LIES. LIES. LIES. by Jenn McKinlay

 

JENN MCKINLAY: When I was about seven years old, I remember cornering my dad and asking him point blank. "Is Santa Claus real?"

We were standing in his studio (Pop was an artist) and he cupped his chin and pondered my questions while I quivered in anticipation of his answer. My friends told me Santa was fake, but the dewy eyed child inside of me wanted to believe in magic and kept the story of the "right jolly old elf" clutched in her pudgy little hand. Finally, after what seemed like days in child time but was mere seconds in adult time, my dad met my gaze and said, "If you don't believe, you don't receive."

I was rocked back on my heels. Had Pop just given me the secret? Did the kids who didn't believe stop receiving and that's why they thought they were right? Hallelujah! I hugged him tight and assured him that I most definitely did believe.

Fast forward twenty-eight years when I had my own dewy eyed little hooligans and I'm a guest at a wedding right before the holidays, sitting with a bunch of moms discussing holiday stuff. One mom addresses the group of us and declares that if you LIE to your child about Santa, you're breaking trust with them, they'll never believe you about anything, you're a terrible mother, and your children will abandon you to your throne of lies once they grow up. If her goal was to end the conversation between moms, she did a bang up job. I don't think any of us made eye contact after that judgement grenade and we all quickly scuttled off to find our spouses. 

See, here's the thing with Hub and me. We fairy-taled the shizzle out of the boys' childhoods. Not only did we keep the Santa myth going until they were 9 and 10 respectively, no small achievement with the internet and whatnot, but we made up tall tales about everything. 

When they came with me to the post office to mail packages, I told them the postal workers attached wings to the boxes and launched them. Then we stood in the parking lot, checking the skies for our packages winging their way to wherever. People thought we were deranged. Hilarious! Hub's classic was to tell the boys we adopted them from monkey island at the Phoenix Zoo but we had to remove their tails so they could leave. Those boys spent a lot of time checking their backsides to see if their tails were growing back. We also told them the piped in music at the grocery store was for people to dance while they shopped and then we had "dance breaks" in the middle of the aisle. And that's just a few of the more memorable ones. Good times!

We never discussed or planned the whoppers we told our kids. It came to us in the moment and we went with it. We both believed that the magic of being a kid and the joy of childhood should be encouraged in every possible way even if it meant...fibbing.

I don't know what happened to that mama or what her relationship with her kids is. I hope it's what she wanted. But I do know that Hub and I are besties with the Hooligans and I like to think it's because they appreciate that we worked really hard to make their childhood something special.

How about you, Reds and Readers? Where do you stand on the magic of believing versus the brutal truth at all times? Did your family have any particular tall tales that you remember fondly?

Dancing (and baking) Sugar Plums

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I hope the rest of you are feeling as pleased as I am - presents purchased, decorating sorted (Virginia's doing it) meal planned and festive outing in the works. If you've been very good this year, you undoubtedly deserve some sugar plums this holiday - plus, making them is a delightful activity for you and your friend or nibling or grandchild.

 

Good morning everyone and I wish you all the Compliments of this Happy Season! Julia has again invited me to talk about food and my living experiences here in Sudbury. In fact I have moved, with the help of friends enough furniture down from Maine that I fear I won’t recognize my home when I next visit. But let’s get on what has been happening not to mention making some delicious Sugar Plums.

 

“While Visions of Sugarplums danced in their heads”

 

 

My Social Media has been full of Nutcracker related photos and stories beginning with the adorable photos of Debs with her granddaughter at their local performance of the Nutcracker and how much they had enjoyed the performance looking at their smiles. Another friend who is of grandfather status wrote about attending his 1632nd performance of his granddaughter who has two leading roles this year. One as the Mother Ginger first child and the second as the porcelain doll in a beautiful costume which made it into our local paper. I think she isn’t even thirteen yet. But she is totally committed to her life as a dancer. I wonder  she will pursue this dream into adulthood? But I think I would give her grandfather the longevity prize for faithful attendance. There is something rather awe-inspiring watching a group of children completely devoted to their art.

 

I had that pleasure this past week as a group of middle schoolers from a local prep school came to bring the musical holidays to my assisted living space. I can’t get out to go to the many holiday concerts as Victor and I did in the past, so this was a special treat. I have to admit I did wonder if we would be treated to a performance of the dreaded Christmas pops but that was not the case. I sat and listened to trios, quartets, an eight handed piano piece. I loved watching these teen kids finish their performance with a rousing rendition of the Trepak dance from the Nutcracker which they played with considerable brio. What a joy to see their dedication to serious music. I was asked if I played an instrument.My short answer is No! But I have another response which is my truth -My role is to be an audience to whichever muse calls to me.  As I told the young musicians, “Every performer needs an audience”, to which they agreed.  So whatever activity appeals to the child in your life I believe it is most worthwhile to help them achieve it. 

 

But it is time to address our main topic - Christmas Food. Last year I introduced you to the sugar plums that we can eat while dancing should one wish. As I wrote last year I found a recipe hiding among my many food notes with the heading “Sugarplums”, Courtesy of Eleanor Watson.

 

“Goodness, Eleanor Watson one of the best loved and remembered people in Limerick, Maine. We were invited to her Christmas gathering the first year we moved here. She lived in a beautiful old house, pre Victorian I think. Would that make it Empire, Revolutionary or Federal? I’m not much good on the history of architecture. However there were open fire places with burning logs to warm us, a colonial kitchen and rooms filled with antique furniture which she showed off to me seeing my interest. She is another person I miss and wish I had asked her for stories. But on the kitchen table, along with her delicious food, was this gift of a recipe card for the taking”. 

 

Julia and I agreed that one can never have too many sugar plums in ones life. So I offer you sugar plums to make and share with friends, to enjoy through the Holidays or as I love to entertain on Twelvth Night these make an excellent addition for dessert

 

Now I had never made Sugarplums before last year, but with a food processor anything is possible. Eleanor said her recipe made a hundred pieces of deliciousness, but as Julia and I found Eleanor’s quantities made many more than one hundred.so I recommend you half the recipe unless you are making gifts for a crowd. I also did a little research online and adding or omitting ingredients seems to be par for the course. I plan to measure the total liquid which will give me an idea of how much liquid is needed for the amount of dry ingredients. I plan to add some dried cranberries and cherries too. This recipe doesn’t have any spices in it so I will add a little of my favorite spices as well. 

 

SUGARPLUMS - Courtesy of Eleanor Watson

 

1 lb. chopped figs

1 lb. chopped dates

1 lb. chopped raisins - I am using golden raisins or sultanas (their English name)

1 lb. currents - I am omitting as couldn’t find them but will add cranberries and cherries here

 

Chop all finely in the Food Processor - set aside

 

1 lb. chopped blanched almonds

1 lb. chopped unsalted, shelled pistachio nuts (I will not use pistachios but make the weight up with other nuts.)

1/2 lb. chopped walnuts

1/2 lb. chopped pecans

 

Chop nuts in Food Processor - set aside

 

1/2 lb. shredded coconut

1/2 lb. crystallized ginger

Juice & grated rind of 1 orange

Juice & grated rind of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp - good sherry***

1 oz.    - orange or peach brandy

 

Granulated sugar for rolling - let the deliciousness commence.

 

MY UPDATED RECIPE

 

I am weighing my dried fruit based on the total amount in Eleanor’s recipe which is 4 pounds of fruit. My measurements are not exactly halved as I changed them while I was prepping.

 

My ingredients*** are:

2 3/4 lb. mixed dried fruit -approximate weight

1/4 lb. figs

1/4 lb. dates without pits

1 1/2 lb. Mixed raisins and golden raisins (sultanas)

1/2 lb. cranberries

1 oz + dried orange slices (optional)

1/4 lb. cherries

 

1 1/2 lb. Mixed nuts, walnuts, almonds, pecans - I used what I had. Just check none of the nuts are rancid not freshly purchased . (Nuts are best stored in a freezer).

8 oz shredded coconut 

4 oz.    crystallized ginger

1 tsp. cardamom 

1/2 tsp. each nutmeg and mace

 

Juice and grated rind of one orange and one lemon = about 1/3 cup, just enough to moisten

1/4 Cup Cointreau or other liquor

 

I shall make some with extra fruit juice as not everyone likes alcohol but I shall do some with Grand Marnier or Cointreau added in place of the sherry and fruit brandies. 

 

METHOD:

 

Measure all the ingredients but keep the fruit and nuts separate, see below. If you don’t have a scale I suggest you buy the fruits and use the measurements on the bag to approximate the amounts. I don’t think an extra oz or so will hurt the recipe

 

Put the nuts, coconut and crystallized ginger together with any spices you like in the Food Processor and pulse several times to chop finely

 

Scrape into a bowl

 

Add and pulse the dried fruits and grated orange and lemon rind in the FP. 

Add the chopped nuts and pulse to mix

 

Even though I have a 12 cup bowel on my FP and my Ninja cup is a little smaller, I had to half the quantities again before being able to mix the fruit, nuts mix and liquid together. This is where a digital scale comes in handy as you can place an empty bowl on the scale, adjust the weight back to zero then add ingredients. To finish I had two bowls weighing about one and a half pounds each to role into the sugarplums.

 

Depending on your quantity, now is the time to divide in half before mixing together and adding in the liquid through the funnel. I added a little at a time until the mix gathered on the blade. I don’t think it should be too wet.

 

Now for the fun part. Set up a plate with sugar on it and a plate with waxed paper to place the candies. Wet your hands and take a melon sized amount or slightly larger and roll into a ball, then roll in the sugar for that sparkle and set on a plate. If giving as gifts pack into a wax paper lined box with wax paper between the layers of sugarplums. I bought mini cup cake holders, which was a good way to present the sugar plums. 

 

The final note: allow to sit in the fridge or a cold place for several days for the flavors to blend and add to the joy of eating a sugarplum. Plus, it’s Gluten Free!

 

I have simplified Eleanor’s process by adding the spices, coconut and ginger to the nuts, and grating the rind onto the pile of dried fruit

 

Did you make sugar plums last year or since you got the recipe? Do please let me know how they turned out.

RHYS on Gnomes

 RHYS BOWEN: I've posted before about being a female Peter Pan and still liking to play. Well, I also confess that I have a soft spot for stuffed toys. I talk to them sometimes. When I was recovering from knee surgery last month I had companionship:

My office has to have a couple of friends to talk to.  Here in Arizona it's Eliot, my elephant. He is wise and understanding, listens to me when I'm stuck and gives good advice, although he does often suggest that I find the body in the trunk.

Knowing my strange habits my family tends to give me appropriate gifts and this year it was gnomes. I love them! I expect I'll get more next year. And if you look closely at the Christmas tree you'll see all the stuffed mice I made this year.

I don't know why gnomes have suddenly become so popular. They are originally Scandinavian in origin... little men who bring the Christmas presents thus giving Santa a day off there. But now they are taking over here. You wait, in a few years there will be Christmas movies about the gnomes coming down from Norway because it's too cold and taking over from Santa at Macy's department store.

But they are now so popular that I found this St Patrick's gnome:  

I used him for the launch of our new Molly Murphy mystery last week. I asked my Facebook followers to name him/her and our own Joan Greenwood suggested Paddy, which I thought was a good choice as it could be male or female. I had considered Phil-gnomina.

And today look what I found! Easter gnomes!! What's next? Fourth of July gnomes? Election gnomes in the shape of Trump and Biden? The world waits.

So who else has started a gnome collection?

What We're Writing: Julia Closes In on The Finish Line

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I kid you not, dear readers. I'm now in the fourth and shortest act of AT MIDNIGHT COMES THE CRY, and there's just not that much left to go. Well, my heroes have to save the day, and tie up all the loose ends, and we have to see what happens  - or doesn't happen - in the romance department. Honestly, if I hadn't basically taken off the entire month of December (please don't murder me, Hank and Jenn!) it would be done by now.

I'm feeling excited and impatient and more than ready to buckle down and put this baby to bed. We've got our first big snowstorm moving in tonight - six inches to a foot predicted for my area. Sounds like great weather for starting a roaring fire, keeping the tea kettle on, and writing!

 Here's an excerpt from the beginning of that fourth act - Clare, Russ and Hadley are on their (unofficial) way to what may be a hostage situation...

 

 

“Could we please hurry a little more?” Clare looked out the window. “I swear I saw a one-legged man pushing a wheelbarrow pass us.”

“And this is why I'm driving.” The chief resettled his hands in the classic two-and-ten position on the steering wheel.

 

 

A good thing, too, Hadley thought. The last Sunday before Christmas was as busy a day for traffic as they'd see until the Fourth of July holiday. She had heard about Reverend Clare's lead foot, and she had no interest in seeing how fast she could speed through the bag- and package- laden vehicles around them.

“What's the plan?” she asked.

“You and I should go in first.” Clare twisted in her seat to talk to her. “He's never seen you, and you don't look like a cop.”

“So you want to give him two more hostages?” Van Alstyne shook his head.

“Just long enough so I can see if Tiny and the baby are there. Then you and Lyle can come in with guns blazing.”

“Oh, yeah, that would make the set-up even better. You and this woman and an infant caught in a crossfire. And what if March just shoots you on sight?”

“He doesn't want to kill me. At least not right away. He wants to humiliate me. He wants to see me scared and weak.” She turned around again to face Hadley. “Right?”

She sighed. “I know the type. Men who don't feel tall unless they're standing on a woman.”

 

The other exciting news you've been hearing about is our members-only group, Reds and Readers. I have a video up today, taking advantage of the fact that the Feast of the Epiphany is still considered part of Christmas to show off my decor. And yes, there's a prize to be won as well! Please consider joining us.

 

Dear readers, how do you feel when the end of a major project is in sight?

Photos by Pexels and CatCampbell from Freerange Stock

Holiday De-Traditions

A LOT has changed since this was taken

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: There’s much talk, this time of year, about traditions. And why not? The traditions we hold to year after year are a vital part of making the holidays what they are. Unlike other events, we don’t crave novelty or uniqueness; we want the same decorations, the same songs, the same people. Even if you don’t particularly like Aunt Millie’s green bean casserole, you still make it. Even though your mother-in-law drives you bonkers, you still drive two hours to spend the day at her house. 

 

But, as author coach Becca Syme likes to say, what if you… didn’t?

As timeless as they seem, our holiday observances have to change over the years. We get married and have to accommodate our spouse’s dumb traditions along with our own beautiful and meaningful ones. We move out of state, and for some reason, Mom isn’t as interested in cleaning and cooking for us and our sisters and our cousins and our aunts (our sisters and our cousins, who number in the dozens!) The ice dancing show we always took the kids to now costs - are you kidding me? A hundred bucks per ticket?

Then there are the traditions you kick to the curb because you realize the work isn’t worth the payoff. I stopped making Christmas cookies the year I found myself sobbing in the kitchen at 2am, taking batch after batch of confections out of the oven. My kids and my husband would much rather have those white-chocolate-covered Oreos they put out this time of year; why was I killing myself over pfeffernusse? 

 

 

 

Or wrapping presents with fancy paper and bows and ribbons. Yes, it looks pretty, but you know who doesn’t care? Everyone else in the house except you. That paper is like Gypsy Rose Lee’s costumes: it’s just an impediment to the good stuff underneath. I, myself, switched to bags and tissue paper; now not only super easy - pop the present in, cover it with tissue, tie the handles with a bit of ribbon if you don’t trust the recipient  not to peek - but I also get to bask in the glow of righteous eco-saving, since they get reused over and over and over again.

The latest tradition that I suspect is about to disappear? Our Christmas Day dinners for twenty to forty. Obviously, we put this on hold during the pandemic, but in the years since 2020, there have been changes besides masking and hand sanitizer. Many of the now-adult kids of the families who would come have moved out of state, and our former guests are making their own decisions on where to spend the holidays. Some friends are less than enthused about being indoors in winter crowded together with people who, lets face it, could be carrying God-knows what kinds of germs. 

One of THREE tables for the big parties!

Most importantly, I've realized the sheer amount of work I need to do when I don’t have a husband and willing teens/college kids to pitch in. Thanksgiving dinner for seven felt like a LOT. It took me two days to clean up, and we didn’t even have any wine glasses to wash. (Sober celebration for the win!) Youngest really wants to resume the huge get-togethers, but I couldn’t help but notice that as I carried in plates and platters from the dining room and sorted napkins to be laundered, she sat in front of the fire and scrolled on her phone. 

This year, we’re only doing six for Christmas, and I feel fine with that. I’m thinking I can wait until Youngest has her own large house with lots of space, and let her resume the enormous dinner party tradition. I’ll be happy to show up with a dish and a smile, and leave all the rest of the toil and trouble to her. I might even bring Aunt Millie’s green bean casserole.

How about you, dear readers?

It's Boxing Day!

 RHYS BOWEN: Wishing you a happy day after Christmas. Did Santa bring you what you wanted?

IN England and Commonwealth countries it’s Boxing Day. This has nothing to do with the sport. It was the day when employees got their Christmas boxes. Specifically servants in big houses who had to work all of Christmas Day for the family and were allowed home to their own families the day after. They were given a box of food, clothing and maybe a money gratuity to take with them.

When I was growing up in England the tradesmen would call at the house to wish us the “compliments of the season.” And they’d get a tip. The garbage man, mail man, window cleaner, newsboy etc.

Who had a good Jolabokaflod? I've wanted to try that but with this many people around it's not possible. Sounds ideal, doesn't it?

So did you have a good day yesterday? We had a full house with fifteen family members, a big brunch with mimosas and bloody marys, tea with mince pies and then turkey and ham and all the trimmings. So today we can barely move.  We’ll have another big brunch and then a turkey curry. And play a lot of silly games and laugh a lot. Bliss!

But I wanted to share a couple of unique things about our Christmas:

Traditional food, apart from turkey etc, is small mince pies and sausage rolls. These are from my childhood. When I was growing up the other treats at Christmas were tangerines (that only appeared at Christmas time, dates and turkish delight.

Who else has a kangaroo on their tree? (Outside of Australia, I mean?)  

You may not know that I met and married John when I lived in Australia. My brother came down to join me and my parents retired to Australia, so for years my whole family lived there. Now my brother still lives in Tasmania and every Christmas I get Aussie ornaments for the tree. So I have an emu, and echidna, koalas etc etc leaping all over my tree. Such fun.

I also have two large bears by my fireplace. They came from the house of a dear friend who passed away.  When her house was put up for sale I managed to buy two of her bears. They are  called Nigel and Stanley. Nigel is the superior one who is singing carols.

He is quite critical of Stanley who is simple and loveable and taking toys to poor children.

Apart from those my tree is decorated with stars, hearts, angels. I love it.

And I'm sending blessings from our house to yours! Love, Rhys.