Traditions of Christmas: Christmas Crackers
Christmas crackers are part of the Christmas celebrations in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the commonwealth countries. “Crackers were originally called ‘cosaques’ and were thought to be named after the ‘Cossack’ soldiers who had a reputation for riding on their … Continued
History of Christmas Recipes: Yule Log
The Yule Log is a traditional dessert served at Christmas time. The dessert is a sponge cake made to resemble an actual miniature Yule log. The Yule Log is also known as bûche de Noël. “The name bûche de Noël originally … Continued
Traditions of Christmas: Christmas Cards
“The first known ‘personalized’ Christmas Card was sent in 1891 by Annie Oakley, the famous sharpshooter and star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. She was in Glasgow, Scotland at Christmas 1891 and sent cards back to her friends and … Continued
History of Christmas Recipes: Decorating Christmas Cookies
Another favorite Christmas past-time is decorating Christmas cookies. As early as 1597, Germans began hanging decorated communion wafers on their trees. The Church of England used a practice called mumming, which used food cut outs to help them depict stories … Continued
Traditions of Christmas: Christmas Spirit
Today we talk about the Christmas spirit and how peace on earth and generosity are more prevalent at Christmas. So, is this real or made up and where did it originate? The celebration of Christmas was a marriage of the … Continued
History of Christmas Recipes: Fruitcake
Fruitcake has had many jokes made about it over the years and become a highly ridiculed Christmas dessert, especially in the United States “The earliest recipe from ancient Rome lists pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins that were mixed into … Continued
The Pilgrims: Pilgrims Dress
When we picture the Pilgrims it is with them wearing black and white clothes, with large white collars. Often they will have large buckles on their shoes and hats. However, my research shows this is not historically accurate. Actually, the … Continued
Traditions of Christmas: Noel
The word Noel is very prevalent during the Christmas season, but what does it mean? In French the word Noël means Christmas or Christmas season. The term derives from the Middle English word nowel. This word derives from the Old … Continued
The Pilgrims: Religious Worship
As we know from our earlier studies, the Pilgrims believed that the Catholic Church and Church of England had strayed from Christ’s teachings. This was part of the reason they came to the New World. King James I {VI of … Continued
8 Ways to Organize Grandpa’s Genealogy Research
Last week, we discussed the options of what to do with Grandpa’s genealogy research now that he’s gone. This week let’s flip the coin. You decide to keep the research, but it is disorganized, and you are overwhelmed. So, what … Continued