Day Twelve :: Yule

December 27 :: The Last Day Of Yule



We wake to a spotless house, fridge full of leftovers and no place we have to be, and no company expected. We have the day to ourselves. We all seek out some of our gifts--Adam finds a cozy spot in front of the fire to build with Legos, Olivia explores her PC some more, I play catch-up on photos and blog, Alex and the kids, then just Alex, play some Wii and we eat bread, cheese and cookies all day long. It's heaven.

It looks pretty much like this the whole day.



That was our twelve days of Yule. A good twelve days, busy and full, merry and bright. No, we didn't get to every single holiday movie, take every ornament out, and not everything was the same as other years. That's alright. It was a good Yule. It was this year's Yule and no other and it will be remembered as a good one, I'm certain, full of love, family and friends. Our gratitude cup has been filled and we'll take that goodwill with us into the next year, I know. May it be so for you and yours. Blessed Yule and Blessed Be and Blessings on the New Year.

Day Eleven :: Yule

Boxing Day

Alex and I were up with the alarm before dawn to have our date with the kitchen to prepare food for our 9th Annual Boxing Day gathering of family and friends.



On the menu:

two quiches, shitake mushroom and broccoli
Yule bread
Clam chowder
French bread
homemade cheese
cheese ball
veggie plate
sugared grapes
fruit salad
olivada spread
Turkey-ham and cheese tart
Solstice cake
lots and lots of cookies

Solstice Cake recipe (we make this for both Summer Solstice (Litha) and Winter Soltice (Yule).

3 cups flour
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped cashews
1 cup dried dates, minced
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
For the syrup:
1 1/2 cups honey
1/2 cup water
Juice of 1 small lemon
1/2 tsp grated lemon

Making the nut cake:
The way to make the cake is to mix it on a board, using your hands, but you can also mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Either way, you first combine the dry ingredients. Make a mound with a well in the centre. Pour the oil and water slowly into the well, then mix again. Knead the dough for about a minute; don't knead too long or the texture of the cakes will be gluey. Grease a 9" pan with oil. Press the dough gently into the pan. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for one hour. Remove, and allow to cool.

Making the honey syrup:
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Allow the liquid to reduce by 1/4.Next, place the cooled nut cake onto a shallow plate or serving tray. With a fork, make small holes over the top of the cake. Slowly pour the warm syrup over the cake, and allow to sit for one hour.



The Grampies arrived late morning, just as a bit of snow began to fall. We had a yummy brunch of quiche, fruit and Yule bread, thanks to Alex. After we exchanged gifts and as usual, the Grampies were both much, much too generous, and always thoughtful.





My Dad also brought along some of the hilarious and outrageous Christmas newsletters he had receieved and read those aloud. Here's one:




I'm thinking of submitting it here.




Anywho, soon food was ready and we set the table and before we knew it, guests were arriving. It was great seeing our friends. The kids had a blast taking web-cam photos, making movies and running around outside.





We also had fun eating. We all pretended we couldn't eat another bite, but of course there was always room for one more cookie.




By 9pm, friends were leaving and we were feeling the long day, but we were blissfully happy, filled with good company and food as we were, and we spent some time cleaning up before heading to bed. The best part about ending Boxing Day for us is putting on some Chillout music and going to bed knowing that the next day, the last day of Yule, would be spent in total relaxation.

Day Ten :: Yule

Santa Morning

Around 8am the kids, full of giggles and fits, came into our bedroom to snuggle, laying on hugs and kisses, but they were soon off to go get all our stockings from downstairs. They brought the stockings to our bed, Max the cat joined us, also asking for hugs and kisses, and oooed and ahhhed at the little treasures that Santa left for us. The sun was warming our room, which was decorated just a bit, making all cheery and bright.








After stockings, we all dressed for the day then met downstairs. It was a wonderful gift to ourselves to wake to a shiny clean house, filled with sunlight. Alex and I both started two types of bread dough rising--Alex's Yule bread for our breakfast, and I planned to bring French bread to his parents' later in the day. We read Santa's letter to the kids and waited until we could all meet around the tree to open Santa's and our gifts to each other.












We always open Santa's gifts first.

Adam always asks for a Nutcracker to add to his collection.



Olivia was delighted with the Holga camera Santa gave her.




And Santa never goes wrong giving Star Wars Legos.



And then we exchange the family gifts.

Indian tapestries for me. Love.



A little Doctor Who for them.



Many other lovely and perfectly suited things for us all, from each other and from family in Wyoming.

And then...the thing Alex and I had to be the sneakiest about for so long, the thing that had me so excited the night before...we made them shut their eyes to open the first part...and finally...





Yes, we gave them each a PC laptop. The disbelief on their faces was so worth the wait, let me tell you. And finally, we won't have to share the single family computer and the unschooling will go all that more smoothly.





So while Alex and I finished making the breads and he made breakfast and we got ready to leave for visits to the grandparents' houses, the kids had a moment to check out their PCs and utter more words of amazement. They were so sweet.

We stopped at my Dad's house before heading to the Bradstreet homestead. My Dad likes Christmas just a wee bit and it shows, so it's always a treat to visit. We planned to have a longer visit with him and Grampie Tim on Boxing Day.








Next stop, over the river and through the woods, and we arrived at Nana and Papa's house, where we spent the afternoon and evening visiting with them and three aunts.
Three words: IKEA gift card. They rock. Otherwise, I didn't take as many pictures during our visit. I think I was fading fast after going on limited sleep, but I think this photo says it all. That's all I have to say about that, Forrest.



I will say, however, that it was a wonderful Santa Day, about love, generosity and family. We drove home, climbed into bed, tired and happy, trying not to think too much about our early date in the kitchen Boxing Day morning.