In Search Of
A Homemade Holiday
Have you caught yourself say
ing, “Oh, if only the holidays
could be as peaceful and uncom
mercialized as they used to be...”?
In these last few days before
Christmas, too many of us are
completely frazzled trying to cre
ate a picture-perfect celebration
complete with all the expensive
trimmings while still fulfilling our
normal responsibilities to family,
farm, and employer.
STOP.
At this point, the thing you need
to concentrate on is spending time
with your family. Gather your
family for a “pow-wow”. Talk
about the things that are not yet
done. What plans can be given up
this year? What plans can be mod
ified? What plans can wait until
January (or at least until Decem
ber 26 or 27)? What plans can be
completed together?
You may have to give up the
idea of constructing that Wil
liamsburg door decoration. You
had intended to give each of your
children a personalized gift, but
you only have two completed.
Give those this year, complete the
others for next winter. Could you
go to see Aunt Millie the first
week in January? For older peo
ple, the let down after the holidays
may be severe. House guests are
Fall and early winter lime application
allows the limestone time to react and
dives you the advantage of rich,
balanced soil lor your
planting. Ground
lions during fall
early winter also
[p reduce soil
taction and
during
'eading.
Hi-Caldum Hi-Magnesium
Martin
LIMESTONE
coming for dessert, but the tree is
not decorated. Could you, as a part
of the evening’s festivities, invite
each person to place three or four
ornaments on the tree upon
arrival?
Almost every year my family
hosts an open house for friends
and neighbors. Because Mom has
fewer hands to help with the pre
parations, she has had to simplify
the menu from year to year. The
central event still occurs, but the
non-essentials change according
to the available resources.
What simplifications can you
make? Surprisingly, you may find
yourself slaving over something,
in the name of tradition, that
means little to others. Wouldn’t it
be better to rest or redirect your
energy to a more valued effort?
A way to combine family times
with holiday tasks is to create a
homemade holiday. With a
“homemade holiday”, decora
tions, meals, gifts, and entertain
ment are created by the members
of your family and your house
guests. This allows a personalized
touch. They will usually be less
expensive, too. Families should
strive for these reduced expenses
because strained finances add ten
sions and disappointments to the
holidays. We tend to expect costly
items to bring extraordinary satis
faction. They frequently fail to
It's the right time
to apply lime
meet such high expectations.
Do you still have names to cross
of your gift list? Consider putting
together a coupon book for ser
vices or outings an afternoon at
the park together, a movie, a thea
ter ticket, a sporting event, one
closet clean-up, car washes, dog
scrubbings. These act as lOU’s.
Assess your resources. Do you
have reusable containers, old
calendars? How can you and the
others in your family turn these
into gifts for relatives? Fill tins,
tubs, or tiny glass jars with home
made goodies that your family
makes together? Transform the
calendars into handmade note
cards. Add stamps and envelopes
from a print shop for a college stu
dent’s stationery set.
Last week I was talking with a
high school student who had little
money. She was experiencing the
uncomfortable pressure of trying
to find inexpensive items for
many friends. One suggestion a
person like she could consider in
future years is to pick names with
in a group of friends. This reduces
the financial strain on everyone
involved. You may also want to
combine resources for a present
instead of each person buying an
individual gift.
But think. Think carefully. Who
‘ffta/itin,
MMEST
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‘Vealy’ Profitable
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
A statewide veal recipe contest
is part of an extensive veal food
service promotion funded through
the $1 per head beef checkoff
program.
The program, “Veal. The Pro-
might enjoy an unusual/non
traditional gift one that
employs your creative thoughts?
Do you play a musical instru
ment? You could select and per
form pieces for others as a gift?
Offer them a short note explaining
why the particular pieces were
selected for each of them.
Could you compile a “Memory
Book” with quotes from children,
old photos, newspaper clippings,
recipe cards, and notes? Who
would enjoy one of these?
Giving gifts like memory
books, or informal concerts, or
even working together to decorate
a home draw a family together.
They are built-in times for conver
sation. In a rushed world, limes for
talking and times for simply
“being” together may be the most
cherished gift one can present to
another.
ACfciLt)
WAS 130 RN...
Let every
heart rejoice
in the hope
and promise
born on that
holy night.
All
COCALICO EQUIPMENT CO.
EXPRESS BEST WISHES
For A
JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON.
We Sincerely Thank You For
Your Past Patronage
Looking Forward To Serving You In 1991
| COCALICO EQUIPMENT CO. t
|JH Farm Drainage & Excavating wyrmmF*
kHJB 323 Reinholds Rd. Denver, PA 17517 \ LICA / 8
(215)267-3808 (717)738-3794 \/ |
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Decamber 22, 1990-B5
fitable Choice” is designed to
increase veal sales at restaurant
and Foodservice establishments
throughout Pennsylvania and
upstate New York,
‘The Veally Profitable Recipe
Contest” is open to Foodservice
professionals, and includes cash
prizes totalling more than $4,000
in each state. The contest, which
runs through February, is detailed
in the restaurant kit.
“This promotion is designed to
get both the individual restaurants
and their supplier and distributor
excited about including veal in
their operations,” said David Ivan,
executive director of the Pennsyl
vania Beef Council. “At the same
time, the recipe contest allows the
industry to solicit creative and
exciting recipes from the top chefs
throughout the state.”
The kit also includes menu
ideas, nutritional and sales infor
mation, and point-of-sale mater
ials assembled in an attractive fol
der that showcases veal.
The project was launched
simultaneously by the Pennsylva
nia and New York state beef
councils.
Recipe Contest