When Will Santa Get To NH?

UP A NEW HAMPSHIRE CHRISTMAS TREE

Yes, it's possible to celebrate Christmas somewhere other than New Hampshire. I've done it, even once harking my heralding angels for a winter in Tucson, Arizona. But, as a native Granite Stater in the desert, I just couldn't warm up to jackalope reindeer, Frosty The Sandman, and hanging tinsel on a barrel cactus with the same degree of Ho-Ho-Holiday cheer, so I came home to snow country.

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A Real New Hampshire Harvest Festival

In colonial days Christmas was not always celebrated. Instead in autumn at harvest time neighbors and towns would gather together to celebrate their bounty. Crops and other edibles were prepared for storage, to be eaten during the long winter.

The Remick Museum in Tamworth New Hampshire has several exciting events and programs coming up that you will want to attend.

- Piccalilli (Relish) Workshop - Saturday, September 8, 2007, from 10AM to 12 NOON; Registration deadline is Thursday, September 6

- Harvest Festival at Remick Museum, September 15, 2007 -- 1 to 4 PM -- historic crop harvesting techniques, learn how to make a corn husk doll, craft making, farm games, music, join in the community spirit.

- Victorian Tea, September 22, 2007 from 3-5 PM, Enoch Remick House, you must pre-register.

- Historic Thanksgiving: Saturday, November 10, 2007, from 1-4 PM

- Victorian Christmas: Sunday, December 9, 2007, from 1-4 PM

In the photograph above Museum Interpreter, Virginia Taylor, serves yellow pear tomato conserve to Georgie Duscai in the Visitor's Center at Remick Museum, July 2007. (Photograph used with permission of the Remick Museum).

Janice

Seems like a forth of July parody

When did the Forth of July parade turn into a moving billboard of shameless promotion for ones own business or political affiliation? Did I not get the bulletin? This years forth of July parade which I attended was just that. Perhaps 50 percent of it consisted of people driving their own vehicle (or bulldozer) plastered with a logo and phone number. I didn't drive 10 minutes and mingle among the masses for an hour in the sunshine waiting on a parade just to learn the name of my local Septic Tank pumping service. Thank you for thinking of me, though!

There were regiments of sign wielding campaigners (mostly kids not old enough to vote) promoting their candidate of choice and wearing matching tee shirts. I laughed when a certain marching clan of them (I won't mention the candidate's name) starts with an R and ends with a Y, got a low murmur of booing and hissing as they passed by. In case there is any question, I mean the candidate with the 4 letter name, not the 6 letter one.

And it didn't end there. Practically every business was giving away something (mostly balloons) with their logo on it. Banks, Insurance companies, Real Estate franchises, brothels, and did I mention Banks. This young kid was handing out flags for $5. What... they're not free, I asked. They weren't even the good ones.

Then there was this guy, well... it might have been a woman, a very tall woman, I couldn't tell since he/she was dressed in a yellow duck costume. The nearby dog saw it and immediately started barking, so we consoled it with the fact that this particular breed of bird probably tasted like chicken. The dog seemed appeased by knowing this.

And the grand finale was when "Uncle Sam" sporting a Segway draped in patriotic fabric almost fell face first onto the pavement when the fabric got caught up in the wheels and spun him around. I laughed ... is it just me?

And let me just say this to all those patriotic people also attending this parade that stood in front of me blocking my view so you could get an even better view to watch the parade from, there was a reason I showed up early, and it wasn't to reserve a place for you.

Happy 4th of July!

Elcrackers!

4th of July Reflections: A New Hampshire Patriot

What exactly is a New Hampshire patriot?

Oh, I'm sure a few names come to mind right away--John Stark, Matthew Thornton, or perhaps the name of an ancestor or two from your own family, or the town where you live.

But....

The Flying Pig Whirligig, And Other Bargains

If you can't find it here, you don't need it.

Pardon me if I borrow the old country store witticism, but Memorial Day is the beginning of the bargaining season, where everything new is old again. Welcome to those weekend gatherings of clans and neighbors around shaky tabletops and folding chairs, where the finest in attic, basement and closet clutter is haggled over and passed on.

Yes, I confess: I'm a yard sale junkie.

Raising Your Pint to St. Patrick...

If you are called Liam, Patrick, Kathleen or Sheila; or have a surname like Ryan, Gallagher, Grady or Mannion;

If you wear your Irish pride, a shamrock on your lapel, or a spud around your neck;

Holidays: The Aftermath

So. Christmas is now part of our treasured memories. We tip the scales a pound or two heavier. We sit numbly before our still brightly lit tree, boggling at how we are going to fit all those decorations back into a few boxes. The lack of snow made the entire holiday feel surreal.

Either my relatives read my earlier post about their odd...um typical gifts, or I hit the jackpot this year. Among my interesting gifts were the iPod nano that I had so coveted (from my techno-geek son and wife), computer game software (from my husband who peeked at my Amazon.com Wish List), and of all things, a Loon whistle (from my mother-in-law).

The Loon whistle was the most intriguing item. Shaped like a loon (well sort of) you blow in its bu.... err tail. At the same time you move your finger over the "pitch hole." Once you get past the disturbing thought of where you are placing your mouth and finger, the device makes a haunting sound. I'm not convinced it would convince a loon that another of its kind was nearby. The gutteral trills might instead summon the Lakawaka.

The software gift is a computer game called Age of Empires III. For those of you familiar with the older version, it came populated with societies from ancient civilizations (such as Egyptian and Mesopotamian) who would gather resources, with the goal of becoming a mighty empire. My updated version (III) allows you to settle the American colonies, build villages and economies, and fight off invading enemies.

I'm still in "learning how to play" mode, and I chose a campaign in New England--a bucolic seacoast setting, with a friendly Iroquois village nearby. The British troops shouted with joy as they destroyed my trading post. In the end, I was victorious. This time.

But alas, I cannot spend much time with my strategy game. There is laundry to do, turkey to cook (because there was no room in the freezer with it in there), thank-you notes to write, news to catch up on, and last but not least, my prayers for peace in the coming new year.

I'd enjoy learning about your holidays.

Janice

Unrequested Christmas Letter

In response to something in a reply to something that Janice mentioned a few entries ago, I felt compelled to post this Christmas letter from some good friends of mine, an L.A. screen writer and artist. After all, not everyone has the pleasure of receiving a holiday letter packed with the minute details of life in a family they barely know. Consider this your Christmas tonic.

HOLIDAY GREETINGS 2006!

Well, it’s hard for the Thompson Family to believe that another year has gone by here on McCormick Street – a year of crushing debt, personal humiliation, unexplained odors and those strange mewling sounds that come from all of our electrical outlets. It’s especially hard for Frank to believe, since he has recently become convinced that there are two additional months in the calendar – Dennistember and Lollapatober.

Elf Yourself

Tokens of Christmas

In New Hampshire's colonial days, the pastor of the local Presbyterian Church would meet with his parishioners to examine their "spirit soundness," and then issue them a token that allowed them to receive communion.

This token was a physical indicator that you were meeting local standards of conduct. In other words, you had a basic level of knowledge or expertise about your church and belief system--enough so that you "deserved" the gift of communion.

I admire that tradition. Perhaps that concept of "activity soundness," and "talent-appropriateness" should be applied to holiday activities.

Decorating: Not all decorators are created equal. My parents were among those who should never have been allowed near a Christmas tree. Sugarplums never danced in my childhood head. Instead, I have visions of a slew of ugly trees--the tinsel tree with the matching color wheel, the cheesy plastic bells and canned snow. Oh, and let's not forget the decorations that we made from egg cartons and pipe cleaners. Mom proudly displayed those keepsakes until we turned 40.

Meals: Can you spell party platter? That is the safest food group among my clan. I don't understand how an entire generation ended up deficient in the "good cook" gene--but we did. During the holidays we sit around reminiscing about grandma's desserts, and how great the food tasted in the "old days." These days when our family gathers for meals, we feel lucky not to end up with, at worst food poisoning, or at best charcoal in our teeth. Hey, take-out works.

Gifts: Someone should give classes in gift selection. Every year, without fail, I get presents that boggle the mind. Apparently my circle of family and friends feel that one can never have enough hand-knitted "scuffy" slippers, plastic Westies (that scare my real pup), and fruitcake (obviously recycled).

Well, in retrospect, maybe my family would indeed flunk the talent test for decorating, cooking and gift giving. And if a "proctor of Christmas" was passing out tokens to people who showed promise in those areas, my kin would not make the cut.

But despite being slackers in some areas, we always came together with great joy. My parent's home was filled with laughter, music, excitement, and love.

Even a fruitcake, given with love, beats out an iPod nano. Well...maybe :D

Janice

making egg nog with jack herman (dad)

This week my parents hosted a holiday gathering and I got to record my father and I trying out the family egg nog recipe. This is a recipe that my family has enjoyed for many generations. My father assures me that this is exactly as he was taught. Now we give the recipe to the world. Enjoy!

the passion of the christmas decorating

Jon Wellington of Bedford is one of the funniest people I know. Below you see a photo of his yearly Christmas decoration display. Click the image to witness the sincere passion he feels for the holiday season. If you feel inspired, then post a photo of your own decorations. Do it for Wellington! He needs the competition.

That warm and fuzzy feeling

Geek Alert: The Pain-Free Way to be Charitable

I'm not necessarily saying that being charitable is painful, but some folks act like it.

There is no lack of excuses. Maybe you are edgy about exactly how your donation will be spent (that bellringer looks like he might abscond with the funds), or you don't ever carry cash. You see the "canned food donation barrel" at the store's exit, but you don't think a needy family will appreciate receiving the can of artichoke hearts you just purchased. Perhaps the weather is way too warm, and you are having a difficult time getting into the holiday mood anyway.

The New Hampshire Food Bank announced that they had record donations this Thanksgiving, so there obviously are some folks out there who made donations. I'm sure that all of the families who had nutritious food (and a real turkey!) have grateful hearts.

So, how about all the folks who just didn't get around to donating? They meant to, they are really good people... they just procrastinated.

Well, there is an easy way for those folks to be charitable. All you have to do is search on the internet. Yes, thats all. Oh, and you need to use a special search engine (Yahoo-powered) called GoodSearch. To make it even easier, you can even add the GoodSearch toolbar to your web browser. (I've done this and it works great).

Children's Christmas Book!

Holiday 603 - When Does The Season Start for You?

A flurry of holiday-related posts (Janice, John, Rick and El) got me thinking, we should have a holiday category on Area 603. A chance to peek into the collective psyche of our 603izens. After all, how you choose to celebrate a given holiday must say something about you, no? Mother's Day? Valentine's Day? Easter? Christmas? Flag Day? Our idyllic idea of each holiday well spent is probably as unique as a fingerprint. We ought to dust for 'em.

So there's now officially a holiday category. Let's fill it up with rituals, remembrances and resources.

And here's a question to kick us off -- when (if you celebrate it) do you officially begin your Christmas season? When do you set up the tree, hoist the lights and start buying eggnog? (Do you drink eggnog?)

For me it's usually the start of Advent -- but this year we jumped the gun a week and decorated last Sunday. Not sure why, except that the kids are now both old enough to really get a kick out of the lights, and to help decorate the tree, and that made it harder to wait. Hope there's something left besides dry, brown, denuded branches come Christmas!

How about you?

Miracle on South Street

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like the world goes a little faster every year. This becomes most apparent at the onset of winter, which is kind of like an annual deadline. There are some things that just have to be done before it gets too cold or else they simply have to wait, and the list of undone tasks grows every fall. For instance, this year I never got around to planting bulbs, one of the easiest ways to cheer up mud season. My driveway is about five years overdue for a coat of sealant. I still have leaves from my late-dropping silver maple all over my yard. (I know, there’s no snow yet and the ground isn’t frozen, but I’m already resigned to cleaning up the yard after the thaw.) I never turned the mulch pile or tilled the garden before I dumped the few measly tarps of leaves I was able to scrap together. My plan to paint the exterior of the house in sections is such a bold initiative that I suppose I can wait another season to start it up.

At a certain point, the activities of the year actually “lap” you and leave you in their dust. But it’s only at that point that you begin to discover the true blessings of procrastination. Case in point, the storm doors and windows I never took down last spring (it was so cool last summer I never felt the need) are fine just where they are. Mission accomplished. But then, while casing my forlorn yard, I noticed that the Christmas lights I strung last year and never took down had been chewed by squirrels and their wires were dangling.

I found some duct tape and with my pocket knife I was able to strip and splice them right where they hung. I pulled the old extension cord out of the weeds, stretched it to the outlet and plugged it in. There were a few goners, but most of the strings worked just fine.

The Broussard home was one of the first on the block to have trees aglow with twinkle lights.

It was like a Christmas miracle.

Bring it on, Holiday Season

I love the holiday season. I love the snow, the egg nog, the scarves and mittens, the colored lights, and the general feeling of merriment and magic that pervades the region during the coming weeks. I blame my parents who always made the holidays special -whether they realized it or not. I know Thanksgiving just ended, but I couldn't wait to get a Christmas tree. Click on the image to view our search for the perfect tree.

Turkeys On the Lam

Honestly, I wouldn't blame turkeys if they made a run for the border.

The story of Thanksgiving that we usually accept is historically flawed, and those poor gobblers end up in a hot oven because of it.

First thing, the date is wrong. The Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving was probably held between September 21 and November 9, most likely in very early October. They were most apt to have eaten Indian corn and venison (although documents written 20 years after Thanksgiving admittedly do refer to turkey). So why do we continue accepting these Thanksgiving Day myths?

By 1879 (only 16 years after Thanksgiving became a national holiday) New Hampshire newspaper writers were already noticing that the focus of Thanksgiving was on the food and frolic, and less on being thankful.

Not everyone in New Hampshire celebrates the day with a happy heart. A U.S. Census Bureau report issued over a year ago estimated that 96,000 New Hampshire people lived below the federal poverty guidelines ($18,850 for a family of four) at some point during 2003, up from 79,200 people in 2002 and 63,300 people in 2000. Most of these people rely on a combination of government food assistance programs and emergency food providers to get enough to eat.

Janice

Books & Birds On Holiday

Folks:

My thanks to Mike Marland, political cartoonist for the Concord Monitor and The Courier, among others, for his rendering me in caricature. When a cartoon begins to look more like my likeness than my photo, it's time to present myself as such.

On the edge of wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, I'm also inviting you to arm yourself with my latest book: "CAUGHT IN THE SHOWER WITHOUT A PENCIL -- Baby Boomer Humor, And Other Maturity Problems."

Now available on Amazon, or if you'd like a signed, dedicated, discounted First Edition from the author, drop me a line via my website e-mail. If we traditionally use our major holidays to hawk appliance bargains, (The Whirlpool Thanksgiving Day Cornucopia Blow-Out!) I have no qualms about pitching the work here.

Where better to find that perfect Christmas gift than a Thanksgiving Day book sale, and just in time for the New Year?

A safe & happy holiday, everyone.

When enough's enoughing ... pass the stoughing.

Best, El