little tree.......

(1961)

LITTLE TREE (1920) by e.e. Cummings

little tree ...little silent Christmas tree,
you are so little, you are more like a flower.

 who found you in the green forest, and were you very sorry to come away?  see I will comfort you because you smell so sweetly

 I will kiss your cool bark and hug you safe and tight,
just as your mother would, only don't be afraid

 look the spangles that sleep all year in a dark box
dreaming of being taken out and allowed to shine, the balls the chains red and gold the fluffy threads,

 put up your little arms and I'll give them all to you to hold.

 every finger shall have its ring,

 and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy

 Then when you're quite dressed

 You'll stand in the window

 For everyone to see

 And how they'll stare!

 Oh but you'll be very proud

 And my little sister and I

 will take hands..........

 And looking up at our beautiful tree

 We'll dance and sing

 Noel Noel!

 Photographs 2019 e.e. Cummings (1894-1962)American poet, artist. author, and playwright. He wrote about 2,900 poems, two autobiographical novels, four plays, and several essays.

The Meaning of Christmas..........

 "Christmas time!That man must be a misanthrope indeed! In whose heart something like a jovial feeling is not roused.In whose mind some pleasant associations are not awakened.....by the recurrence of Christmas! " - Charles Dickens ( Sketches by Boz)

 Found one of my favourite pieces of Christmas prose by Frances Joseph Spellman (1889-1967) Sixth Archbishop of New York from 1939 till  his death.....

 THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

Holiday and Holy Day, Christmas is more than a yule log, holly or tree. It is more than natural good cheer and the giving of gifts. 

 Christmas is even more than the feast of the home and of children, the feast of love and friendship.

 It is more than all of these together.Christmas is Christ, the Christ of justice and charity, of freedom and peace.

 The joy of Christmas is a joy that war cannot kill, for it is the joy of the soul and the soul cannot die.

 Poverty cannot prevent the joy of Christmas, for it is a joy no earthly wealth can give. Time cannot wither Christmas, for it belongs to eternity.

 The world cannot shatter it, for it is union with Him who has overcome the world.

 The leaders and peoples of nations must understand these fundamental truths if we are ever to have freedom and peace.

 Unless charters and pacts have a divine sanction,

 Unless "God is the Paramount ruler of the world"

 then again and again, as the waves upon the shore...

 must catastrophe follow catastrophe.

 Not until men lay aside greed, hatred, pride and the tyranny of evil passions...

 to travel the road that began at Bethlehem,

 will the Star of Christmas peace illuminate the world.

 Christmas is the Birthday of freedom...

 For it is in Him that makes all people free.....

 “December is full of the beauty of Light and love we can bring into our life.You can chose to be stressed or you can choose to let the small stuff go and be peaceful this Holiday season.
It really is a choice you make.”                                  ― Eileen Anglin

 Photographs 2017( Meaning of Christmas excerpt from "1000 Beautiful Things, 1948)

 “It was snowing. It was always snowing at Christmas. December, in my memory, is white as Lapland, though there were no reindeers. But there were cats.” 
― Dylan Thomas, A Child's Christmas in Wales

SALTINE TOFFEE

 "Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart." -Washington Irving.

  My mother was always so generous to my friends when they came over at Christmas. She would make a wonderful meal, with the house all decorated, and  send each person home with treats, or xmas card boxes filled with shortbread.

1978

The fire would be roaring,  Christmas music playing, and everyone dressed to the nines. She lived on a pension , so things were tight, but every year she would budget for a party. She loved having my friends over. It was a happy , young  time , and it felt good. It felt like Christmas.

 This year, Smokey sits in the window once more. A gift from some dear , wonderful friends.  We were missing him, looking at the window or the door all the time,expecting to see him there. But all I ever saw was a shadow of him that once was. He was hung up in the window the day I made  the  TOFFEE.  I could imagine him pressing his face against the glass, washing his paws as he used to.

 SALTINE TOFFEE is easy peasy. Makes a great gift.  Kind of addictive, so try to have some restraint........or not!

 1 ½ packets of salted soda crackers

½ cup butter ( not margarine)

1 cup brown sugar

Lots  of chocolate chips 

Line cookie sheet with foil. Spray foil with Pam. Lay crackers over foil, filling the entire space. 

 By the way: I wrote "LOTS of chocolate chips" cause it's  kind of hard to figure out how many.  Enough to cover the sheet of cracker toffee should do it.

 Combine butter and brown sugar in saucepan. Boil 3 mins. Careful not to have the heat to high, or it will scorch. Stir continuously till bubbling all over.

 "Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients  of a truly Merry Christmas."-Peg Bracken

 That reminds me the the Christmases my mother would keep  shortbread in a huge glass antique cookie jar. She would count them methodically. Lay them in icing sugar. I was often told not to touch. They were for company. But in the wee hours of the morning I could not resist and would sneak a couple from the middle layers.  One early morning, I found my mother  with icing sugar on her fingers, as she was raiding that jar, and a cup of tea  beside her. Seems like we both had the same idea....

 Back to the recipe: Pour mixture , thinly, over all the crackers and spread evenly. 

 Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. 

 Crackers will most likely  float. 

 That's okay. The whole pan will bubble up and become very  , very hot. Handle with care.

 Remove from oven and while warm, sprinkle LOTS of chocolate chips over toffee. Cover the entire surface. 

 Place back into warm oven. Chips will soften

 Be careful of the hot toffee. It will not harden, but soften into a Brown Sugar paste, almost.

 Then spread with flat spatula, till all melted and even.

 Put into fridge to set.When set, break into pieces.  Be sure to hide this……it is irrestistible……I have tried to freeze it, and as long as it is not frozen for longer than three weeks will be okay. Be sure to keep in a sturdy ziploc bag.

 "At Christmas, all roads lead home." -Marjorie Holmes

 Photographs 2017