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 UEEN  AFFEINE’S ASTLE  ISPATCH
The first week of December is ending, Christmas is another week closer and most are another week further along with their shopping and mailing of cards . . . except me!!! I just know I’m going to be shopping in the middle of the night on December 24, you watch. I know me, have known me for over forty years now, and I know how I am.
Back in the day (a phrase I heartily
dislike, so I have to use it!), when the kids were small, I used to be done shopping for gifts for everyone, kids included, by the end of October at the latest, usually the end of August. As the kids have gotten older and harder to shop for, shopping has been put off more and more and more.
They’re so hard to buy for now, there have been recent years they’ve gotten a few odds and ends I knew they’d like under the tree, the required chocolate mother lode in the stocking, then they’ve gotten the cash and been told to shop to their hearts’ content for whatever they
eventually decided they wanted most. And I discovered, to my surprise, they liked that better than unwrapping anything I’d ever gotten them. At least better than anything I’d gotten them since they were old enough to know they could have gotten something else, even though gift choices were taken directly from their own wish lists. Such Christmas spirit! You do what works, though, and that works for us since they like to change their minds all the time. They're now 19 and 20 and still the same way.  COOKIES, COOKIES, COOKIES!!!!! (NOT the computer kind this time!)
Before you decide which cookies you want to make, you need to know what you’ll be doing with them. First, some tips on shipping cookies. What you ship does make a difference, so choose wisely.
Have Cookies, Will Travel
Nothing's sweeter than sending a batch of homemade cookies to a far-off friend or family member, but you don't want the recipient opening a box of pulverized crumbs. Follow these packing guidelines, and your treats will arrive shipshape. - Avoid fragile, buttery cookies that can disintegrate en route. Opt for heftier varieties — drop cookies or bar cookies.
- Take the time to cushion each cookie. Wrap cookies individually or in pairs (place the flat bottoms together) using foil, plastic wrap, or individual cellophane bags, then place in self-sealing plastic bags. Package similar cookies together — crisp cookies will get soggy if they're placed next to soft ones.
- Line a sturdy container, like a small cardboard box, plastic shoe box, or metal tin, with cookie-cradling packing materials — bubble wrap, foam peanuts, or crumpled waxed or parchment paper. Carefully nestle the cookies
inside the container, and seal with tape or tie tightly with ribbon. **I used to use Pringles cans myself, just make sure the cookies are small enough to fit inside without too much extra room around them. They always made it intact to wherever I was sending them.**
- Place the container in a heavyweight cardboard shipping box. Add enough crumpled newspaper, bubble wrap, or foam peanuts to prevent the container from shifting. Write fragile and perishable on all sides of the box.
- Plan ahead. Cookies shipped on a Thursday will sit in a warehouse all weekend, so mail early in the week; care packages sent to soldiers overseas must conform to specific military and postal requirements (check usps.com or anysoldier.com for mailing instructions).
- For optimal freshness, consider springing for overnight shipping. Shipping a standard, two-pound package
via the U.S. Postal Service's Express Mail costs $19 and up; check out ups.com or fedex.com for other overnight services.
Source: http://magazines.ivillage.com/goodhousekeeping/recipes/holiday/articles/0,,284507_704227-2,00.html
Now that you know how to get them where they’re going in one piece, still tasting good, time to choose recipes—the fun part!! Everyone has their own family favorites, of course. The ones traditionally made every year without fail. But if you’re like us, you always choose a few new ones to make each year, too, just for something different. And one year I found out I love biscotti!
Festive (Foolproof) Cookies Sumptuous, triple-tested treats from the recipe files of the GH staff.
Best Linzer Cookies
Chocolate Chip Jumbos
Chocolate-Filled Biscotti
English Tea Cakes
Ginger Cookies
Holiday Oatmeal Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Source: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/
And a few from Pillsbury ( http://pillsbury.com/Default.aspx )--many more are at their site than this, though. Cherry-Chocolate Chip CookiesPoinsettia Cookieshttp://pillsbury.com/recipes/showRecipe.aspx?rID=37583 Snowman Cookieshttp://pillsbury.com/recipes/showRecipe.aspx?rID=16439
FUN SITE TO VISIT
ALL THINGS CHRISTMAS http://www.allthingschristmas.com/
Thank you for visiting AllThingsChristmas.com, where you'll find holiday treasures such as printable cards and gift tags, lyrics to your favorite Christmas carols, Christmas songs in MIDI format, unique craft ideas, decorating tips, illustrated full length Christmas stories, delicious recipes, links to other Christmas web sites and more including our North Pole section which offers fun, games, riddles, printables and other goodies just for kids. Please select from our menu to begin your journey through AllThingsChristmas.
Note: All of our printables, including Gift Tags, Gift Certificates, Victorian Santa Christmas Cards, and Coloring Pages have been converted to Adobe pdf format, allowing for easier printing.
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December 13-14 -- Meteor WatchThe Geminid meteor showers should be visible before midnight on both the 13th and 14th. Wish for clear skies!
NATIONAL PEARL HARBOR REMEMBRANCE DAYDecember 7, 2006At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time,
a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault. The surprise attack struck a critical blow against the U.S. Pacific fleet and drew the United States irrevocably into World War II. With diplomatic negotiations with Japan breaking down, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his advisers knew that an imminent Japanese attack was probable, but nothing had been done to increase security at the important naval base at Pearl Harbor. It was Sunday morning, and many military personnel had been given passes to attend religious services off base. At 7:02 a.m., two radio operators spotted large groups of aircraft in flight toward the island from the north, but, with a flight of B-17s expected from the United States at the time, they were told to sound no alarm. Thus, the Japanese air assault came as a devastating surprise to the naval base. Much of the Pacific fleet was rendered useless: Five of eight battleships, three destroyers, and seven other ships were sunk or severely damaged, and more than 200 aircraft were destroyed. A total of 2,400 Americans were killed and 1,200 were wounded, many while valiantly attempting to repulse the attack. Japan's losses were some 30 planes, five midget submarines, and fewer than 100 men. Fortunately for the United States, all three Pacific fleet carriers were out at sea on training maneuvers. These giant aircraft carriers would have their revenge against Japan six months later at the Battle of Midway, reversing the tide against the previously invincible Japanese navy in a spectacular victory.The day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, President Roosevelt appeared before a joint session of Congress and declared, "Yesterday, December 7, 1941--a date which will live in infamy--the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." After a brief and forceful speech, he asked Congress to approve a resolution recognizing the state of war between the United States and Japan. The Senate
voted for war against Japan by 82 to 0, and the House of Representatives approved the resolution by a vote of 388 to 1. The sole dissenter was Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana, a devout pacifist who had also cast a dissenting vote against the U.S. entrance into World War I. Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war against the United States, and the U.S. government responded in kind. The American contribution to the successful Allied war effort spanned four long years and cost more than 400,000 American lives.
THE REMEMBRANCE PRAYER
God of the ages,in your sight nations rise
and falland pass through times of peril.
On this day,we remember with gratitudethose who died in defense of Pearl Harboron December 7, 1941,and all those who gave their livesin this nation’s defenseduring
the ensuing conflict.
Hasten the daywhen there will be no more warand all your childrenwill learn to live togetheras brothers and sisters,in peace.
For your own Name’s sake.
Amen.
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