How To Celebrate The Twelve Days Of X-mas In K-zoo
Make the holiday season last just a little longer...
My family has always celebrated the 'Twelve Days of Christmas' since I can remember. We don't buy each other gold rings or french hens, but we do share a meal and give gifts to loved ones on the 12th day (January 5th). It is similar to a very low key Christmas eve. Not many people celebrate the 12 days of Christmas and Wikipedia.com explains the 12 days of Christmas best...
The Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is a festive Christian season celebrating the Nativity of Jesus. In most Western ecclesiastical traditions, "Christmas Day" is considered the "First Day of Christmas" and the Twelve Days are 25 December – 5 January.
Many times the 12th day is a time when families take down all the holiday decorations and store them away for the next 11 months. That is not a bad way to close out the Christmas season, but here are a few other ways you can celebrate the 12th day of Christmas...
After the holiday's many charities are still in need of support. Maybe it would be a good time to reach out Loaves and Fishes of Kalamazoo and offer some of your time and energy to the charity. It would be some wonderful family time and helping our community.
Have an evening in with the whole family help to pack up the Christmas decorations and make some homemade hot chocolate.
Allrecipes.com has a delicious recipe for homemade hot chocolate...
- 3/4 cup of white sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 3 1/2 cups of milk
- 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup of half and half cream
- 1/3 cups of boiling water
Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn't scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.
And my last suggestion would be a stroll around the block with the family and just enjoy the calm after the storm of the holidays. Heck, Bronson Park is always a perfect place to breath and reboot even if Candy Cane Lane is packed away.