You Realise Christmas Is Approaching When …

[HadleyH1]

Christmas Down Under!

that just for starters!

 

[HadleyH1]

We realize Christmas is here when its hot and sweltering .... and when Bondi Beach is totally full of people .... full of tourists to the max.... and the Supermarkets are full of turkey .....and plum pudding! haaaa

 

[Fading Fast]

How much you want? Pay the shipping, and I'll send out all you need.

Are you already buried? If so, a picture or two would be fun. We had a dusting (they called it two inches, but that had to be somewhere away form the warm streets of Manhattan) this weekend (which made for a perfect atmosphere as we were out doing Christmas errands), but it's all gone now. But are you now "under snow" until the spring?

 

[LizzieMaine]

We got six or seven inches over the weekend, the wet, sloppy kind, with more on the way. I don't call it "buried" until the pile at the end of the driveway is taller than I am, but it's enough to be a nuisance. I have a dying poplar tree out back, right next to the side of the house, and wet snow causes it to bend in a way which I expect at any moment to lead to breakage.

I am not a fan of snow. You don't have to shovel rain.

 

[AmateisGal]

How much you want? Pay the shipping, and I'll send out all you need.

At this point, I'd even take a few inches! Nebraska usually gets lots of snow - but the past few years, it's been pretty sparse.

 

[Trenchfriend]

At this point, I'd even take a few inches! Nebraska usually gets lots of snow - but the past few years, it's been pretty sparse.

You can have additional german frosty autumn-mud, if you want.

 

[2jakes]

I know Christmas is approaching when I see this dude flying by.
Last year he didn’t stop because it was too hot and
Rudolph hates Texas allergies.

 

[2jakes]

At this point, I'd even take a few inches! Nebraska usually gets lots of snow - but the past few years, it's been pretty sparse.

Melissa, this was last Thurs.
It never snows where I live. This is rare!

I went outside & managed to capture some images on my iPhone.
Phone has a built-in tiny editor with generic music.
Next day snow melted!

 

[Fading Fast]

I have no idea why, but a very old bakery we frequent makes Gingerbread Alligators (not men) which have now become a Fading Fasts holiday tradition as we bring them home to super girlfriend's parents each year. They are fun in a crazy "make no sense" way.

The box to go home

Uh-oh, one's trying to escape

 

[Fading Fast]

Another sign of Christmas pending, SGF is starting to bake the Christmas annuals like these pecan balls (known to us simply as snowballs):

 

[2jakes]

Christmas cards!

 

[Fading Fast]

SGF makes about ten of these gingerbread bundt cakes for gifts - these three follow three form yesterday and, at least, three more coming tomorrow. She works off a very old recipe with very strong stout, molasses and ginger flavors - think your great grandmother not today's watered down gingerbread.

And wrapped up to go

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

We got six or seven inches over the weekend, the wet, sloppy kind, with more on the way. I don't call it "buried" until the pile at the end of the driveway is taller than I am, but it's enough to be a nuisance. I have a dying poplar tree out back, right next to the side of the house, and wet snow causes it to bend in a way which I expect at any moment to lead to breakage.

I am not a fan of snow. You don't have to shovel rain.

 

[Fading Fast]

And today is Christmas cut-out cookie baking day at the Fading Fasts

 

[2jakes]

And today is Christmas cut-out cookie baking day at the Fading Fasts

View attachment 98051 View attachment 98052

Any posting of Christmas cookies
by members on this thread requires sharing of posted cookies with members not having the skills to bake said items
at Christmas time.
Muchas Gracias!

 

[Fading Fast]

Any posting of Christmas cookies
by members on this thread requires sharing of posted cookies with members not having the skills to bake said items
at Christmas time.
Muchas Gracias!
View attachment 98063

Technically, that is what's happening. Super girlfriend is the baker and I'm the member without the skills* to bake said items that will be eating them. Although, that's probably not what you had in mind I'm guessing.

*Everything after boiling water is testing my baking and cooking skills limit.

 

[2jakes]

Technically, that is what's happening. Super girlfriend is the baker and I'm the member without the skills* to bake said items that will be eating them. Although, that's probably not what you had in mind I'm guessing.

*Everything after boiling water is testing my baking and cooking skills limit.

Does "Super girlfriend" have a sister with
same skills for baking yummylicious goodies?

Btw:
I have a stove that will burn instantly
anything I set on the burner the moment
I leave the kitchen.
No kidding!

 

[Fading Fast]

Does "Super girlfriend" have a sister with
same skills for baking yummylicious goodies?

You're out of luck - she has a brother with limited baking skills and a mom (the original super girlfriend) who is in the 61st year of her happy marriage.

At Christmas, her mom will spoil us with her baking and cooking. The funny thing is I grew up in a home where my father didn't know how to turn on an oven and my mother was only marginally better. Conversely, even super girlfriend's dad is a really good cook. Every family is different.

 

[2jakes]

You're out of luck - she has a brother with limited baking skills and a mom (the original super girlfriend) who is in the 61st year of her happy marriage.

At Christmas, her mom will spoil us with her baking and cooking. The funny thing is I grew up in a home where my father didn't know how to turn on an oven and my mother was only marginally better. Conversely, even super girlfriend's dad is a really good cook. Every family is different.

Both my parents were good cooks.
Except my daddy would make a mess
of the kitchen afterwards.
Same with me.
Took me a year to bake a bread like they
used to do it.
The secret besides having the right ingredients was the amount of time
spent in kneading the dough.
Something that most cookbooks never
got it right.

And no one could bake biscuits, brownies
cookies or pies like my grandmother!

 

[Fading Fast]

Super Girlfriend got up early and has been Christmas baking for many hours, so far today's output is:

Caramels (precut on round plates), Coffee cake (on small rectangle pan for friend's Dad who just loves it), English toffee (pre breaking into pieces when cool, next to coffee cake), 2 more Gingerbreads, Rum balls (I cannot wait) & Gevulde Speculaas (a first time try at it - I love its herringbone look):