Chocolate Walnut Clusters

Chocolate Walnut Clusters:
2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips
14 cut up marshmellows
1 tsp butter
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
optional 1 tsp vanilla
Melt chocolate and marshmellows with the butter.  Add nuts and raisins.  Drop onto greased plate or cookie sheet.  Cool and serve.  NO baking!

Go "NUTS" For Nuts

Help yourself to some nuts this holiday season.  Regular eaters of nuts were less likely to die of cancer or heart disease-in fact, were less likely to die of any cause, during a 30-year study from Harvard.  Nuts have long been called the heart-healthy food and the study is the largest ever done on whether eating them affects mortality.  After tracking 119,000 men and women they found that those who ate nuts daily were 20% less likely to die than those who never ate nuts.  The risk of dying of heart disease dropped 29% and the risk of dying of cancer fell 11% amongst those who had nuts seven times a week versus those who never ate them.  Peanuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios and all others were included.  A bonus:  Nut eaters stayed slimmer.  So add nuts in your cereal, your homemade fudge, your cinnamon rolls, banana bread, etc...

Start Your Own Holiday Christmas Traditions

Now is the time to start your own holiday Christmas family traditions.  Here are a few ideas that I have done over the years or that I think are great:
1.  Make your own felt Christmas stockings for each child.
2.  Set out cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve.
3.  Act out the Nativity complete with baby Jesus and angels and shepherds, Mary, and Joseph.
4.  Make Christmas cookies and fudge.
5.  Decorate trees in every room.
6.  Go and see all of the Christmas lights.
7.  See the "Nutcracker" or "Christmas Carol"
8.  Read from the Bible the account of Christ's birth.
9.  Have a family talent show.
10. Sing Christmas carols around the piano.
11.  Put out your Christmas stockings on the couch or chair where you want Santa to set out your gifts.
12. Do the 12 days of Christmas to a family in need where you leave them a gift every night for 12 nights on their doorstep.
13.  Make gingerbread houses.
14.  Send out a Christmas card to all of your family and friends.
15.  Read a Christmas story/book every night.
16.  Collect children's Christmas books.
17.  Do themed Christmas trees.
18.  Go ice skating or sledding as a family
19.  Go skiing as a family.
20.  Do an appetizer night with all of your favorite appetizers.
21.  Do a white elephant gift exchange.
22.  See or collect creche sets.
23.  Go to Handel's Messiah.
24.  Read "The Christmas Carol" By Charles Dickens and "The Mansion" By Henry Van Dyke

Wear Beautiful Burgundy

This holiday season add some richness by adding beautiful burgundy.  You can wear wine lipstick.  Try a touch of burgundy in a jacket or coat.  Wear burgundy pants or shirt.  Buy a rich colored scarf.