distributing them on Christmas Eve and getting the reminder of that huge Christmas family. And I had already decided that even though this city neighborhood is not as friendly as those in the past, I am baking fruit breads and taking them to the neighbors on Christmas Eve. It is a gift to myself,.Annettenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-37322000954488480632012-11-06T15:13:19.802-05:002012-11-06T15:13:19.802-05:00I'll tell you what I don't miss.....
bei...I'll tell you what I don't miss..... <br /><br />being part of a more or less musical talented family we kids always had to play some Christmas songs together... ( I was the one with the flute) and of course every year it was video taped....<br /><br />last Christmas my brother gave us all the old tapes converted on dvd as a Christmas gift..... my boyfriend still has sore muscles from laughing....<br /><br />so my advice is:<br /><br />1. don't try to play an instrument if you're not gifted<br /><br />2. if you could'nt help it: never ever let someone <br /> record or film it<br /><br />3. if this doesn't suceed: try to find the hidden <br /> tapes and immediately destroy them<br /><br />4. if all fails: never invite a brother or sister to a<br /> Christmas party where friends and colleagues <br /> are present<br /><br />5. in the case of emergency: try to provoke a power <br /> loss or flush yourself down a toilet!!!<br /><br /><br />A SILENT and Merry Christmas to everybody.... <br /><br />best wishes from Switzerland :)Monika Kuhnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-61272390240560485452012-11-06T14:55:32.892-05:002012-11-06T14:55:32.892-05:00Several years ago, I made quilts for my six nieces...Several years ago, I made quilts for my six nieces and nephews and brought them all down at Christmas time. Youngest Nephew opened his first.<br /><br />Youngest Nephew: [opening package] Wow!<br /><br />Dad: What is it?<br /><br />Nephew.: It's the greatest thing I've ever seen!<br /><br />Dad: But what is it?<br /><br />Nephew: I have no idea!<br /><br />And ever since then, at some point during Christmas Day, someone will open a present and exclaim, "Wow!" the conversation will be reenacted. <br /><br />We also have a tradition of hanging up a rather ancient record liner on which my grandfather had written a letter thanking my brother and me for the milk and cookies, and that the reindeer liked the carrots we'd left for them. The note ends with the immortal phrase, "And thank your dad for the Scotch!"<br /><br />Ah, memories.<br /><br />Laura C.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-64240142118918162082012-11-06T14:18:24.864-05:002012-11-06T14:18:24.864-05:00We always have pizza on Christmas Eve. We've b...We always have pizza on Christmas Eve. We've been doing it so long I can't remember how or why the tradition started. <br /><br />My mother's best friend made donuts for the holidays when we were kids. I miss being in that big old kitchen with the wood stove pumping out heat, rolling donut holes in sugar and trying to see how many I could sneak without getting caught.Sofie Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16830230500527705589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-16677048083791794042012-11-06T14:11:53.614-05:002012-11-06T14:11:53.614-05:00The Christmas memory I miss the most from childhoo...The Christmas memory I miss the most from childhood, the one that no longer takes place, is when my father and I would exchange prank gifts. <br />We were taught from the very beginning that Santa Claus didn't exist. After a few years, we began opening our presents on Christmas Eve so that my parents could sleep in the next morning. This started a running joke between my father and I; each year he would recieve a naughty gift from "Santa" for not believing and for opening presents before Christmas day. Every year, the schemes grew more elaborate.<br />One year, when I was around twelve, I purchased a pair of silk chili pepper boxers for my father and wrote a note from "Santa." In the letter, my father was informed that he was recieving a pair of "hot pants" to remind him to be good. In return I was given an old love letter that had been discovered in a jeans pocket--a letter to a school crush!<br />As I look back now, I realize that these memories are far from the traditional Christmas that most people imagine. But they're my memories, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10757499826996445427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-12946187335953441802012-11-06T13:57:00.827-05:002012-11-06T13:57:00.827-05:00Back in the 40s and 50s my grandmother would send ...Back in the 40s and 50s my grandmother would send us 2 fruitcakes for Christmas - the traditional dark one and a light one for my mother, which I never cared for. But the dark was to die for! Serve it chilled, sliced thin and slathered with butter. The candied fruit and nuts were bought whole during a special trip to Pittsburgh and then chopped/sliced by hand. Grandpa did the stirring as many large batches were made. No alcohol as grandma was president of the WCTU!!<br />I still love fruitcake but few can even begin to compare with grandma's.<br />Some years I got lucky and received an extra cake - just for me, but I did share - for my birthday!<br /><br />Miss you grandma, grandpa, mom and dad.Karen Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14635176445301771127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-32347919008657286262012-11-06T13:56:40.141-05:002012-11-06T13:56:40.141-05:00Christmas memories, my mother's frosted cutout...Christmas memories, my mother's frosted cutout sugar cookies made from scratch, driving around The Plaza in Kansas City looking at the lights while my father sang Christmas carols, wondering each year if this would be the year I actually got the pony I asked for (we lived in the suburbs), getting to stay up late for midnight mass, and ignoring my dad when he would try to talk me into leaving coffee and cookies for Santa. I figured everyone knew he liked milk and cookies :)Vickie Radfordnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-61329739325382386702012-11-06T13:29:05.303-05:002012-11-06T13:29:05.303-05:00Rhys, you're going to be at Powell's! That...Rhys, you're going to be at Powell's! That's great -- I plan to be there, and I'll introduce myself. Fun!<br /><br />When I was growing up my maternal grandpa used to make a plum pudding from a recipe that was handed down from the English side of the family. It was TO DIE FOR. He'd send it to us in December and my mom made rum sauce. I miss that plum pudding!<br /><br />Apparently, it's a labor-intensive recipe, involving cheese cloth and who-knows-what...Does that sound about right?Lisa Alberhttp://www.lisaalber.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-37996749872709773372012-11-06T13:27:25.091-05:002012-11-06T13:27:25.091-05:00Growing up in the South, I never realized some of ...Growing up in the South, I never realized some of our family traditions had English roots (silly when you think about it-in my Grannie's youth there were pocket of Appalatchia where Elizabethian English was still spoke and my Grannies expressions of outrage or fustration were "Fie,sir" and "La, Sir!") But we made rich dense fruitcakes on the first day of hunting season while the men folk where out from underfoot, and gave them a "sip" of blackberry brandy every few days until Christmas. My sister brought back the custom of crackers when she returned from doing a residency in Reading years ago. Our family for years always tried to make the journey back to Mother's house for Christmas even as we kids were scattered over many states and occasionally many countries. I dreaded the time when Mother's health would no longer allow her to keep the house.How could we have Christmas without Mother's house? Of course, her health was the most important thing, but I think we all had wobbly lower lips in private at the thought. THen my brillent sister rented a large house in the mountains that could accomodate all the kids, grand kids, assorted pets and even the requirements of Mother's feeble health. We hauled in as much traditional decorations and worked together on cooking old and new family favorites. We even woke up to snow on Christmas morning- a first for most of the grandkids! I think we discovered that Christmas was less about where you celebrate it but with whom and how. Mother joined Daddy years ago, but we still gather in the Mountains and tell family stories and traditions so they won't be forgotten. Family is the best tradition.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03212530060441990857noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-37675733507695583712012-11-06T13:22:39.139-05:002012-11-06T13:22:39.139-05:00First of all, I'm sooo excited to read the new...First of all, I'm sooo excited to read the newest Georgie book!! Rhys, your traditional English Christmas sounds wonderful. My favorite Christmas memory is just the sheer excitement of waking up Christmas morning to see if Santa came. Now, I get to see the excitement on my two little boys faces. The simple pleasures of childhood are the best!Samantha H.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-10350579485043929602012-11-06T13:09:02.067-05:002012-11-06T13:09:02.067-05:00Rhys, reading your new Lady Georgie book will make...Rhys, reading your new Lady Georgie book will make for perfect Christmas reading. Have a great launch! I'm giving copies of your book for gifts this year. My friends will love it, I know.<br /><br />I had hoped to see you in Scottsdale this week but need to stay home with Scout. The Poisoned Pen is one of my favorite bookstores. Kendall and I shopped there as part of our service dog boot camp final exam for Power Paws of Arizona. Other people must love it, too. Look at all the wonderful authors they attract for events... really sorry I can't be there... had to miss Hank last month, too.<br /><br />Our daughter Jeanie and I boiled a huge Christmas pudding when she was younger. She had read about in in a book, and we had to make one... It was time-consuming but not difficult at all. We got the suet from the butcher counter at the local grocery store.<br /><br />Rhys, I am trying to make Christmas a good day for our family this year. Since we have had so much sadness, including the loss of our Jeanie, my first inclination was to skip it... just seemed too difficult. Now, though, I am seeing it as a chance to redo some of our family traditions and maybe include something new. THE TWELVE CLUES OF CHRISTMAS with its, "... compendium of recipes, games, traditions in the back," sounds like just what we need to get us jumpstarted.Maureen Harringtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03499876353651763590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-78758334541111606002012-11-06T12:33:06.959-05:002012-11-06T12:33:06.959-05:00Terrific, Andrew. First laugh of the day!Terrific, Andrew. First laugh of the day!Rhys Bowennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-40096167372390241892012-11-06T12:30:38.935-05:002012-11-06T12:30:38.935-05:00We do Christmas Crackers every Christmas Eve - a t...We do Christmas Crackers every Christmas Eve - a tradition we started when we took over the holiday from my mom and dad 12 years ago. <br /><br />Thanks for warming my spirit with this post - much needed as we move through our 9th day without power from Superstorm Sandy!Terri Herman-Poncehttp://terriponce.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-82067268981768108232012-11-06T12:24:51.979-05:002012-11-06T12:24:51.979-05:00"I'm Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eu..."I'm Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie, and I approve this blog ..."Andrew of Dunedinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17974032340556403025noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-47408880278445969152012-11-06T12:01:45.921-05:002012-11-06T12:01:45.921-05:00Rhys, I had to laugh! We don't have Lexuses (o...Rhys, I had to laugh! We don't have Lexuses (or is it Lexi?) under the tree at our house:-)<br /><br />I love a real Christmas pudding but have never made one. No one else in the family likes them, but I usually try to find a Cross & Blackwell just for me.<br /><br />We have had Christmas crackers at Christmas dinner since my daughter was a child, a tradition started with her Scottish dad.<br /><br />Now, with our family shrinking (my dad gone, my mom in a nursing home) there are just four of us on Christmas morning--Rick and me, and Kayti and her lovely long-time boyfriend. Kayti makes mimosas and cinnamon rolls and we open the gifts under the tree. Quiet, but fun. Usually we go to my aunt and uncle's for Christmas dinner, but last year I was sick with a bug, so we all curled up in front of the fire on Christmas afternoon and watched basketball. Weird, but nice. This year I'm looking forward to the big family get together again.<br /><br />Oh, and about Georgie--I LOVE this book! I'm giving it to everyone I know for Christmas. It is the absolutely perfect Christmas prezzie!Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11519514786198185277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-46739256162352962412012-11-06T12:01:03.830-05:002012-11-06T12:01:03.830-05:00Ok.... I apologize for all the deleted comments. ...Ok.... I apologize for all the deleted comments. For some reason I thought the verification was not working and kept trying again. Little did I know I was posting a ton. <br /><br />Sorry. :/<br />Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08780403731792627798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-29283920162061178072012-11-06T11:55:02.282-05:002012-11-06T11:55:02.282-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08780403731792627798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-92054071411263177522012-11-06T11:54:35.904-05:002012-11-06T11:54:35.904-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08780403731792627798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-49774950107439241872012-11-06T11:52:54.215-05:002012-11-06T11:52:54.215-05:00One of the best parts about Christmas is sharing t...One of the best parts about Christmas is sharing tradition with my own kids now. <br /><br />I love my tried and true traditions I grew up with at Christmas, but hearing words like "Christmas pudding" and "Sausage Rolls" makes me want to try some new things. <br /><br />A Christmas around the world dinner would be a fun thing to try sometime this season.Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08780403731792627798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-69201909098538217932012-11-06T11:41:26.960-05:002012-11-06T11:41:26.960-05:00Even though I am Canadian I have heard enough abou...Even though I am Canadian I have heard enough about today's presidential election to last me a life time, I most certainly prefer to hear about Lady Georgie and her newest exploits which sounds like so much fun. This makes me look forward to Christmas which hasn't happened much since my mother passed away back in 1983.<br /><br />Lady Georgie always brings a smile to my face, GO Georgie!!!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06664153001442392693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-39489879223439364902012-11-06T11:26:33.103-05:002012-11-06T11:26:33.103-05:00One of my favorite Christmas memories is having co...One of my favorite Christmas memories is having convinced my parents that I didn't need to go to the Christmas Eve service at our church, I, the youngest of six, had the house to myself. We lived in a big, two story farmhouse and each Christmas my mother placed electric candles in all the windows. From the outside, the view was magical and could be seen for miles. Inside, for those few precious hours, I would turn off all the regular house lights and just have the candles and the Christmas tree lights on. Then, I would check out the presents under the Christmas tree. To this day, whether for a birthday or Christmas, I can't open a gift without first giving it a shake, weighing it in my hands, imagining the possibilities. It should be noted, however, that my mother was wise to my ways and would often put marbles or puzzle pieces or even small rocks into the boxes!Sandra Piesternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-59994748978158884582012-11-06T11:10:50.257-05:002012-11-06T11:10:50.257-05:00Since I'm sitting in an election boiler room, ...Since I'm sitting in an election boiler room, I will have to wait to start this long-awaited book. As soon as it's available on Audible it'll be on my iphone.<br /><br />I miss the gathering of family at Christmas. When my nieces were small we'd get together with sisters and husbands and children. Now each has her own family (one family lives in France) so we don't have the house full of people anymore. It's sad. But time moves on.<br /><br />Back to voter protection and turnout.Marianne in Mainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-63022283029647877192012-11-06T11:07:00.739-05:002012-11-06T11:07:00.739-05:00Oh Christmas, one of my roommate's is already ...Oh Christmas, one of my roommate's is already singing Christmas carols! <br />My great-great grandmother was from England and we still make her date pudding recipe (a task that has fallen to my mother, and will fall to me) so that's definitely a fun tradition that always throws a few of my friends off!<br />My family is incredibly musical, so the weeks leading up to Christmas there is one thing we are listening to: Handel's Messiah. My high school performs almost the entire work every Christmas and all alumni can come back and sing. This included my dad and his sister's my last year in high school when I got to sing 'I Know That My Redeemer Liveth' Definitely a great Christmas tradition in my family and one that anyone I live with will have to deal with me bringing into our family!Sammy Kaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-48074684825710909652012-11-06T10:41:41.626-05:002012-11-06T10:41:41.626-05:00Hank--champagne and oysters? I could go for that!
...Hank--champagne and oysters? I could go for that!<br /><br />Denise, the snow houses were bought at local stores, not homemade, and bigger than a cereal box. Also snow toys for boys made in the shape of snow-cars, snow men etc. And with corny little gifts in them, but fun for kids.<br /><br />And Christmas pudding is a lot of work. I'll put the recipe on my website once I return from book tour. My s-i-l made one for us last year. So good. Lots of brandy.Rhys Bowenhttp://www.rhysbowen.comnoreply@blogger.com