Merry Christmas to you!

As we pause to celebrate the holidays with our families, each of our contributors want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.  We will resume publication on January 2, 2012!

Feeling Festive

Starting Thanksgiving day, some type of Christmas music is playing in our house and in the car most of the day.  It is one of my favorite times of the year and I am one of those weird ladies that listens to the Christmas channels on Dish and the radio all day {much to my children’s chagrin}.

This year Sweet Pea is old enough to recognize Christmas music and we dance around in the morning to Jingle Bell Rock and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.  When I am cleaning the house, baking or cooking, holiday music sets the mood.  I enjoy hearing it in the mall when I am shopping as well.

I absolutely love Christmas carols.  Singing with the choir at church for our Christmas Eve service is a highlight of the year for me.  Music is such an important part of the holiday season.

I have added a new Christmas CD to our rotation this year.  A Christmas Fantasy by Raul Rendon features an eclectic mix of holiday music that will make you smile.  Raul is a talented musician who plays the saxophone and more in this CD that is destined to be a classic in our home for years to come.  

Music sets the mood for many occasions, including Christmas.  Let this new CD become a part of your traditions.

You can find more information about this CD by clicking on the links above, “liking” Raul’s Facebook page or following him on Twitter.

What is your favorite type of Christmas music?

Things to do in the Panhandle~ December 16-18

• Christmas at the Berkeley County Museum. Martinsburg, WV Fri 12/16 and Sat 12/17 noon-8pm.  Museum decorated in Civil War era decor.  Located at Belle Boyd House.  Visit www.bchs.org for more information.
• Lunch with Santa.  Jefferson County Community Center, Shenandoah Junction, WV.  Saturday 12/17.  11am-1pm.  $8/child includes picture, craft and lunch.  Visit www.jcprc.org for additional information.
  

  Image via Wikipedia

• Jingle Jam.  Berkeley Springs High School, Berkeley Springs, WV.  Sat 12/17 6pm.  Music, skits, performances and pictures.

What will be keeping you busy this last weekend before Christmas?

Things to do in the Panhandle~ December 9-11

It is definitely beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!  The chill in the air and the Christmas carols on every station of the radio remind me that the holiday is just around the corner.  There are plenty of festivities happening around the Panhandle.  Here are a few for your family to enjoy this weekend.

• Christmas Celebration.  Belle Boyd House, Martinsburg, WV.  December 9th and 10th from noon-8pm.  Visit www.bchs.org for more details.
• 41st Annual Old Tyme Christmas.  Harpers Ferry, WV.  December 10th and 11th, all day.  Bake Sale, Breakfast with Santa and much, much more!! Visit www.historicharpersferry.com for more details.
• Colonial Christmas Celebration. Adam Stephen House, Martinsburg, WV.  December 10th and 11th.  4pm-8pm.  Candlelight tours, Christmas music, refreshments and more. FREE.  For more information call  (304) 267-4434
• Elf PJ Party. Jefferson County Community Center, Shenandoah Jct, WV. December 10th. 10am-2pm Games, crafts, open gym and holiday movies. Lunch included for $10.  For kids ages 5-12.  Call (304) 728-3207 to register.
• Shepherdstown Holiday Market.  Entler Hotel, Shepherdstown, WV. December 10th. 10am-4pm.  Local artisans and vendors.  Shop local and handmade for Christmas!
• The Nutcracker presented by Shepherdstown School of Dance.  Frank Center for the Performing Arts, Shepherdstown, WV.  December 10th at 7pm and December 11th at 2pm.  Tickets are $13/advance and $18/door.  Call (304) 886-8398 for more information.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Tasty Tuesday- Candied Orange Cake

One Christmas a sweet friends grandmother made the BEST cake I have ever tasted.

It has the orange slice candy you can get for a dollar at the dollar store!!

I found a similar recipe on About.com and wanted to share it with you.

Ingredients:

Image via Wikipedia

• 2 sticks (8 ounces) margarine
• 4 eggs
• 16 ounces orange slice candy
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 small can (3 1/2 ounces) coconut
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• pinch salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• 16 ounces chopped dates
• Glaze:
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 250°. Melt margarine and let cool. Cream sugar and cooled margarine. Add 1 egg at a time and beat well. Add buttermilk, soda, flour and salt to the mixture and beat. Add chopped dates, coconut, nuts and candy. Bake in greased and floured tube pan for 2 1/2 hours.

Glaze: Mix 1 cup orange juice and 1 cup sugar and pour over cake while cake is hot.

Granted, with two sticks of butter, buttermilk and sugar it is not the healthiest of holiday treats, but it is OH SO YUMMY!

Have you ever tasted this cake?  What is your favorite holiday dessert?

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday.

Frugal Decorating for Christmas

I love to decorate for the holidays!  I also love to save money!  So, I wanted to share a few frugal decorating ideas that have worked for me in past and would love for y’all to chime in with what works for you and your budget in the comment section.

• Tie thick ribbon around the stem of a pine cone.  Group two or three together and hang from a mantle or shelf.
• Get a big glass bowl or vase.  Layer unshelled nuts, cranberries and artificial greenery as a base for a festive candle holder.
• When I had a banister in our old house, I used artificial garland from the dollar store along with a box of ornaments from there that I tied red ribbon to and attached them to the garland at equal increments. I always loved how that looked!
• I saw this idea on Pinterest.  Get a shadow box and fill with dollar tree ornaments.  Adorable!


Source: veetje.be via Wendy on Pinterest

Tasty Tuesday- Hot Cinnamon Cider

I hope y’all had a very Happy Thanksgiving and took the time to count your blessings.  I consider each reader a true blessing and thank you for reading Eastern Panhandle Moms and being a part of this community.

Okay, enough with the sappy stuff

Our tradition is to decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.  We got out our artificial tree {I am allergic to the real thing} and discovered the tree stand is broken.  My wonderful hubby found a replacement at Wally World last night.  We made our hot cider {this year with a twist} and set about decorating the tree.

Normally, I heat up apple cider with a spice mix from the store and we have mulled cider while we decorate the Christmas tree.  We have friends visiting though and she taught me a very simple way to add yummy flavor to cider.

Secret ingredient?

Now, I must warn you we could not find the Red Hots at our local Walmart.  We found them at Dollar General in Shepherdstown.

You simply heat the cider with half a bag of these yummy cinnamon candies until the candies are dissolved.  It does turn the cider a little reddish, but tastes yummy.

Here is what ours looked like:

It was sooo good.

What is part of your Christmas decorating tradition?

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday.

Things to do in the Panhandle~ The Thanksgiving Edition

I hope that you are planning a long weekend full of family, food and fun!

Here are some things happening in our area that you can incorporate in your holiday weekend:

• Christmas in Shepherdstown, Shepherdstown, WV. Friday 11/25- Sun 11/27.  Tree lighting and Santa’s arrival.  Bonfire and more!  Visit www.christmasinshepherdstown.com for more details.
• Christmas Tree Lighting, Charles Town, WV.  Friday 11/25 at 7pm.  The Christmas tree in the town square {at the courthouse} will be lit in a ceremony open to the public.
• Christmas Tree Lighting, Ranson, WV.  Saturday, 11/26 from 6pm-8pm.  Lancaster Circle in Ranson will be hosting a tree lighting complete with activities and Santa.  Public is welcome.
• Holiday Art and Craft Market, Martinsburg, WV.  Friday and Saturday 11/25-11/26 12:00pm-7:00pm, Sunday 11/27 from 12:00pm-4:00pm.  Located at 115 S. Queen Street in Martinsburg.  Support local artisans and get your Christmas shopping done.
• Berkeley Springs Book Festival. Berkeley Springs, WV.  10am-4pm.  Details at www.maicehouse.org.

May you have a blessed weekend!!

Christmas shopping with a purpose

We exchanged names at our annual pre-Thanksgiving dinner with my husbands family this weekend.  Our boys have made their wish list.  And, I keep thinking of how much money we {and millions of others} spend on Christmas gifts every year.  I love to learn of alternative gifts, especially for those people on your list that have everything they need.

Samaritan’s Purse offers a gift catalog with forty-five gift options in varying price ranges.  You can give a gift in honor of someone or on behalf of someone that will make a lasting difference in the lives of impoverished people all over the globe.  You can browse the catalog on-line and send cards to people whose name you are giving in honor of via the website.

A dairy goat or brood of chickens can feed a family suffering from malnutrition and poverty. A household water filter can save a family from deadly waterborne diseases. You can even feed a hungry baby for a week. (via Samaritan’s Purse)

This is a ministry with a proven track record of helping the least of these.  I challenge you to give at least one gift this Christmas from the pages of this catalog.