Today I’d like to offer you three things to make your Christmas merry:
1. An old favorite Christmas tune
Non-Flash version: The Statler Brothers – “Carols Those Kids Used To Sing”
2. Eskimo Cookies
Un-p.c. name aside, these are great cookies to make with small people and great cookies to have on-hand for Advent-related stress-outs. (C’mon. I can’t be the only one suffering from them, can I?) Your hands will get dirty, but otherwise, they are a one-bowl, non-bake cookie that can be snacked on as you make the rest. I’d suggest doubling the recipe if you’re going to go that route:
In a bowl, combine:
- 1.5 sticks (12 Tbs) of softened butter (malleable but not drippy)
3/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbs cocoa powder
2 cups oats (I’d try to avoid instant, because I think they might dissolve in the butter, but any other kind is probably fine, and, really, you could try instant if that’s all you have)
Take a spoonful of the dough and roll it in your hands to make a roughly spherical shape.
Roll the cookie in powdered sugar.
Voila! Eat or put aside for later.
Repeat.
3. A new favorite
Emmy the Great and Tim Wheeler’s Christmas album, This Is Christmas, has been playing non-stop on my various computers and listening devices since Thanksgiving. I share with you their official video from the cd, but suggest you visit their advent calendar to see the acoustic version, which I might like even better.
And, as a bonus for those with a little extra time, I offer you a Christmas memory of mine.
For years, I had a vague memory of a Christmas special I saw as a young kid. I described it to everyone I knew (in the same way I’d describe Davey and Goliath), but no one ever shared my memory. Eventually, though, they invented the internet, and 12 years ago or so, I typed in “Christmas special aliens ice goose” and after sorting through some bad results, came upon the fact that this was not some bad Christmas candy trip I was recalling. Raidergirl3 might be nodding her head knowingly at this moment, because it turns out this was A Cosmic Christmas, a 1977 Christmas special that aired on the CBC and must have been picked up by American tv one Christmas in the late ’70s. It wasn’t until last year that I managed to find a complete stream (rather than one in pieces the way YouTube used to restrict uploads), and today I share it with you. It’s no masterpiece and it certainly looks a little dated, but I still like the sentiment:
This is my slightly tardy entry for the Virtual Advent Tour. My apologies to readers who stopped by earlier in the day expecting a post. And do make sure you visit the others who posted today, too: