Festivus
Are you feeling a little left out!? You don’t celebrate Christmas or Chanukah. Kwanzaa just isn’t your thing. And, you don’t even know what Ramadan is.
Then, come and experience the joy and the Miracle of Festivus. One might say that the Festivus holiday is a miracle in itself.
Still not sure if Festivus is for you? It’s non-denominational. So, everyone can partake. The Festivus slogan is “A Festivus for the rest of us!” And, that means you, too. So………..
Happy Festivus to you!
The Origin of Festivus Holiday:
Festivus came into being as the direct result of a Jerry Seinfled television show episode. It first aired on December 18, 1997.
The Festivus holiday was created by Seinfeld show scriptwriter Daniel O’Keefe. His dad, also named Daniel, had found reference to an obscure holiday called Festivus, which was first celebrated in 1966.
National Date Nut Bread Day
National Date Nut Bread Day is today. Enjoy a tasty bread for the holidays. It’s the perfect bread for the season. It contains nuts and sugar, but is not heavy on the sugar. Date nut bread is quite popular. You can make it yourself, or buy some at the bakery. We suggest a couple of loafs. In our house, a single loaf does not last long.
Date Walnut Bread is a very nice tea bread bursting with the flavor of sweet dates and crunchy walnuts. Jean Anderson states in her book ‘The American Century Cookbook’ that the first recipes for this bread began to appear in the 1920s, and it was so popular in the 1930s that it was used to make tea sandwiches. In fact, these tea sandwiches are so lovely you may want to try them; take two thinly sliced pieces of the bread, sandwich them together with a layer of cream cheese or butter, and then cut them into fingers, squares or triangles.
There is some question as to the correct date for this special day. A survey of the net, resulted in roughly half of the references for this day claiming it is on September 8th. In our survey, a very slight majority record this special day on December 8. We go with the majority for two reasons: First, it is the majority. Second, this day fits well in the holiday season. Date Nut Bread is popular for the holidays.
Here’s a little recipe to make your own:
Date Walnut Bread: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Grease (or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray) a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan.
Toast the walnuts for about 8 – 10 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.
In a large bowl mix the chopped dates with the baking soda and a pinch of salt (1/8 teaspoon). Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of very hot water over the dates, stir, and leave to cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
In your food processor place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon. Process to combine and then add the butter. Process until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Transfer this mixture to a large bowl and then stir in the chopped walnuts.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the vanilla extract.
Finally, fold the flour mixture and beaten egg mixture into the cooled dates (with their water). Stir until combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Well wrapped, this bread will keep for several days at room temperature.
Makes one – 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.
See below for ingredients and measurements!
Date and Walnut Bread:
1/2 cup (50 grams) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
8 ounces (225 grams) dried pitted dates, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (240 ml) boiling water
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (110 grams) light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Get your fill of Date Nut Bread today. After all, that’s what this day is for.
References:
Anderson, Jean. The American Century Cookbook. Clarkson/Potter Publishers. New York: 1997.
Cadogan, Mary. 101 Cakes and Cookies. Hylas Publishing. New York. 2003
Humbug Day
Humbug Day is today. Humbug Day allows everyone preparing for Christmas to vent their frustrations.
Sure, venting frustration over the stress of Christmas is appropriate for this day. But, we believe Humbug Day is much more. We believe Humbug Day brings out the Scrooge in all of us. Scrooges all over have been waiting for this day, and come out of the woodwork in great numbers. They go far beyond venting a few frustrations. Many scrooges are negative towards Christmas in general, and can put a real damper on your Christmas spirit.
Use Humbug Day to release the stress of the holiday season. But, whatever you do, avoid becoming a real, bonafide Christmas Scrooge!
Go Caroling Day
Go Caroling Day is a wonderful, rewarding, and memory filled day. By far more popular decades ago, Christmas holiday caroling is a great opportunity to enjoy the holiday and appreciate its meaning. Christmas caroling remains popular in many areas and among many groups. Scouts and youth groups often partake in this special musical event. Even family parties and business parties sometimes produce an impromptu caroling event. It may take a little planning to make your Christmas Caroling happen. For example, scout groups frequently go caroling to nursing homes and senior citizen centres. A phone call to the facility management to arrange a date and time is a must. Transportation to/from the facility also must be arranged. And, afterwards, a caroling event is often topped off with hot chocolate and cookies. We hope you enjoy Go Caroling Day to its fullest today!
Look for an Evergreen Day
Look for an Evergreen Day is today. To many people, only a fresh cut real tree will do for Christmas. The scent of fresh pine helps to capture the feel of the holidays. Nothing looks more real than a real tree, each one with it’s own character and appearance.
There is no shortage of types of Christmas trees. Generally classified as firs, spruces, and pines, the most popular varieties have changed over the years. Personal preference will determine whether you select a short needle, or long needled tree.
If you haven’t selected a tree yet, it is certainly getting late. As we researched this special day, we questioned the timing. By the 19th of December, most people have found and put up their Christmas tree. So if you are still treeless, this special day could be the day to do so. Good luck!
Bake Cookies Day
‘Ya gotta just love Bake Cookies Day………
….. Christmas is for Christians
….. Hanukkah is just for Jews
…. Ramadan is for those of Islamic descent
….. Kwanzaa is for those of African origin
….. Native American Day is for American Indians
But, Bake Cookies Day is for EVERYONE!
Bake Cookies Day comes at an opportune time. It arrives amidst the major December holidays. It serves as a reminder to bake holiday cookies, if you haven’t done so already.
People, young and old, celebrate this day by baking their favourite cookies. Make a party of it, and bake cookies in groups with family, friends, kids and grandkids. Don’t stop at baking just one kind of cookies. Plan to bake a number of cookies. Try a new recipe, or two, or three, or….
If you bake more than you can eat, good for you! Wrap up gift trays filled with cookies for friends and neighbours. Most cookies freeze well, too.
Important Note: we are very surprised that Bake Cookies Day is not immediately followed by “Eat Cookies Day”. We did not even find an Eat Cookies Day. So you can, and should, eat them every day!.
National Maple Syrup Day
National Maple Syrup Day provides us with the opportunity to enjoy and appreciate this delicious North American treat. This sweet and unique flavour originated in here. Native American Indians were the first to harvest and boil the sap of the maple tree into a thick syrup.
Watching or participating in a maple sap harvest, or demonstration, is a fun late winter event. They are held in February-March, when the sap is flowing. It is educational for the kids, too. During field demonstrations, some of the sap is boiled down into syrup. Best of all, free samples are often poured over a pancake or vanilla ice cream.
Did you know? Sap of the maple tree, the same sap used to make maple syrup, makes a refreshing drink. Just put it in the refrigerator and pour a drink whenever you want. Or, have a drink as you harvest the sap from the tree!
How do you participate in National Maple Syrup Day? Pour real maple syrup onto your pancakes or waffles. Or, for an evening treat, pour warm maple syrup onto vanilla ice cream.
Please note, make sure you are using REAL maple syrup, not pancake syrup. Unless the ingredients state otherwise, pancake syrup no longer contains any maple syrup.(a surprise to many)
National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
Chocolaholics rejoice! Today is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day.
It’s a great day to indulge, binge, “pig out”, and otherwise consume to excess, your favourite food….chocolate! We believe the timing of this day, during the holiday season, couldn’t be better.
Today, we get to enjoy our beloved chocolate by covering something…just about anything… in a generous amount of chocolate. Pour, spread, or drizzle chocolate over cakes, cupcakes, pies, pancakes or waffles, nuts, raisins, even ants (yes, some people actually eat chocolate covered ants!). We will let you decide what is too extreme, and how much is too much, if any.
As chocolaholics, we shouldn’t need any added incentive to enjoy our chocolate. In the giving spirit of the holiday season, make sure to give or share some of your favourite chocolate covered treats today.
Happy National Chocolate Covered Anything Day!!!!
National Bouillabaisse Day
We think that you will agree that this is a somewhat fishy day. It’s National Bouillabaisse Day, a day to celebrate a tasty Mediterranean fish stew or soup.
Bouillabaisse is believed to have originated in Marseilles, France. It is extremely popular all around the Mediterranean, and is a specialty in ports across the region.
Bouillabaisse is a fish stew or soup. All agree the fish should be white fillets. Recipes call for variety of fish, including cod, snapper, flounder, halibut, sea bass, monk fish, and more.
Celebrate National Bouillabaisse Day with a cup or bowl or this tasty stew.