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It’s time to get a head start on your Christmas baking. You will love these Christmas cookies you can make now and freeze. What a great feeling to have that task done well before the holiday season! These Santa-special treats can be in the freezer for up to three months. Make sure you wrap the cookies in plastic, stack in an airtight container, seal and freeze. Thaw wrapped cookies at room temperature before serving. These cookies are also perfect for a Christmas Cookie Exchange event. Here is the bonus…these cookies are easy to make! Everyone will think you spent hours and hours making these unique, delicious holiday cookies!      Courtesy of BHG
Christmas Cookies to make now and freeze! How easy is that? For a Delicious Healthier Banana Bread Recipe, Click Here
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 By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation. Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.” Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us. and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best. Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789. Go: Washington Washington issued a proclamation on October 3, 1789, designating Thursday, November 26 as a national day of thanks. In his proclamation, Washington declared that the necessity for such a day sprung from the Almighty’s care of Americans prior to the Revolution, assistance to them in achieving independence, and help in establishing the constitutional government. Source: Mount Vernon When President Lincoln made his Thanksgiving proclamation in 1863, the last Thursday of November became standard. Source: Wikipedia So many of us look forward to Thanksgiving with anticipation of friends and family gathering around for a delicious meal as well as good, lively conversation. However, some people may actually dread the holiday, especially this year and see it as a lonely and disappointing time because they are going through a bad time in their life. Tough times don’t take a holiday! For them, Thanksgiving may be the beginning of a long string of “holiday blues” because Christmas is close behind. Here are ideas to shed a different light on the holiday season and calm the Thanksgiving blues for others and will make you feel good as well. Write a card or note of thanks. We all would love to hear words of thanks! Write a quick note, send an email, or make a phone call. Simply say “Thanks for being you!” or “Glad you’re in my life!” Thanksgiving is the perfect time to let them know! Share your Thanksgiving meal if you are comfortable during that this year. An invitation to Thanksgiving dinner is a great way to include others. Do check to see if they have food preferences or restrictions. Extend the invitation ASAP. Sometimes, just anticipating the fun is as enjoyable as the real event. Deliver a Thanksgiving meal. If a person is too sick or too sad to join you for Thanksgiving dinner, deliver the meal to them. This can be for one person or rally others to contribute to a Thanksgiving dinner with a side dish or dessert and deliver meals to several people. Deliver the meal with a caring note and heating instructions. If time doesn’t allow for this, just deliver a piece of your favorite pie.  Plan something fun to do over Thanksgiving weekend. Take some of the loneliness out of the weekend by going shopping, seeing a holiday blockbuster movie, or going skiing or ice skating. Each town has its own fun activities so check online or in the newspaper for ideas. Involve the kids. Help them create a Thanksgiving Day greeting card for a shut in. Provide craft supplies and let the kids create them and have them deliver their homemade cards or send them in the mail. Help with holiday decorations. Make someone’s home a bit cheerier by helping with Thanksgiving decorations. Don’t forget to help take them down at the end of the season. Illness and accidents don’t take a break just because it’s Thanksgiving. Think of visiting someone who is ill (not with COVID) and home bound with a noncommunicable illness, or a person who had an accident who is home bound. If appropriate (especially this year), provide something fun to do, or if time allows, watch a game, movie, or parade. A short visit will be appreciated as well. A little extra time and effort will bring a smile to someone going through a rough time. It might just help to ease their Thanksgiving blues. And, it will make you feel better, too! Source & Additional Info... Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate and enjoy a little break from the busyness of Thanksgiving week. These Thanksgiving Poems are short and easy to read. The poems are appropriate for all ages. They are also thought provoking. They were selected to encourage you to truly think about the meaning of Thanksgiving. Share them with friends and family. Enjoy! Thanksgiving Poems Thanksgiving The year has turned its circle, The seasons come and go. The harvest all is gathered in And chilly north winds blow. Orchards have shared their treasures, The fields, their yellow grain, So open wide the doorway~ Thanksgiving comes again! ~Old Rhyme ~~~~~~~~ All in a Word By Aileen Fisher T for time to be together, turkey, talk, and tangy weather. H for harvest stored away, home, and hearth, and holiday. A for autumn’s frosty art, and abundance in the heart. N for neighbors, and November, nice things, new things to remember. K for kitchen, kettles’ croon, kith and kin expected soon. S for sizzles, sights, and sounds, and something special that abounds. That spells ~~~THANKS—for joy in living and a jolly good Thanksgiving. ~~~~~~~~  At Grandma’s House I like the taste of turkey Any time throughout the year But it never seems to taste as good As when Thanksgiving’s here. Could be it’s all the trimmings That are cooked with it to eat- But I think it’s eating at Grandma’s house That makes it such a treat! ~Author Unknown ~~~~~~~~ Song of the Pilgrims By Nancy Sue Krenrich Across the rolling, wind-swept sea For months we’ve sailed along, I see a land that’s new to me Against the blue horizon. Oh, beautiful land of freedom born, I’ve come across the sea To reap your fruits and build my home, And make my people free. ~~~~~~~~ A Thanksgiving tradition for some families and a soon-to-be tradition for others…a Thankful Tree! After all, the meaning of Thanksgiving is to give thanks for the many blessings in our lives. This is an activity that all ages can participate in and will be a topic of conversation for your Thanksgiving gathering. We have chosen three trees that are fairly easy DIY projects. You can get started on them this week and have them ready for Thanksgiving day. Thankful Tree #1 (Pinterest)  Start with some tall branches — either gather them from outside, or purchase a bunch of craft branches. For an even more festive look, consider lighted branches. Add them to a simple glass vase. You may have some of the supplies on hand… if not, they are reasonable in cost and can be used year after year! Before guests arrive, attach ribbon to paper leaves. Using a dark colored Sharpie, write what you are thankful for on a few of the leaves and hang them on the tree. Encourage your guests to do the same as they arrive. Thankful Tree #2 (Pinterest)  You will need the following supplies for this Thankful Tree: Glass Vase, Tree Branches, Pinecones, Autumn Leaves, Ribbon, Scrapbook Paper, and Leaf Pattern This is a low-cost Tree that can be used year after year. Thankful Tree #3  This Tree is nature themed. It uses unshelled nuts in the vase with autumn leaves decoration surrounding the vase. The medallions are wooden with chalk paint so they can be used again next Thanksgiving. Be creative and use supplies that you have on hand. If you need to purchase some of them, remember that you can use this Thankful Tree year after year! Can you believe it’s almost Thanksgiving? As you are planning your menu, crafting and decorating to prepare for the big feast, we have Thanksgiving Food Art ideas for your consideration. These three Thanksgiving Food Art projects are easy and fun for young and old to prepare (and eat). Turkey Cheese Ball This Turkey Cheese Ball is so easy to make. Start with your favorite cheese ball recipe and add pretzels for feathers, jerky stick for the neck, candy corn and candy eyes. Surround your turkey with an assortment of crackers.  Via Pinterest Turkey Veggie Tray This Turkey Veggie Tray will be the hit of your Thanksgiving feast. It is healthy as well as adding a pop of color to the table. You will need the following veggies: cucumbers; celery; carrots; asparagus; green, red and yellow peppers; cherry tomatoes; a small yellow summer squash, and lettuce. Arrange according to the photo and serve with your favorite dip.  Via Pinterest Turkey Fruit Plate What a fun turkey fruit plate made with a pear, grapes, pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi and Clementines! Set a bowl of fruit dip (yogurt & whipped topping mixed together) nearby and you have a scrumptious appetizer or dinner side dish!  Halloween is a fun-filled time of year and is enjoyed by people of all ages. Good news…these great Halloween decorating ideas are easy to assemble! BOO Pumpkin Give this pumpkin a ghostly message in a few minutes with some glue, a jar of black buttons, and an elegant bow.  Googly-Eye Wreath Hot glue googly eyes to ping pong balls, then hot glue to a foam or straw wreath.  A Halloween Skeleton at the Spa!! Halloween Party – fill the tub with bubbles, set a skeleton to relax. The spiders, eye mask & turban add the perfect touch!  We think you would like some healthy Halloween snacks ideas since Halloween is fast approaching. These can be made any time soon and especially for your Halloween party. These are all easy to make. They are fun food crafts for kids to make. The best part is that they are not as messy as some food crafts! This is actually a good way to get kids and adults alike to eat fun, healthy snacks any time of the year! Orange and Black Fruit Kabobs  Source… Make these delicious fruit kabobs with chunks of cantaloupe, black raspberries and blueberries. Put them on long skewers and you have an attractive snack or party food for Halloween. They are actually good anytime of the year! Ghosts and Pumpkins Fruit Snacks  Source… Make these fun Healthy Halloween Snacks with bananas and clementines. A little chocolate can be used for the eyes and nose on the bananas. A little slice of celery can be used for the stem of the clementine pumpkin. Be creative and use whatever comes to mind to produce the look of a ghost and a pumpkin! Halloween Witch’s Broomstick  Source…
Now this is a fun way to incorporate healthy Halloween snacks into your diet with a little protein! These are made with pretzels and string cheese. How easy is that? You might want to decorate the plate with a craft witch or two to make it even more attractive. Healthy Halloween Snacks – Have a fun and safe Halloween!  We want to share with you 4th of July quotes from famous Americans who have contributed so much to our freedoms and wonderful way of life. We are forever grateful. John F. Kennedy “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.” *************************** Peter Marshall “May we think of freedom not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.” *************************** Oliver Wendell Holmes “One flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one nation forevermore!” *************************** Marquis de Lafayette “Humanity has won its battle. Liberty now has a country.” ************************* Dwight D. Eisenhower “Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed – else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.” ************************* George Bernard Shaw “Liberty is the breath of life to nations.” ************************** Condoleezza Rice “The essence of America—that which really unites us—is not ethnicity, or nationality, or religion. It is an idea—and what an idea it is: that you can come from humble circumstances and do great things. That it doesn’t matter where you came from, but where you are going.” ************************** Lee Greenwood “And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.” ************************** Benjamin Franklin “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” *************************** Oscar Wilde“With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?” **************************** What a perfect way to show your patriotism…with patriotic pies. These are perfect for a patriotic holiday in the USA such as the 4th of July, 2021! They will, no doubt, be the hit of the party! Here are four favorites that will make your creative juices flow. Who knows, maybe you will tweak the recipes and create your own masterpiece! Old Glory Cherry & Blueberry Pie
Mini Patriotic Pies Flag-designed Masterpiece
Red Berry Pie Paired with Blueberry Pie – A Patriotic Slice of America
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