Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas

[caseydog]

I'm not going to lie...I love the "commercialization" of Christmas as much as any other aspect. It's just another part of Christmas, and just as it's easy to feel the season when walking across a meadow with a covering of crunchy snow, it's also easy (for me, anyway) to get that feeling when going through a bustling shopping mall, with all the decorations and music and people in their Christmas colors, carrying bags and bags of goodies. I love it!

I like all that stuff in the two weeks or so leading up to Christmas. I hate it when stores are decorated in October. I think a lot of people get burned out on "Christmas cheer" by the time Christmas actually arrives, when the commercialization starts too early.

CD

 

[caseydog]

TastyReuben , It sounds like you've got it all figured out. I wish I could be that organized. ;-)

I wonder if they are going to have the in-store person limits for the holidays. I don't see them allowing droves of people in unless the Fire Marshall approves it. They are still counting people at our local stores.

What kind of punches do you make for Chrismtas? I don't care for egg nog but have never made any special beverages for Christmas. Would love to see your recipe(s).

I am hearing that a lot of big store chains are not doing "Black Friday" sales this year.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB5hYK0-__k


CD

 

[CraigC]

We live in a 55+ community now and there are no TorTer's. We did our house up where we used to live. That is Marie (a flying crank ghost) in her crypt.

Thanksgiving, I'll usually smoke a small turkey for the two of us with usual sides. I prefer the after dinner sandwich! Football is on so I'll watch a few games.

Xmas, I don't really celebrate as it is a pagan holiday which christians have turned to their use. Don't know if we'll go over to the west coast (Florida) to have dinner with DD and DGD's. We usually have prime rib for dinner.

On a side note, tomorrow is opening day of stone crab season. Everglades City here I come!

 

[epicuric]

police are actually going into people's homes

Over here, the system is largely self-policing. Police will only usually go into peoples homes if they receive a tip off from a neighbour.

the farmers are worried

I especially feel sorry for turkey farmers. Uniquely, their entire years effort and cost goes into producing mainly large birds to feed family Christmases. It's not an option, in the face of smaller controlled gatherings, to stop the growing process in October to produce smaller birds instead. All they can do is to cull the birds early and freeze them, but most people was fresh not frozen.

I'll try to find a similar project this year.

I think you would be an excellent candidate to head up the Cookingbites Virtual Christmas celebrations!

 

[Mountain Cat]

I love Halloween, but I live in too tiny of a town now for trick or treaters, anyway. I used to go to parties, or to spiritual gatherings (or both). This year we will be doing it online on the 30th, via Zoom, and on the 31st I am going out into the woods adjacent to my house, alone, to honor my ancestors and to honor a few good friends who passed this year. (For me, November 1st starts the New Year.) There will be a nod towards Ruth Bader Ginsberg while I am about it.

I am hoping that the local people who run the community center can host something very small for Thanksgiving, just among their closest. If not, I will make sure I have turkey, sweet potatoes and fresh cranberry sauce (or cranberries cooked into sweet potatoes or into delicata squash). This is the just about the only meal of the year here that a SET few ingredients need to appear. There is a possibility I may share this with one friend, who also lives alone as I do.

(NOTE, home alone turkey will be dark meat only, and I hope I can find giblets somehow. I only have one cat available to eat the tasteless breast meat these days... and don't tell me after 66 years of my life that yours is going to be moist and tasty TO ME. No. Sweet potatoes will be savory, NO marshmallows, NO sugar.)

Although no longer Christian (either of us), Dad used to make the Feast of the Seven Fishes for Christmas Eve. An Italian "thing" - neither of were Italian, either. I love the concept and ever since he's passed, I make something with as many fishes as I can for that date.

Never anything standard for Christmas. One year the family went to a Chinese restaurant since we weren't entertaining that year. The last few years I have gone down to share that dinner with a couple friends in Connecticut, an event I don't think will happen this year. (My relatives all live far out of town, and since the idea of retiring to Florida was climatologically anathema to me... I wouldn't be going down there anyway - and up until this year brother liked to pack his holiday celebrations with as many strangers - to me - as possible, this would not be fun or connecting anyway.) I LOVE to visit family who live far away when we can VISIT TOGETHER. Yeah, silly introvert...

 

[CraigC]

epicuric, I wonder how they plan to enforce that. I was reading somewhere the police are actually going into people's homes to enforce the limit on number of people.

There are Constitutional rights/laws against illegal searches. The police can't just come into your home unless invited (some crimes allow them access without permission, such as domestic violence) or with a search warrant.

I am sure the farmers are worried. I cannot begin to imagine how many are going to have to close if this continues much longer. I heard (it may have been on this forum) that some farmers are giving away food because they cannot get it processed to sell to the local stores. I wonder if there's a way to connect farmers with local food banks and/or schools that have to provide daily meals for students on the free lunch programs?

There are farmers in our southern growing region (Redland), after their orders have been filled, that offer the leftovers free to anyone who will pick them up, including food banks. No one is willing to pick it up and it ends up in the compost pile.

Christmas is a difficult time of year for many even without the pandemic. You are correct that it will be amplified this year. I used to volunteer at various ministries around the holidays. This year I won't be able to due to some health problems. I can't wait to feel better to start volunteering again. Last year, I did an "Angel card" project which is just writing out Christmas cards for people and mailing them. I enjoyed that as I love arts and crafts. I'll try to find a similar project this year.

 

[LissaC]

mjd-lovescooking send you a hug too

 

[Mountain Cat]

Over here, the system is largely self-policing. Police will only usually go into peoples homes if they receive a tip off from a neighbour.

I especially feel sorry for turkey farmers. Uniquely, their entire years effort and cost goes into producing mainly large birds to feed family Christmases. It's not an option, in the face of smaller controlled gatherings, to stop the growing process in October to produce smaller birds instead. All they can do is to cull the birds early and freeze them, but most people was fresh not frozen.

I think you would be an excellent candidate to head up the Cookingbites Virtual Christmas celebrations!

I also feel sorry for the turkey farmers. Caught between a rock and a hard place.

Police going into peoples homes if they have a neighbor tip? I'm not sure how that works, or if I'd accept that level of invasive intrusion. I don't think it is everywhere, thankfully.

 

[epicuric]

It's strange how our respective police forces differ in so many ways. In the UK, the police (as far as I am aware, not speaking from personal experience!) can enter premises when they believe a crime is in the process of being committed. No search warrants required, they are reserved for situations where they need to gather evidence of suspected earlier crimes. They also have far more discretion when it comes to restraint.

 

[epicuric]

I also feel sorry for the turkey farmers. Caught between a rock and a hard place.

Police going into peoples homes if they have a neighbor tip? I'm not sure how that works, or if I'd accept that level of invasive intrusion. I don't think it is everywhere, thankfully.

This is what I mean about how different our reactions to policing are!

 

[LissaC]

Mountain Cat I had never heard of the Seven Fishes for Christmas Eve, had to Google it, really interesting! Here in Portugal the tradition is eating codfish on Christmas Eve (we're not supposed to eat meat on Christmas Eve), and turkey on December 25.

 

[caseydog]

It's strange how our respective police forces differ in so many ways. In the UK, the police (as far as I am aware, not speaking from personal experience!) can enter premises when they believe a crime is in the process of being committed. No search warrants required, they are reserved for situations where they need to gather evidence of suspected earlier crimes. They also have far more discretion when it comes to restraint.

It is similar here. Police need a warrant to enter a home, unless the homeowner consents (never do that, even if you are innocent), or if the police have reasonable cause to suspect that somebody inside the home is in danger. If they suspect something like drugs being in the house, they must have a warrant, although they can detain the people in the home while they obtain a warrant, so evidence is not destroyed.

Going into a home to check how many people are inside would NEVER fly in Texas, and probably most states.

CD

 

[MrsDangermouse]

Its our turn to host Christmas this year and as there will only be 5 of us I'm hoping we'll still be able to get together as we'll be within the rule of 6. But of course if they lock us down then who knows what the situation will be. I think my sister will probably be with us no matter what happens....she's currently living in LA until mid-December so if it comes to it she can move in with us until she returns in January.

These are worrying times for turkey farmers who traditionally gear up for selling large birds.

We get our Christmas turkey from a local smallholding, turkeys are only one of their products but I'm guessing probably a fairly lucrative one! They say they have a plan if they need to provide smaller birds this year, but I've told them we're happy to have a large one no matter what happens. Even if the family aren't allowed to come over this year we'll just have lots of leftovers! Turkey freezes well and there are all sorts of interesting things you can do with it

 

[mjd]

Here's one punch, from Alton Brown:

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/wassail-recipe-1949056.amp

And I always make this:

Flaming Holiday Punch Recipe

Drinking with Charles Dickens - The Smoking Bishop

And this:

Christmas Punch

And we always have plenty of gluhwein.

Sounds yummy. Maybe I'll give one or two a try this Christmas. I usually buy food and cook for elderly neighbors who no longer have family or cannot travel. They seem to enjoy it and enjoy when people enjoy my meals. I have a friend who comes twice a week and we take turns preparing lunch. She's been invaluable during this lock down. I'm very fortunate to have a few good friends because I got the short stick with so-called "family". Yikes!

 

[mjd]

I am expected to go "home" at Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm hoping that traffic between Dallas and Houston will be light, due to fewer people traveling to gather for those holidays. I rather doubt it, though.

On Halloween my neighborhood is pretty much a ghost town (pardon the pun) every year. I keep all the lights turned off on the front side of the house, and nobody ever comes to my door for candy. The local mall usually has trick-or-treating where the kids go from store to store collecting candy.

CD

caseydog, I've seen the malls around here do that for the kids. I think it's fun for everyone and beats trying to ToT when it's freezing rain outside. Last year, we had enough snow to make snow-people. It's usually not that bad but it's cold enough to need something over the costume.

Best wishes for good traffic and wonderful times with your loved ones.