A nutty Christmas tradition

Today was a day off for me although I was very busy so it didn’t really feel like a day off. But it was a fun day, spent baking eight pounds of cinnamon sugar pecans. Every Christmas, I bake a boatload of these treats to gift to family. It’s become a family tradition. It actually started years ago because I wanted to give my boss a Christmas gift. Etiquette told me that it wasn’t expected that I give my boss a gift but if I did, food would be appropriate. I knew he liked nuts so after Mama shared her cinnamon sugar pecan recipe with me, I decided they would fit the bill. And he loved them. I made enough to share with co-workers and they enjoyed them as well. My mother-in-law loved snacks and liked pecans so I decided they would make a nice gift for her. She loved them too. Then at some point, I decided the nuts would make a good gift for my nephews so I made some for them. They loved them and it turns out their wives loved them as well. So, I finally started making small individual bags for the entire family to pass out at our annual Christmas party. They always seem happy to be handed a bag. We’re having our party tomorrow so I’ll likely make a few people happy.

My brother-in-law told me last weekend that he’d like a big bag this year. He said those little bags just aren’t enough.

By the way, I’ve never eaten a single pecan. I don’t like them. I know, that sounds sinful being as I was born and raised in Georgia, but I just don’t like them.

The recipe is very easy—you just need to allow plenty of time if you’re cooking a lot of them. Each batch needs to cook for an hour—so turn on some Christmas music and wrap a few presents while they bake.

Here’s the recipe if you would like to try them. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sugar Pecans

½ cup white sugar

¼ tsp. salt

1 lb. shelled pecan halves

½ tsp. cinnamon

2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Mix the sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large Ziploc bag.

Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until frothy.

Stir in the pecans. 

Once coated, add the pecans to the Ziploc bag.

Seal the bag and shake to coat with the cinnamon mixture. 

Spread the pecans on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.

Bake one hour at 225 degrees. Remove the pecans from the oven, cool, then break apart.

Wilton makes these nice treat bags (with ties) to package the pecans in.

Christmas tree of memories

Like many people, we put our Christmas tree up last weekend, something I always look forward to and enjoy very much. As I look for that special spot for each ornament, I like to reflect on how it became part of our collection. A couple of them moved with me from Georgia to Virginia many years ago; some were given to me by friends, family, and co-workers; some were handmade by myself and my children; and some I bought as an annual addition to our collection.

This sweet angel was made by my youngest son Kevin many years ago.

This Hallmark ornament was given to me by my boss several years ago. I had never seen a Cedar Waxwing in my life and that year, I was lucky enough to see and capture photos of three different flocks over the spring and summer months. You could tell he was excited about the ornament when he gave it to me.

My boss also gave me several Lenox ornaments.

And this beautiful Wedgewood star. He’s gone now so they all take on a different meaning.

Mama always has a crochet hook and ball of thread with her when she travels so I’ve often watched her make these snowflake and angel ornaments. I’ve made sure to get enough to last a lifetime for me and my boys.

Mama also made these angels.

And this ceramic snowman too.

For the last 10 years, I’ve added Swarovski’s annual Christmas ornament. I try to make sure they’re close to a light so they’ll twinkle on the tree. I often catch a prism on the furniture as the sun rises.

Living near Washington, DC, the annual White House Christmas ornaments are a must for the tree.

My boys painted these stained glass (plastic) ornaments when they were young.

My son Chris made these. I always smile when I place the light bulb on the tree.

That same son and his wife made a trip to Busch Gardens last December to see the light display and brought this ornament home to me.

This gorilla has been on the tree since at least 1980. I couldn’t remember where he came from and how he managed to join the collection but my husband told me it was his and he added it.

I made these ceramic ornaments in the 1980s. A friend had a ceremic kiln and we’d start pouring the ornaments in September. I’d go to her house and we’d crank up the Christmas music and sing our hearts out while we poured, cleaned, and painted the ornaments. We’d work on them all during the Fall until we had enough to sell to make some extra Christmas money. Thank goodness I was smart enough to keep some for myself.

This medallion and the Celtic crosses were bought to honor my husband’s Scottish ancestry.

I have several cross-stitch ornaments that I made years ago. This one I made for my mother-in-law one year after we argued about whether Goofy was a dog or a horse. She insisted he was a horse. We had a huge argument about this! I finally wrote a letter to Disney and asked them to settle the argument once and for all. They sent me a copy of Goofy’s bio and confirmed that he was a dog. This was one of her Christmas presents from me that year—I had to gloat a little after all. It came back to me after she passed away in 2006.

This little jug moved to Virginia with me in 1979.

One of my boys made this snowman. Wish I could remember which one.

My mother-in-law had this collection of ornaments that were engraved at Things Remembered. She had one for every member of the family and they hung proudly on her tree every year. Something else we inherited after she passed away.

One of my niece's gave this beautiful snowman to me.

The polish pottery ornaments are a recent addition to our collection. I can blame my friend Amanda for getting me hooked on polish pottery.

Even this tree skirt brings back memories as it was crocheted by a friend's mother from my old neighborhood in Atlanta.

All are special to me and are family treasures. And they make for a beautiful Christmas tree of memories. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Athya, my elf on the shelf

Athya, my elf on the shelf

It’s the day after Thanksgiving so that means Athya (pronounced Ath-ee), my elf on the shelf, made his first appearance of the holiday season this morning. There are no young children in my house and I don’t have grandchildren so he’s not a scout elf reporting back to Santa every night. His only job is to entertain me, and that he does. My boys will make fun of me for this one but I don’t care. Athya is only three years old but I’ve already declared him a family treasure!

Three years ago, I started noticing elf on the shelf photos on Facebook and thought it would be fun to join in. I found my elf at the local Target store. They didn’t have the standard version elf so I bought the plushee version—a blue-eyed boy. They also had girl elves so I bought one for my daughter-in-law, whom she named Lola. Athya and Lola get together sometimes to create a little mischief.

Athya was named to honor my husband’s Scottish ancestry—his grandfather was George Durie Athya, born on June 26, 1892 in Glasgow, Scotland. My little elf keeps me entertained throughout the holiday season and often at other times of the year as well. If it snows in the winter, he comes out to play. He’s traveled to work and Atlanta with me and he’s attended our family Christmas party in Front Royal. I’ve spent hours making clothes for him in the summer months; time in the fall making props and signs for him. My niece in Atlanta even made a sign for him last year. This elf is a lot of work!

Lola and Athya

My family makes fun of my elf but they get into the spirt too. I came home from running errands one December afternoon and my husband had set Athya up with a sleigh and Rudolph and his reindeer friends pulling a load of cinnamon pecans I had made earlier that day. Another time I came home and Athya was sitting on my bed with open pieces of candy and the TV remote. Once I woke up and he was hanging from the living room curtain rod. And another time he was sitting in my chair with my Santa hat on, holding a bottle of wine. My youngest son gave him clothes—a Christmas sweater, a camouflage shirt, and a shirt and sombrero for Cinco de Mayo. Last December, I opened the microwave and there he sat. So, don’t let them fool you, they like him too!

My elf has a blog, Athya the Elf, where I post his photos. He also has a YouTube video—The Christmas Elf made by a special friend of mine. In November 2014, my friend told me about the elf his daughter was hiding from his grandchildren so I told him about my elf. We exchanged a few pictures and then he asked me to send him more. On Christmas eve, he surprised me by sending a link to the video. I gave him a hard time because he mispronounced Athya’s name and called him a girl but I treasure the video. If you watch the video, you’ll hear the names of his grandchildren mentioned. After Christmas, he told me to be prepared to send him more pictures as he wanted to make another video for Christmas 2015. But God had another plan for my friend and he passed away in his sleep last November. That just made the video more special to me.

Athya has lots of fun planned for this holiday season. This little elf brings a lot of joy to my life, so yes indeed, he definitely is a family treasure!

A crewel owl pillow

This owl pillow is more of Daddy’s crewel work. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the circumstances of his giving the artwork to me but I can tell you it wasn’t originally a pillow—it was just a square piece of material with the artwork in the center. The crewel work is very clean and intricate. The entire piece is hand-stitched—Daddy covered every inch by hand. My sister-in-law helped me finish the artwork by turning it into a pillow. My son Chris loved it so I gave it to him after she finished it. Daddy has never seen the final piece but I’m sure he would love it.