Some Holiday Thoughts and Tidings, Part 1: The Gifts

It seems inevitable, really, that the joy of the holidays leads into the pondering of the tide of toys.

My kids were blessed this year with some really awesome gifts. My son experienced love at first sight when he saw his new Buzz Lightyear doll, which has literally not left his side in 4 days (he got it early). My daughter, only 14 months, has been playing--with rather more enthusiasm than skill--on her very own harmonica and recorder. Evidently sharing big brother's instruments was a plan doomed to failure from the start. And they will share a whole host of fabulous toy tools, Little People sets, and toy trucks.

In the shower this morning, I realized something about gift-giving. My parents and my sister did an excellent job at purchasing gifts that the kids would really like. Although my husband and I didn't buy any gifts for the kids, I feel this niggling feeling that I couldn't have been as gifted, if you'll pardon a pun, in gift-buying. I feel pretty sure that I would have bought them toys that I wanted them to have, such as all-cloth dolls like these Waldolf dolls, Lily Dolls, or Groovy Dolls. Or, perhaps a lovely wooden play kitchen, like those found at Warm Biscuit or even (*gasp*) Pottery Barn. Just looking at these ads makes me wish that this was the type of childhood I could give my children.

And, I have to admit, it felt really, really good to not "do" Christmas this year. Oh, we still backed cookies (and brownies and fudge and pound cake), and even managed to give most of the goodies away as gifts. And I still bought a few gifts, albeit extremely frugally. But I went into the season knowing that my husband and I weren't exchanging gifts and that we weren't buying the kids anything either. It was such a relief! No hours spent shopping! No trying to wrap presents in the hour free each evening after the kids are asleep! (And no attendant wrapping-paper guilt.)

I've always been a stressed-out giver of gifts. I just can't shake that voice that wonders, Is this what they wanted? Did I spend too much money? Not enough? Should I have given this instead? Maybe if I just try one more store...

And then I married a non-Christian, whose religious holidays revolve around getting the family together, eating a huge meal, and often giving to those less fortunate. (Except for that little matter of Kurban Bayramı, or the Silence of the Lambs, as my not-so-PC father likes to tease my husband.) Overall, like Christmas should be, no? So I think we'll enjoy our "gift-light" holidays for a while. It may not be for everyone, but it certainly gave me the extra time and energy to think about the real focus of the season. Cookies. Oh, wait, sorry, that slipped out in my post-holiday sugar buzz. I meant to type, love.

Fun Holiday Treats!

There are a blue million sources out there for how to make delicious, beautiful, perfectly-Martha holiday goodies. In my pre-kid life I would make several different types of cookies and other treats, all beautifully packaged, to give to co-workers, friends, and neighbors. Now, although I clip recipes to my heart's content, with 2 toddlers I somehow never get around to making the gingerbread house from scratch, or the 10 layer holiday trifle. Oh, how the mighty holiday treat standards have fallen!

Now, I have a new secret. Boxed quick bread mixes. Oh, scoff all you want, ye of the made-from-scratch-is-best camp. If it's a choice between pumpkin bread from a box or not at all, I know which one I'd choose.

I've had a lot of luck with the Pillsbury brand mixes--they always seem to turn out nice and moist, and are all delicious. I wait until they are $2 per box or less, and then I stock up. I use mini-bread pans and make a couple batches at a time, then just wrap in colored cellophane, tie with a pretty ribbon, and, voila! Holiday presents for everyone!

You can dress them up by adding chopped nuts, raisins, dried cranberries, chocolate chips, shredded coconut (all into the mix just prior to backing) or with a dusting of powdered sugar or drizzle of icing (after they've baked!).

As far as being kid-friendly, I've found that it's MUCH easier to make several mini-loaves at once than to try to make cookies--that's just too much time with the oven opening and closing, and too many large, hot cookie tins laying about, for tiny fingers. My son had a blast this weekend helping mix the batter, and although quick breads are fairly high in calories and sugar (130 calories and 15 g sugar for one serving of the pumpkin bread, for example), they are no worse than the sugar cookies and fudge everyone else is making!

You can keep a couple loaves on hand (even frozen) as an emergency you just stopped by with a gift for me and I have nothing for you gift, but since they are so fast to mix up, if someone pops by for a surprise visit it's easy enough to mix, pop in the oven, and by the time the coffee's perked and the tea is steeped the bread will be nearly done.

Happy Baking to you and yours!

Shrek the Halls!

If you are fans of Shrek, this 30 minute short film, "Shrek theHalls," is hilarious. It aired first about a week and a half ago, andI recorded it. We've watched it probably every day of the past weekand a half, and I'm still laughing every time. It's replaying tomorrow, Tuesday, December 11 at 8pm, on ABC.

One warning--I forgot to pre-screen, and my son was a little scared at one part of the story. About half-way through three of the characters tell their version of the "Night Before Christmas" story; first Donkey, then Puss, then Gingy, the Gingerbread cookie. Gingy's story is about how Christmas is a "nightmare" and depicts Gingy's girlfriend's head being eaten by a gigantic Santa Claus. Although really funny for adults, the music, lighting, and screams of the cookies make this short section too scary for small children. It only lasts about 30 seconds, so a quick fast-forward should move you past this scene. As a comparison, my son requests that we skip the Santa scene here but still happily watches the rest. He was too scared after the first 30 seconds of the old traditional Rudolph movie (the snow? the music? the old-fashioned animation?) and didn't last much longer for the Charlie Brown Christmas ("he's too sad, mama, is he missing his mommy and daddy?"), so my son might just be on the sensitive side! The rest of the "Shrek" short is not scary at all, but does include typical Shrek humor.

More info: http://abc.go.com/specials/shrekthehalls.html

Happy watching!