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Winter Holiday Thread

Started by pyewacket, December 04, 2015, 12:33:34 AM

K_Dubb

Last year's giant stollen in Dresden



Cut with a giant ceremonial knife



However, it is a transparent fraud, as can be seen from these pictures, where many layers are buttered and sugared up to deceive:





The original giant stollen, made for Augustus the Strong in 1730, was baked in a giant oven designed by the court architect.  I wonder how they got it done in the middle without burning the outside.  Modern technology fails again.

Here is history in a particularly charming translation http://www.stollen-online.de/dresdnerstollen/geschichte-eng.htm which includes this gem:

QuoteThe rolled form of the Stollen symbolized the wrapped in a nappy and lie in a hay box Christ Child.

pyewacket

Quote from: K_Dubb on December 17, 2016, 02:51:43 PM
The original giant stollen, made for Augustus the Strong in 1730, was baked in a giant oven designed by the court architect.  I wonder how they got it done in the middle without burning the outside.  Modern technology fails again.

They probably inserted metal rods or nails into the centre sections to concentrate the needed heat for more even baking.

Quote from: K_Dubb on December 17, 2016, 02:51:43 PM
Here is history in a particularly charming translation http://www.stollen-online.de/dresdnerstollen/geschichte-eng.htm which includes this gem:
Quote
The rolled form of the Stollen symbolized the wrapped in a nappy and lie in a hay box Christ Child.

You can keep the nappy and straw - I want one of these!  ;D



K_Dubb

Quote from: pyewacket on December 17, 2016, 05:44:57 PM
They probably inserted metal rods or nails into the centre sections to concentrate the needed heat for more even baking.

Ah, you have to be right!  I would never have thought.

Quote from: pyewacket on December 17, 2016, 05:44:57 PM
You can keep the nappy and straw - I want one of these!  ;D



My God, that is utter genius!  Maybe a bit of rum and nutmeg in the filling for Christmas?  I would give all my sad, empty krumkake cones for one of those.

starrmtn001

Here's an old timey favorite. ;)

Bells of St Mary's

https://youtu.be/APRNe_3tzdg

I haven't seen this chestnut in years. Pia Zadora in her youth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKBB7MncwaE

ItsOver

Quote from: 21st Century Man on December 17, 2016, 08:02:20 PM
I haven't seen this chestnut in years. Pia Zadora in her youth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKBB7MncwaE
The Rifftrax boys did a pretty good roast of it.  Pun intended. ;)

K_Dubb

I missed the age of the classic Christmas record -- the recordings I remember were cheap CDs Mom got at Costco -- but have thoroughly enjoyed discovering some of these.  For that classic, bright, whiz-bang mid-century sound, this has got to be the best.  The opening Rudolph alone is worth the price.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6ltk0PPqXc


Quote from: momijithing~awoo on December 17, 2016, 09:16:00 PM
Sugoi!

Hey Miku, I posted a virtual home robot over in the Tech thread.   You might find it of interest.......


albrecht

It is the season....for Eggnog. Yum. And office and friends Christmas parties, which sometimes can spin out of control or have incidents later regretted in the workplace later (and sometimes even legal consequences.) Here is a hilarious story about the infamous "Eggnog Muntiny" at West Point in 1826 in which the party goes wrong.
https://www.army.mil/article/49823/The_Eggnog_Riot/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggnog_Riot


Rix Gins

Anyone for a candy cane cake?

K_Dubb

Quote from: Rix Gins on December 19, 2016, 07:17:42 PM
Anyone for a candy cane cake?

Now that looks simple and fun!  You made me curious about cake mixes and when they originated, since this looks like a pretty old recipe.  I found this interesting bit on wikipedia summarizing a feminist critique of advertising that seems applicable here:

QuoteLater, during the post-war boom, other American companies (notably General Mills) developed this (cake mix) idea further, marketing cake mix on the principle of convenience, especially to housewives. When sales dropped heavily in the 1950s, marketers discovered that the cake in a box rendered the cake-making function of housewives relatively dispiriting. This was a time when women, retired from the war-time labor force, and in a critical ideological period in American history, were confined to the domestic sphere and oriented towards the freshly blossoming consumerism in the US.  In order to compensate for this situation, the marketing psychologist Ernest Dichter ushered in the solution to the cake mix problem: frosting.  Deprived of the creativity involved in making their own cake, within consumerist culture[clarification needed], housewives and other in-home cake makers could compensate by cake decoration inspired by, among other things, photographs in magazines of elaborately decorated cakes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cake

K_Dubb

Eating the last lussekatter made with a truly extravagant amount of saffron and listening to the best version of the song to come out this year:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXng0aEx10A

Sankta Lucia, ljusklara hägring,
sprid i vår vinternatt glans av din fägring.
Drömmar av vingesus under oss sia,
tänd dina vita ljus, Sankta Lucia.


Saint Lucy, clear, shining mirage,
Spread in our winter night the splendor of your beauty.
Dreams of vingesus (an untranslatable word meaning the sound made by wings rustling) prophesy unto us.
Light your white candle, Saint Lucy.

starrmtn001

I hope you enjoy this live stream.  Happy Yuletide and Merry Christmas, my Friends of BellGab. :-*

CHRISTMAS MUSIC 24/7 🎄 Christmas/Festive/Winter Music by Pulse8 ⛄

https://youtu.be/BsXiclMdHsU

K_Dubb

Old Christmas Carols:  This one appears all over northern Europe including Piæ Cantiones of 1582 and manages to sound very old indeed with its tierce de Picardie ending.  Though I don't know what the cameraman is about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXO6qIFaL4w

The Scandy translation is sung to at least three different tunes I know of including this one my mom learned in school, recorded here in occupied Denmark:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OugSupgXZo

K_Dubb

Another really old one which, though it appears for the first time in Piæ Cantiones, probably goes back a couple hundred years earlier, probably associated with Holy Innocents Day December 28th when children ran wild.  Always loved this arrangement where it sounds like a lost movement from Carmina Burana:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIMEiJnDWFw

K_Dubb

Here are the cookies I am baking this week.  Our family has made them every year since 1961 when mom & dad picked up a couple cookie cutters at the Tree House in northern CA to which the recipes were attached as tags.  We at least double the spices.

Everyone who tries the gingerbread says it's the best recipe they've tasted.  They are dense and hard out of the oven but soften beautifully when iced and put in a bag.  You do not need to chill the gingerbread dough before rolling it out -- that just makes it hard.  But it helps with the sugar cookies.




pyewacket

I wish you all a Blessed Solstice in your Yule celebrations!

"As the Earth turns, light returns. The light of the sun has returned to us, bringing life and warmth with it. The shadows will vanish, and life will continue. We are blessed by the light of the sun."

Quote from: mindbodygreen.com
This year in the northern hemisphere, today marks the Winter Solstice.

This is the shortest day of the year and the longest night. During a three day period over the Winter Solstice, the sun rises and sets at the same place on the horizon, appearing to stand still. This natural occurrence is at the root of the word "solstice" which means to "stand still of the sun."

The Winter Solstice has been celebrated across many cultural and religious groups around the world for thousands of years.

Traditionally, it is a time for inner reflection and the release of what is unwanted into the darkness, in order to welcome renewal and the return of the light. From this point forward, we have longer and brighter days to look forward to.

The Winter Solstice is an ideal time to turn inward, which falls somewhat ironically during the holiday season â€" a very busy time for many of us. Amidst all of the hustle and bustle that is characteristic this time of year, there may be great benefits to taking a short pause from the flurry of life, and participating in a simple ceremony for the Winter Solstice.

Some traditions believe that an energetic vortex opens during the sun's transition over the Solstice, during which the possibility for personal and planetary transformation is heightened. Vortex or not, it can't hurt to take time to reflect and release what is unwanted, as we welcome in this new and brighter phase.

The Winter Solstice is the moment on Earth when darkness reaches its peak, just before the return of the light. This is a perfect opportunity to let go of whatever you are ready to release and let it be enveloped in the darkness as you â€" and the Earth â€" turn toward the light.

Here are two simple ceremonies you can do with a group or even alone, to ring in the Winter Solstice. Ideally you'll want to partake in the celebration around the time of the sunset for maximum benefit.

Releasing What Is Unwanted

    Light a fire in a fireplace or other safe place.
    Think about what are you ready to let go of: Is it fear? Lack? Worry? Regret? An unfulfilling job? A toxic relationship?
    Write each thing down on a small piece of paper.
    Announce out loud what you are releasing it as you toss each piece of paper into the fire.

Greet The Light

    Think about the things you are welcoming into your life with the return of the light: What do you want to experience, achieve, or realize?
    Write each thing down on a small piece of paper.
    Announce out loud what you are welcoming into your life as you toss each piece of paper into the fire.
    Share a bountiful and hearty winter feast by candlelight, decorating the table with herbs, pine cones, evergreen branches, or other items found in nature.

And here is a short Winter Solstice blessing you can incorporate into your ceremony:

"As the Earth turns, light returns. The light of the sun has returned to us, bringing life and warmth with it. The shadows will vanish, and life will continue. We are blessed by the light of the sun."

Remember as you light the fire and candles for your celebration, do so with the intention of bringing more light into the world. How can you help make the world a brighter place and bring light into the lives of those around you? Set an intention to increase your inner light in the coming year.

Allow yourself to feel renewed at the Winter Solstice and ready to welcome the new year with power and grace!

Cowritten by Sara Santokh Kaur.

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-16508/celebrate-the-winter-solstice-with-a-sunset-ceremony.html

A wonderfully artistic version of the Release/Receive Ritual!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5eMNrRDgVY



starrmtn001

Happy Winter Solstice, my friends. :-*

Rix Gins

Thanks Pye and Starr.  The same to you, and everybody else.



Jackstar

The Correction continues. My neighbor was just visiting, and I had to Correct him twice. Meanwhile, having never previously watched Seinfeld, I was unaware that George Costanza and Ben Stiller are brothers. Now I'm creeped outCorrected.

i make it a point to listen to this every year at christmas time since the winter of 1976 when i purchased the LP. at the time, i was living on my own and purchased it as a christmas gift to myself. weird eh?  :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kEti-BB4Pw

Dr. MD MD

Quote from: Evil Twin Of Zen on December 21, 2016, 11:23:12 PM
i make it a point to listen to this every year at christmas time since the winter of 1976 when i purchased the LP. at the time, i was living on my own and purchased it as a christmas gift to myself. weird eh?  :)

Buying oneself a Kraftwerk album seems profoundly sane to me but I'm a massive weirdo so maybe. Ironically, Kraftwerk seems like quintessential digital band and yet they often made their own instruments through experimentation with analog gear and recorded everything onto 2" tape and this stuff always sounds better on vinyl.  8)


maureen

wishing you all the very best

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