Happy Holidays From A Holiday Loving Agnostic

I like Christmas, Hanukkah, and would love to celebrate Kwanzaa. I haven't tried to do all three in the same year since getting ready for Santa is already overwhelming.

In the spirit of the season, I'd like to wish you all a wonderful holiday and a great New Year. Whether you celebrate a specific special event or just the joy of good friendships or family gatherings, I hope you have a wonderful time. Even if you are spending the holiday alone, just know that I wish you the best.

I've been finding a lot of interesting articles on Slate.com so for your edification, here's some quirky holiday reading links:

http://www.slate.com/id/2239149/ Gives some of the history suggesting neither a virgin birth nor a divine father for Jesus. Before you get distressed by these heretical ideas, there does exist a body of ancient texts that support an alternative view. Also, the author points out that the story would be just as compelling if Jesus was, in fact, the son of Joseph. He would have been a man, imbued by God to save human kind and ultimately resurrected. Would the miracle of a man (born by and of humans) becoming the savior of the world been less to us today? Did we need the divine father to make the savior more important?

http://www.slate.com/id/2238708/ The story of how Jews, over the last 5 centuries, dealt with Christmas Eve. I found this article fascinating. Much of what it talks about has gone by the wayside as the Ecumenical movement has brought a measure of understanding and tolerance to the world view of religion (not enough in my view). Lets just say that, as my way of celebrating Nittel Nacht, I spent my time at a Christmas party tearing toilet paper into single use lengths. None of the recipients of my largess would tell me whether they used 4 or 5 sheets so it was rather a crap shoot :-) as to how many sheets to use. It was actually a pretty soothing occupation.

http://www.slate.com/id/2239252/ This is the story of how Swedes in Sweden spend one hour in front of the TV today. Their tradition includes watching an old Disney holiday show, as a family, at 3pm on Christmas Eve. When I say tradition, I mean really TRADITION. Named after Donald Duck, it is called Kalle Anka for short. Read the article as it's fascinating. Wish we could have watched Kalle Anka tonight at the Christmas party. I have no doubt that we would have been in stitches, as the cartoons in it date from 1920's through 1950's and haven't been sanitized based on current political correctness. Apparently it's considered forbidden to tape/record Kalle Anka so the only way to watch it is in front of the TV, in Sweden, at 3pm on Christmas Eve.

At our household, we're rather behind because of sickness. Our little Charlie Brown tree is still in it's bag in the basement. We did decorate the outdoors and inside of the front porch but not much else. Boxes went out Tuesday. Most of the cards have been sent. I think we are short some gifts for the Grandchildren so might hit the after Christmas Sales on Saturday to stock up for when we eventually celebrate the holiday with them. We are giving ourselves a generator so we've pretty much cut out lots of other gifts. My big gifts were some Crowley's Cheese (mild and sage), a trip to Blair in Warren PA where we bought decorated sweatshirts and several other items, and a lesson (to come) at the archery place in French Creek. Plus, my darling husband has been very tolerant while I've been sick with a bad cold. I bought him a diamond knife sharpener (came with a micro-mini tool), a Collin Street Bakery fruitcake, and I'm still asking for him to pick out a few more things.

In our household, just being together is a palpable enjoyment and everything else is just glitz. We remember what it was like in our lives "before". Living in this haven of love, no matter what happens in the world, no matter how finances are tight and health is a worry, nothing ultimately takes away from this moment and every moment together. Our 18th anniversary is the day after Christmas. Even though I'd like us to live long enough to celebrate our 25th and then 50th anniversaries, if it ended tomorrow, I could only feel blessed with our life together.

Curried Broccoli Cheddar Soup

My own invention, this is easy and filling. Quantity serves two adults for a filling supper or about four - 1 cup servings.

CURRIED BROCCOLI CHEDDAR SOUP
2 TBSP butter or olive oil
2 cups broccoli florets, cleaned and cut into small pieces
1 - 14 oz can chicken broth
2 TBSP "Patak's" Madras Curry Paste - Hot (or 1 to 3 tsp. Curry Powder)
4 TBSP flour
2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or more)
Additional milk or chicken broth as necessary

Melt butter over medium heat until melted (don't brown). Add broccoli florets and stir. Cook over medium heat until broccoli is bright green. Cook for another 2 minutes. Push broccoli to one side of pan and add 1/2 can of chicken broth. Add the Curry Paste or Powder to the chicken broth. Stir to dissolve, then stir back in the broccoli. Add the rest of the can of broth. While this heats, put the flour into the empty can and add one cup of milk to the can. Stir well to mix in flour. Add second cup of milk to pan and then slowly add the flour/milk mixture, stirring well. As mixture thickens, add additional milk as necessary to keep soup at desired thickness. Turn down heat. Slowly add grated cheddar cheese (I used Crowley's medium white Vermont cheese). As soon as cheese is mixed in, remove from heat.

If you aren't used to using curry powder, start with 1 teaspoon and then taste and add more as necessary. I use curry powder frequently to "brighten" cream soups, but not to overpower the flavors. Notice that I did not add any salt or pepper. The broth and cheese both contain salt so no additional salt was necessary. Pepper was ground on top of each bowl of soup. I put a garnish of fried onions on top but this isn't necessary. This soup stands on it's own.