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It Really is the Little Things

When I was young money was tight, but no matter how poor we were mom made a special holiday dessert. I loved her Christmas Jell-O®. It was just the red and green stuff we ate the rest of the year cut into cubes with dollops of whipped cream, but it was beautiful, and always served in a crystal bowl. That is one of my most precious holiday memories. Why? Not a woman given to displays of emotion or sentimentality, that simple holiday dessert was one of the ways my mother expressed love.

You can’t give your children everything they want. It is human nature the more we have the more we want. Give your children lessons in love, joy, peace, faith and selfless giving. Also don’t forget to give your children the little things they will keep forever — memories.

What is your favorite holiday memory of a little thing that mattered most?

Seasonal Healthy Eating/Money Saving Tip

My Fresh Cranberry SauceCopyright 2011 by R.A. Robbins — My Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Copyright 2011 by R.A. Robbins

It’s fresh cranberry season! Associated with the holidays because they are only available from October to December, they are full of wonderful nutrients. In addition to being fat free, cholesterol free, gluten free, sodium free and a good source of vitamin C and fiber, they also contain antioxidants and may help prevent urinary tract infections.

Time to stock up (they freeze nicely). After the holidays they may be marked down. I recently bought 6 bags at 2 for $1.

What to do with fresh cranberries? You can eat them raw, but they are very tart. You can make cranberry sauce, and of course cranberry nut bread, but they may also be used in savory dishes and stews. The great thing about cooking with fresh cranberries is you control the sugar.

My fresh cranberry sauce and pumpkin cranberry bread (with dried cranberries) recipes are in my new ebook, Have Yourself a Healthy Little Holiday, available through Smashwords.

Thought for Today

Winter 2011 (Photo credit: Sz*Alex’s-51)

“Christmas is a time to open our hearts to God and his gifts. Just like the rest of the year.”~Author Unknown

Prayer for Protection

Prayer for Protection is a poem written by Unity minister James Dillet Freeman for all soldiers during World War II. It was also carried into space by astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the first manned moon landing in 1969.

Individuals and churches use this beloved prayer as a reminder that wherever we go, God is. Often the words “and all is well” are added to the end.

I did not grow up with “canned prayers” but I find the words of the Prayer for Protection extremely helpful and comforting, especially during times when words just won’t come. If you are not familiar with the Prayer for Protection visit one of the links below and get acquainted.

The words may be found at http://www.embracehumanity.com/prayer-at-common-ground/prayer-for-protection/ and an audio visual meditation version may be found at http://content.unity.org/prayer/guidedMeditations/prayerForProtection.html

Thought for Today

snow couple wreath — Snow Couple Wreath
Copyright 2011 by R.A. Robbins

“The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity.” — Benjamin Franklin

Easy Handmade Gift Idea

As an artist sometimes I look at the lightweight cardboard divider from a box of tea bags and a handful of brightly colored foil candy wrappers and see a bookmark.

cw bookmark materials — Candy wrapper bookmark materials
Copyright 2011 by R.A. Robbins

Any fancy foil, paper or ribbon scraps would work just as well. I simply arranged the candy wrappers till I came up with a pleasing pattern, then taped them to the cardboard base. All I had at the time was tape, glue would work just as well if you have it on hand. Simple as that. No rules, no right or wrong, no complicated instructions. This is what I came up with.

cw bookmark — Candy wrapper bookmark
Copyright 2011 by R.A. Robbins

Have fun making your own bookmark!

Thought for Today

“The season of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before… What is possible is to not see it, to miss it, to turn just as it brushes past you. And you begin to grasp what it was you missed, like Moses in the cleft of the rock, watching God’s [back] fade in the distance. So stay. Sit. Linger. Tarry. Ponder. Wait. Behold. Wonder. There will be time enough for running. For rushing. For worrying. For pushing. For now, stay. Wait. Something is on the horizon.” — Jan L. Richardson, Night Visions: Searching the Shadows of Advent and Christmas

Spreading the Light #10

Sing, laugh, dance, pray, say “hello” to complete strangers and…

LET THERE BE LIGHT!

Let’s all join together in singing the closing hymn 🙂

Now go take that light out into the world!

Thought for Today

“At this time of year, when the sun is most hidden, the holiday of Hanukkah celebrates the rays of hope and light. Indeed, the physical darkness of this time of year can be a metaphor for the darkness that often envelops us at times of illness and loss of a loved one, when the world sometimes feels dark and cold. At such times, we yearn for the sun, and the light and warmth that it provides. Often it is through simple and unrecognized miracles that we are able to feel the warmth of hope and light.” — Rabbi Rafael Goldstein

Spreading the Light #9

A collection of lit candles on ornate candlesticks (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Agree to set aside differences for the holidays. Give the political, financial, moral and religious arguments a rest. Focus on the person, not their politics and you might just learn something.