Holiday Baking

by Krista From a very early age, my children have shown a keen interest in cooking, and helping me cook. I've embraced this, as they tend to eat more of what we serve if they have had a hand in creating it. Today we baked some shortbread cookies for Christmas, and they jumped at the chance to help out. While I am not worried about convincing them to eat cookies, it was really easy to include them at every step of the process. It turned in to a really fun morning for the family as we get ready for the holiday.

The recipe that we made is my grandmother's recipe, and I LOVE it, because it is really simple - it only has three ingredients! I find that simple recipes are best when baking with my little ones, it helps to keep us all focused. If there is any prep that I can do in advance, like cutting of the cherries that go on top of the cookies, or packing the icing sugar, I try to do that before they start helping me. We started by having them get out the ingredients, then sugar and butter get creamed together.

When it came time to add the flour, Woo measured and Goose poured. This works really well if your recipes don't need precise measurements. We work on the "-ish" rule for most things, so it doesn't matter if the cups of flour are not quite level, or if some of the flour misses the bowl.

We stopped for Daddy to do a little clean-up at this point, as there was a good layer of flour covering the table. I then worked in the dough, and rolled it into balls. Woo wanted to help at this stage, and I was actually quite impressed with how well he could form the little balls.

Turns out that their thumbs are the perfect size for the thumbprint that the cherry rests in. They eagerly (and sometimes a little too over zealously) shmushed all the dough balls and added the cherries.

We timed it so that there were trays of cookies to be shmushed and have cherries added while the first batch was cooking. Once that cooled, it was time to eat!

We have more baking planned in the coming weeks, with sugar cookies up next! The recipe, if you are interested is:

1lb salted butter, softened 1.5 cups of icing sugar, well packed 3-4(ish) cups of pastry flour

Pre-heat oven to 300.  Cream butter and icing sugar until it appears crumbly.  Work in flour a little bit at a time, until the dough is stiff but still workable.  Roll into 1 inch balls and flatten with thumb (for a cherry) or a fork for a plain cookie.  Bake for 14-18 minutes until they are just turning golden.  Remove from pan and place on cooling racks immediately.  Taste.

Krista is married to Willy and mom to a 3 year old son, Woo, and 2 year old daughter Goose. You can find her at Life in the Hutch or on Twitter @kgraydonald

Gift ideas for the teacher.

By Shawna When you have kids, you know you’re going to be buying gifts for life’s occasions for that child.  You don’t really think about it much ahead of time, as it’s not a factor that you weigh when you decide to procreate.  Everyone knows kids are expensive; it’s the feeding, clothing, sheltering, educating them, etc. that are the biggies.  Sure, when my kids started daycare, we added the daycare provider’s kids to our gift list for birthdays and Christmas, but fast forward to this year, when Sage entered junior kindergarten. 

It has only recently occurred to me that my mom always sent Christmas gifts to my teacher, ergo I should be thinking about what to get for Sage’s teacher.  This has sparked a mad combing of the internet to decide on what to get for a person I’ve only met a couple of times, but to whom I entrust my precious firstborn for several hours a day, five days a week.  I suspect I cannot be guaranteed of a hit by buying something Sage would like, which is my modus operandi for getting gifts for birthdays of kids I’ve never met.

So here’s what I’ve found:

All sites agree a heartfelt, handwritten note is always appreciated by a teacher.  My personal take on this is sure, it would be appreciated, but even more so if it comes with a thoughtful gift.

After this, sites seem to diverge in what would be appropriate.  Some proclaim that the personal touch is best: baked goods accompanied by a card – both handmade by your little elf – would be universally appreciated.  Others suggest small luxuries such as bath and beauty products would soothe away the frazzling effects of looking after half-pints all day.  And chocolate?  Well, who doesn’t like chocolate?

On the other hand, sites that claim to have polled real teachers (at least anecdotally) suggest that people are very conscious of their waistlines these days so fattening things aren’t a good choice.  Bye bye banana bread and chocolate.  And the choice of toiletries is a very personal thing so don’t bother getting stuff like that.  And for goodness sake, don’t get that poor teacher yet another mug!  If you really want to get a good gift for the teacher, why, here are some links to items that cost at least $50 each!

Give me a break!

Having winnowed through the contradicting opinions, here’s what I’ve found out and decided I believe:

Apparently, kids drive teachers to drink because one site claimed that a bottle of wine was the gift that would be most appreciated (in which case, my mom was right: that’s what she always gave).

If you don’t feel comfortable giving booze to a teacher (and I, frankly, wouldn’t, despite the fact that I’m sure it would be a popular choice 90% of the time), pretty much all teachers like gift certificates that allow them to choose their own gift.  Some malls have mall-wide gift certificates so you don’t even have to narrow it down to one store.

Teachers almost always end up spending their own money on classroom supplies.  If you don’t know what kind of gift certificate to get, one to a place like Scholar’s Choice (there’s an online store, plus two retail locations in Ottawa) is a pretty safe bet.

If you’re the organizing type, bigger may be better.  If you have a way to contact the other parents in your child’s class and are bold enough to send the message, “one $100 gift is better than ten $10 gifts, so if you want to pool money and go in on a gift for the teacher, let me know”, you may even be hailed as a hero by parents that don’t have the time or inspiration to find something on their own and would be happy to contribute a relatively small amount to a group gift.

There are lots of (but I bet not all) teachers who would appreciate the idea of donating to a charity in his or her name, instead of getting a dozen assorted mugs and boxes of chocolate.  There are tons of options for this (like Oxfam or Doctors Without Borders, or something more local like a pet-rescue shelter for a pet-loving teacher, just to give a few examples) if you think your child’s teacher is the it’s-better-to-give-than-receive type,  just do a quick search online.

Save your feet and frazzled nerves!  There are some great options for gifts to be had online, and they don’t have to be mass-produced.  I searched through Etsy (a site that connects artisans directly with buyers) treasuries and items using the word “teacher” as a search term to get some ideas.  In the end that’s where I ended up getting a gift for Sage’s teacher: she’s a lover of colour so I got her a small sparkly red apple pendant on a necklace, which I’m going to pair with a mini-calendar which I produce myself.  As a bonus, I also found a great “emergency gift” for a teacher – a pretty little clear glass apple paperweight with a silver stem and leaf.  Both gifts are now in the hands of the postal system, making their way to me, and I didn’t have to go out and fight a single crowd to get them.

Now to figure out: if Sage has just started taking the school bus a couple of weeks ago, do we get her bus driver a gift too?  This Christmas shopping may never end…

 Shawna is mom to 4-year-old Sage and 2-year-old Harris.  She has  been writing online since 2003, and her latest project is a fledgling photography blog.  She also has an Etsy shop of her very own.

Curling up with some holiday classics

by Carly I had no idea just how many holiday-themed books we had kicking around the house until I started rounding them up for this post.  It really comes as no surprise since our family is big on Christmas and the Little Man is no exception.  However, since our personal collection was full of books appropriate for the 0-5 year old set, I happily spent a couple of hours exploring some local bookstores and libraries  (online and in person) to rediscover some old favourites and some new stories too.

Favourite Stories for Babies and Toddlers

• Merry Christmas Mouse by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond tells the story of "Mouse" as he counts his way through decorating the Christmas tree.
• The Lights of Christmas by Joanne Barkan with pictures by France Brassard was an inexpensive book with a huge appeal - Jake loved hitting the button that caused lights on every page to flicker and dance.  The rhyming story of little bears dreaming of the North Pole was equally sweet.
• After watching a Sesame Street video about different holiday traditions, the Little Man wanted to know more about them.  We found A Kwanzaa Celebration Pop Up Book by Nancy Williams and award-winning illustrator Robert Sabuda in our local library.  The vibrant colours and great pop-ups kept us busy for days.

Favourite Stories for Preschoolers

• In our home you just can't go wrong with the stories of the precocious "David", written and illustrated by David Shannon.  It's Christmas, David! is no exception.  I must have some little boy in me too as my favourite page is the one where David runs up the street in his birthday suit.
• Room for a Little One is beautifully illustrated by Jason Cockcroft and written by Martin Waddell.  Telling the story of the birth of Christ through the eyes of the peaceful animals who may have also sought shelter in the stable through simple prose and that stunning artwork.
• A Reindeer Christmas by Mark Kimball Moulton and illustrated by Karen Hillard Good is Jake's pick this year.  When Donnor loses his way during a dry run prior to Christmas, some loving children take good care of him even without knowing who he is.

• Finally, My Penguin Osbert by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel and illustrated by H.B. Lewis tells us what happens when Joe sends a very detailed letter to Santa regarding a certain arctic bird.  This story has resulted in a similar letter from Jacob . . . only his penguin is to be named "House".  Huh?

Favourites Stories for School-Aged Children

• The Best Hannukah Ever was recommended by our favourite librarian when I asked about Jewish holiday traditions.  Barbara Goldin Diamond and Avi Katz tell the story of a family that gives one another humourous gifts after misunderstanding their Rabbi's advice.
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss remains one of my all time favourites.  The illustrations perfectly match this classic story of materialism, greed and child-like giving.
• Stranger in the Woods by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick won the Benjamin Franklin Award and the International Reading Association Award.  Given to Jake when he was born, he's only recently starting to pick it up on his own and page through the beautiful photography.  I think he'll enjoy it even more as he gets older.
• The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg with illustrations by James Bernardin tells of the mystery and miracle of Christmas, by highlighting the Christian symbolism found in the candy cane.

Favourite Books for Pre-Teens

• My nephews always loved Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas.  Not my personal favourite, but it the story held the attention of restless tween boys who didn't always like to read.
• Dicken's A Christmas Carol has also been re-written under a number of different publishers for 9-12 year olds.  The classic story of Scrooge's late-night visit of the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future is must read - especially if like me, you love The Muppet's version.
• When her older brother dies in an accident, Darcy is left feeling responsible for his death . . . until she meets the boy who received his donated heart.  Searching for David's Heart: A Christmas Story by Cherie Bennett is heartwarming and touching.

Favourite Books for Teens

• Love Santa: A Different Kind of Christmas Story by Sharon Glassman is a collection of children's actual letters to man in red himself.  In addition to the cool illustrations, Ms. Glassman also takes the time to encourage her teenage readers to become "undercover Santas".  Though she references the U.S. Postal Service, I loved the idea of turning things back on the reader with a challenge to reach out to younger children.
• Based on a true story and taking place in 1918, The Golden Ring: A Christmas Story by John Snyder tells the story of a father and daughter who share some puzzling dreams about a golden ring.

No post on holiday reading would be complete without the classic The Night Before Christmas poem by Clement C. Moore.  There are so many beautiful versions to chose from, but our family's favourite is one illustrated by Alison Edgson with "lift-the-flap" options throughout.

What are your family's favourites?

Carly has red hair and occasionally the temper to match.  She loves potatoes, rainy nights, photography, her husband and her 4 year old son, Jacob.  Probably in reverse order.   She also blogs.

Holiday Traditions

by Sasha I felt pretty lucky as a kid.  The way I saw it, we got to celebrate Christmas (read: open presents) no less than four times.

St. Nicholas was known, among other things, for leaving gold in the shoes of young girls who could not afford dowries.  This odd little habit made him the model for the modern-day Santa Claus.  When we were kids, this meant that the Christmas season began on the night of December 5, when we would put out our shoes for St. Nicholas to fill with candies, trinkets, and gold-wrapped chocolate coins. Those coins were simply awful, I don’t know how anyone could justify calling them chocolate, but we cheerfully ate them anyways.

December 24 is the ‘big day’ in the German tradition, so after a candlelight Christmas service, it was off to Oma’s and Opa’s for knackwurst (yum!), boiled cabbage (umm, yeah, we’ll just skip that, shall we?), and Oh Joy! Presents!

December 25 was, of course, the day Santa worked his magic under the tree.  We weren’t allowed out of our bedrooms until some impossible hour (8am?). Rather than have to wait it out alone, my sisters and I started the tradition of camping out on the floor together in one bedroom.  As we got older (and lazier), this also meant that we could send our baby sister out at the appointed time to retrieve our stockings for us.  Then, after gift opening and a breakfast of peameal bacon and pancakes, it was off to Grandma's and Grandpa's for the traditional Christmas dinner. Oh, and more presents.

Epiphany, in the Christian calendar, is the day the 3 Magi arrived in Bethlehem to pay homage to the baby Jesus. In our house, it was the last day of the Christmas season, and the day the tree came down.  And somehow, there were always a few ‘missed’ presents hiding under the tree skirt, wrapped in distictive Magi paper.

Today, of course, presents aren't nearly as important to me - but traditions are. I have been thinking a lot about Christmas traditions and how to adapt those of our childhood for our new family. I would like to keep the ‘4 Christmases’ I remember, but I also want to make sure the season is not entirely about material things.  Some of the traditions we're planning on keeping (or starting) include:

Christmas starts on Dec 6. More or less. I don't want to get too fussed (or stressed) about dates.  But we'll let St. Nicholas herald the start of our (roughly) 25 days of Christmas, try to get a decoration or two up that day, and open the Christmas music floodgates. Boney M will definitely be making an appearance.

Live Tree. Real Candles. I love this tradition. There's nothing like the smell of a live tree, or the look of real candles. Tree lighting becomes a very special time: nothing else goes on while the tree is lit - partly for safety - so it becomes a quiet moment in the middle of the hustle and bustle.

Understanding holiday traditions. We're not a religious family.  But I think it's important that my kids understand where Christmas comes from, including both it's Christian and pagan roots (there's nothing Christian about a Christmas tree). I'd also like them to understand some of the practices of other religions and cultures.  And I dearly miss the candle-lit reading of the biblical Christmas story - the poetic King James version - that I can probably still recite even now. I'm still struggling with how I'm going to do this meaningfully and respectfully.  I expect there will be readings from several different texts.  And I'm definitely going to need to do some research.

Santa Sacks. For several years I've been making gift bags for as many gifts as possible, both to cut down on paper and because, once they start to come back, wrapping becomes a breeze. I recently wrote a letter to Santa asking him if he'd start doing this too. I still need to figure out how to get St. Nicholas and the Magi to go green.

Christmas ends on January 6.Many years ago, DH and I started exchanging our gifts on January 6.  This is all about destressing the holidays: we can do our shopping during our time off between Christmas and New Years, and then exchange them at our leisure after all the Christmas travelling is done.

What are some of your holiday traditions?

Sasha is mom to 2-year-old Miss Bea, and 4 month old Baby Em.  Her ramblings can also be found on her blog, The Rambling Stroller.

Kids in the Capital Holiday Party: Painting at 4Cats **FULL**

'Tis the season for giving. In that spirit, the fabulous childrens' art studio 4Cats is hosting our first ever Kids in the Capital holiday party. Located in Hintonburg, 4Cats offers art classes, workshops and parties for kids of all ages. 4Cats gives kids the chance to learn about great artists and create their own great art. What isn't there to love about that.

We are thrilled to welcome 4Cats as a new Kids in the Capital sponsor and even more excited that Emaly is giving us the chance to invite some of your kids to a  paint splatter party!

Here are the party details: 4 Cats Holiday Party December 12th from 3:30-5:15pm 1107 Wellington Street

We are excited to invite twelve kids aged four and up and their parents to join us. If you would like your child to attend, please leave a comment with the number and ages of your kid(s).  The first twelve kids will be coming to the party. If you would like to be added to a waiting list in case anyone cancels, leave a comment too!

The kids will be creating, but we parents will be busy too. Busy socializing and eating snacks! So everyone will be having a good time.

Thanks Emaly for hosting this awesome party. We hope to see you there!