Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Second installment of the Christmas version of Something Old, Something New!
Something/Someone Old
My Something Old is plum pudding.
This came up because I play a lot of Stardew Valley, once featured in this very series. In that game, you inherit your grandpa's farm. You basically "win" by making the farm a success and contributing to the community. You do a lot of cooking along the way, and around Christmastime (the Feast of the Winter Star), you can make Plum Pudding:
Now, what you may notice is that Plum Pudding involves plums, wild ones that your character is supposed to pick and then cook into a steamed pudding. In fact, real-life plum pudding has nothing to do with plums. I've heard different versions of what the English mean by "plum" in this context. Wikipedia says that seventeenth-century English people called raisins "plums:"
Despite the name "plum pudding," the pudding contains no actual plums due to the pre-Victorian use of the word "plums" as a term for raisins.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_pudding
However, a British friend of mine tells me that "plums" in this context actually refers to any sweetmeat, dried fruit or otherwise. I've tried to confirm this with a little web research, but I haven't been able to. Further, it's not really advisable to search the web for slang meanings of "plum," not if you're in a traditional Christmas kind of mood anyway. 'Nuff said.
People claim a medieval origin for the famous steamed pudding, but apparently most of the original recipes come from the seventeenth century. I think it's a fascinating dish, because of its mixture of savory and sweet elements. I don't usually think of things like suet in a desert. Also its longevity is fascinating--apparently there's so much booze in a traditional English Christmas pudding that you can let it age for a year, and some do. This one is aged in the traditional way, in cloth, rather than in a basin:
The Christmas pud is connected with last week's Something Old, the season of Advent. I don't generally think of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer as whimsical,
https://www.facebook.com/NCCLaguna/videos/eddie-izzard-on-christian-sing...
but this kind of tickled my funny bone:
The collect for the Sunday before Advent in the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer begins with the words "Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works...". This led to the custom of preparing Christmas puddings on that day which became known as Stir-up Sunday.
So we are all puddings with our good works lurking inside us like goodies? And if this isn't an image of God as a woman, I don't know what is. How often was a man in the kitchen stirring the pudding?
Well, the answer to that is actually a bit more complex than I thought. Apparently it became an early twentieth-century custom for everybody to give the pudding a stir before it cooked, making a wish while they did so.
By the 1920s the custom was established that everyone in the household, or at least every child (and sometimes the servants), gave the mixture a stir and made a wish while doing so.
I have never had a traditional Christmas pud, so if any of y'all do over this holiday season, please post about it in my OT--including photos if you can!
Something New
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to find a new Christmas tradition, song, or movie--anything later than the fifties--that is any good? Aside from the Grinch and perhaps the Muppet Christmas Carol, there's not a lot. There's Sting's Christmas album, If On a Winter's Night, though I don't know if that should be considered "new." Are new renditions of very old tunes "new?"
There are also a few movies that classically appear on Christmas though they have absolutely nothing to do with it--Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory always played on TV at Christmas when I was a little girl--but if you're looking for new Christmas content, well, it's been sparse for as long as I've been alive.
EDIT: I forgot something so important that I had to edit this post even at this late hour. Don't leave November without it!
They apparently did a movie version of Raymond Briggs' The Snowman:
If you haven't read this wordless, beautiful picture book from 1978, you owe it to yourself to buy a copy or find it in the library if you can. It's wonderful. I don't know if the movie is wonderful, because I haven't seen it, but I'm uploading a video here so we can watch it together. Warning: it might make you tear up a bit at the end, so if you're not looking for that, please don't click through!
For those who don't feel 1982 is "new," here's a snippet from one of the better 21st-century contributions to the genre. A bit of a guilty pleasure, but 'tis the season for that, yes?
A star-studded cast, including some of my very favorite actors, and Bill Nighy steals the show (in my ever so humble opinion):
Something Borrowed
It will come as no surprise that we borrowed one word for Christmas, "Yule," from old Norse via the Saxons:
yule (n.)
Old English geol, geola "Christmas Day, Christmastide," from Old Norse jol (plural), a heathen feast, later taken over by Christianity, of unknown origin.
Apparently when the Norse did it, the feast lasted two months! How did they manage to feast for two months in winter in the frozen North?
The Old English (Anglian) cognate giuli was the Anglo-Saxons' name for a two-month midwinter season corresponding to Roman December and January, a time of important feasts but not itself a festival. After conversion to Christianity it narrowed to mean "the 12-day feast of the Nativity" (which began Dec. 25), but was replaced by Christmas by 11c., except in the northeast (areas of Danish settlement), where it remained the usual word.
Revived 19c. by writers to mean "the Christmas of 'Merrie England.' " First direct reference to the Yule log is 17c. According to some sources, Old Norse jol was borrowed into Old French as jolif, hence Modern French joli "pretty, nice," originally "festive" (see jolly).
So it really IS the "season to be jolly"--quite literally!
Something Blue
I love antique glass, but I'm still learning about it...which is probably why I'd never heard of Kugel christmas ornaments. They came in a variety of colors, but apparently their cobalt blue ornaments were particularly famous. Aren't they lovely? I had never seen these
or these
but I *have* seen these, and may actually own one (a hand-me-down from my grandmother):
Happy jol, or geol, or Yule!
Next week I'm gonna do some non-Christian traditions. 
Comments
Sadly, I have to bookmark this thread, as I did the first
installment last week. (I've run clean out of H.A.W so often in the last few months. I strongly suspect that others have similar feelings. Anyway....)
I just want to throw in a very few thoughts.
1. IMO, the Alastair Sim version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol is far and away the best version, better even than the book. And how often can one sincerely say that a film based on a book is better than the book? From time to time, I've noted uncut versions of it on youtube. No doubt, they are copyright infringing, but I don't think anyone is going to be prosecuted for watching, even if the NSA knows what you watch on TV and youtube. (If they prosecuted for watching it, I'd be in prison for life.)
2. Plum pudding, aka Christmas pudding, is the same as the figgy pudding of the Christmas carols Steamed plum pudding sounds to me like a bad version of a bad Christmas tradition, namely fruit cake. Of course, fruit cake was supposed to be kept moist by periodic infusions of hard liquor, a step most of us don't take. I think I'd rather have a yummy cake with my hard liquor on the side, if at all, though. The only alcoholic drinks I really enjoy neat are Italian amaretto (though I prefer it on the rocks) and wine, especially Japanese plum wine.
I discovered that I do like stollen, though, especially if the confectioners' sugar topping is packed on thickly.
(So what if I like to eat like a five-year old? If you wanna make su'em out of it, be my guest, as long as you top that su'em with lots of frosting or confectioners' sugar or streusel!)
I got some not-too-bad-for-store-bought cranberry orange stollen before Thanksgiving from worldmarket.com for $8.99 for a smallish loaf. However, they make and ship these things so far ahead that, alas, they tend to get stale well before Christmas. So, we may be back to infusing with hard liquor.
3. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and whenever I expect holiday visitors, I keep a pot of mulled cider simmering on the stovetop, even if no one will drink it. That Christmas-y fragrance in my home is worth a couple of cinnamon sticks, orange peels, whole cloves, etc. And, btw, if you liked cinnamon red hots as a kid, you'll like mulled cider that has simmered for a long, long time. Don't forget to keep adding cider, though. If all the cider simmers away and the pot burns, as did mine once, the smell ceases to be Christmas-y. And, in modern high rises, you may even trigger sprinklers. This is not a good way to keep your tree watered, much less your presents.
Yes, folks, all the above suggests that, once again, I have surrendered abjectly in my non-existent war on Christmas, or at least surrendered to the extent of its secular aspects.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/christmas-pudding-ice-cream-bomb-191... (from Two Fat Ladies, which Saveur claims is still the best cooking show--Take that, Julia and Jacques!)
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w96fi9SqYpU]
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpDwIh9Q4V4]
I never thought about the connection to figgy pudding.
I should have.
I just love steamed puddings, generally, probably a result of early consumption of this (which is not a Christmas dish):
https://icuban.com/food/pudin_de_pan.html
My Aunt Peachie made a version of this. I don't recall cinnamon or rum being involved, nor nutmeg nor lemon peel. Again, proof that my family's version of food tended toward the simpler side. But man, was it good. The only way I'd voluntarily eat canned fruit cocktail.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
A name like Peachie must be hard to live up to.
I did not see canned fruit cocktail in the recipe, but what the heck. I'm sure Peachie knew better.
With cubed bread, the recipe looks a lot other bread pudding recipes, except that the bread is Cuban bread and most conventional bread pudding recipes that I've seen use milk and/or cream, but not condensed milk. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/bread-pudding-with-nutmeg/
The Cuban bread and evaporated and condensed milk
are what make it good. That and the fact that sugar rises to the top in a syrup and caramelizes during the cooking process, much like flan.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
All pudding made from scratch, with or without bread, sounds
good to me. I prefer creme brulee to flan person, though I'd never say no to either one. Not a thing wrong with caramelized sugar in my book. Or confectioners' sugar. Or icing. Or frosting. As I said, the sweet tooth of a five-year old.
Her actual name was Victoria
but my family was rife with nicknames. Sometimes it was like a Russian novel around there, especially when it came to distant relations and friends of the family I'd never met. "That was Neno. No, you're thinking of Nena. Actually, it was Nene. No, Nene wasn't his real name."
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Peachie is a hard nickname to live up to and
Victoria is a hard given name to live up to. ¡Pobrecita Peachie! (High school Spanish.)
I also love keeping a pot of mulled cider on the stove.
Haven't done that yet this year. I absolutely should.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
It's still early. Go for it.
P.S. Almost forgot about feather trees.
At some point, Germans decided that cutting down many trees every December might not be a good idea, so they went with so-called feather trees. These artificial trees were intentionally sparse, with relatively large gaps between "branches," so that beautiful ornaments could be shown to advantage. And, old German ornaments were indeed lovely.
Feather trees are now being sold again; and you can find some old German ornaments on ebay. Now, however, they look, well, old. Many like that, though.
How about the ancient holiday Saturnalia?
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Saturnalia-Roman-festival
https://www.historytoday.com/matt-salusbury/did-romans-invent-christmas
So many of those traditions have become part of the Xmas holiday. Funny how traditions pass on isn't it?
No matter your take on the holiday, I hope you have a good one enjoying your friends and family!
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
A friend of mine used to say...
"Happy Mithrasmas!"
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Mexicans kept their own traditions,
interweaving them with the Catholic traditions of their European
discoverersinvaders. (I got your All Souls Day, right here, mf.) And, while, with Spring comes Easter, the spring solstice in Mexico sees many marriages, including at Chichen Itza because fertility (Same meaning as "Easter" eggs, which have zero to do with the resurrection).One explanation is that pre-Constantine Rome, Christians there celebrated their holidays around Roman holidays, when they were likelier to escape detection. I have no idea if this is true or, forgive the expression in this context, apocryphal.
The Passover Seder plate also includes an egg. I've been to a few seders (LOVED them), but was never served a roasted egg. It was only displayed on the Seder plate.
OT confession: I'd always heard my Jewish co-workers raving about their Passover meals, claiming they were still stuffed from the night before. When I went to my first Seder, being served a radish, parsley dipped in salt water, etc., I wondered what the hell they were talking about. I was starving, so I tried my best to fill up on matzoh. Then, the passing of the symbolic foods during recitation of the Passover story ended and serving of the actual meal began. Duh.
LOL!
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Good morning, everybody!
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Just dropping in to let folks know I'm not dead.
Been doing 2 things with my life recently. Judo and Forging.
Fortunately, they both reinforce each other.
First off, I don't make weapons, so it fits in nicely with the Judo philosophy. Secondly, Judo has improved my grip to the point where I'm easily able to do a full 7-8 hours forging and only feel TIRED the next day. Not exhausted and ready to die.
There's something incredibly satisfying about looking at tool I've made, and know that it's just as good if not better in some ways than one cast in a factory.
Ironically enough, after trying out a bunch of hammers, my personal favorite is a 2 lb french pattern. I like having a rectangular striking face and the peen works better for my striking pattern than a swiss or german.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Yo Mon!
Been wondering about you. Check a pm later.
G'mornin', CStMS, nice essay on the season. I saw a Couple of those Blue ornaments at a local thrift store for little money, didn't know what they Actually were and I don't care for CHRISTmas that much to begin with, so I passed. If they Weren't the same as your photo, they were Damn Nice in their own right.
Plum pudding with a decent Reserve Port drizzled over-Yum!
Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .
Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .
If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march
I've got to get me some of that.
Pudding, not ornaments.
This is the best version I could find on YouTube.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I was wondering where you were.
Especially yesterday, as I edited a letter about an awful VA encounter that a friend of my brother's went through around Thanksgiving. They put him in the mental ward after an appointment that was supposed to determine an ankle injury, sleep apnea, and lung function. The hospital staff told the cops he had a rifle, said he was going to scalp people, and said he was going to kill people. Cops raided his house. He had a licensed hunting bow and a hunting knife. DOD raided his parents' house while he was going to university in the UK, some years back, because of a video made in Iraq after a suicide bomber blast. He was in the video, but didn't shoot it. It's all very bizarre.
I thought of the hell you went through in Cali. Sounds like you're doing very well now, though. That's wonderful!
Yeah, that's why I'm sticking to art
No weapons, no knives, no nothing that can put me on the SLPC or DHS watchlist.
I even am going to have to change the Makers mark I wanted to use because apparently anything involving a triskelion means you're a Nazi according to the ADL. https://www.adl.org/education/references/hate-symbols/triskele
Sad really because I like it, and I was planning on making a Die of for marking purposes. Like the swirl and the scroll, and it's very easy for me to make. It's just Three scrolls, and three bends. First saw it in an Celtic Ironwork book a few months ago, and loved it. Course I also wanted to use a Greek symbol because it fit well, so I'm pretty much fucked whatever I choose as far as the PC police goes.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
That's nuts
Having to refrain from making certain things from steel, but anyone can get 3D plans online for a gun to print out and it is fine.
This guy is now afraid to see any doctor at any VA hospital. He's especially perplexed that his description of getting "blown up twice" is required to explain his injuries, but it's what triggers the staff to report him as a dangerous nutter. So fucked up. Maybe it's a keyword thing. "Birthday Palace" (location of one blast), maybe? I don't know. Maybe it's because he described coughing up "bowls of blood" after contracting TB in Iraq. How does that even happen ffs?
I'm seriously disgusted with the way troops are treated once they're no longer able to be used like robots. Seriously disgusted and pissed!
I'm very glad to "see" you.
I've been telling myself every week as I wrote this that I needed to contact you. Been in a condition of overwhelm, so, apologies. It wasn't for want of thinking of you.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
No worries, I've been just disconnecting
It's been doing wonders for my mental health. Working out, banging metal, and coming up with cool ideas has been my life.
To be honest, I'm stunned how different the world looks when you know that with fire and work you can make almost all of the things you use daily.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Hola detroit. Good to hear from you. Forging sounds
fulfilling, but where do you do it? I considered tinkering with it, but getting a forge set-up, and an anvil and all that looked to be a lot of cost and hassle for a small back-yard tinkering operation. Is there some sort of facility you go to?
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
As of right now
I've been taking classes and working at other's forges. If I could find a space that would let me, I'd happily work at home.
The big issue is fire codes and noise ordinances. Even not using a power hammer, you've got 1000+ degrees worth of heat. It's completely safe if you know what you're doing, but thanks to idiots who burn trash...
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Nice to hear from you DMW
Stayin' busy keeps the demons away.
We should do the foodcourt again soon.
Mmmm. More chicken/ pancake sandwiches.
Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.
Would be fun. Honestly, just trying to stay sane right now.
I worry how long till they start bombing weddings here in the states. Portland fascist pigs are all over the trains these days, and I get nervous.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
I am glad to hear from you too!
Could you do an essay on forging?
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
I can do a basic...
but as far as advanced techniques and other things like that, it'd be very superficial.
I'm still learning, and while I LOVE it, the only way to really understand it is to do it. Anything I wrote would be mostly about emotions, feelings, and catharsis.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Good morning, CSTMS. Thank you ever so much for that
morning Eddie Izzard - I great way to start the day and "the season".
You may harvest plums aplenty in CA, they are a plentiful source for urban foragers, especially Santa Rosa plums, scattered all over the place and overhanging sidewalks and public pathways. Not, however, at this time of year. They've long dropped all of their fruit, October is my best guess/recollection.
lutefisk. Tons (or gallons) of it.
Apropo:
Have a great one.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Oh, I love plums.
The problem wasn't that I thought foraging wild plums was impossible...just that I knew they had nothing to do with "plum" pudding.
I almost didn't include Eddie Izzard because the only place I could find it was on Facebook (or as my partner calls it, Faceplant). But I made an exception, because, well...Eddie Izzard.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Are you Norwegian?
Noticed "uffda" in another post and now "lutefisk."
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
I'm not Norwegian, but I would take potato lefsa (or any
Scandinavian potato recipe, for that matter) over lutefisk any day.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16077/norwegian-potato-lefsa/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutefisk
Then again, I don't buy anything that is hydrolyzed or partially hydrolyzed either. Just picky, I guess.
Lutefisk
In the early days, when my mom bought the lutefisk it came as a stick you had to soak the lye out of it for a few days.
Warm lefse with butter and sugar. Mmmmmmm . . .
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Happy Beethoven's Birthday
My December holiday. Ha! Just let them start a War On Beethoven. (snoopydawg, note the Schroeder reference).
Baptized 12/17, so actual birth date is fuzzy, which helps with card procrastination. I print custom cards and get them out before the xms rush.
For those already burned out on syrupy xms "music", I recommend the H.P.Lovecraft Historical Society's "Scary Solstice" cd's and songs. Two good versions on googletube are "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Fishmen" aka "Fishmen" and the "Carol Of The Old Ones". Not to mention "All I Want For Solstice Is My Sanity" - good ftaghn chorus.
Added: here's a link to HPLHS first cd, with samples and downloads
https://store.hplhs.org/collections/filk/products/a-very-scary-solstice
Cthulhu Saves! (in case he's hungry later)
I like it. :-)
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Wonderful essay and comments . . .
Really fun for me. And my Norwegian-American Christmas was at least a month-long feast. Started at Thanksgiving and ended at New Years. Lutefisk (on Christmas Eve), lefse (starting at Thanksgiving), Norwegian Sweet Soup (Sot Suppe), Norwegian Flatbread (Flatbrød), krumkake, rosettes, rullepolse (rolled meat sausage), fattigmann, spritz cookies, Swedish meatballs, klub (potato dumplings).
Thanks for the memories.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Tell me you know how to cook these things....
I am currently bemoaning the fact that I didn't take the time sooner to learn how to cook my family's version of soul food.
Are the Norwegians the ones with the floppy cold waffles with jam?
I encountered those first at a party in grad school. They inspired me and another poet to compose a lyric on the spot:
Floppy cold waffles with jam
Served as dessert after ham
If you can't eat them
Tomorrow reheat them
And serve them with cold cuts of lamb.
The scholars in the crowd all laughed. The lawyers looked like they had strayed into a madhouse.
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
I am trying to learn . . .
No . . . I am only now learning to cook anything. A few years ago I did buy the proper tools for most of those. Mastered klub (potato dumplings) and Swedish meatballs so far.
No floppy waffles. Mom was a St. Olaf grad and their chant was:
Lutefisk, lefse, gamalost and sill. We come from St. Olaf, the college on the hill.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Makes me think
of my Austro-German New Year foods: pickled herring and lentil soup. Lately, I make the lentil soup with dried morels from Spring. Yum.
The round lentils are supposed to be magical, resembling coins, causing prosperity for the new year.
Never had lutefisk! (grin)
Pickled Herring
I forgot to include pickled herring! Norwegians called it "sill."
Your lentil soup sounds divine.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
Now, you're talking!
I love most of those things.
The sweets . . .
. . . seem to have universal appeal. The meats, cheese, and dumplings, less so.
Cool that you like them.
Marilyn
"Make dirt, not war." eyo
I do have a sweet tooth, but I also love the savory
things mentioned in your post, like Swedish meatballs. That was among the first dishes that my much older sister learned to make as a newlywed, because her Italian husband liked them. She doesn't have a large repertoire (very picky eater), but whatever she makes is flawless. So, I fell in love with Swedish meatballs.