Solstice & Concerts

Yule, is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, much celebration was to be had as the ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth and made her to bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb. Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider.
- Yule Lore

As we do every year #2 and I are making pinecones for the birds. Elder sister was picked up at the airport yesterday and things are falling into place. Need only to make eggnog, take the ham out of the freezer and finish wrapping. On December 26 I will sigh a huge sigh of relief that we pulled another one off!

It has been a busy week but we got some rest while going to #2 daughters concert. #2 Son has his concert in January.

Here for your viewing pleasure are some clips from the concert. The first is the schools bell choir(truly awesome to watch and listen to) playing We Wish You a Merry Christmas.

They are wearing Hershey Kisses hats as they just let everyone know they have been accepted for the third time to play at the PA Music Teachers Conference! The next little clip is #2's band playing Parade Of The Wooden Soldiers.

Truly amazing for 7th & 8th graders who only picked up instruments for the first time last year.

Now I am off to find a duck as #1 wants duck for Christmas again along with ham. I can not wait until she is married with kids of her own and is cooking dinner for everyone. I am going to find the most obscure foods and ask for them!

Here is something to toast the Yule. What my sister says they call eggnog where she lives in Puerto Rico. It is called Coquito.

1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk
1 can cream of coconut
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can (re-use the evaporated milk can) of rum either dark or white
Mix all the milks together add vanilla, cinnamon and rum. Run a whisk thru to blend well. Place a cinnamon stick in the bottle or container you are storing it in. (You don't have to put in the cinnamon stick, it is more for astetics than flavoring).
It goes down quite well!!!!!!!!!