Here are some good tips I’ve read or heard about:

• Go ahead and have small servings of things you like that are fattening…just eat in moderation!
• Eat slowly and chew your food well.
• Drink water with your meals (or tea) - I’ve heard to drink a glass of water before the meal.
  
• Try to choose some items off fresh fruit and vegetable platters.
• Try to choose something with fiber which will make you full faster (whole grain breads, whole grain crackers, fresh fruits and vegetables)
• Sit farther away from a buffet table so it’s less convenient to get seconds.
• Visit with people so you have something to take your mind off of eating.
• At home, keep cookies, candy, and treats out of sight in a place that’s not easy to reach.
• Go for a brisk walk - It not only helps your metabolism, but it also helps relieve stress.
• In parking lots, park away from the store so you get in some extra walking time. (A few minutes here and there adds up.)
• Whenever you have the chance, take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Get enough sleep - people have a tendency to eat more when they’re tired and stressed.

Here’s what happened that Holy Night. I invite you to read below first and then listen to the song. Click to listen to Oh, Holy Night ~ It’s very special to me, and I would like to share it with you.

Luke 2:1-14
2:1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. 2 This was the first enrollment, when Quirin’i-us was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. 7 And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn..

8 And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; 11 for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”
RSV (from Biblesoft PC Study Bible, Version 3)
I like to imagine the above passage as I’m listening to this song.

This is a delicious recipe that I started making 25 years ago. I got the recipe from a teacher friend with whom I taught school.

Cut in large pieces:

• 2 pounds dates
• 8 ounces candied cherries
• 8 ounces candied pineapple
• 16 ounces pecans (4 cups)

Sift the following ingredients and scatter over fruit & nuts:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  

Cream the following ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar

Beat into the sugar mixture:

• 2 eggs

Add the fruit and nuts to the mixture. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for 10-13 minutes.

Nearly all my friends agree…the month of December is just too hectic. Sometimes there is so much to do that a person can feel overwhelmed! There’s all the shopping and more shopping, setting up the Christmas tree and decorating the house, desserts and festive dishes to make for parties and dinners, endless events to attend, some last minute item to go out and shop for, Christmas cards galore to write and address (every year our list gets bigger), and then on top of all of that there’s housecleaning for company that’s coming to visit. It can be extremely overwhelming!

What helps me the most during this hectic time is a verse from the Bible in Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” That’s it, pure and simple. Just be still…be still…be still…and know God. I pray that we can go to a quiet place, all by ourselves, and know the glory and wonder of Christmas…what Christmas is all about: the love of God shown to us when he sent his only, precious Son to this earth as a tiny baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Be still…and know God.

(Psalms 46 was my mother’s favorite.)

Reeves International Inc. has recalled 36,000 ornaments due to excessive amounts of lead in the surface paint, amounts that exceed the federal lead paint standards. These ornaments were manufactured in China and have been sold at retailers across the country, including the JC Penney catalog and Web site, from July 2006 through October 2007 for between $15 and $18. Below is a description of the ornaments:

• 2006 Snow Princess Stirrup Ornament is a stirrup-shaped ornament with a white prancing horse and blue ribbons. “2006” is stamped on the rim of the ornament.
• The 2007 Wintersong Stirrup Ornament is a stirrup-shaped ornament with a grey horse with saddle bags with a horn and a violin. “2007” is stamped on the rim of the ornament.
• The 2007 Photo Frame Horse Shoe Ornament is a horse shoe shaped ornament with a brown horse with rider jumping over a gate. “Happy Holiday 2007” is printed on the back of the ornament.

If you have purchased one of these ornaments, just return it to the store where purchased for a full refund, or you can contact Reeves International Inc. at (800) 444-4775 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit their Web site at www.breyerhorses.com to receive instructions for returning the ornaments.

I am especially concerned with lead amounts in paints now that we have a new grandbaby who will soon be putting everything in his mouth, and I’m so glad that people are being made aware of products that don’t meet safety standards.

.

There are several Christmas songs that have “joy” in their lyrics such as the well known song, Joy to the World. So what does this mean to me in my life? It means that I have a joy that doesn’t come from this world, a joy that can’t be taken away from me. It doesn’t come from things I own, how many clothes I have hanging in my closet,or what kind of car I drive. It comes from knowing that Christ came to this world and took my place on the cross. He was an innocent little baby when he was born in the stable and slept in the manger, and He was just as innocent when he died on the cross for my sins. I’ve been given the most awesome gift there could ever be, and that fills me with joy.

This is so different from the usual stuffing recipe that I thought I would share it with you. One neat thing about this recipe is that you can do all the prep work, combine everything in the dish, keep it in the frig, and then bake it a couple of days later when you need it:

• 16 oz cornbread stuffing mix
• 2 cups crushed Fritos (9 oz bag)
• 2 cups chopped onion
  
• 5 ribs chopped celery with some leaves
• 2 tsp sage
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 3 cans chicken broth (2 cans for mixture & 1 can to use as needed on top)
  
• olive oil

Saute the onions and celery in olive oil. Crush Fritos in large bag with rolling pin. Mix 2 cans of chicken broth (save 3rd can for later) with all of the other ingredients. Be sure to mix well. Put mixture in a lightly greased 3 quart dish.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350. Add a little more broth evenly on top right before baking. Bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.

A play yard is great to put around your raised Christmas tree to keep little hands from taking off the ornaments or unwrapping the presents, or to keep little people from knocking over the tree, or maybe even keep them from climbing it. When our son was a toddler, our play yard was a perfect solution to keep him from playing with all the ornaments on the tree and the gifts under the tree. It’s been so long that I don’t remember him trying to climb the tree, but he was a climber and given the opportunity, he probably would have tried to climb the Christmas tree. We did have to put the tree up a little higher to get the tree completely out of his reach, though, so we put an end table inside the play yard and then put the Christmas tree up on top of the end table. Hard as he might try, he just couldn’t reach the tree!

The Gallery Collection, established in 1929, is the leading mail order publisher of premium quality greeting cards. They have an extensive assortment of beautiful cards to meet every business need. Their personalized business holiday cards are truly beautiful, designed by their artisans for a quality of greeting card that is unmatched. There seems to be an absence of that type of card today. This Corporate Christmas Cards Company provides the finest quality greeting cards available.
Not only does Gallery Collection make beautiful cards, but they have done a public service by providing holiday greeting cards for Soldier’s Angels which provides comfort to our military men and women and their families. Gallery Collection has donated a card for each soldier wishing them Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and “Thanks.” Our military has done so much for our country and it’s wonderful for them to receive a card showing our appreciation. Thank you, Gallery Collection!

Here are some great ideas about house cleaning during the holidays:

• Don’t stress about it! Put on some of your favorite music. Music speeds up cleaning and makes it more fun.
• Don’t let clutter get out of control! Spend 10 minutes a day putting things back where they go.
  
• Prioritize your rooms! Clean the room that is most used by guests first. (probably the living room) Then move on from there.
• Handle mail one time! As you look through your daily mail, either recycle it, put bills in their place, or put it in a basket for things that need your attention. Don’t waste time going through your mail two or three times.
  
• Kill germs! The last thing you want is to catch a cold or get sick during the holidays. Sanitize telephones, doorknobs, remote controls, light switches, water faucets, refrigerator and microwave door handles, flush handles on toilets, anything that more than one person touches.