12/20/2008

Holiday Faves

Sparkler Christmas Tree_reuters.com

Christmas tree_Istanbul_daylife.com

Dots gift bag_$5.00_elumdesigns.com

Drift Wood gift bag_$5.00_elumdesigns.com

Doodle Art gift paper_$3.75/sheet_elumdesigns.com

Rococo - Black gift paper_$3.75/sheet_elumdesigns.com

Holiday Rococo gift paper_$3.75/sheet_Elum

*Hallelujah Chorus*

*O Come, O Come Emmanuel*

Mallet of Luck paper model_by craft pocket

Chinese Dragon paper model_by craft pocket

Carousel paper model_by craft pocket_Canon Creative Park

*Paper Modelz*

Alfie Kat_22.99 pnds_fully jointed_Raggy Dolls

*Carol of the Bells*

Lithographed tin spinning top_by Ohio Art_$20.00_Ruby Lane

*Old Toy Trains*

*Toy Trains*

Moby rattle_$14.00_by Haba Clutching Toys_solvent-free lacquers_Wind Up Here

*O Holy Night*

Cavalcade of Lights_Toronto City Hall_[daily dose of imagery]

*Panoramaist: Cavalcade of Lights*

City Hall front door by nantel_Montreal_flickr.com

Scrooooge! front door_istockphoto.com

Exploding Wreath_fotosearch.com

Dried Wreath_drdelphinium.com

Christmas Wreaths_lotusartstudio.com

Playmobil Nativity Set_toysrus.com

Their names were Caspar, Balthazar and, erm.

One child in ten does not know the Nativity story, a survey has found. Do you? We took to the streets in London, Liverpool and Glasgow to ask Britons about the Virgin Birth, King Herod and the three wise men

Baron Phillip, 40, Risk management consultant, southeast London

Right, there's Mary, immaculate conception and all that. She and her husband Joseph were travelling to Bethlehem. No idea why. There's a donkey in there somewhere. They have the baby in a barn and lay him in a manger. The three wise men use the star in the sky as a signpost to find them. Possibly some shepherds in there as well? There's always a lamb involved. That's it as far as I can remember. It all ends with the birth for me. I'm trying to think of all the carols. Was there a king beheading young boys? That's probably what Mary and Joseph were trying to get away from in the first place. They were on the run.

*Their Names...*

Abraham and Three Angels_click to enlarge_christusrex.org

Angels in America poster_images.google.com

Demon bursting angel-blown bubbles_Angels and Demons

*Ten Bible Passages About Christmas*

Black and Silver Christmas Wreath_handmade Christmas cards_Lotus Art Studio

*Fave Holiday Drinks*

Saks Fifth Avenue window by tixgirl_flickr.com

Saks Fifth Avenue window by tixgirl_flickr.com

*The Twelve Days of Christmas at Meadowood Napa Valley*

Fortnum & Mason window_dailymail.co.uk

Cartier_New York_images.google.com

*Grown-Up Christmas List*

St. Bridget's Church by mudpig_flickr.com

Spilling over... by Trapac_flickr.com

EASY MINCEMEAT DANISH

Ingredients

4 sheets butter puff pastry
1 egg yolk, beaten
200g mincemeat
5 tbs icing sugar, sifted
2 tsp lemon juice

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Defrost the pastry and cut into shapes using a Christmas cutter (we used a 10cm star cutter). Lay the pastry shapes on a large baking tray lined with baking paper. Prick with a fork, brush with egg and place 1 1/2 tsp mincemeat in the centre of each. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden, then set on a rack to cool.
Mix the icing sugar and lemon juice together to make a very soft icing (add a few drops of water if necessary). Drizzle the icing over the pastries in a zig-zag pattern. (To do this is, put the icing in a small plastic bag and snip a corner off.)