The 2020 Christmas Tree

 

This year’s Christmas tree is quite different than last year’s tree as we are cocooning at home this year. Perhaps its simplicity is due to being lazy and not wanting to decorate a 10-foot tree when no one is coming to visit. Or the opportunity to do some holiday crafting of a different nature. Or maybe because I have collected some things on my strolls around the neighborhood.

Perhaps my inspiration came from a holiday project sponsored by Grove Family Library a few years back. 

We assembled a tree from cut greens tucked into a chicken wire cone. I brought nature-inspired items to decorate it. I made garland with hemlock cones. They are quite small. The feathers are pheasant from a hunter friend. There are also pine cones and green berries from some plant, sweet gum seed pods and a craft store bird's nest. I made a star from twigs and birch tree bark. I believe the red berry garland is from a pyracantha bush.

Decorations on our tree include a cornhusk doll made during a Master Gardener workshop with Charles White a few years back so it is a fond memory. A few feathers from a Cardinal were added. I have since made cornhusk dolls with my granddaughter. We even figured out how to make the boys and men. There was a request to make more but I ran out of cornhusks.

Acorns  are from wandering the neighborhood as are the feathers - bluejays, cardinals, doves, goldfinches and a few others. The milkweed pods are from the garden, dried hydrangea blooms and barberry twigs from a neighbor’s yard. The hemlock cones (so little) are from a tree our neighbor had to have removed because of wooly adelgid problems.

Little wreaths from the craft store were the bases for hemlock cones and acorns, plus a feather for accent. The holly sprigs were, again, from a neighbor's yard on a non-snowy day. 

The wooden "snowflake" came from a craft fair and was handmade using walnut, ash, cherry,  poplar and mahogany. Several were purchased as gifts. On a trip to Japan, students were asked to bring a few small gifts in case they needed to thank someone. A group got lost and a stranger led them back to their hostel. He received one of these in a small, tied box as a thank you. I am sure he was pleased to open the box and see one of these with a note about the wood.

And there is even a few Monarch wings that were found here and there. 

Wishing you a holiday season that brings you happy memories and thoughts of the great celebrations coming in the Aftertime.

Snow on the Mountain Cookies

Since my son was young we have made these cookies at Christmas time. I hope I will be able to make them with my grandkids next year. They are also known as Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. This is from the back of a Nestle's mint chocolate chip package many years ago.

1 ½ C chocolate morsels- 10 oz. (mint if you can find them) divided
6 Tbsp of softened butter (3/4 stick)
1 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 ½ C flour
1 ½ tsp baking POWDER
1 tsp salt
10 X powdered sugar

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Melt 1 C of the chocolate chips. In microwave- 1 minute on high. Stir. Heat in 30 sec. increments until melted.

(You can use hand mixer). In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add melted chocolate, vanilla, and peppermint. Mix well. Add eggs last so hot melted chocolate does not “cook” them.

By hand, mix in flour, baking powder and salt. Add in the ½ C of chocolate chips. Mix well.

Wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and put in freezer for 20 minutes.

Put 10 X sugar in a bowl. Make 1 Tbsp balls of the dough and roll in 10 x sugar. Put on Ungreased cookie sheet or lined with parchment paper.

Bake 8-10 minutes. Leave on cookie sheet to cool. They will seem uncooked when you remove them but will end up chewy when left to cool on the cookie sheet. Sift or sprinkle 10x sugar on warm cookies, if desired.

Makes about 6 dozen small cookies.

Dough can be frozen for later use. Roll into balls and freeze separately on a cookie sheet or pan. Put in a freezer bag once frozen. Roll in 10X sugar after thawing and before baking.

Photo from Amanda's Cookin' (https://amandascookin.com/chocolate-crinkle-cookies/)