A resolution is a goal you want to accomplish in your life. It has become a tradition to create these expectations for you before the stroke of twelve on December 31st. some resolutions are silly, just used as a party game, but they can turn out to be very helpful when approached in a different way.
1.Write yourself a letter. In this letter, write about the goals for yourself for the year and why they are important to you. Seal them when you are done and address them to yourself. Place the letters in a safe place until December. Have mom add stamps and mail them from the post office. When you receive your letter, open it. How did you do?
2.Get advice from those who know you. This is a take from a baby shower game. At your family New Year’s Eve gathering, give each person one sheet of paper for each family member. Have each person in turn say a resolution. The others will write their advice for that person on the designated paper. After everyone has voiced all of their resolutions, distribute the papers to the right person.
Use the New Year’s Eve tradition of making resolutions to give you a jumpstart on the coming year’s goals with these five ideas.
What is it that they say about resolutions? After a month or two, they seem to fade into the woodwork. This doesn’t have to be the case. Break that cycle with these family ideas.
1.Create a time capsule. It works for school children why not your family? Purchase a box of some kind house your lists. Usually a time capsule has one date in the future when it will be opened. You can create more than one time capsule: one year from now, five years from now, ten years from now and so on. For kids who are too young to write, place a current picture of them in the capsules to see how they change over the years.
2.Place your resolutions in a hat. During your family time on New Year’s Eve, give every family member a piece of paper. Write down one or two of the most important things you want to accomplish in the coming year. Don’t write your name on it but put it into a hat. Then, each member picks a piece of paper from the hat. Try and guess whose resolutions you have. During the year, you can help that person reach their goals.
3.Lift your resolutions to the heavens. This requires helium balloons and some ribbon. On a slip of paper, each family member will write a single goal for the next year. You can write as many as you want on different slips of paper. After all are written, the family can gather in the back yard. Read your resolution and tie it to a balloon. At the same time, release all of the balloons.
In most religions, worship is a time to celebrate their blessings. This is done through music, vesper services, liturgical dance presentations and candle ceremonies. The worship leader leads the group in their form of worship.
Home Celebrations
Before departing for a formal church service, worship on New Year’s Eve can begin at home. Gather the members of your family together. In a more informal service, everyone can use the time together to share and reflect on some of the following points:
·What you have learned in the past year about yourself
·Your expectations for the coming year
·What you are thankful for in the past year
·Something you have learned about your family in the past year
Any one of these questions (or others you may have in mind) can spark a conversation or moment of sharing amongst you. This can be a new tradition that you pass down to your children and they in turn can keep going in their own lives with their families.
It is truly a blessing to see one year leave and another come to pass. Celebrating that with your family creates a sacred memory that you will treasure for years to come.
Traditionally the last night of the year is a time to reflect on the past and also to look forward to the coming year. You can opt to use this time to spend with family in the act of worship.
Watch Night Services
A watch night service is held on New Year’s Eve for holy worship. People gather to usher in the New Year as a family. Services occur in the evening. It may not be a long service but it is filled with silent moments and prayer. Different churches have different formats for conducting this service so check with your local church to see when and what is involved.
Watch Night Vigils
This is a type of worship service that lasts longer than a watch night service. Because it is a vigil, the parishioners faithfully watch the old year go out and the New Year come in. the ceremonies involve prayers, lots of music and the taking of the Lord’s Supper (Eucharist). These services typically start around 10 p.m. and last well after midnight.
Because of the length of the service, many churches also offer a meal once the worship piece is over. Families are invited to sit down and share a meal (usually breakfast) together before leaving to return to their own homes.
Holidays are about making memories. On the last day of a year you’ll never see again think of ways that you can share it with those who mean the most to you.
1.Reminisce with old pictures. Who is that kid in the plaid pants and butterfly collar shirt? It might be you. Use this time to bond as a family. Go through old photo albums and remember times gone by. There may be a few pictures of folks you don’t remember. Or, there could be some interesting stories that are told just from a photo. Before you know it, everyone’s sides will threaten to burst from laughter.
2.Make a dessert. All this other fun may make you want to feed your sweet tooth. For those who want to, let them make a dessert for the family to try. The more desserts you have, the more yummy goodness you can enjoy.
What are you doing for New Year’s Eve? These five ideas offer fun for the family who wants to spend time celebrating together.
Who says that you have to go out to have fun on New Year’s Eve? If it is just the immediate family this year, that’s alright. Here are five ways that you can welcome the New Year and have a few laughs at the same time.
1.Watch some movies. There will certainly be enough time before midnight for everyone to throw a movie they like into the mix. You can give your movie night a theme. Choose a variety of movies celebrating other holidays in the year. You’ll have scary, funny, romantic, dramatic and jingle bells thrown in for good measure. How’s that for eclectic?
2.Play board games. On a regular night it might be hard to get everyone together to have a family game night. But, on this night, everyone is at home. Bring back a little of those childhood years with games like Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders (that’s a really old one), Sorry! And Life. For a large family, set up more than one game station so everyone can play what they like.
3.Play team games. This is when people traditionally play charades, drawing games and others. Divide into teams and see who can put on the best game face. Keep changing teams so that each family member gets to be on a team with each other. You can also make up your own games like a team scavenger hunt throughout the house.
Add the brown sugar and mix until sugar has dissolved.
Pour in the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and 1 t of the oil.
Sprinkle in the pepper and whisk all the ingredients together until well combined.
Brush each ham slice with the ketchup mixture being sure to cover both sides.
Place the remaining canola oil into a large skillet.
Place the ham slices one at a time into the skillet over medium heat.
Cook each slice 7 minutes, turn and continue cooking an additional 4 minutes.
Transfer each cooked slice to a warm platter while cooking the remaining ham.
Once all the ham slices have been cooked lower the temperature to low.
Add the peaches to the skillet and drizzle the remaining ketchup mixture over the top of the peach.
Cover and cook 5 minutes.
Turn the peaches and cook an additional 2 minutes.
Remove the peaches and place over each ham slice before serving.
Serving Size:4
This makes an excellent meat for a small holiday dinner.If you would rather use a canned ham just place the ham in a baking pan.Place the peaches around the ham and pour the ketchup mixture over the top.Cover tightly with aluminum foil.Place in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until the ham is cooked through.
Spray a 2 1/2 qt. bowl with a non stick cooking spray and dust with flour.
Place the flour into a large mixing bowl.
Add the baking powder, ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon and stir to combine.
Place the butter in a separate bowl.
Use an electric mixer and beat the butter on medium speed for 30 seconds.
Pour the sugar into the bowl and continue beating until completely combined.
Add the eggs and the egg whites one at a time beating on low speed after each addition.
Use a rubber spatula and fold the melted chocolate into the mixture.
Alternating back and forth add a little of the flour mixture beat on low to incorporate then add a little milk and beat on low to incorporate.
Keep alternating and beating the mixture until all the milk and flour have been added and the mixture is mixed together well.
Spread the mixture evenly into the bowl.
Grease a piece of aluminum foil and cover the bowl with the aluminum foil pressed against the inside edge of the bowl.
Place a rack into a Dutch oven.
Set the bowl on the rack and fill the Dutch oven and fill with water to 1 inch up the side of the bowl.
Cover and bring the water to a brisk boil.
Reduce the heat so the water is just simmering and steam the pudding for 1 1/2 hours.
Check the water level every 30 minutes and add boiling water as necessary.
When a toothpick inserted in the center of the pudding comes out clean the pudding is done.
Remove the bowl from the pan and take off the aluminum foil.
Allow the pudding to cool for 10 minutes.
Invert on serving platter and cool 30 minutes before serving.
Place the kumquats in a medium sauce pan.
Add the brown sugar, cranberry juice, cinnamon stick and bay leaf.
Place the pan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a brisk boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 3 minutes or until the kumquats just begin to soften.
Adjust the heat to medium and add the cranberries and dried cherries.
When the mixture begins to boil reduce the heat to low and simmer 8 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and discard.
Fold the pecans into the sauce and remove from the stove.
Pour the sauce over the top of the pudding while still warm.
Serve the pudding immediately.
Serving Size:12
By placing the bowl of pudding into the Dutch oven you prevent the bottom of the pudding from burning while it steams.The water in the Dutch oven should always remain at 1 inch up the side of the bowl to insure the pudding cook evenly. Using a 2 1/2 qt bowl allows 2 inches between the bowl and pan and makes removing the bowl when the pudding is done much easier and much safer.
Seafood works well as an alternate Christmas dinner dish. A pot of clam or seafood chowder (New England style) will warm the cockles during the holiday meal. After a hearty bowl of that, no one will want a big heaping helping of turkey and potatoes. Serve the soup with those cute little oyster crackers.
If you have children, ask them to participate in the menu planning. Kids have their favorite foods as well. Christmas dinner revolves around good people and good food. So, have something that you like to eat on the dinner table. You may find a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in the midst of everything else.
Try out the other white meat. A pork loin is lean and juicy. It still goes well with mashed potatoes and a gravy or wild rice and green beans. Pork loin roasts for twenty minutes per pound so the oven won’t be tied up all day. If mashed potatoes are too heavy, try a medley of fresh roasted vegetables like onions, baby carrots, and red skinned potatoes.
Choose a theme for your Christmas dinner. If it’s seafood, or Italian food, or Mexican food, everyone can bring something to contribute to the meal. The food will be different than usual but the sentiment is still the same.
Alternative Christmas dinner ideas are fun to try out. If it doesn’t take with the folks, you can go back to a more traditional Christmas meal next year.
We all have a picture of Christmas dinner in our minds. It involves turkey, stuffing, gravy, and a host of other dishes. If you want to break with tradition, here are some alternative Christmas dinner ideas to try out on your family this year.
Just because it is Christmas dinner, doesn’t mean that we have to eat the same things each year. Branch out and try a few other dishes or some of your favorite comfort foods that aren’t necessarily a part of a traditional Christmas dinner menu. Dinner guests will like the variety.
If your guests are on board with this Christmas dinner idea, ask them to participate. They can bring a favorite dish of theirs to the gathering for everyone else to try. Instead of turkey as the centerpiece use the other poultry that is popular the rest of the year. Have a plate of fried chicken on the dinner table.
How about fish? We often think of poultry or ham for holiday occasions but fish is just as good and healthier for you. Serve up a platter of salmon or tilapia. For a down home feel, batter and fry some whiting fillets.
