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:
Thanks so much for your post today! I love the sound of no bake cookies, and enjoyed your music selection and your memory! Isn’t it maddening when you know that you saw something and no one else remembers it!
Thanks for participating in the tour again this year!
Comment by Marg 12.17.11 @ 9:33 pmI think my mouth watered at your cookies and if it wasn’t 1:30 am I’d be making them right now! They sound delicious and no baking is a plus.
A CBC Cosmic Christmas special…..I have to laugh. Only in Canada!! We’re so weird sometimes.
Have a very Merry Christmas, sprite.
Comment by Susan 12.18.11 @ 1:45 amThanks for sharing your Christmas things -don’t you love how the internet can help find anything? Good thing we are no longer dependent only on our memories!
Comment by Colleen 12.18.11 @ 11:19 amI can’t believe I missed seeing this post!
I was sadly shaking my head, although I was the perfect age to watch that CBC Christmas show. And, in those days, we had no cable, just CBC and CTV, so I don’t know how I missed seeing that as it would have been the only thing on TV. Yay for the internet and finding lost memories.
Country singers sing the best Christmas songs. Alabama’s Thistlehair, the Christmas Bear is still one of my favorites, and their Christmas album is excellent.
Merry Christmas, Sprite and Rudy!