Fall semester of teaching at my university is finally over and I was able to put up my Christmas tree this weekend! For the first time this year, I played some lovely retro Christmas music from the classics sung by Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Johnny Mathis, and more! I refuse, simply and absolutely refuse to listen to Christmas songs on the radio until it is truly time for Christmas. The first day of December is my absolute first day to listen to some Christmas tunes. Enough of this secularization and commercialization of our Lord's birth, already people! Enough, I say! Turn the commercialization off and/or turn the dial of your radio or satellite TV radio stations!
So this weekend, with all my students' grades posted, with Christmas carols playing, and eggnog with rum or "whatever on hand", I am SO-o-o-o-o-o in the spirit of Christmas now! Our family nativity scene has been centrally placed next to the Christmas tree, the stockings have all been hung on the fireplace mantel with care (you know the words, don't ya?), and all that jazz that is considered to be traditional has been done today! Oh how fabulous! I am just so jazzed guys!
How about each of you? What are some of the ways that you begin to celebrate this season of love and goodwill and recognition of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ's birth?
Today, for you foodies out there in foodie blogland, I also ordered from one of the most recognized top bakers in the U.S., a fantastic, very Southern traditional red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting to be picked up FRESH on December 23rd (it's best if it sits for at least one day to marry the flavors together!). This woman in our tiny little, nowhere of a town in South Carolina, has been awarded one of the most coveted awards in cake baking and decorating and is now considered to be one of the seven masters of cake baking and decorating after the last 2008 competition at the Las Vegas Bake-Off Competition. She was featured in the news and truthfully is one of seven that has won this honor in the entire U.S.!
What a fluke that this talent should live in this middle-of-nowhere land where we reside in the countryside of the South! We were so fortunate to have this unpretentious little lady bake the wedding cakes for our daughter and son-in-law several years ago for their wedding . . . . a red velvet cake of course! I'll post a photo of her outrageous cake for you in a few weeks when I pick it up.
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Roz, First of all you blog looks beautiful! I still feel guilty listening to Christmas music during Advent so I am not doing it.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to try red velvet cake. I think watching them slice the armadillo groom's cake on Steel Magnolias really ruined it for me. However, my friend thinks it is so delicious.
Esther, I just saw Steel Magnolias on Satellite tv a week ago and now I know what you are talking about . . . you know the armadillo cake. Well, don't let that stand in your way; however, there are still alot of bad red velvet cakes out there. Seriously. My daughter had this lady bake her a super-moist, super-rich red velvet cake for her wedding and I think that I hate half of the leftover cake after the guests left! My bad! Good thing that it wasn't Lent at the time!
ReplyDeleteAloha!