Enjoying [All] the Holidays

Miller Holiday Lites display

Our multi-cultural interfaith exploration of the holidays is well underway and we're having a blast experiencing bits and pieces of so many different celebrations.  Since last week we've talked about Chalica, St. Nicholas, Bodhi Day, and Hanukkah.  And there will be more fun tomorrow with the Swedish Saint Lucia Day.  The best part for me so far--aside from finding my holiday identity--has been the baking.  Not only have V and I been able to spend quality time together but these efforts have doubled to produce the cookies I volunteered to make for bus drivers and crossing guards at school as well as for our Holistic Moms Network Alternative Cookie Exchange and subsequent donation of surplus cookies to local seniors.  Though this diverse holiday celebration required a lot of planning, I honestly feel this year that I am more calm, more collected, taking more personal time, and finding so much more meaning in the entire season.  V and I have had a ton of fun bouncing around town to various events, Ben and V will be having some quality daddy-daughter time this weekend, and I'm even finding time to  do things by myself--tonight I'm going to hear Handel's Messiah at a local church.

Our chalice for Chalica.

We left a coloring page, Bag of Promises and plate of pfefferneuse for
St. Nicholas who in turn left fruit, nuts, and a small box of wooden puzzles.

Our laughing Buddha incense holder for Bodhi Day

Our Bodhi Day setup--Dec. 8 is the day that Siddartha
Gautauma experienced enlightenment under the ficus tree.
We decorated our ficus with multi-colored lights to
symbolize the many paths to enlightenment (The
Eightfold Path), added our Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma,
and Sangha), and burned some "peace" scented incense
in our Buddha dish.

Visited the Shambala Meditation Center on MKE's
eastside for a more authentic Bodhi Day experience.
They were incredibly warm and welcoming.

Lighting the first candle of our makeshift menorah and trying to be as
authentic as we can.  I don't have a windowsill on which to put our
menorah so I'm reflecting it outward via a mirror (a little Feng Shui
if you will)

Our Hanukkah gelt.  It's not totally authentic as it's
made in Ghana though it IS fair trade so that's a plus.
V is not judging.

Playing a game of dreidel after dinner on the first night of Hanukkah.
Guess who had beginner's luck?

Huge menorah at the Community Hanukkah Celebration in the northshore.

Basilica of St. Josaphat's--an incredible MKE landmark.

Bel Canto Chorus and Bel Canto Boys Choir
performing "Christmas at the Basilica."

We've added a few more homemade decorations since last weekend when the tree went up.  In my pantry I've been squirreling away the parchment rounds that separate the gluten-free brown rice tortillas I love to buy (I figure it I'm going to indulge in them that I'm at least going to be responsible for upcycling the waste.) When I bake a layer cake at home I like to put a piece of parchment at the bottom of the greased pan.  Makes removing the cake a little cleaner.  So I saw this part of the packaging as a prime candidate for that purpose.  Little did I know they'd also make the perfect base for hand-cut snowflakes.  The round shape make them easy to fold into six and cut, but because they're sort of "waxed" they won't tear as easily so we can hopefully press them into a book and use them for years to come.  I also realized that cutting out snowflakes is incredibly therapeutic.  You don't know where you're going when you start, you just trust the scissors and your imagination and it'll most likely turn into something beautiful.

Let it Snow...

Let it Snow...

Let it Snow.

I've also managed to find a good amount of time to sew.  Finished a holiday dress for V last week that she calls her "sea serpent dress" as one calico has "scales" and another looks like water.  Plus we recently read this delightful book so it was fresh in her mind.  Yesterday I finished an off-white two-piece knit outfit (turtleneck and skirt).  Both of these projects had been cut out and on my project pile since summer.  I saw them as holiday outfits so that motivated me to get them done.  The off-white outfit will make a perfect Saint Lucia Day outfit for tomorrow.

V's "Sea Serpent Dress" with a great "spinning rating" as all our
dresses apparently must have the days

Planning to wear it Friday night for a date w/ Daddy

Contrasting thread

Using what I have--I thought the turquoise zipper would
be a nice contrast like the "water" patterned fabric

Two of my holiday goals are well underway--giving the gift of time (as I mentioned above, baking with V) and spending more time outdoors.  In fact, I've managed to put those two together as I determined yesterday that if/when V says she wants me to play with her in the afternoons then we have to go outside.  It will make her more robust for our [hopefully] cold, snowy Wisconsin winters and will improve her sleep too.

Making traditional pfefferneuse to leave for St. Nicholas

Pfefferneuse baked and ready to glaze

I juiced some spinach to make green coarse sugar for our Bodhi cookies

Sprinkling the Bodhi cookies--upside down hearts
are "leaf" shaped like the leaves of the Bodhi tree

Gluten-free, grain-free, vegan Bodhi cookies.  They don't taste as "healthy"
as they may sound

"Latkes, Latkes, good too eat.  Cook me up a
Hanukkah treat."

After a night of traditional latkes we went with something
a little different--Celeriac and Fennel Latkes with Fennel-Pear Relish

Still focusing on the light this season brings via the many candles we've lit for all these cultural celebrations.  As the Winter Solstice nears we'll celebrate the darkness as well and the hope for longer days ahead.  I'm also enjoying the memories that this season holds.  Today I indulged in a couple of CDs from the library--holiday albums that were part of my mom's cassette tape collection when we were kids.  I'd play, sing, and rewind these albums over and over until I memorized them.  This morning I'm listening to them as I wait for the dough to rise for my Hanukkah sufganiyot, which I'll put together with a Jewish friend this afternoon.  I'm reminiscing about Christmases past in the house where I grew up, but realizing that this year will be very different because my parents are in a new house.  Not only will our holiday visit be the first celebration since they moved out of my childhood home, but it's the first time I'll be down in their neck of the woods, period, since last Christmas when I videotaped our house all decorated for the holidays, knowing that the move was imminent.  I imagine it will be a bit similar to the shift we experienced after my grandparents passed and we no longer spent holidays at their house, but at least the same people will be present in this case.  My folks are very healthy and we still have lots of time to make new memories.  Can't wait.

Celebrating the December and Winter Holidays

Holiday memories

After many hours spent planning, researching, and drawing up a curriculum (for lack of the better word), I've come up with a plan for our multi-cultural interfaith (MCIF) exploration of the December and winter holidays.  Through conversations with Ben and input from our daughter we've also agreed on--at least temporarily--how we'll approach "Santa."  I am in no way trying to convert anyone to celebrate a certain holiday, ritual, tradition, etc. but am merely attempting to give V--and all of us, for that matter--a broader view of what others might be celebrating this time of year.  I encounter so many people who have expressed to me that Christmas is the ONLY thing this time of year and that by wishing someone a more inclusive "Happy Holidays" that I'm offending folks.  Being a UU I don't feel like I fit into the mainstream, period, let alone this time of year so I'm taking my guy and girl along with me on this adventure of learning about other celebrations whether they're other cultural traditions around Christmas or completely non-Christian or even non-religious.  And, most importantly, I'm getting some interfaith involvement from friends and the community Admittedly, it's taken a lot of time to prepare this.  Time that others might have chosen to spend at the mall, baking cookies, or decorating the house--all things that I'm not doing this year (or not doing excessively anyway.)  But I can already say that I've learned more about Christmas as well as the other holidays than I ever knew growing up.  And through this exploration I'm feeling like I'm finding my holiday identity.

We began this weekend hearing the Florentine Opera Studio Artists sing some gorgeous carols at a local coffee shop on Saturday.  Then we attempted to check out the Brady Street Festivus celebration, which we had to miss because I showed up 12 hours too early.

The Florentine Opera Studio Artists at
Alterra at the Lake

Historic Brady Street Festivus celebration.  I thought it started at 9:30 AM.
I showed up way too early to "air my grievances."

We kicked off the journey at our house on Sunday as we lit the first candle on our homemade, very compact and easily storable Advent wreath and discussed the season's history.  Then yesterday we began observing Chalica, a new-ish weeklong holiday that relates to our own "faith."  What I'm most excited about with this journey--besides learning so many new tidbits--is the cooking and baking I have planned with V, which will hopefully satisfy at least part of my goal to "give the gift of time" this season.  Tomorrow we'll be making pfefferneuse to leave for St. Nick who will in turn leave a small gift (probably an orange or grapefruit) in our stockings during the night.

Our first Advent candle of HOPE (I learned that it was acceptable to sub
a blue candle for the traditional purple.)

I'm hoping this will all become part of our family tradition for the holidays.  (Once I've gotten all the plans laid out this year, future seasons will be much simpler.)  When asked what my favorite holiday tradition has been thus far I say that it's hanging the antique glass ornaments from my great-grandmother, Anna (my namesake.)

One of my favorite antique ornaments has stood the test of time.

I still have the little artificial tree I've had since the first holiday season spent in Milwaukee.  I do see myself being a fresh tree person in the future, but for now this little tree, which holds so many memories--happy and sad--suits us.  Especially because putting the tree up on a table (in fact, Ben's grandma's antique table...see, the family memories run so deep) keeps these fragile ornaments up and [sort of] away from our curious 3-year-old. 

Helping put some of the finishing touches on the tree.

The stockings were  hung by the window with care...

The sparkling entryway with Grammy and Grampa's antique coat tree

adorned in lights 

And a vintage poinsettia tablecloth from my Gram on the table under
the glitter around the window (with V's hand wreath from last year.)

And a few more string lights to give the glass cabinet
an extra glow

Ben's simple creche from his time spent in Chile 

And my toothpick, clothespin, and popsicle stick creche
from second grade

Our family's focus for the holiday is "light."  We've been excited about celebrating the Winter Solstice in the past so took the idea of minimal light and expanded on it by adding a little extra sparkle to our place. Interestingly--as I've learned on this MCIF journey--so many of these winter holidays are centered around exactly that.  Makes sense.  If ever I wanted greater meaning for the holidays, this year is sure to provide.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  Enjoy this time off of work (hopefully), with your family and friends.  We'll be thinking today, and every day, about those who don't have a meal for their tables or can't be with friends and loved ones.  Peace!

And in case you're looking for ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers.