Santa and one story of Christmas past

Hannah didn't quite know what to make of this guy in the red suit in the bedroom yesterday morning. 

Since Hubby has started playing Santa for the Christmas season, I wanted to share this story from the past. 

          One year, the last day of school before Christmas break, Val was driving her car to school when she ran in the ditch. As she was about to make a call for help on her cell phone, two men drove up in a four-wheel drive pickup.  

          “Can we pull you out?” they offered. She was much obliged. As one of them was getting a chain from the back of his truck, another vehicle pulled up.

          “What happened here?” a round man in a full white beard, red suit, and red hat trimmed in white fur asked.

          “Isn’t it obvious?” Val immediately displayed her disdain for this jolly old elf.

          The two strangers pulled her car out of the brush on the side of the road and the man in red handed them a twenty. “Ho, ho, ho. Thank you so much for helping this little girl. Buy yourselves some beer with the money.”

          I don’t know what these two young men thought, but they took the bill, nodded their thanks and drove off. Val gave Santa one last scowl before driving off herself.

It would take her years to see the humor in the whole situation. What kind of Santa gives somebody money for beer? In her mind it would have been so much less embarrassing if her step-dad, on his way to a Santa gig, would have just kept driving.

But that was our Val. 

All the Little Cookies from Christmases Past

 

Making the roll-out cookies in 2015

These were from 2010. I guess I haven't changed my decorating much. 

Looks like I was measuring the sugar to use on the spritz cookies in 2014.

Tried something different in 2017. Did not make them again. 

I don't know where these came. Could be store bought.

These were definitely professionally made. 

There's all the little cookies I make every year.

I've been watching way too many videos of a woman decorating her roll-out cookies with royal icing, so I had to look up the recipe and bought the secret ingredient at walmart yesterday. I'll keep you posted how that turns out!

A Couple Christmases Past

Love in the snow

The two grandmas in 2012. My mom sure is pale. At least the cookies are colorful.  

The grandmas in 2013. The picture of my mom the following year, she was so pale that I can't even share it. The poor thing. 

More of Grandma Kincaid's Christmas trees. 

Do you think she gets to decorate Christmas trees in heaven?

Dino the Wonder Dog and Nick's dog Wesley. Both are gone now. 

Santa once again hard at work. 

Santa incognito 

Lights in the snow

I pray you are doing well and not stressing about things you need to do this month. Relax, take it easy, enjoy the lights, and feel the peace. 

Christmases Past - 2011

Our Christmas Tree in 2011

My mom's tree that year. She was still in her mobile home then. 

My mother-in-law's. She always packed on the ornaments. She loved Christmas and loved decorating for it. 

The big guy on duty, looking like he's been drinking too much egg nog. 

And now he's off duty. 

Mom, who hated getting her picture taken. And it shows. 

Nick always has been a ham for the camera. 

I listen to Christmas music pretty much non-stop the whole month of December. Just as I was posting this picture, the song Auld Lang Syne came on my computer. Crap. I knew it was a bad idea to post pictures of past Christmases this year. Yet, I don't think it was a coincidence that that song came on just now. God has His plan. And I'll be okay. 

Christmases past - 2010

 

As you know, it has been another rough year around here. Don't know how many Christmas cookies I'll bake or decorate. Also, didn't feel much up to writing a series of Christmas blog posts for the month of Decmeber. Plus, do any of you really have time to read them? So this year, to keep it simple - I present a series of pictures from Christmases past. 

Torturing the family by making them wrap presents. 

All the stockings hung with care.

Stockings of pets who have passed and - well - our foreign exchange student Ines, who thankfully went home two years before. 

TV rabbit ears growing out of my head. 

The tree

What Will We Eat Next?

Is everybody eating turkey for thanksgiving again this year? I wish I could talk Hubby into something different, like something international, or a different dish from a different country.

I told him that I had some ideas.

Our first full day in Prague, we stopped at Zlaty Strom restaurant. I had the Penne Pollo (chicken pasta) and a raspberry lemonade to drink.

 The food was good, but the atmosphere was the selling point. This is the ceiling!

Commonly made and sold by street vendors, these are called chimney cakes. I wish I had a picture of them being made into this shape, by spiraling dough around a stick before setting them on the rotisserie over the fire to cook. When they are done, they are filled with whipped crème or ice cream. We were disappointed in the one we tried, but perhaps we should have tried another one from some place else before we judge.

The day we went to Český Krumlov, we had lunch at the Travelers Hostel and Restaurant, as our tour guide had recommended it. I had the chicken breaded cutlet with mashed potatoes and Denise had chicken breast in mushroom sauce. Both were very good.

One of the couples from our tour ate with us also, and they had the grilled cheese and bread (which clearly was not a grilled cheese sandwich) and something else that I can’t remember at all. They also ordered two slices of honey spice bread which they shared with us, and it was delicious! Didn’t get a picture of that.

And believe it or not, I didn’t get a picture of all of our food. But I will keep showing you what I did get.

In Dresden, Germany, we wandered around the market for a while, trying to decide what to get. It was a no brainer all along, but we had to dwell on it anyway. It was indeed the best bratwurst I’ve had, and living in Wisconsin, I have eaten my share of brats.

Our last day in the Czech Republic, we were in Kutná Hora and found this literal hole in the wall to eat our lunch. Café Harmonia.

There were no other customers when we walked in. In fact, the lights were off in the dining room, but the lone server flipped them on for us and was extremely sweet. I believe this is the tortilla sandwich with ham and cheddar cheese. Oh, so very good! I’m just discovering now, that just like in the States, you can look up their menus on-line. Don’t know why I find that surprising.

But here is the truly surprising thing. When traveling to any foreign country, you need to be ready for whatever bathroom facilities are available, and trust me, I’ve used some pretty abysmal toilets. Oh, my goodness, but look at this one! I had to flush it three times to get the video. I left a hefty tip, to make up for my wastefulness.

Back at the hotel, for our farewell dinner that night, they served another filling and delicious meal. All and all, no complaints about any of the food. 

Ancestors

Matthew 1, Verse 2  Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.   Verse 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse.   Verse 13  Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud. Abiud was the father of Eliakim. Eliakim was the father of Azor.   Verse 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

And all the other names in between, which make up the entire genealogy of Jesus.

I wasn’t going to post anything today, because yesterday I got caught up in my own family tree and lost track of time. But when I remembered the opening chapter to the book of Matthew, I thought I could throw something together.

I have really only scratched the surface of my ancestors, having gone back only four generations on most of the sides of the family. Found some interesting stuff, though.

Sadly, a lot of babies only lived a month or two. One wasn’t even given a name; he was listed as Kind Ohne Taufe, which translates to “child not baptized”. He was born and died the same day – October 9, 1867. Which is no doubt why, as I’m looking up all these newborns, they were all baptized within a few days of being born.

I also found something interesting in several baptismal records. Along with the usual name, date of birth, parents’ names, a few of them list “Legitimacy: Unehelich”. That translates to “illegitimate”. At least the church let those moms get their kiddos baptized.

I also have been looking up on Google Maps all the towns they lived and died in. I study those towns and villages and wonder exactly where they lived, what they did, who their neighbors were. I did find something that got me very excited.

In one of the records of my second great-grandmother, it listed the author of that information as Evangelische Kirche. Stadtkirche zu Sankt Margarethen, which is the Evangelical City Church of St. Margaret. I google-mapped that, and it is a church which is still standing! It has a history starting in 1127, with the current building having been built 1791. Services are still held there and its website shows pictures of the beautiful old building.

A place where my ancestors attended church! Something concrete.

But you know, we all have something concrete from our past, even if we can’t see it or touch it. It is the love of God for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. And Jesus’s family tree leads all the way through the centuries straight to us.

Because I hate pilfering pictures off the internet, this is not St Margaret Church in Germany. This is St James in Kutna Hora, Czechia. But St Margaret’s is just as beautiful to me.