Home for the Holidays with Author Catherine Castle

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Catherine Castle's Holiday blog series, Christmas traditions, Home for the Holidays, nativites, pictures of nativities

A Nativity Collection Tradition

 

Today marks the end of the Home for the Holiday blog series. I hope you’ve all enjoyed meeting new authors and finding out how they celebrate the Christmas holidays.  I’m closing out the series with a photo display of a few items from my Nativity collection. Every other year they go up on the sideboard I inherited from my mother. Opposite years get the Christmas village collection. The sideboard is getting quite full, and it takes me a long time to unwrap and arrange the Holy Family.

 

I especially love the unusual nativities, like this Celtic stone nativity.

And the American Indian nativity.

This next set was made by my sister and sister-in-law. I received it for Christmas in 1970.  It has a lighted stable, which you can see in the background. Don’t you love the expression on the little shepherd boy’s face? The small items in front of the manger are the wisemen’s gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense.  I picked the gold nugget up on a trip out west. I don’t remember where the other gifts came from.

Here’s another favorite of mine-a Southwest design. The arms above the birds are three candleholders.

 

This is the oldest nativity I have. It’s a matching set of bookends painted by my husband when he was in grade school, and yes, I do display it.

And I can’t forget the needlepoint set crafted by my mother-in-law. The stable has “wings” on each side so it stands upright on its own, as do the Holy Family pieces.

These are just a few of my assortment of nativites. I have dozens more of all sizes and shapes, from Lennox china nativities to paper nativities. When we travel, I’m always on the hunt for them. Santa and his reindeer may be fun, but, to me, a nativity embodies the real spirit of Christmas.

What about you? Do you have a favorite nativity that you display at Christmas?

Thanks for sharing Home for the Holidays with me and my guest authors this year. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as we have.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

 

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Home for the Holidays with Author Joi Copeland

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Author Joi Copeland, Catherine Castle's Holiday blog series, Christmas lights, Holiday Traditions, Home for the Holidays

Photo from Wikimedia

 

Christmas Lights

 

“Baby, it’s cold outside!” And we love it! Christmas time in Metro-Denver, Colorado, with a chill in the air, is one of the things my family and I adore. It just isn’t Christmas for us if it is 80 degrees.

So, one night a year, we adorn our jackets, scarves, mittens, and beanies, and we head outside to our vehicle. We drive just a little ways down the street to another one of our favorite places: Starbucks. Once we each have our drinks, we jump into the van, turn on Christmas music, and drive around looking at Christmas lights.

We love to see what different houses do to celebrate the birth of our Savior! When we lived in California, we used to drive to Rancho Cucamonga and Glendora and check out the neighborhood light displays. Those were always the best. Such creativity went into lighting up each house in those neighborhoods.

When we moved to Colorado seven years ago, we discovered they don’t have neighborhood lights like we are used to. So, we pick a few streets to drive down, ooh and ahh over the light displays, enjoy the music, and enjoy each other. My boys, husband, and I love this tradition. Sometimes, we last an hour, others we last a little less. It doesn’t matter how long we are out, as long as we are with each other

 

ABout the Author:

Joi loves Christmas because of the beauty and wonder of how God chose to reach man. His love for us astounds Joi and she loves to celebrate this time of year! It is her favorite season!

Joi writes Women’s Christian Fiction, based on Hope and Redemption. You can find Joi and her books at Amazon.

 

Home for the Holidays with Author Mary Ellis

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Breakfast casserole, Catherine Castle’s Holiday blog, Home for the Holidays, make-ahead-breakfast, Mary Ellis

Award-winning author Mary Ellis is with us today sharing her favorite Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole. This sounds so yummy!  I’m doing a Christmas brunch this year, and I’m searching for easy brunch recipes. I love the make-ahead aspect of this recipe.

Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

by Mary Ellis

 

Melt 2 Tbls butter in a skillet and add 4 cups of hash brown potatoes. Season to taste.

Scramble about 18 eggs (add a small amount of milk and salt before cooking)

2 lbs bulk sausage – sauté until brown and crumbly. I add a small amount of Lawry’s seasoning salt while sautéing.

Add 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of milk to ½ the cooked sausage. Mix well and heat thoroughly.

Layer in the bottom of a 9 x 9 x 3 inch pan the hash browns, followed by the scrambled eggs, the sausage, and finally the sausage/soup mixture. Bake at 350 degrees approximately 15 minutes or until bubbly. Then add 2 cups of a finely shredded cheese of your choice (mild or sharp cheddar works well) and continue to bake until cheese melts.

This recipe can be prepared the day before, refrigerated overnight, and then baked. You might need to add a little extra baking time.

About the Author:

Mary Ellis loves dinner with her numerous cousins on Christmas Eve, followed by candlelight service in the hosting family’s church. Then she sleeps dreaming of sugar cookies, roast turkey and brightly wrapped presents under the tree. She lives in Ohio with her husband, dog and cat, and writes Amish fiction and romantic suspense for Harvest House Publishers.  Mary can be found on the web at: www.maryellis.net

Check out Mary Ellis’ other posts on this blog by searching for Mary Ellis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home for the Holidays with Author Donna Alice Patton

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Author Donna Patton, Catherine Castle Holiday Blog, Christmas traditions, Holiday Sightseeing, Home for the Holidays

 

 

Over the River and Through the Woods

A Holiday Tradition with Donna Alice Patton

 

Over the river and through the woods . . . to the big city we go!!

As a country girl at heart, it’s not often you’ll find me in any city. . .  except at Christmas. Once a year, my family (whoever can come on a certain date) follow a tradition Grandpa Corbin began over forty years ago. We meet in downtown Cincinnati to welcome in the season with a little holiday sightseeing.

When we went with Grandpa, the main objective was to watch the lighting of the gigantic Christmas tree on Fountain Square. Now our trip has evolved more to Sunday afternoon family time.

Our first order of business is always taking a horse-drawn carriage ride through the city.

The carriage ride in downtown Cincinnati

True, the lights aren’t on during the day, but we can see the store windows with clever decorations. Sometimes we sing “Jingle Bells” and wave at people passing by. More often it becomes a time of sharing family stories. Many of my grandparents and great-grandparents left the farms in Kentucky to settle in Cincinnati. The carriage ride is a way to ‘tour’ some of the places relevant to our family’s lives. Our younger members – rural kids every one – find it unbelievable that people could LIVE eight stories up as their great-grandma did.

Next stop is our traditional visit to the Westin Hotel. Every year they put up a decorated Christmas tree in the lobby, complete with Santa and eight flying reindeer.  We gather in front of the white picket fence for photo ops, and then ride the escalators (a real novelty) to the second floor. The Westin advertises Cincinnati Theater’s play of “A Christmas Carol” with life-sized figures in clever, Christmas decorations. It’s fun to stand by Scrooge or Tiny Tim, take pictures and pretend to be part of Dickens’ classic tale.

Then it’s on to Macy’s. In a rural area where we waited ten years to have Wal-Mart, a real department store is a novelty. The little girls adore the perfume counter with all the free samples. The Santa-believers in the bunch love the department store Santa. If the line is reasonable, we wait for the littlest family members to share their wishes with the Jolly One.

After Macy’s, we might head off to Eden Park and the live Nativity, or maybe to explore a new part of the city. Weather permitting; we stop at Fountain Square for some ice skating on the seasonal rink. If it’s too cold, we may all end up somewhere warm and cozy for hot chocolate. Although it might seem uneventful to many people, our Christmas City Day has become a cherished tradition. It’s a time to celebrate the holidays, our family and a way to share memories with the younger generation. Somehow, I think Grandpa would be happy to know what he started.

 

About the Author

Donna Alice Patton is a freelance writer and editor who lives in rural Ohio. Christmas is one of her favorite times of the year – even with the necessity of keeping the wood stove filled! Reading books with a Christmas theme is a favorite activity for any season of the year. Visit her at her Amazon Author page.

Home for the Holidays with Author Amber Schamel

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Author Amber Schamel, Catherine Castle Holiday Blog, Christmas without a Christmas tree, Holiday Traditions, Home for the Holidays

 A Holiday Centered Around the Reason for the Season

  by Amber Schamel

The Holidays at my house are unique. One of the most common comments I receive after telling folks I’m the second oldest of twelve children is “Christmas must be a hoot!” and let me assure you. It is.

You’ll probably be surprised to hear that my favorite Christmas tradition is…not having a Christmas tree.

WHAT? No Christmas tree? With twelve kids?

No, I’m not one of those people who doesn’t celebrate Christmas at all. I love Christmas, but unfortunately, there are a lot of people in this world that would like to take CHRIST out of CHRISTmas. My family wanted to keep the holiday centered around its true meaning, so instead of a Christmas tree, we have a manger.

This manger is homemade out of wood in a crude style that looks authentic. My brothers made it with their own hands, which makes it even more special. We put it in the living room and fill it with hay. Then my baby sister will contribute one of her dolls to serve as Baby Jesus for the season. We wrap it in a pillow case or something of the sort to act as swaddling clothes. We hang a star above the manger. When I was young, we cut out a star from cardboard and covered it in foil. Today, we have a snazzy light up star that blinks. 😉

The Christmas gifts are placed under the manger, just like the Wise Men  might have done thousands of years ago. My family is big on gifts, so we end up with a LOT of them by Christmas morning. Even our youngest ones will work hard and save money so they can buy something at the dollar store to give their brothers, sisters and parents for Christmas.

To me, this tradition is priceless. It gives the young children a visual and emotional connection to the Nativity.

In what ways does your family keep the Christ in Christmas?

 

About the Author

Amber’s favorite Christmas tradition is not having a tree.  Author of over half a dozen books, Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call “historical fiction at its finest”.  She lives in Colorado and spends half her time volunteering in the Ozarks. Visit her online at www.AmberSchamel.com/

 

 

 

Home for the Holidays with Author Katie O’Boyle

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Catherine Castle Holiday Blog, Finger Lakes book settings, Gluten-free recipe, Home for the Holidays, Katie O'Boyle, Mushroom-Garden Stuffing, Waking Up to Love

Can you say, YUMM? This delicious recipe, from author Katie O’Boyle, has me ready to run to the store, get the ingredients, and make it tonight. Who cares about the turkey!

 

Family-favorite Stuffing for Christmas Dinner

 

For author Katie O’Boyle, the family Christmas dinner is a simple and joyful celebration. Four people gather in Seneca Falls—Katie’s sister, her brother-in-law (the cook!), their ninety-three-year-old friend John, and Katie. John brings wine, Katie brings Mushroom Garden Stuffing, and the cook does the rest: golden-roasted turkey breast, two kinds of potatoes, green beans, peas, butternut squash, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Healthy and delicious! Dessert features a pie and may include a few help-yourself treats like cashews, chocolates, and cookies from a holiday Cookie Walk.

Mushroom Garden Stuffing is a long-time favorite. The two main ingredients, apples and celery, please every palate. This recipe works just as well with margarine instead of butter and with any kind of bread.

Katie bakes it at home in a 3-quart oval baking dish, then warms it 15-20 minutes before serving.

 

Mushroom Garden Stuffing

(gluten-free)

4-6 Tbsp. butter

1 cup sweet onion, chopped

3 cups celery, chopped

1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 cups crisp apple (such as McIntosh), chopped

4 cups gluten-free cornbread, cubed in 1-inch pieces

1/4 tsp. sage

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. black pepper

 

Bake the cornbread ahead and allow to cool completely (may be baked a day ahead).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat 4 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet. Clean and chop the onion and celery. Add to skillet. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is transparent and mixture begins to brown. Then transfer to a large bowl.

Clean and slice the mushrooms and remove moisture with paper towels. Add more butter to the skillet as needed. Add the mushrooms and sprinkle with the sage, thyme, and pepper. Stir occasionally to incorporate the seasonings and insure the mushrooms brown evenly.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the apple. Add to bowl with celery and onion. When the mushrooms have browned, transfer to bowl with onion, celery, and apple. Mix to combine.

“Toast” the bread cubes in the skillet, in batches, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon so the bread picks up any leftover butter and herbs. Add to bowl. Toss gently to combine.

Butter or grease the casserole dish. Add contents of bowl. Bake covered 30 minutes; uncover and bake 30 minutes more or until top begins to brown.

Tips from Katie: to accommodate my arthritis, I sometimes buy pre-chopped onion and celery and pre-sliced mushrooms, or I prepare the vegetables the night before. If I’m not up to baking cornbread from scratch, I use Glutino Gluten-free Pantry Yankee Cornbread mix and follows package directions.

 

About the Author

Katie O’Boyle is the author of the Lakeside Porches series of contemporary romances from Soul Mate Publishing. She grew up in Seneca Falls in the heart of the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York. Her books are set in the fictitious Finger Lakes town of Tompkins Falls.

Katie’s latest release, Waking Up To Love, features a Christmas wedding in Cornwall. Traditional chestnut stuffing is on the buffet, along with a golden-roasted bird, carvery roasts, gravy, fruit sauces, abundant vegetables, and figgy pudding.

For more information about Katie and her books: http://www.katieoboyle.com

To read more about Katie on this blog check out her latest posts Planning A Cornish Wedding

 

 

 

 

Home for the Holidays with Author Catherine Castle

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Catherine Castle's Home for the Holiday series, Christmas ornaments, Crocheted Crafts, Home for the Holidays, make it in under an hour crafts

 

A Cute as can be Christmas Tree

Welcome to the first post in the 2015 Home for the Holidays series.

I don’t know about you, but I love the fall and the holiday season that follows, especially Christmas. When I was younger, and had more energy, the whole house got a holiday transformation, including the pictures on the walls. I have several extensive, themed ornament collections, a Christmas village, an on-growing nativity collection and a couple sets of Christmas dishes. Ridiculous, I know, but I love the holidays!

In the next two months, you’ll get a peek into the holiday traditions of some sweet and inspirational authors as well as several of my Christmas traditions. You’ll discover new recipes, holiday traditions you can try with your family, Christmas crafts to make, and all kinds of holiday related things. There may even be some writing related Christmas stuff, too. After all, I am a writer.

I’m anxiously awaiting each post from my guests so I can find new ideas I can add to my holiday passion.  So get ready to join some great authors  as we share our holiday traditions in Home for the Holidays!

To kick off the series, your blog hostess, Catherine Castle (that’s me) is going to be sharing a quick, cute as can be craft for crocheters.

One of the things that happens at my house a couple of months before Christmas is the yarns and crochet needles come out, and I think about what little treasures I can quickly make for stocking stuffers. I posted this Christmas Tree Ornament on Stitches Thru Time last year, but I think it’s so cute that I wanted to share it with my readers too on this year’s Home for the Holiday blog series.

I discovered a larger version of the tree (some forgotten UFO) in a box of yarn while cleaning the basement, which if you know me isn’t unusual—the discovery of craft UFOs (unfinished objects) not the basement cleaning, although that is unusual, too. It only gets a good cleaning when family or company comes. But, I digress. Anyway, I decided to shrink the tree down to ornament size.

This tree takes less than an hour to make, which still gives you plenty of time to make some for stocking stuffers. When decorated it’s cute as can be. (See decorating instructions at the bottom of the directions.)

Have fun with this tiny treasure! And be sure to come back next week and discover what’s new on Home For The Holidays!

 

Crocheted Christmas Tree Ornament

 

Row 1.Chain 10 stitches

Row 2. 1 sc, turn piece

Row 3. 10 sc in remaining stitches to end,

Row 4. Turn, chain 1, and 10 sc in remaining stitches to end

Row 5. *turn piece Chain 3 stitches, sc in back of loop next to end of chain 3. Repeat from * across to end of piece.

Row 6. Turn, chain 1, yarn over and double crochet in remaining stitches, decreasing one stitch at beginning and end of row by skipping a stitch. You should have 8 double crochet and 1 chain 3 in the row when you are finished.

Row 7-10 Repeat from * 3 times. You should have 1 chain of 3 and 2 double crochets when you reach this point.

Row 11. Chain 3 stitches, sc in back of loop next to end of chain. Repeat until you have 3 loops in this row.

Row 12. Chain 3, sc in back of loop next to end of chain. Double crochet 2, spacing in row evenly to create top of tree.

Cut off enough yarn to create a hanging loop and secure tightly.

Decorate your tree using embroidery floss and French knots stitched into the tree’s boughs (looped rows) or stitch small decorative buttons or beads on the boughs.

To make a larger tree start with a long chain base and decrease accordingly as noted above. To make a stand up tree, crochet 2 larger base trees, stitch them together at the edges, decorate, and stuff with batting.

Do you have holiday crafts you do every year?

About the Author:

Catherine Castle loves every part of the holiday season. She loves the hustle and bustle of decorating, shopping, baking Christmas cookies with her daughter while they sing Bing Crosby, and the family gatherings. She especially loves the quiet, still moments on Christmas Eve when they light the candles at the Christmas Eve service and remember the reason for the season.  You can learn more about Catherine on this blog or at her Amazon Author Page.