Christmas Traditions and Gift Ideas

I’d like to visit Santa Claus and play with all the toys

I’m sure I’d find just heaps of things to make a lot of noise.

I’d like to play with all the dolls and games, and Teddy bears,

And dolly carriages, and beds, and little rocking chairs.

But since he lives too far away for me to go, I fear,

I’m thankful, that at least he comes to visit me, each year.

Jellied Cabbage Salad

This appeared in the Farm and Ranch Review just before Christmas, 1909.

Soften half a package (one ounce) of gelatin in half a cup of cold water and dissolve in a cup and a half of boiling water; let cool a little, then add three cups of chopped cabbage, two green peppers, chopped fine, a teaspoonful of salt, half a cup of sugar, one-fourth of a cup of lemon juice and half a cup of vinegar. Mix together thoroughly and turn into a quart brick mould or a bread pan. When cold and firm cut into cubes about two inches in diameter. Set on lettuce leaves.

Christmas Fruit Cake

Also from the Farm and Ranch Review, this appeared in December of 1911.

Two cups butter, two cups brown sugar, one cup molasses, five eggs, one cup milk, four and one half cups flour, two cups chopped raisins, two cups currants, one cup dates, one cup chopped figs, one cup dried apples, one teaspoon cinnamon, one teaspoon nutmeg, half teaspoon cloves, one teaspoon salt, a pound of lemon, orange and citron combined in any proportion to suit the taste, one cup walnuts, one cup almonds, one teaspoon soda, two teaspoons cream of tartar.

Chop up dried apples and stew them in the molasses until they are clear and tender, adding water if necessary to keep from scorching. Chop fruits, peels and nuts, combine, and sprinkle generously with flour. Sift the spices, soda and cream of tartar with the flour. Cream the butter, add sugar, gradually; break the eggs in and beat thoroughly, and add the milk, then the molasses and apples, which have been allowed to cool; next the flour gradually. When nearly all the flour is in add a cup full of fruits, etc., alternately with a little flour until all is used up. Line cake tins with buttered paper, fill two-thirds full and bake in a moderate oven, until done when tested with a broom corn.

A mother with four school-aged children, Mrs. Leta R. Porter, wrote a number of poems which they could use as recitations at school Christmas concerts. The following one was written for our chubby young son. He got it off well and created a big laugh. Because of its success, Mrs. Porter decided to share it with readers of the Farm and ‘Ranch ‘Review in 1930.

Christmas Recitations

I’ll tell you a tale of a very small boy with an appetite large in proportion:

When Christmas time came he ate all he could hold, even ate to the state of distortion.

On turkey and pie and cranberry sauce,

on pudding and cake and much candy, With oranges, apples, popcorn and nuts, he stuffed on whatever came handy.

Now flesh has a limit; most folk will agree, though the spirit be ever so willing; ‘Twas really surprising how one little boy could hold such a lot at one filling.

The night came at last; his endurance ebbed fast; the feasting and merriment ended.

Then came a suggestion of punishing pains in a tummy too tightly distended.

“Oh, Gee!” sighed the boy, “It’s a whole year again, I must wait for what Santa will send me, And Mother, I’m tired; so put me to bed.

But whatever you do, don’t BEND me!”

Cranberry Sauce

This recipe, attributed to a Mrs. McLaren, comes from the High River Cook Book, published by the Ladies Aid of Chalmer’s Church in 1907.

• 1 ½ quarts of cranberries pressed through a colander,
• 1 ½ quarts of chopped onions,
• 2 lb. of brown sugar,
• 1 ½ tablespoonfuls of salt,
• ¼ cup vinegar,
• 1 tablespoonful each of ginger, cloves, allspice and cinnamon.
• Boil until thick.

Christmas Fig Cake

Mrs. W H. Todd’s recipe for fig cake also appeared in the High River Cook Book.

1 cup of butter creamed,

1 ½ cups of sugar,

1 cup of milk,

3 cups of flour,

3 level teaspoonfuls of baking powder sifted with flour (sift flour three times),

4 egg whites

Bake in two layers.

Add to the remainder the yolks of two eggs, ½ cup each of raisins and currants, a sprinkle of sliced citron, one grated nutmeg, one-half teaspoonful each of cinnamon and cloves, two tablespoonfuls of molasses and one-quarter of a cup of flour. Bake in a tin the same size as other layers and put together with the following fig filling: Chop one pound of figs, add one-half cup of sugar and one cup of water, stew until soft and smooth. Spread between layers and ice the top with chocolate icing.

Ponnukohur

These Icelandic Christmas delicacies come from the kitchen of Marianna Wendel.

• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. vanilla
• ½ cup sour cream or buttermilk
• 1 ½ cup flour
• 2 cups sweet milk

Beat eggs and add sugar, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon. Dissolve the soda in a little boiling water, mix with sour cream, and add to mixture. Add flour and baking powder sifted together. Beat well and gradually stir in the sweet milk. To fry use a crepe pan. Heat and rub with butter, then pour about 1 cup batter on it. Tip pan around until entire bottom is covered. Set back on high heat as quickly as possible, then turn and fry on other side. Stack in a pile, sprinkle with sugar or fold with jam and whipped cream. Makes about 26 cakes.

Vinarterta

• 1 cup butter or margarine 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs separated
• ½ cup whole milk
• 5 cups flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cardammon
• 1 tsp. lemon flavouring 1 tsp. almond flavouring 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 lbs. prunes (soaked overnight)

Mix first 12 ingredients together using only 1 cup of the granulated sugar. Divide dough into seven parts and pat onto baking sheets. Bake at 450cF. or less, until golden. Put layers together with prune filling between. Cut in small squares.

Prune filling: Boil prunes in enough water to cover them, cool, pit, mash. and put back on stove. Bring to boil with 1 cup granulated sugar and part of the water the prunes were boiled in. The mixture must be like thick jam.

Laufabraus

• 2 lbs. flour
• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt
• 4 qts. milk
• Oil for deep frying

Boil the milk. Put the flour on the table and mix with salt and baking powder. Pour the boiling milk over it gradually and mix well. Knead dough until it is glossy and without any cracks. It should not stick to the table and the dough should be tough and solid. Shape into rolls which are divided into equal pieces. Roll the pieces in the palms of the hands to form even cakes that are spread out as thin as possible. The cakes should be round in shape and about the size of a small platter. All kinds of patterns are carved into the cakes with a knife. The cakes are then deep-fried in hot fat until light brown.

This is mainly a North Icelandic dish. It is usually made before Christmas and all members of the family gather together to carve patterns into the cakes.