A country Christmas theme involves country fabrics. Calico cloth stuffed Christmas ornaments and handmade quilts make nice accents. The scents of Christmas include cinnamon heart shaped ornaments strung into garlands, used as individual decorations or used together in a circle to form a wreath. Beeswax candles make nice country lighting. Handmade items and food hampers that are filled with homemade items make ideal country Christmas gifts.
Country Christmas Cooking
Sugar cookies made into Christmas shapes and gingerbread men stacked on a plate surrounded by painted tins of cookies are a pleasant focal point on a table. A Christmas goose makes a nice meal for the day. Cookies and fruit breads can be frozen ahead and brought out as needed making more time to enjoy visiting with friends and family.
Christmas Decorations
Cut out Christmas shapes stars, trees, candy canes, etc. out of calico material, sew with right sides together and leave a gap, turn inside out and stuff with filler to make tree decorations and hand sew shut. Make Christmas quilted items, pillows, place mats or a table runner using Christmas colours. Sew cut out pieces of cloth together and pin top material together to batting and edging along outside and use either a solid or patterned cover fabric for back of the quilt.
Beeswax sheets can be purchased to roll your own candles or a mold with a honeycomb design can be used.
Cinnamon scented cinnamon heart shaped ornaments can be strung together as garlands, or as individual decorations or to form part of a wreath.
Recipe for making ornaments:
- 1 cup cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cloves,
- 1 tablespoon nutmeg
- 3/4 of a cup applesauce
- 2 tablespoons white glue
- ribbon
Combine cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, add applesauce and glue, stir to combine. Work mixture with hands two to three minutes or until dough is smooth. Divide into four portions. On floured surface, roll each portion to one-fourth inch thickness. Cut dough with floured cookie cutters. Use toothpick to make a small hole in top of ornament. Place cut outs on wire racks and allow to dry at room temperature several days. Thread ribbon through hole. Do not eat. Makes about thirty-two two inch ornaments. These can be used singularly as Christmas tree decorations, joined together to form a garland or glued onto a circle to form a wreath.
Christmas Gifts
Personalized hand-made Christmas decorations, decorated tins with homemade cookies and quilted items make lovely country Christmas gifts. Wicker baskets filled with decorated tins and wrapped sausages and smoked cheeses, jars of candies and chocolates, homemade jams and some mugs and cocoa mix and marshmallows can be combined to fill a Christmas gift hamper.
References:
Peters, Sally, Pillsbury Most requested Recipes, The Family Christmas Book, Published 1996.
Resources:
http://www.pillsbury.com/search/searchresults.aspx?terms=christmas&tab=All&SL=1
Cara Moore - Cara E. Moore is an author, poet, playwright and writer who has written for internet sites, newspapers, magazines, theatre and ...
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