Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Good to Be Back in Texas.

I just arrived in Fort Worth. Off to San Antonio for the son's wedding, Thursday.

I visited Mi Cocina's tonight with la familia. Dependable, copious in portion, friendly staff. I think they changed their chips to the heavier full corn instead of lighter half-corn, which I prefer. Besides that, no change and still a good value.

My sister sent me an email on my "blogger's block" post and suggesting topics on which to write. Instead of re-writing her comments, I'll copy them, comment and solicit your comments. My sister's comments are indented.

1. Favorite Christmas cookie.
"One of my favorites was mom's walnut ball cookie with the dusting of powdered sugar. Loved them. Chocolate chips are a standard. I don't want nuts or raisins; warm but not hot. All ethnic groups have their own favorites. For us Italians, the pizzelle, is a necessity. I prefer Almond or Vanilla flavoring vs. the real Italian Anisette flavoring. They have to be thin and crisp not thick and chewy. In our household, these were considered precious commodities. Mom would hide them all over the kitchen which of course was a wasted effort."
2. Egg Nog
"I think Rip has mom's recipe. She would whip the cream from scratch. I believe each cup had 10,000 calories."
3 a. Christmas Carols
"I love this time of the year so that I can listen to the radio stations that offer non stop Christmas music. During my drive home, I turn on the carols and hum and sing along. I have always loved to do this. When my kids were young, I would turn on the Christmas Carols and suggest that we all sing along. They looked at me like I had three eyes. I insisted that they would enjoy it. They never did."
3 b. What ever happened to Christmas Caroling?
"I remember getting a group together and going from house to house during the Christmas season. So it was for our own gain -- free cookies, hot chocolate, and if you were lucky a buck or two. How many people know the order of the twelve days of Christmas? For the life of me, I can never get it right: how many maids a milking, pipers piping, swans a swimming."
3 c. Favorite Christmas Carol? "
O Holy Night" and "What Child is This?"
My comments.
My favorite Christmas cookie is also mom's walnut cookie ball with the powder sugar coating. You could eat dozens of them. I also like the caramel semi sweet chocolates mom used to put out.
Pizzelles also, but I love the Annisette.

Egg nog makes me gag, always has.

Christmas carols. Love them but I don't start voluntarily listening to them until about a week before Christmas, otherwise I tire of them by Christmas. Christmas caroling: My high school friends and I did as well. I had not thought about this but people don't do it anymore. And my favorite carol is also, "O Holy Night." As a child it was "Silent Night." And my favorite album is probably the one mom played by Nat King Cole.

Christmas is my favorite holiday. I am fortunate enough to have had enough memorable ones that if one falls flat I am not bothered. Christmas is about remembering one day considered so significant, that calendars were changed so as to count all other days by whether they came before or after that one day. Of course, if God became a Man, that is fairly significant.

Please Comment:
1. Christmas Cookie favorite?
2. Egg Nog? yes/no.
3. Carols: like them? sing them?
4. If so which one(s)?
5. Favorite Christmas CD
6. Christmas: favorite holiday? Yes/No

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

1. Gingersnap... frosted... mmm

2. No thank you. :) Not a big fan of thick "drinks"

3. Sing them if everyone else is, otherwise make up funny lyrics and watch people laugh. Freestyle Christmas Carols...

4. Jingle Bells... I'll save the adult humor for another time.

5. Probably a jazz christmas cd... Ella, Etta, or Louis...

6. Not really, it causes too much stress for me... I prefer my birthday :)

Francis Shivone said...

I like your choices Jake. Talk to you next week. (especially the ginger snaps)

Anonymous said...

How long are you staying in Fort Worth... we're leaving tomorrow and won't be back until the 3rd or so...

I completely wasn't thinking or maybe thought you were going to be around... At any rate, hope your holidays are fantastic!

Francis Shivone said...

"...as ships passing in the night"

You and Becca West have a great holiday.

Lynn said...

1. Christmas Cookie favorite? No favorite; I like them all.
2. Egg Nog? Yes, but hooch-free.
3. Carols: like them? Yes! sing them? Yes!
4. If so which one(s)?
"Silent Night", "O Holy Night", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", "Once in Royal David's City", "Far, Far Away on Judea's Plains" [I can play the last on the harmonica!]
5. Favorite Christmas CD? I have at least a dozen; I love Kenny Rogers' duet with Wynonna, "Mary, Did You Know?"
6. Christmas: favorite holiday? Yes, absolutely

The Old Bare said...

1. Any frosted cookie. I am a sucker for the frosted cookie. The cookie bouquet on camp Bowie has been a fav for 20 years now.

2./gag/, /hack/, /snarf/ no

3. yes and yes (much to the chagrin of most of my listeners). I also like to freestyle to make my wife laugh, but don't take it any more public than that.

4. Silent night, adeste fidelis, and, as I always need to have a favorite song that my wife hates, Lo How a Rose Ere Blooming. I love that song, and Lizzie hates it. Maybe it's the translation of the German, idk, but she is just not a fan.

5.This one is from the way-back department, but when I was a kid we played the Jackson 5 Christmas album over and over. It's really very good.

6. yes