Blog Party- Day 5, GIVING BACK

The question of the day is, "How do you give back during the holidays?"

My husband and I have made it a priority to teach our daughter (and to live in the habit of) giving all year long. It is a normal part of our lifestyle as I believe giving is the key to prosperity. We make it a priority to live with our eyes open to the needs of those that "coincidentally" come into our lives- although, we don't believe in coincidences.

But, specifically, during the season, I organize a "Operation Northwest Christmas Child" where the cell leaders at our church nominate families where we know there is a need. And the Sundays leading up to Christmas, we do anonymous child adoptions. Families who want to give take a boy or a girl, and buy gifts for that child and bring them to the church where we then deliver the gifts to the families- totally as a surprise to them.
Operation Northwest Christmas Child was a huge success last year, and we had over a hundred children who we provided Christmas for.

We also throw a Christmas party with our friends, specifically with the intent of inviting those around us that are alone and have no family or friends to celebrate with, and seeking out new people to invite. It is an awesome night where we get to meet new friends and spread some cheer. And these usually turn into longer-term relationships. It is all about sharing.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! And this is part of why. Everyone seems to be in the spirit of giving, and this is what traditions are made of. My husband comes from a culture where Christmas is not that big of a deal. And so, he really has struggled with the whole thing~ and what a big deal it is to me. But now that we have children, and he sees the look in their eyes on Christmas morning, and how much fun we have decorating the house and the tree and driving around looking at the decor, I think he is warming up to it. We are trying to incorporate new things into our traditions to include the stuff he was brought up with. For instance, 3 kings day is in January where you put your shoes out and the 3 kings come to your house and fill them with little gifts. Where he comes from, Baby Jesus brings the gifts, not Santa Claus.

I am definiately looking for creative ideas in teaching our children about the "reason for the season"! Last year, I purchased a book by Lisa Welchel, (remember BLAIR from The Facts of Life show?) she wrote a GREat RESOURCE for this.
Here is the description from her website: CLICK HERE to buy the book from her

"Redeeming the Meaning of Christmas... Have you discovered that Jesus sometimes gets lost in the middle of the hustle and bustle of His birthday party? Would you like to be able keep your children’s focus on Jesus and be able to join them in the wonder of the celebration?

For each of the twenty-four days preceding Christmas, The ADVENTure of Christmas serves as a fun and handy guide that describes the true meaning hidden in your most cherished traditions. Hanging lights on the house, wrapping gifts, and decorating the tree will become opportunities to share how these traditions relate to Jesus’ birth. The ADVENTure of Christmas recaptures the delightful essence of this beloved season, giving reasons to joyfully celebrate for years to come."

I plan on utilizing this resource this year as my Vivia is now old enough to begin learning about this stuff.

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Blog Party: Favorite Holiday Recipe

MomDot Blog Party day 4:
I am just finding out about this "blog party", so I am a little behind.
Today's Question: What is your favorite Holiday recipe?


It's funny that this is the first question, and so it allows me to be a bit lazy. The last blog I have posted just happens to be my Thanksgiving Menu which is full of my favorite holiday recipes. The favorite being my Butternut Squash soup. I wish I could take credit for it, but here's the cool story to go with it:

My husband and I went to Big Sky, Montana for our honeymoon. It was a dream trip. I always wanted to stay at the top of a snow-covered mountain in a private cabin, with a hot tub and a fireplace. Well, this is exactly what Gabriel arranged. We were in this cabin which was "Ski in, ski out". But for us, is "Board in, board out". These cabins were associated with a beautiful lodge at the base of the mountain. We would spend the day out on the mountain, going to the lodge only to have a quick warmer-upper of coffee, hot chocolate and lunch.
Every day, the chef featured different soups~ and my favorite of the bunch was the Butternut Squash!
SOOOOOO creamy and sweet and deliciously orange!
After a week of eating this soup, I had to ask the chef for the recipe, not believing he would give it to me, BUT HE DID!
So, I have made this soup now every year for the Holidays. Holidays being October through January. My family fights over it. My friends beg me for the recipe. BUT FOR ME, it is about the nostalgia of it all. And for some weird reason, I feel that if I give the recipe out freely (as it was given to me,) it will subtract from the specialness of it all. I plan on passing this recipe on to my daughter, so she can pass it on to her daughters~ and the story of the dream honeymoon, the celebration of our promise to be together in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer will be remembered for generations to come.

I look forward to the day/s I prepare this soup because I make an event out of it. It takes a whole morning or afternoon to make, so I plan for it, and enjoy it to the FULLEST! The smell that emulates from the kitchen on that day is tantalizing! And this is the first year that my daughter was old enough to help (sort-of). At almost three, she was able to stand on her stool and stir the pot and help pour the diced squash into the pot at the right moment~ and pushed the button on the blender when it was time to puree...

I will give the ingredients, at least:
Whole Butter
Sweet Vidalia Onions
Butternut Squash
Heavy Whipping Cream
Chicken Broth
Fresh Sage

I say it is "my" recipe, because I have made it mine.
And "mine" will become "ours" as our family grows.

I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!

Soup Photo: © VisualCuisines.com, Pro Photographer, and BFF Susan Bourgoin.

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