Podcasts about although christmas

On today's episode of the therapy Crouch, Abbey and Peter are feeling rather hungover after what was billed as a kids Christmas party escalated in classic crouch style to an almost all nighter! But fear not, your favourite comedy couple have dusted themselves down and braved the record today to reflect on how to keep your Christmas spark alive even if it's the last thing you want to do!Although Christmas can be one of the most magical times of year, it can also be one of the toughest, from missing loved ones no longer with us, to feeling the pressure to get everything perfect - Crimbo ain't always all it's cracked up to be.That's why Abbey and Pete are giving you their top tips on how to achieve a little bit of festive fun, no matter your situation. We also hear from a listener whose boss' halitosis has left them dreading any mistletoe moments, as well as from a hubby who can't keep his hands out the advent calendar!! And stick around for one of our more poignant messages of the series so far where a listener who has found themself in a really difficult situation has found the therapy crouch as their greatest comfort. Enjoy this week's Therapy Crouch! To contact us: Email: thetherapycrouch@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ thetherapycrouchpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/ @thetherapycrouch Website: https://thetherapycrouch.com/ For more from Peterhttps://twitter.com/petercrouchFor more from Abbeyhttps://www.instagram.com/abbeyclancyOur clips channelhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZntcv96YhN8IvMAKsz4Dbg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The hospitality sector is optimistic about the coming season. On average, restaurant revenue was down 6% in the second quarter, improving markedly in quarter 3 to only 1%. Although Christmas started late, trading has picked up lately. Chef Josh Emett told Heather du Plessis-Allan that they had although September and October were down, they had a really positive August and the last six weeks have been really solid. He says they're hoping for one of those lovely, bumper summers with no cyclones. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The meaning of Christmas has been highjacked before. According to Wikipedia, in the 17th century the Puritans banned the celebration of Christmas, because it became known for drunkenness and other mischief.   Although Christmas was restored in 1660 as a holiday it still was in disrepute and not a prominent celebration until the 19th century thanks ... The post The Meaning of Christmas appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

People are searching for hope on Christmas, and we have a living hope we can share with them. Although Christmas is a cultural holiday, Christians view it as a religious holiday that celebrates the greatest gift ever given to humanity. Pastor Phil Hopper encourages listeners that inviting their neighbors, coworkers, friends, and family to church is a great way to bring hope on Christmas. He and Les challenge listeners to look for people who are hurting and searching for the truth. As the people of God, we should live with the most optimistic worldview we can possibly have. The real hope on Christmas is the truth that Jesus is coming again, and we are promised to spend eternity with Him. It doesn't take much to show kindness and joy to the people around you. If you have a smile, if you can write, if you can type, if you can bake, if you can serve in any capacity, use those gifts to bring hope on Christmas to the people around you.

Although Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year it's important to be mindful of what we purchase as it can also be the most wasteful time of the year. Jo Linehan Editor of the Climate Supplement at the Sunday Times Ireland joined Pat on the show.

Although Christmas is a time of joy and celebration, that won't stop us about talking some of the terrible things about the holiday, namely, the bad movies.  Christmas movies have been a yearly staple for decades now.  Naturally, with the oversaturation of said movies, you're bound to come across a few stinkers.  Sure, we tend to forgive more during the holidays but in this episode of Formidable Opponents, we examine these movies and ask the most important of questions.  "Why?!"  This week we are joined by our friends Jenna and Danielle from The "Did Not Need to Know" podcast (much like Rudolph had a useful nose, they had high quality microphones), as we debate and discuss some of the Worst Christmas movies of all-time.Support the showReach out to us and follow us:formidableopponents@gmail.com (Contact us)https://formidableopponents.buzzsprout.com/ (Website)@Fopponents (Twitter)formidable_opponents (Instagram)FormidableOpponents (Facebook)@formidableopponents (Tik Tok)https://www.buymeacoffee.com/foropponents (Show us some love)Merchandisehttps://formidableopponents.creator-spring.com/Cover art by Creative Little Pillhttps://www.instagram.com/creativelittlepill/https://creative-little-pill.creator-spring.com/Magic Mindhttps://www.magicmind.com/opponents

Ennis retailers are bracing themselves for an expected drop-off in business after the busy Christmas period. It comes as a new survey has predicted that consumer spending will be down 13% over the festive season, compared to last year. Although Christmas is traditionally the most fruitful time of the year for retailers, a study carried out by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has anticipated that the consumer spend will be lower than previous years. It's expected the average seasonal spend will be €1,030, down from €1,186 in 2022. Those with children are likely to spend closer to €1,369 though, but this is still significantly lower than the average of €1,590 last year. Although the rate of inflation slowed to 2.3% in November, many business-owners have reported that customers are being more conservative in how they shop. Alison McGrath of My First Steps in Ennis claims people are becoming more pragmatic, and are avoiding discretionary spending. Online shopping is also posing a threat to local businesses, with 81% of Irish consumers admitting to shopping online last in 2022, which was up two percentage points on the previous year. Some have argued however that while the Christmas period tends to look after itself, the most challenging time for retailers comes immediately afterwards. Patrick Bourke of Patrick Bourke Menswear in Ennis and Kilrush says the more people spend at Christmas, the more difficult Spring is for business-owners.

This week's message is titled "Messy Christmas." Although Christmas is filled with finely manicured shops, living rooms, and dinner tables... it's also filled with people with not-so-finely manicured thoughts, relationships, and emotions. On the outside, Christmas season brings us so much beauty yet on the inside it can bring so much ugliness... you stir those together and you have a Messy Christmas. So how does Jesus have anything to do with that? Way more than you might think. + + + + +Hey, while you're here, please help Generation by clicking the 'Subscribe' button, then click on the BELL (on mobile devices, also click 'ALL'). Then you'll be the first to know when our latest messages and content goes live!As always, you can find more from us at https://www.gotogeneration.comAnd get the latest from Generation in your inbox with the Midweek Musing, our free weekly email: https://subscribepage.io/UOAh3oFollow us on Social!▶ FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/southochurch▶ INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/generationchurchsoutho/

In this week's CIO Weekly Investment Outlook podcast, Christian Nolting, Global Chief Investment Officer, shares his view on the equity rally, which “is appreciated”, but stresses that we haven't overcome a lot of inflationary pressures yet and should therefore be wary of too much euphoria.He also discusses upcoming consumer data, highlights developments on the fiscal side as well as yield movements, and shares his take on oil prices “which are still an important driver for markets”. Although Christmas is coming closer, Christian doesn't see activity slowing down just yet as “there will be volatile times still ahead”.For more investing insights, please visit deutschewealth.comIn Europe, Middle East and Africa as well as in Asia Pacific this material is considered marketing material, but this is not the case in the U.S. No assurance can be given that any forecast or target can be achieved. Forecasts are based on assumptions, estimates, opinions and hypothetical models which may prove to be incorrect. Past performance is not indicative of future returns. Performance refers to a nominal value based on price gains/losses and does not take into account inflation. Inflation will have a negative impact on the purchasing power of this nominal monetary value. Depending on the current level of inflation, this may lead to a real loss in value, even if the nominal performance of the investment is positive. Investments come with risk. The value of an investment can fall as well as rise and you might not get back the amount originally invested at any point in time. Your capital may be at risk. The services described in this podcast are provided by Deutsche Bank AG or by its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in accordance with appropriate local legislation and regulation. Deutsche Bank AG is subject to comprehensive supervision by the European Central Bank (“ECB”), by Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) and by Germany's central bank (“Deutsche Bundesbank”). Brokerage services in the United States are offered through Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., a broker-dealer and registered investment adviser, which conducts investment banking and securities activities in the United States. Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. is a member of FINRA, NYSE and SIPC. Lending and banking services in the United States are offered through Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, member FDIC, and other members of the Deutsche Bank Group. The products, services, information and/or materials referred to within this podcast may not be available for residents of certain jurisdictions. © 2023 Deutsche Bank AG and/or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. This podcast may not be used, reproduced, copied or modified without the written consent of Deutsche Bank AG. 030620 030121

"Musings On a Difficult Text" - Although Christmas has come with all its joy, life goes on with all its pain and suffering.

HoHoHo! Although Christmas day might be over, we have some more content to help ease the boredom at home over the holiday season! Join Tom, Anton, and myself (Aran) as we dive into some of our fav horror movies to watch around the silly season! From the worst of the worst in horror, all the way to some considered at the pinnacle of the Christmas horror mountain we have it all!Grab some drinks and good food, relax, and listen to this jolly episode. You may learn new facts about some of the movies you never knew! Happy Christmas & New Year! Thanks for all the support this year, BIG things are coming in 2023!! Follow me here - HEREFollow Tom & Anton at www.strangebrewpodcast.com or check out Haus of trash on all podcast platforms! Enjoy!

The meaning of Christmas has been highjacked before. According to Wikipedia, in the 17th century the Puritans banned the celebration of Christmas, because it became known for drunkenness and other mischief.   Although Christmas was restored in 1660 as a Christian holiday, it still was in disrepute and not a prominent celebration until the 19th century ... The post The Meaning of Christmas appeared first on Unconventional Business Network.

Although Christmas reigns as the most popular southern winter holiday, the ladies at Don't Tell Maw Maw wanted to learn more about Hanukkah. Kayla Tarr shares her experience of growing up in New Orleans and being Jewish. Tune in to learn about the food, traditions, and symbolism of Hanukkah. Enjoy, and Happy Hanukkah y'all! Follow us: All Social Media: @dontellmawmaw Facebook Community Group: Don't Tell Maw Maw the Magnolia Lounge Email: donttellmawmaw@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Christmas is considered as one of the six most stressful life events, along with divorce, moving house and changing jobs. Although Christmas is meant to be a happy and joyful time, this isn't how everyone feels at this time of the year. Christmas can be a stressful and depressing time for many people. Some people find that the “Christmas spirt and celebration” can be really hard. Our special guests for this episode are Belinda Ellis and Jackie Ashmore from ermha365.Belinda is a registered psychologist, specialising in forensics and is ermha365s Chief practice officer. She also operates her own private practice focusing on forensic and child development psychology.Jackie is a registered nurse who specialised in forensic and mental health nursing. Jackie is our Chief Operations Officer at ermha365. Before training as a nurse Jackie was a corrections officer in prisons.If you have been affected by anything discussed in this episode you can contact:Lifeline on 13 11 1413 YARN on 13 92 76 (24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples)MORE SUPPORTSuicide Callback ServiceQLife (LGBTI peer support and referral)Beyond BlueSalvation ArmyProduced and hosted by Emily Webb, ermha365 Advocacy and External Communications Advisor with Karenza Louis-Smith, CEO ermha365.ermha365 provides mental health and disability support for people in Victoria and the Northern Territory.Follow ermha365 on social media:FACEBOOK - @ermhaorgTWITTER - @ermha365INSTAGRAM - @ermha365ermha365 acknowledges that our work in the community takes place on the Traditional Lands of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and therefore respectfully recognise their Elders, past and present, and the ongoing Custodianship of the Land and Water by all Members of these Communities.We recognise people with lived experience who contribute to GET REAL podcast, and those who love, support and care for them. We recognise their strength, courage and unique perspective as a vital contribution so that we can learn, grow and achieve better outcomes together.

Although Christmas has passed, and we are preparing for the New Year, we must always hold close to us the beauty of the gospel. This week, we are discussing new year's resolutions and the beautiful birth of Christ.   Break down: 1. The new year 2. The Christmas Story 3. Prophecy  4. Hope   Questions or comments? Email us! mannaovereverything@gmail.com   -------------------------------   Scripture mentioned in this episode: James 1:11b Luke 2:1-21 Micah 5:2 Isaiah 7:14  Matthew 1:21 Mark 10:45    Other ways to listen:    Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/show/1F5MXd2tOhRZe2XIDnPSzh?si=a69FSza5Tb2NYIOHocaOUg&dl_branch=1 Apple- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/manna-over-everything/id1584900758  Amazon- https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f19dc53b-c600-4372-8b61-5808a43b1838/manna-over-everything  Player FM- https://player.fm/series/manna-over-everything  Podbean- https://mannaovereverything.podbean.com/e/1-what-is-manna/  YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzsbbvFsIrISacQQy4yHrxg  #MOE #MANNA #GOD #BIRTH #CHRIST #SAVIOR #YESHUA

Who Were the Magi and What Was Their Purpose?  The Gospel of Matthew is the only one of the four gospels that gives an account of the visit by the Magi or wise men from the East. Although Christmas traditions tell the story of the three wise men coming from the East to present their gifts to the baby Jesus, the scriptures do not tell that account. The Magi were highly educated scholars and astronomers who were part of a religious sect. They came from the East (Media, Persia, Assyria, and Babylonia). They came based on the Jewish prophecies of the birth of the King of the Jews.Several hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Daniel was the leader of the Magi or magicians, also known as the wise men. He had favor with the King of the empire at that time because God was with him and he was able to interpret dreams. Daniel was the wisest of all of the wise men of his time. This was the same Daniel that had been thrown into the lion's den and came out unharmed. Daniel prophesied that a virgin would give birth to a Son, and they would name Him Emmanuel (God with us). The teachings of Daniel would have been passed down so that the wise men during Jesus's birth would have recognized the signs in the sky. The wise men traveled to Israel as an entourage carrying valuable gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to present to Jesus. They had seen the star and knew the season for Jesus' birth. They traveled to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”  King Herod and those in Jerusalem were greatly troubled about this announcement. King Herod called his chief priests and scribes and asked them about this question. The religious leaders told King Herod that the scriptures state that the Messiah would be born in the town of Bethlehem. Herod met with the wise men and told them to go to Bethlehem and after they find the child to come back and let him know so he could also go and worship the child.The wise men left for Bethlehem and the star went before them and stood over the area of where the child was located. Jesus was no longer a baby in the manger, but a young Child under two years of age. The wise men and the entourage were extremely overjoyed to see Jesus and they brought their gifts and worshiped Him. The gifts were very valuable and included gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  The gifts were highly valuable, practical, and symbolic. Gold symbolizes Christ's divinity, frankincense, a fragrant oil, is used for worship, and myrrh, another oil/perfume is used in embalming a dead body. Jesus was the Divine King who left His divinity to be born as a man. He was also the sacrifice for mankind and came to die to pay for our sins and put us back into a relationship with God the Father.The wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod. They went home another way. Joseph was also warned in a dream to take his family to Egypt because Herod would be coming to kill Jesus. Joseph immediately took his family at night and left Bethlehem for Egypt. The family had money to travel and remained in Egypt until King Herod had died.King Herod expected a visit from the wise men but realized that they were not coming to see him. He was so angry because he wanted to kill Jesus. There was no way that he would allow another king to take his place. He was a ruthless leader who killed his own sons, siblings, and anyone who would threaten his position as King. He immediately ordered all male children under the age of two in Bethlehem to be killed. This was a horrible and sad event.When Herod died Joseph had another dream where the angel of the Lord told him to take his family back to Israel. Those who wanted Jesus dead had all died. Joseph took his family back but settled in Nazareth. The account of the wise men is important to s

Remember, we welcome comments, questions and suggested topics at thewonderpodcastQs@gmail.com   S2E46 TRANSCRIPT: ----more---- Yucca: Welcome back to the Wonder Science-based Paganism. I'm one of your hosts Yucca.  Mark: The other one, Mark.  Yucca: And this week it's already the solstice. So we're going to be talking about the winter solstice. Yule lots of names for it, but it's that time of year. Mark: Yes, so many celebrations happening and lots of traditions and rituals. And it's one of the in the year where the, the mainstream culture, the overculture actually really goes for some of the stuff that we as pagans are into in the way of rituals and traditions. And. Stuff that doesn't necessarily have a rational explanation, but it feels really good to do so you do it anyway. So we're going to talk about all that stuff. And here we go.  Yucca: Yeah. So first of all, this is a time that cultures all over the world in temperate latitudes have paid attention to it's something that we see in ancient sites. We see it reflected in many different religions and traditions today. It's just been a very important time because. The days have been getting shorter and shorter and shorter, and now it's turning around and it's like the light, like the sun is returning. Mark: I mean, you can imagine that at a time when the technology available was with rocks and Mastodon, ivory, and bones and reindeer horn and you know, stuff like  that,  Yucca: and moss.  Mark: right.  That seeing the power of the sun deplete and the days get shorter and shorter And shorter  Yucca: And lower and lower in the sky. Mark: Right. It would be very alarming. You know, the, the amount of time that you have available to hunt or, or search for food. Is steadily shrinking. And the time that you're exposed to predators that are nocturnal is steadily increasing. Meanwhile, the temperatures are dropping and so you've got to find fuel for fires and you know, this is. This is something that was very much a matter of concern for ancient people. And we know this because even today persist amazing observatories that were built by ancient people both in the Americas and in Europe and in Africa That line up the sun with stone formations on the winter solstice day. Some of the most famous ones are Stonehenge obviously, and then also the new Grange passage burial in Ireland. But there are lots of these these constructions there's one in Chaco canyon in the American Southwest. There's just a lot of them,  Yucca: Yeah. And even as. There were different kinds of cultures even, and perhaps even more for some of the agricultural cultures that are settled in one place. And they've spent all year preparing for this time. Now it's just a really, really important time in which this is what we've been getting ready for  now. And then the next few months of, of what were we working for all year and knowing,Humans We're good at to pick up patterns. Right. We know that that the days will get longer. Again, we know that this is a cyclical thing, but when you're in the moment, it's, it's very, I mean, that's, that's all there is. There's a now, right now and night is long at night is cold and. You know, why wouldn't it be nice to be back in that sun and to be back with the warmth and back with the, the short nights and the long days. And, and that's what this solstice is, is bringing us back towards it's that turn in the year. Mark: That's right. And that's why it's always associated with hope because the, the hope of the longer summer days. Inherent in the kernel of turning corner, the sun's starting to come back in, very, very faint sort of. Indications of that in the first few days after the solstice, but then it becomes more and more clear that the days are getting longer. it will still be very cold and not really possible to do agriculture for a while, at least, you know, that you're headed towards days when it will be possible.  Yucca: Yeah. Mark: So something else that becomes very traditional at this time becomes eating everything that will spoil before it goes bad.  Yucca: Because  we have a lot of that right now. We've got a lot of winter squashes, even though we didn't grow many ourselves this year, but we've got a bunch that are sitting and I go and I touch the bottoms of the beach day and I go up, oh, we got to use this one up. This one's getting soft and mushy.  Mark: oh.  Yucca: Right. Mark: So, and, and that's very deliberate because piling in a ton of count of calories when you're about to go into the coldest darkest time of the year not I'm sorry, not darkest, but just coldest time of the year is a very sensible survival strategy. You know, people that don't. Have a good read on the food cycles of where they are living. Don't do well over winters. They really don't. Half of I was talking, I, I guess when we were around American Thanksgiving and. This is a particularly significant year because it's the 400 years since the supposed first Thanksgiving with the, the colonists in Massachusetts and I'm descended from several of those. People who were there at that first event. the reason that they had those celebrations people don't generally talk about very much. The reason they had those celebrations was because before of them had died,  Yucca: Yeah.  Mark: get through the winter because they didn't understand the landscape and they didn't understand how to plant to plant, how to live in that new environment we can see that the winter solstice becomes a really important marking point for the time of year people that are, you know, as we all do out of the soil.  Yucca: Yeah.  Mark: Oh,  Yucca: And it's interesting today as we are in. On a societal level where this interesting place where we try and pretend like we're not part of everything else. We're not part of this world. Right. We've got our, our artificial lights and you know, who cares? The sun has gone down or rather we've turned away from the sun at this point, because while we just flip on a light switch, right, we've got the light here, we've got our refrigerators and all of our, you know, grocery stores that we go to. We have been seeing over the past year that, you know, maybe that pulse system is not quite as stable as we might like to think that it is. But there's something that it seems like we're still really drawn back to anyways, even while we're trying to pretend that we're not part of nature, that we're not part of this. And, and I think that pagans do that a lot less, but just talking about, you know, the overculture even the overculture it seems is just drawn to this particular time. Mark: And to the very traditional of light, right? is the darkest time of the year. And so some of the oldest traditions have to do with putting a candle in the window, putting candles in trees, which is dangerous as hell, but people do it.  They would bring a tree into their house and then they would put candles in  Yucca: Yes. And often your house would be made from what as well. Mark: Ymade from wood as well. Must have been really symbolically important to them because otherwise, why would they take that risk?  And we do that the same with, you know, Christmas lights now and you know, there to me, there's this sort of beautiful defiance. About those light displays at this time of year, that's just saying we will not have it dark. We will not. We, we, we defy the darkness with the light that we can create and we will make it beautiful. And will cruise by our house and go, wow, look at that. It's so pretty. And. I just, I think that's a lovely thing. I think it's and it's, and it's a very primordial thing. It's it, it, I think it strikes a chord really deep in our human psyche.  Yucca: Hmm. So let's start talking more about the. Our interpretations, right? We've been looking at kind of this broad scale of humans and over time, but within our own practices, within our own, you know, pagan practices and our own wheel of year for you, mark, what is, what is the winter solstice? How does that fit into your, your interpretation of the wheel? Mark: Okay, that's great. there, there are basically two sort of. Metaphorical plans that I overlay onto the calendar year. And the first is the agricultural cycle, which is a very pagan thing to do. You know, you've got your planting in the spring and you've got your maintenance in the summer and your harvest in the fall. And what that does is it makes. The, the returning of the sun at the solstice. The, the moment of the beginning of a new cycle. So everything is fallow. Everything is dormant. And now is the time when we start when we just hunker down, we're not worrying about food production right now because all the food production has been done. And so now we're just trying to keep ourselves alive until we can start food production. again. And that will be in the spring when birds are laying and so there eggs and there's some, you know, early herbs that we can eat and hunting is possible. You know, one of the things about about short er days is that Is that you don't have very long to go hunting. Hunting is not a or gathering either. You know, those are not sort of quick processes. You, it takes a long time to go out and accumulate food. And if you don't have that, that time, then you're not really able to do much. And in some cases, the game that you might've been hunting is migrated away and the herbs are in the ground. Cause they're not coming up yet. So, so this is the time when you just hunker down and you hang out with your friends and loved ones and just get through it. And this sort of kickoff of all of that is eating everything. That's going to go bad and loading up on calories as best you can. So as much in the way of sugar as you  can tolerate or get your hands on and celebrating. The fact that you love one another and support one another. And that that's how survival works for humans as social animals. And that starts the beginning of the year with this dormant phase, which then moves into planning and then planting. And then. Caring and all that kind of stuff. So that's the agricultural cycle. The other cycle is the cycle of a human life and metaphorically. I see the winter solstice as the equivalent of birth and infancy. you know, it's, it's the time of visioning, you know, before, before something, before you even plan something, before you start to figure out how to implement it and get resources together and all that stuff, you have to have a vision. And so here in the darkness is a really good time to be doing visionary stuff. The dark is often associated with divination and with imagination. And so I see this as really being that kind of a time. How about you? I know that you have a kind of biological  Yucca: Yeah.  Mark: on the stations of the year.  Yucca: so certainly the, the first part that you were talking about in terms of the agriculturally what's going on, will we tie into that as well? The birth for me, I don't really associate it with the birth the beginning. And partly that's it has to do with that. That doesn't necessarily match the, the fertility cycle for humans being someone who's kind of been tied into that, you know, I actually associate this time of year more with morning sickness. Right. But this, we look at the wheel of the year. And we'll look at the different holidays and the different seasons as, and relate them to parts of our biosphere and parts of the ecosystem that we're really dependent upon. And this half of the year, we look at the forests and so the other half is the grasslands. If we look at the terrestrial biomes, they're really dominated by two different kinds, which is. The forests and the grasslands, it's mostly the non brittle and the. And so this time we're really honoring the, the forest, especially those, you know, the conifers and the, the forest creatures around that. And also the, the sudden our star, right? This is a really great, it's always around, but this is just like a good reminder of the, you know, as we were talking about two weeks ago with John last week star stuff, right? So this is a wonderful moment to be remembering that. Because when we are, when we're getting less exposure to something, it can help us remember how important it is. What is the the absence or  Mark: oh, absence makes the heart grow fonder.  Yucca: yes. Right. So it's kind of like that with, with the  Mark: I miss heat. Heat  was  Yucca: missed heat, sun and vitamin D. Oh, that makes my body feel so good. Where is it? Right.  So that's, that's really for us looking at and, and honoring that part of the, our biosphere and it works out very well with what's going on awith the overculture and Christmasristmas trees and, and,  it's, and for us we live in a very brown place anyways, but the only things that are green right now really are. We've pinyon pine and Juniper, and that's it. we look out, that's the only green that we see and they have their very unique quality of green anyways, but there is no grasses that are green. There's no little, you know, herbs or any of that. It's just the trees. So yeah.  Mark: yeah. So that that persistent quality of the evergreens is something that obviously was not lost on people going back thousands of years. The, the whole idea of evergreen trees, evergreen boughs plants that bear fruit at this time, like Holly and mistletoe and those kinds of things all end up kind of folded up into this winter solstice holiday. and I like to take as many of those traditions of those kinds of good feeling traditions into my practice as I can. I mean, we have a Yule tree. It's doesn't have an angel or a star on top of it. It's got the sun which is a star of course, but It's, symbolically it's designed differently. Yucca: It's, you're not putting the star of Bethlehem up. You're putting, you're putting the sun.  Mark: Right. Different star.  Yucca: Yeah. Mark: Yeah. And. I just find that a lot of what has come to be associated with this time of year is really lovely stuff. It's, it's getting together with people you love and it's exchanging gifts to show that you love them and it's singing and enjoying beautiful music and Of course the feasting and drinking and just having a wonderful time. And we need more of that. Honestly. I  mean, the overculture is really impoverished in terms of its willingness to allow us to enjoy things. And it, it wouldn't hurt us to have one of these every six months, you know,  really wouldn't.  Yucca: we actually do that. We've we've for us in our, in our tradition, our family tradition, we've elevated the summer solstice to a similar level of you know activity. So because yeah, just that sense of, yeah, we need, you know, once a year is not enough. Mark: Right, right. Yeah. And what's interesting is that it doesn't, you don't have to go very far back in history to find that there were times when there were a lot more of these, there were the quarter festivals, some every three months, there was a week of not only eating and drinking and visiting with friends and not working and all that kind of stuff, which of course was a great relief to people that were, you know, working as serfs on somebody. Land. But also it was the time when rents were paid and debts were collected and new contracts were entered into, so there was sort of a business aspect of it too. But like in which was right around the the audit autumnal Equinox was another such festival,  Yucca: What was that word? Mark: Mikel, miss. So my St St. Michael.  Yucca: Oh, okay. Mark: Yeah, so, and it was pronounced mikkelmas so yeah, it wasn't so long ago until the Protestant reformation, of course, which promptly banned Christmas and and everything else that was fun because it was pagan and frivolous. And unfortunately, even after the Protestant, reformation was over, we were still stuck with a lot of the damage that they had done. So, Speaking from a pagan perspective, we, we say as long as nobody's getting hurt, more fun as good.  Yucca: Yeah. Mark: And this is one of the one time of the year when people are really allowed to have fun.  Yucca: Yeah. So we, you mentioned, you know, you really enjoy bringing in as many of those. Are there any particular traditions that you have. unique to your particular household or ritual group or something that you haven't seen done  very often, even within the larger pagan community. Mark: No, I wouldn't say that what we do is all that original. What we do is we gather at one of our circle brother and sister's house. And after dark, we, we turn all the lights off in the house and we go outside and we hold our ritual and we sing songs around Around a cauldron, the sand in the bottom and a single little burning candle there until it gets really dark and cold. And then when it's time and we're ready, we all take tapers and light them from that one little spark and then go  into the house. And there are candles set everywhere throughout the house, in every room. And so we go through and we light the candles and fill the house with light  for the bringing back. And it's a simple ritual, but it's very beautiful. And it's, it's something I really look forward to every year. I'm doing that this afternoon.  Yucca: oh, wonderful. Yeah. So we're recording Saturday right  Mark: Saturday the 18th.  Yucca: yeah. Oh, that's lovely. That's coming up.  Mark: it is. Yes.  So. how about you? Are there particular things you do this time of year?  Yucca: Well, we do We do have a Mari Lwyd that we have in our house. And that we've done a sort of modified version. And, and some of you might've heard of this as the Welsh Christmas horse, but it, it is a very old tradition and probably has several different origins, but it was where. In the villages and there's been a resurgence this in, in recent years, but. They would dress up a horses skull and they calling her gray, Mary, and someone would dress up as her with this horse skull and beautiful laces and really quite, quite a thing. And. Then they'd go from house to house and basically have a poetry battle with the owner of the house. And if you weren't, if you weren't able to defeat the Mari Lwyd they come into your house and they drink all your booze and make up. Big ruckus and then go to the next house. And so it's something that is very, very old and there's lots of ideas of where it might've come from, but it's also something connected right now with kind of the, the Welsh pride and all of that. And we live in the states where we're probably, you know, one of maybe only a few hundred families in the whole country that actually speaks to in use as Welsh. So we don't really have anyone to go knock down the doors of. Go into their house with a horses skull. So we just, we set one up each year. And I do not have a horse skull but I do have a deer skull and one day I will get a horse skull but for now we, we decorate up our deer skull and have that up and it's it has a delightful. Little spookyness added to the to the fuel Christmasy time. And it's just, it's also a symbol of poetry and, and just that connection with our, with our heritage. And that's something that I haven't really seen anyone else do, but it's just a moment for us to connect with that part of our past. Mark: That's wonderful. It reminds me very much of what the local Morris dancing team does here. We have a team, the AppleTree Morris, who are, are local to where I live and Morris dancing of course is a very, very old tradition from the Cotswolds in England. And it was probably practiced in a lot of other places as well, but it kind of died out. And so it's these traditional English tunes and and dances. But one of the oldest and most traditional dances is the Abbott's Bromley horn dance in the village of Abbott's Bromley. They bring out these old giant reindeer horns. And they do this dance where the horns clack with one another, which is of course what male reindeer are doing right about now. And those horn sets have been carbon dated at more than a thousand years old. So those dances have been going on for a long time. I mean, it's been a while since there've been reindeer in England.  Yucca: Yeah, I was going to ask about those reindeer you sure? But wow. Mark: So there is a similar tradition that our morris team does, which is they hold a wassail in the, usually the first weekend in January. And the way the wassail sale works is it's prearranged with members of the team and other friends and fellows. You go to a house. They dance a couple of Morris dances in front, they sing the wassailing song and then they run into the house, eat and drink everything that isn't nailed down and then all pile into cars and go to the next house where they do it all. Again,  Yucca: Good. Mark: this takes all day and ends up at a very lovely party at the end where they serve traditional English wassail and. It's just, it's a really fun, lovely thing to do. and feels like a very old tradition.  Yucca: Beautiful. Yeah, it sounds like there's probably some connections between those.  Mark: Yeah. I think so there, you know, I've actually started a blog posts that I haven't completed yet about what I call mendicant traditions, which are the sort of beggarly pagan traditions also Ling and Going house to house for soul cakes in around Halloween and the Mary Lloyd. I mean, there's, there's a lot of these sort of begging traditions and tons of waffling songs for exactly that purpose. You know, God bless the master of this house in the mistress. Also. Meanwhile, give us some food and money and beer.  Yucca: Oh, yes. Mark: so I think that's a very interesting thing and and a very, very old tradition and I like to see it propagated and, and continued. I love those old things.  Yucca: Yeah. Mark: So as your kids get older, you could theoretically do something similar. If you made arrangements with friends where I, and probably not under COVID. I mean, this is,  Yucca: Yes, this is but we're hoping as they get older, that will be less and less of an issue.  Mark: Right.  Yucca: fingers crossed that their entire childhood been during COVID, which has been  Mark: Yeah. That's that's  Yucca: So, but they think it's normal. They think masks are totally normal, but yeah, as, as they get older, I think, I mean, we've already done. We do a lot of, of memorizing, which is something I didn't do as a child, but as an adult, I really love to be able to memorize things in that. Their father is into theater and, and all of that. So he's really that, but doing poems and, and memorizing literature and things like that is just a I kind of having your, your poem offs,  right?  Yeah. Mark: Yeah. The way I, the way that I've heard that Mary Lloyd described is you you take a highly decorated horses, skull from door to door and have rap battles.  Yucca: That's yes. And extra points if you can do it in Welsh. So  Mark: I see.  Yucca: yes, there is some English, but it's, it's tolerated, but, but if you can do in Welsh, then, then you know, that's like automatically you get an extra five points there.  Mark: Got it.  Yucca: Right. And then of course we do presence as well. That kids are very into that for the adults. We don't really bother that much. If we see something that someone wants that we think they'd like, then we get it for them. Whenever that is right. Oh, go. You'd like this book. Well, I'm going to get it for you now, even though it's October,  Mark: Yeah.  Yucca: but for kids, it's fun. Mark: Yeah, I, I feel strongly about that. And I'm glad that you brought it up because I know that there are some people who are like, well, no, this present thing, it's all commercialism and it's terribly capitalistic and destructive and we're not going to do it. And I agree with all of those reasons. But it's cruel when you have little children who aren't going to understand that they see all of their peers getting presents and they don't,  Yucca: Yeah. Mark: it's just cruel and you don't have to go overboard with it, but it, in the, in the name of being kind and compassionate and, you know, not screwing up your kids any more than they necessarily need to be. I think it's better. That we incorporate presence. We don't have children as the listeners know and so we don't do presence either, but we still do a tree and we put things underneath it that make us feel wealthy, make us feel blessed  by  Yucca: a lovely idea.  Mark: of our life.  Yucca: That's beautiful. Mark: Yeah. Yeah. We really, we enjoy. Right now there's a tin of labor Kuiken under there among other things because Nemiah made traditional German Christmas cookies,  ginger cookies. And they're so good.  Yucca: Yeah, there are so many sweets this time of year that, oh goodness. That maybe it is good that we only do this part one time of year,  Mark: yeah, maybe. so  maybe  the summer solstice needs to be safe.  Yucca: That's an interesting, yeah, we've done. So we'll do we brought presence into the summer associates as well, so that it's kind of a, like, our goal has been to. To bring that fun part, but deemphasize that as it's not the only time of year that kids get presence,  right? So they get presents on their birthdays. They get presents on Christmas, but it's not like there's not going to be, you know, 20 presents or something like that. Although Christmas, we do have to deal with. You know, grandmothers and whatnot, but    but you know, coming from the parents, it's like, okay, there's about, there's two gifts per kid. Plus, you know, a couple of shared gifts between the kids. And then we do that during summer solstice and then we'll come back around in six months. We'll talk more about it, but we do decorations around the house and have it be a very kind of big deal as well. So, but it's got a very different feel. It's like, the, to the times of year, just so in six months, it'll just feel so different to be outside, to be in the house. It just feels different. Mark: Sure. Well, and you're in the Southwest too. So, I mean maybe the flavor scheme for the summer solstice could be more like she lays and, you know, savory salty things and.  Yucca: Although that really is our, is that is really our fault because when yeah. Oh, that that's what starts fall when you smell the green chili, roasting is  oh, right. And you drive by on the evening drive by on the road and people are out in front of the grocery stores and roasting it out. It's just, that is fall. Oh, it's wonderful. But by summer solstice is when we're. That's the zucchini season. That's when the zucchinis are finally like here we are. So we do lots of honey around that time because we can celebrate the, you know, the arthropods and things like that. And as a family, we spend a lot of time outdoors, but this particular coming back to December, this is even though it's very chilly, this is just an amazing. Night time of year there's meteor showers going on. And this year, right now, there's a really a special thing happening, which is the common Leonard. And so that's one that is not quite visible at the, by the human eye. It might be coming the next few days. We're not really sure. It probably is just outside of visibility. So if you've got some binoculars, even like bird watching binoculars or basic telescope, it's really, really easy to find right now because it's right after sunset, wherever you live. If you look towards sunset there's Venus, that's lovely. There's Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter all lined up  Mark: Oh, in  Yucca: beautiful little blind, right. And actually by the end of the month, we're going to get mercury as well and the evening sky, right in that nice lineup. But you look to Venus and then look right below it with your telescope and you'll see this gorgeous. And we've actually seen it the last couple of nights. It's beautiful. Green streak, which is a comment that is coming in. It's about a kilometer across its nucleus. It's a decent sized CLA comment. That's just going to wrap around the sun and then off it'll go.  So anyways, that's happening. And then you can be out in the gym and it's, although the peak has passed for them. They're still going for the rest of the month and the earth SIDS. So look the little dipper. So that's pretty easy to find because that's the north stars in Ursa minor, and there's a meteor shower that's happening right now. So pretty much, anytime you go out. You've got a good chance of seeing something beautiful in the night sky,  Mark: Yeah.  Yucca: something a little bit less than usual. There's always beautiful things, but  Mark: Right, Yucca: yeah.  Mark: yeah. And then of course, here on earth, in terms of space stuff, the James Webb telescope is about to go up.  Yucca: Yes. Mark: And it's finally going to go, and that is really pretty exciting because it should be, it should give us the ability to look back to the very origins of the universe,  the earliest stars,  Yucca: The earliest light. Yeah. Mark: and that will, that will really be something  that will really expand our understanding of the nature of the unit.  Yucca: yeah. It's it's it's a much, much larger telescope than home. So in feet it's just about 21 foot primary mirror, but it looks an infrared. So we're looking really, really far back that allows us to look at cooler objects like planets. So we want to look at exoplanets planets around other stars. They're going to be giving off infrared their way easier to see an infrared than trying to look in the glare of visible light, but also those early stars as the universe has been expanding, light gets stretched out. So it's being stretched. The farther part of wavelength is the redder and redder gets well. It's been, the universe has been stretching for almost 14 billion years, so it's stretched out of visible light into infrared. And we just can't see that with any of our other  telescopes. So we had Switzer for a while, but that was a very comparatively, very small that wasn't even a meter primary mirror. So this one is going to be. We're looking at a huge, huge mirror, the most complex telescope ever, ever built and hopefully launched. So that's supposed to launch on the 24th and it's scheduled for 7:20 AM Eastern. So that's a little bit early for those of us in the time zones over.  Yes. I'm setting my alarm though, to, to watch. 'cause it's been a long time coming and then we'll have to wait about six months before we start getting information back. But it's, it could be, it really could be opening a totally new chapter and astronomy, really. If there's, if everything works as planned, then it can  literally change our understanding of the universe. And we just don't even know yet. So we get to spend a whole hour talking about James Webb, if you want. This is yeah.  Mark: But let's not  Yucca: Okay, I'll talk your ear off. After we, we hit the stop button. Mark: Okay. The solstice is this amazing magic time. And it's been known to be an amazing magic time for a very long time. So it's easy for us to, especially because the over culture does the same thing. It's easy for us to sort of suspend all of our quotidian ordinary. Stuff. And to go into this kind of amazing holiday mode where, you know, you wear ugly sweaters and enjoy, you know, drink at times when you wouldn't ordinarily drink and  Yucca: Eat sugar cookies,  even when you don't normally eat cookies at all. Yeah. Mark: Right. And go out of your way to let people that you love know that you love them. So it's, it's a,  it's a really special time and we hope that in your celebrations and rituals and gatherings and all that, that you have a very wonderful yule and winter solstice.   

Although Christmas can be a time to celebrate with family and friends, Christmas can also be a time that brings up pain. So, what do we do with that? Just because we're followers of Jesus, we aren't guaranteed a life free from pain. In fact, the Bible points to many examples of people, including Jesus, who dealt with extreme pain. What we are guaranteed is that we don't have to face that pain alone. We can celebrate the fact that we worship a God who understands us in our pain, meets us there, and walks with us through it, no matter how long, difficult, or trying that journey may be.

(0:27) - A preview of Friday's jobs report for September, with the guys discussing its importance especially after August's extremely disappointing number.(14:18) - The new head of the SEC, Gary Gensler, could be a lot tougher on Wall Street than previous people in that position. How will his unique view of the financial sector change things for companies and investors alike?(22:26) - Although Christmas is still over two and a half months away, many companies and retailers are starting their holiday deals in the coming days or weeks. Amazon, for example, will begin rolling out Black Friday deals this week.(34:13) - Mark Schaffer of The Armstrong Advisory Group joined the show for another edition of Financial Planning Tuesday. Today, Mark discussed a recent bankrate.com study that focused on credit card limits being decreased over the pandemic.

  It is a dark time for the CABies. Although Christmas has past and the holidays are over, boredom has pursued the CABies . Evading the dreaded obstacles of life, the Boca Boys and their guest Michael Correia have returned with a new season and Matanca pt. 5. The evil mundaneness of everyday life, obsessed with finding fun, continues to reach at the fun loving listeners of Cala A Boca...   If you like the show and would like to get exclusive bonus material such as: Extended CAB Gabs, bonus mini-sodes, long form Era Uma Vez stories, and a lot of other goodies visit our Patreon page at calaabocashow.com/support and support the show.    Check out our latest videos on our website  calaabocashow.com/cabtv   Connect With Us: • Comment on the shownotes • Email feedback@calaabocashow.com • Subscribe to the Cala A Boca Show on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, and iHeart Radio • Follow us on FB, Instagram and Twitter @calaabocashow • Visit our website calaabocashow.com  

Amidst the tumultuous times we've found ourselves in, turning to our Lord and Savior is really the only shelter in the storm. We hope that's where your ultimate focus has been; not only in this past Christmas season, but as we look forward to tomorrow, a new year, 2021. Although Christmas has passed, Old Testament Professors Andrew Compton and Mark Vander Hart reflect once more on the coming Christ as found in the gospel of Luke, particularly the songs of Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon, and offer some reflections as we enter this new year.

Amidst the tumultuous times we've found ourselves in, turning to our Lord and Savior is really the only shelter in the storm. We hope that's where your ultimate focus has been- not only in this past Christmas season, but as we look forward to tomorrow, a new year, 2021. Although Christmas has passed, Old Testament Professors Andrew Compton and Mark Vander Hart reflect once more on the coming Christ as found in the gospel of Luke, particularly the songs of Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon, and offer some reflections as we enter this new year.

Although Christmas has passed, vocalist Kate Gordon (https://www.patreon.com/KateGordonMusic , kategordonmusic@gmail.com), composer/conductor Paul LaPrade, and Austin Space still feel very festive! The point totals have tightened, and it appears to be a two-way race to see who will wind up securing a victory this season. Find out which is the best religious and secular song of the Christmas season, as the group decides who ends up in the final round!

I am beginning to think that Americans, along with losing their Christmas spirit—whatever that is—are also losing their sense of humor. A law school in Indiana removed a Christmas tree from its atrium because of complaints. Some folks felt that the tree made them feel excluded. Now apart from the fact that I haven’t a clue what that means, since when did everyone have to feel included in everything that goes on? I am absolutely amazed at how thin-skinned atheists are. They are offended by the very word, God. In the words of Shakespeare, Methinks milady protesteth overmuch. I wouldn’t have thought so, but it is beginning to appear that atheists are insecure in their beliefs. They seem to fear, if not God, the idea of God. The law school replaced the Christmas tree with two evergreen looking trees, fake snow and a sled. One of the trees has lights in it. Now there’s an idea. We take down the Christmas tree and we put up an evergreen tree, hang lights, tinsel, colored balls on it, put snow around the base and call it a…tree…for decoration. What’s funny about this is that the Supreme Court has ruled that Christmas trees are legal. They ruled that: The Christmas tree, unlike the menorah, is not itself a religious symbol. Although Christmas trees once carried religious connotations, today they typify the secular celebration of Christmas. I submit this as exhibit one to demonstrate that we are losing our sense of the ridiculous. One, that the Supreme court of the land should be wasting time on issues like this. Two, did no one notice that Christmas is another form of Christ and Mass. Christ being the God of the Christian faith, and Mass a purely religious ceremony. And yet the Christmas tree is not a religious symbol. Well, I agree that it really is not, but it is hard to call it a Christmas tree and utterly ignore the meaning of the word. How is it that the constitution does not permit a display of the Ten Commandments in the atrium of a courthouse, but will permit the display of a Christmas tree. Not only at the courthouse. We have a National Christmas Tree on the grounds at the White House. What is the real reason why we can have one and not have the other, and what is the holiday all about?

Although Christmas comes at the same time every single year, most Americans find themselves scrambling financially during the Holiday season. Many people are unsure of how to cover the costs of gifts, travel, and décor as they host family and friends.The crazy thing is that in 2019, on average, people went $1,357 into holiday debt when 57% of them didn’t even plan on it! Whether we want to believe it or not, holiday spending can make or break our financial progress. To combat the financial burden of the holidays, here are 3 easy tips on how to save for Christmas every year.

Although Christmas should be the most wonderful time of year, Mandy Hope is struggling. Her relationship with Jimmy Marsh is on the rocks, while her best friend James has a gorgeous new son which only confirms how much Mandy wants children of her own. Desperately in need of a friend, Mandy strikes up a close relationship with new Welford resident Geraldine Craven, who is only too happy to offer a shoulder to cry on. Geraldine looks to be a lifeline in these troubled times, until she reveals a devastating secret about Mandy's past. With so much uncertainty, is there still hope for a happy Christmas?

And so it started! Although Christmas is still a month and a half away, lights and decorations, and the holiday atmosphere are slowly entering our homes and towns. But that’s still not working here, in  the Incubator of good music and we can promise that in this episode you will not hear any Christmas song! We will therefore listen to the latest Croatian hits, and to the national top airplay list!   List of tracks: Daria Hodnik i Mario Huljev - Bitanga i princeza (Croatia Records), Nela - Poslije kiše (Croatia Records), Detour – Skrivena (Aquarius Records), Ivan Zak – Sama (Hit Records), Ivana Kovač - Srećo i tugo (Pop Remix) (Scardona), Ivana Kindl - Budi mi blizu (Universal Music), Crvena jabuka – Berlin (Croatia Records), TS Kas - Falit ću ti ako odem (Croatia Records), Edo Maajka feat. Dino Šaran – Otrov (Dallas Records), Silente - Preko svega (Aquarius Records), Nina Badrić - Rekao si (Aquarius Records), Letu štuke i Dubioza kolektiv - Zemlja gori (Menart).

Although Christmas is celebrated all around the world, the traditional festive meal is different almost everywhere.

Christmas should be a time of happiness, joy, generosity, and excitement, but often it is associated with of anxiety, stress, and sometimes depression.  Some people worry about money, family, the commercialization of the holiday, and the need for the “perfect Christmas.” Today we discussed some ways to make your Christmas a little less stressful and some new traditions you may want to add to your families holiday season.   We talked about the importance of traditions with Niki Olsen on episode one and Christmas is a great time to start those.  We want you to remember that circumstances change and we have to be flexible with our traditions.  We also have to make sure that the traditions are manageable.  Don’t do so many traditions that you don’t enjoy the holidays.    Some traditions that Camille does and loves are “Christmas Adam” which is celebrated on December 23rd.  She also loves to get her family a puzzle to work on together, and they always watch While you were Sleeping, A Christmas Story, It’s a Wonderful, and A Christmas Story.  Me and Andrea also added National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (not appropriate for young children) and Elf.   Andrea loves to go on hayrides and sing Christmas carols, doing the 12 Days of Christmas, and making homemade eggnog (recipe below).    Beth loves doing secret Santa for a family in need.  We also do a Christmas Eve breakfast where we invite people over who don’t have family in town.  All three of us enjoy acting out the Nativity on Christmas Eve and getting the kids Christmas Eve pajamas.   Although Christmas is fun and full of traditions we have some hacks that may help it feel a little less stressful.  Some helpful hacks are to plan ahead; write everything down so you know what you need and want to do.  An app that Andrea uses to track gifts is called the Christmas List.  You can find it at the app store.  She also plans all of the things that Elf of the Shelf will do for the whole month.  Camille suggested being intentional about your traditions that you bring into your family.  She also started giving her kids only one gift and then they do a big family gift.  There are a ton of printables on Pinterest that you can print for free.  A major theme was that the more you make it about others, the better the holiday is.     I’d Marry that: Food Edition Egg nog ice cream, peppermint cool whip, oreo truffles, chex party mix, giant ginger cookies Giant Ginger Cookies 4 ½ c flour 4 t. Ground ginger 2 t.  Baking soda 1 ½ t. Cinnamon 1 t.  Ground cloves ¼ t. Salt 1 ½ c. shortening 2 c. sugar 2 eggs ½ c. molasses ¾ c. sugar (for rolling dough in)   Combine all dry ingredients.  In a stand mixer put shortening and 2 cups of sugar and beat until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs and molasses.  Add flour mixture. Shape dough into large balls.  Roll the dough in sugar.  Place 12 cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.   Bake in a 350 degree oven for 11-13 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned and tops are puffed.  Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack and let cool. Oreo Truffles 1 package (15.25 oz.) Oreos (any flavor, double stuffed or regular both work) 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 12 oz. white melting chocolate (*Not chocolate chips, but high quality melting chocolate- I used Baker’s bars) 6 oz. semi sweet melting chocolate for topping (Or sprinkles, or Oreo crumbles) Place the Oreos (filling & all) in a food processor (in batches if necessary) and process until fine crumbs are formed and large chunks are gone. Mix in the softened cream cheese until very well combined and the dough becomes sticky. Roll about 1- 1 ½ tablespoons of dough into a ball and set aside on a plate or in a container that you can fit in the freezer. Freeze the balls for at least 30 minutes. Baker’s chocolate bars melt really well in the microwave and are ideal for dipping. (Chocolate chips, not so much.) Place the white chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, until melted. Andrea's AUSTRIAN Eggnog (not Danish) 1 gallon milk 5 small cartons whipping cream (whipped) 16 egg yolks 5 cups powdered sugar 2 tsp vanilla Beat powdered sugar and egg yolks together.  Set aside.  In a large pot (if you have a large double boiler, use it!  I make mine in a large electric roaster with an inch of water under the cooking pan.) Heat milk until almost boiling.  Then add egg and sugar mixture. Cook until eggs are cooked (I have no idea how hot this is-- this is a FAMILY RECIPE PEOPLE!) Cool.  Add vanilla and whipped whipping cream. Mix all together.   DRINK AND ENJOY!

Although Christmas can be a wonderful time, it can also be very challenging. Greg talks about the landmines we sometimes walk through when trying to balance our hopes and expectations and the expectations of our spouse, kids, parents, and in-laws, and he gives some strategies for getting out of the landmines.