Good Morning Everyone.
Yesterday was Stir Up Sunday - from the Book of Common Prayer (Anglican) "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Stir Up Sunday, always the Sunday before the 1st Advent, was & is important to me for various reasons but primarily it's a tradition within my family that connects me to my past, my present & hopefully my future. My Gran brought a lot of her family/church traditions with her when she moved from Wales to Canada & while my Mom & her were often at odds with each other, Stir Up Sunday was a tradition my Mom took part in. My Gran would allow all of the grandchildren a stir of the Christmas pudding, which is said to bring good luck. My Mother was not a Christmas pudding maker or liker, so when she had her own kitchen, she would instead make her delicious Christmas cake & we would get a turn to stir that. I still make my Mother's Christmas cake recipe & have only changed one ingredient - I add Grand Mariner liqueur (as the recipe calls for). Neither of my parents were drinkers so alcohol was never added. Are there any Christmas baking traditions that have been passed down to you that you make?
A sobering thought about COVID-19; our Prime Minister, Justine Trudeau told the nation on Friday, that a normal Christmas is just not possible this year. The city of Toronto goes into the red category with restrictions of a lockdown as does the county of Peel for 28 days. Our region, so far, has remained at the orange category. As much as people are grumbling about the lockdowns, we need to remember it is our own fault, we just wouldn't follow the science, the medical advice. Now all of us pay. I'll say no more for now.
On a trip into town to collect a grocery order, I saw that the store had a row of fresh Christmas trees & other greenery on display. What I am seeing every where in every way possible, are these gnomes, which I believe are of Nordic origin. There are lots of local organizations doing online fund raising & one of the ways is to home create these evergreen gnomes. Do you think they are cute? Would you try to make one yourself? Do you place a greenery pot at your front door?
"do your best, while remembering your worth is not attached to what you accomplish."
I saw that Christmas trees are now available at different locations in the town close by. Our area has moved from green to yellow. I quite like those gnomes - the Scandinavian "look" is very cozy to me. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteI think all of Ontario is moving down in colour, which isn't a good thing - come on vaccine. I like & try to practice a lot of the cozy winter ideas I find in all the Hygge sites. When does Christmas break start for you Jenn?
DeleteChristmas trees have started appearing in our local supermarket and The Tree Amigos (great name) set up their pop-up Christmas tree shop in a corner of the park this weekend. I like those wee gnomes - they'll add a splash of colour to any doorstep.
ReplyDeleteChristmas and Covid will be interesting, to say the least. There's talk of a few days grace over the festive period, which I think the country will later regret because people won't be sensible or careful.
I have no thoughts yet on a One Little Word for 2021 - it'll be hard to surpass 2020's choice of 'pause'!
Your 2020 Word was definitely a word for 2020 for everyone. I like the gnomes that are potted evergreen, ready to plant come spring. I have no proof, but I think Toronto & Peel's lockdowns will continue well into Christmas & New Year, already there are people trying to not co-operate. I'm going to behave as though our region was in lockdown.
DeleteNice thoughtful quotes to start and end your post - thanks for sharing. I don't think I had heard of Stir Up Sunday before - sounds like a wonderful family tradition.
ReplyDeleteThe quote at the start is taken directly from our common book of prayer - I believe Stir Up Sunday has deep British roots, hence why it's big in parts of Canada & in my family.
DeleteMy word for 2020 was simplify and I think I will probably carry it through to 2021. I started the year well and life has in many ways been simplified as a direct result of the pandemic, but not always in a good way and not in terms of completing the decluttering. The only other word that keeps coming to mind is 'complete'.
ReplyDeleteSimplify is a good word & I think you have worked well with this OLW throughout 2020. For me my OLW of Nourish was a reminder to not let the pandemic totally deplete me, although at times it was much more of a challenge that I would have prepared for, but isn't that what our words suppose to do - challenge us. :)
DeleteThat's the perfect seasonal mug with its pretty snowflakes :) I've heard of Stir Up Sunday, but it's not a part of our traditional observance.
ReplyDelete"It's our own fault" is a hard pill to swallow, but people need to wake up to the danger. This is _not_ just like the seasonal flu!
I picked up our wreaths at the grocery store the other day and went ahead and hung them on the patio. We use an artificial tree. I don't do an annual word but enjoy seeing what others have chosen. "Nourish" is something we've all needed during the stress of this year.
I cannot believe there are people still believing this is like a seasonal flu ...
DeleteWe do artificial trees indoors & we get a real evergreen wreath from our financial guy, but it has to stay outside because of the cats. I do like the scent of fresh evergreens.
Yes, some people have only themselves to blame for a situation which I worse than it needed to have been. You're right.
ReplyDeleteI love the photo of your bright, Christmassy ingredients, especially the green candied fruit (which I once tried to find here for a panettone, but no joy!) Happy eating!
I must admit that bowl of fruit looks brighter than it actually is because I used a flash - Sunday was such a dull day with 15cm of snow falling (it's melting fast now). OH I do like a panettone toasted for breakfast ...
DeleteThose little gnomes are cute!
ReplyDeleteI have very fond memories of stirring the Christmas cake mix on exactly the right day when I was growing up, and making my wish. My husband is the only one in our family who likes Christmas cake nowadays so I'm ashamed to say that I don't make one. I'm not sure he could manage a whole cake on his own (although he'd probably give it a good try!).
It is a real shame that people who have not followed the rules have undone all the good done by those who have and such a shame that it will have a knock on effect to normal Christmas celebrations. Over here there is talk of a reduction in restrictions because I think they know that people will do as they wish anyway. Maybe people will heed the rules more if there is a bit of flexibility rather than give a total ban on mixing. Who knows? I think until the vaccines are up and running we have to accept that we can't do what we want. We've come so far now, what is another couple of months?
I agree with you Deb about maybe easing but with some strict guidelines, for Christmas. I'd read it was one of the reasons they did not extreme the school Christmas break, people would just use that time to go visiting/partying.
DeleteWe like a lighter Christmas cake in this house. I have my Mom's & another recipe that make smaller loaves & are not heavy at all, plus I always cut the amount of sugar.
There are a lot of Christmas decorations out here as well, but I've seen no gnomes. I've bought a greenery ball that we hang near our front door on a pole, but it won't leave the garage until after Thanksgiving. Our tree is going up before Thanksgiving because Tracy wants to golf on Friday---our usual decorating day. I'll do the rest of the house while he plays with his friends. (Wish I had a relatively safe way to play with my friends.) I have done a couple masked, socially distanced walks with friends in the last couple of weeks. The snow (hopefully not too soon) will put an end to that. My OLW, Commit, has worked pretty well until the last couple of months, but I'm continuing to track my progress. Like you, I've had no inkling of an appropriate and helpful word for 2021.
ReplyDeleteI had waffled on getting one of those evergreen gnomes, but alas I took too long to decide & now there are gone. Hopefully a second shipment will be had. I walked alone today, there was a lot of ice out there so it was a stop & start walk & like you I wish there was a way to be with friends but alas, we stay apart now so when we do meet again no one is missing. I think our trees will go up this weekend - I need the cheer.
DeleteYour photos make it feel as if Christmas is just around the corner :). We won't put up our tree until close to Christmas itself, but there'll be an Advent wreath at the door and an Advent candle on the table in the meantime. Hoping you continue to be able to get out and about despite the weather; icy conditions underfoot is my dread.
ReplyDeleteWe have now had 2 days of rain, drizzle & fog, so really nasty walking weather. In the BC days - Before COVID - I could walk at an indoor track in the winter months or even walk at the mall, now those choices are removed. Do you get a live tree for Christmas? We are artificial tree folk. :-)
DeleteI hope your cakes turns out well. I always like to make mince pies on Christmas Eve.
ReplyDeleteOh I do like a warm mince pie. I read that eating one for the 12 days of Christmas, brings you good luck. My friend usually makes & shares with me - umm I wonder if she will this year?
DeleteI have two Christmas baking traditions. With Mum departing years ago, it is now me who makes the traditional Plum Pudding in the cloth. Plus I make several fruit cakes using my mother’s original somewhat battered cake tin, mixing ingredients by hand just as my mother did.
ReplyDeleteThey both sound like lovely traditions Marilyn. Let's hope that both your daughters take up the "spoon" in years to come.
Delete