Cooking
Are you Getting Ready for Christmas!!
It is exactly a month to Christmas…….and its the beginning of Advent……. time to dust off the advent wreath and pop in on your door :)….yes friends it is the four weeks before Christmas……….and I’m loving it!!…….
….. for me the build up to Christmas is one of the most exciting times of the year….when you feel the Christmas cheer….see people with beaming smiles and huge shopping bags….in long winter coats bustling along…….you hear Christmas Carol’s being sung….hmmmm…..watch children chewing on marzipan sweets running around the Christmas tree in the square…..while adults sipping on warm German spiced mulled wine/ Gluwein, grab themselves hot bratwursts, grilled pork steaks and the ever popular Stollen (fruit cake) at the Christmas Markets…hmmm
yes…..it is officially the start of the Christmas season this Sunday…..and that means its time to get the apron strings tied in preparation for the BIG day!! If you havent started already then this is probably a good time to make sure the season is “stress free” and you are “well prepared”.
1. This weekend buy your favourite seasonal fruit and get them fermenting for your very own Christmas wine (as it will take at least 3 weeks for fermenting to complete). You will find tons of different winemaking recipes here and here.
2. Buy your favourite assortment of dried fruits and nuts for soaking in alcohol. I usually soak mine a month before I bake the Christmas cake.
3. Three weeks before christmas, start making your favourite christmas treats/ Kuswar for Christmas, and stash them away in airtight boxes ( hopefully where no one can find them 😉 ….
4. If you planning on having family and friends over during the Christmas season then its a good time to start inviting friends and blocking dates in the calendar as the season does get very busy………
5. And of course Christmas shopping….haha….as and when you please 🙂 the best sales happening now….also on Christmas eve and boxing day 🙂 but dont think im gonna risk it!!
So that’s it for now friends……….if you still have the juice to read a little more then i’m gonna leave you with a little about what Christmas is all about……Here is to the start of a Blessed and wonderful season!! Cheers!!
*Recipes to follow soon….
A picture taken from our house during 2010 December………a white one ….fingers crossed for a White Christmas 2011…….
Christmas is the festival that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ.
It is unclear exactly when Jesus Christ – whose life and teachings are the foundation of mainstream Christianity – was born, but most Christian calendars observe December 25th as the date of his birth. The first commemoration of December 25th as the birth of Christ was held in the fourth century AD. This date was chosen by Pope Julius I (337-352), and coincided with a pagan feast celebrated by the Romans.
December 25th was selected as the birth date of Jesus Christ because March 25th, which was the pagan festival of spring, was perceived to be the date of his conception. By adding nine months to that date, it was assumed therefore, that Jesus Christ was born on December 25th.
In many churches, the Christmas season begins on the first Sunday of Advent, which is the Sunday nearest to November 30th, and continues until Christmas Eve. Traditionally, Advent was the time of preparation for Christ’s Nativity. This is followed by the twelve days of Christmas, December 25th to January 6th. The last day of Christmas, January 6th (Epiphany), represents the day that the Three Wise Men arrived to pay homage to the baby Jesus.
