A Blogging Milestone....
Two posts in one night?! What am I doing?
Well, this post, my dear blogger friends, is my 100th. I have been waiting for this post for some time now, with great anticipation.
You see, I like the internet. I am anti-social. I'm a little awkward. I can have a hard time loosening up around people, but online there is none of that stuff to worry about. And so I've been able to carve out a little niche here and you lovely folks are nice enough to stop by, take notice and welcome me into your lives, just as I welcome you into mine. And I appreciate that. I have made some very good friends this way, learned ohsomuch, heck, I met my husband online!
And now we're coming in on my absolute favorite time of the year: the holidays, namely Christmas. I am a holiday nut, so hopefully I won't annoy you guys too much. I don't know how Jim can put up with me. Every year he has to tolerate me messing up every flat surface in our home with my projects, decorating everything to the gills, baking, baking and more baking, and insisting that we handmake a majority of our gifts. To me the holidays encompass everything that I hold dear: good food, making things for people and sweater weather. What else could I ever want?! When else could you actually go out on the street dressed in sparkily garland and some flashing LED tree lights and have people not even look at you twice? Only the most wonderful time of the year...
So, with my Christmas spirit already jump-started and on high, I wanted to celebrate my 100th post with a gift:
A Portland gift extravaganza! An organic cotton tote filled with vegan treats mostly from Food Fight. There will be a few more things in the final tote, but this is the gist of it. Vegan cookies, candy bars, rice krispy treats, cheetos, gummies, lollipops, jerky, soywhip, and other assorted goodies.
Here's how it works:
Leave a comment with your fondest holiday memory. Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, whatever holiday you'd like. Entries will close on Sunday night and I will randomly draw a winner!
Horray! And to that, I'm going to eat another Mocha Chocolate Chip Muffin.
24 comments:
Happy 100th post!!
I'm going to have to think about my fondest holiday memory!!
Congratulations on 100 posts!! That's exciting. As for my favourite holiday memory. In 2002 my nephew was born in November, he was two months premature and spent a long time in the hospital. My whole family was doing shifts there everyday. And then just a couple days before Christmas he was able to come home. It was so nice to have everyone together for the holidays and to welcome this new life into our family. That year we didn't have a lot of purchased gifts but we were certainly blessed.
I am so anti-Christmas. :( However, I am not anti-vegan treats! So I'll definitely be sharing my fondest memory.
I must admit, as a child I LOVED Christmas (are there any children who don't?). In the house we grew up in, it was 1 story and the "living" areas were separated by a hallway (that had a door) which connected all the bedrooms. I have 2 sisters and 1 brother and we used to all pile in one bedroom (usually crammed onto one bed) and stay up really late talking and laughing. Every year, we would try to sneak out of the bedroom and out of the hallway to peak at our gifts before our parents woke up. One year, we went too far and actually started emptying our stockings. Needless to say, our ooohs and aaahs woke up Mom & Dad (who wanted to sleep in) and they were not a bit happy to see us sitting in the middle of gifts and empty candy wrappers. The following year, my dad decided he wasn't going to have a repeat of the previous year. After we had gone to bed, he rigged up some string that he tied to the hallway door and it went outside and then back inside through his bedroom window and finally tied to his big toe. That morning when we tried to open the hallway door, he caught us red handed. Scared the bejeesus out of us. He thought it was hysterical and laughed so hard he wound up getting out of bed anyways.
I forgot to ask... What is your fondest holiday memory?
(BTW, congrats on 100th post! I'm so glad we have such a great vegan blog community.)
While visiting my grandparents and family on xmas eve, I especially enjoyed the anticipation as I waited for all of the adults to finish their excrutiatingly boring chit chat so that we could get to the opening of presents. As much as I whined, and nagged, and openly questioned why they considered their conversations to be more important than presents, I still enjoyed the ritual torture.
After visiting our family on Christmas eve, we would often travel home late at night. My eyes would be turned toward the sky (looking for Santa), and my older sister would always point out this radio tower with a blinking red light on top and tell me it was Santa. And I always believed her. Maybe not my fondest memory, but it makes me laugh.
OK, long comment here:
Congrats on your 100th post!
I am so antisocial as well, and being a huge homebody doesn't help. Add being a homeowner - ugh - it always sounds better to stay home and save the money. Yet, I have infinite time at work every day in front of the computer. I met my guy online as well!
OK, my fave Xmas memory: My mom, two younger sisters and I would go down to grandma & grandpa's for Xmas. On Christmas Eve, grandpa would sneak outside once we were supposed to be in bed, and rattle sleigh bells and throw rocks up on the roof to make it sound like Santa had arrived. My mom and grandma would come in and play along, asking us if we heard it.
The next morning when we went outside, we discovered that "Santa" had written us a message in the car's dirt layer. That was the most exciting part for me (though I don't remember what the message said, it must have been good because I remember I was thrilled).
Oh, and by the way - Seitan is DEFINITELY one of the things I am making this weekend. Watch out! Along with a pumpkin I got at Proper Eats yesterday and several batches of bulk beans, plus bread, cookies/muffins, stew and some spanikopita, my kitchen's going to be a disaster area. Oh, and my mind is spinning trying to figure out what I'm making for everyone's Xmas gifts. I try to do a book each year, this year I have a few ideas but nothing's pinned down yet. (I have drawings from last years' "ABC's of American Slang" on my blog sprinkled in the first few months). A few years ago I gave everyone homemade plum jam from my plum tree, so maybe I'll do some canning soon. Maybe pumpkin butter?
In conclusion: Aiyeee! I know how you feel.
Hi there!
This time last year I was seven months pregnant and planning a Thanksgiving dinner for about 10 people. I printed recipes and bought all of the groceries. The day before Thanksgiving, my doctor put me on bedrest. I was having early contractions and I was told that I must lay on my side for six weeks. I called everyone that I had invited and told them my news. Even though I couldn't do anything but lay on the couch, everyone still came for Thanksgiving. Several members of my family (who don't even like to cook!) pitched in and prepared our Thanksgiving meal using my printed recipes. My very omni family even prepared my Tofurky. Seeing my family work together to create a wonderful meal was the best part. It was a great holiday!
Congrats on the 100th post!
I like that you want people to share their memories, but I don't have many holiday memories. I do remember lots of things from the 4th of July if that counts! I do like reading everyone elses' story.
Oooh, happy 100th post! :) I love the holidays... I have so many good memories!
My most recent one was when I surprised my mom by going to see her for Christmas a couple of years ago after swearing up and down that I couldn't afford it and might see her around Easter or during the summer instead. Her dog found me before she did and partially ruined my entrance (I was hiding in a bedroom and she kept running in there to see me...so cute...) but the surprise was genuine. She cried! :)
Oh, and yeah, I am totally one of the most socially awkward people out there... I can be so outgoing and so shy...it's very strange.
Congrats on the 100th post and thank you for keeping us entertained and drooling for the past 100.
Here's my memory... My maternal grandparents were very Norwegian, so every year right before Thanksgiving we'd get together to make enough lefse to last through the holidays and a little extra to give away to friends. My grandpa boiled and drained the potatoes and mixed in flour but it was up to us women to roll, transfer (the trickiest part) and cook them on the griddle. They both passed away a few years ago so I hold dear the memories that are still so clear.
Hey Kris, congratulations! You are so nice and generous!
When I was young we used to drive all night from Texas to Mississippi for Christmas with my grandparents, which was always great. But one year we had all kinds of family come to our house for Christmas and I had TONS of cousins to hang out with. Santa came to visit us, and at bedtime we took sleeping bags into the den and there were 2 rows of us. We played "sardines" and rolled around all over each other in our sleeping bags.
It's so true - you never remember the gifts, just the good times.
PS - I do have a pizza stone, but the BEST pizza is made on the outdoor grill. It tastes just like brick oven pizza.
congrats in your 100 post!
in my bad english i will tell you my best memory!
i was like 10 year old. i live in avery old house with my parent and the front door have some holes in the botom of it! by that time i know that santa not exist. but like a girl i was hoping that he really exist!. my 2 brother and one sister and me was getting ready to go to bed was like 8.30pm. suddenly we heard a noise in the front door and a voice telling us ho ho ho. and sussenly from the holes of the door we see some little candy canes coming to us, we start taking them and suddenly more candies(tropical) start to enter to the house. we laught so hard. we went crazy of happiness. my father then enter the house and tell us that thaswas santa, i know the true but my brother think that was really santa. any way that was my most loved christmas becouse even that my dad dont have mony to buy gifts for the 4 of us he try to make our christmas night one to remember!
this is the first time i tell this story! and even now writing it here my hearth is filling with joy!
that was the best christmas i ever had!
good luck to all!
Oh my goodness, all of your stories are wonderful! :)
I also agree, I'm quite antisocial. Once I know people, I let loose and make jokes and have a fun time, but I hate the getting-to-know-you phase! And even when I am relaxed, I really don't open up.
OK Here is my favorite Christmas memory. It's definately not as heart-touching as Johanna's, but its my favorite! I have no idea why its my favorite. We'll call it, The Christmas I Learned the Truth. :) I can't remember exactly how old I was, but I want to say 8. I think on this night we had decided to go to Midnight Mass, and arrived home afterwards and Santa hadn't shown up yet, so my Mom sneaked my sister (who was 12 or so) and I into the back room while my brother (19?) and Dad waited for Santa in the living room. Then, of course, we heard sleighbells and ho-ho-hos and lots of movement in the living room... my sister and I were huddled up against the door, completely on edge with excitement and giggles. Then we heard them say said "Oh, bye Santa!" and we came out and our gifts were there. We were opening presents and my sister got this blank, boring sweatshirt and I saw Mom look at Dad and then Dad said "Oh... um... Santa left me a note saying he left part of that gift in the closet" and he goes to the closet and comes back with a plastic bag from Hobby Lobby with Puffy Paint in it. I thought... that's weird, what was Santa doing in our closet? And why does he shop at Hobby Lobby when he's got all those Elves? Do Elves not have the technology to make Puffy Paint? I think it was later that Christmas day that my sister let me know that Santa = Dad. :)
Happy Holidays, All!
i don't have one specific memory really. my memory can be pretty bad, but sometimes remember random specific things. i just remember when i was younger, my mom's side of the family would all go to alabama where my grandparents spent most of the year helping out the poor community there. the main reason we went there though is i come from a family of deer hunters and that was the main event every christmas. the women and children would stay at the doublewide trailor and play games(like Rummikub..sp?) and do puzzles while the men went and killed bambi. i would've preferred going to ohio, where some of my relatives lived...there's at least snow there....and no hunting....
Growing up, one of the most special things about Hanukkah for me was when my Momma would come to my classroom and teach all of my classmates about it (I grew up in Knoxville, TN, and was usually the only Jewish child in my class). Momma always let me help her light the menorah and sing the blessings. And she'd bring things like gelt (chocolate coins) or make latkes (potato pancakes) or sufganiyot (fried jelly donuts). This tradition made the holiday season a little easier for me. It can be very difficult to hear about Christmas non-stop when you do not celebrate it, but for a couple of days my classmates would be really interested in one of my holidays, and that felt awesome.
A couple of years ago we were making latkes at a family Hanukkah celebration. In a fit of unclear thinking, Momma and I thought it would be a good idea to use applesauce as an egg replacer in my batch. Yeah, umm....they burned. I still get a kick out of the expression on her face when she turned to me and said "next year you get hashbrowns."
Congratulations on your 100th post! I don't really comment, but I love your blog! Your food is always delicious!
Anyway, even though I'm Jewish, I think my fondest memory may be last year's Christmas. Since my siblings and I all live away from home and are in school (or work at a school), we don't get to go home for Chanukah, but since my dad's partner is Christian, we've started celebrating Christmas. Last year, everybody was home, our good family friend spent the night, and in the morning we all woke up late. My dad made me vegan French toast, and we opened presents from "Santa." One of mine was the Golden Girls on DVD! That Santa's a pretty funny guy!
Congratulations! I completely flew by my 100th post without noticing, whoops!
My fondest memory is Christmas at my grandparents' house one year when I was really little. The tree was so pretty in the dark, my whole family was there, I was with my grandparents, and my pawpaw came and told us that there was a surprise outside from Santa. All of the kids were already excited that the apple we left out had bites in it from Rudolph (lol). So we all ran outside and my pawpaw pointed at the roof...and there were reindeer tracks on the roof!! It sent all of us kids into a frenzy. To this day I can't believe my pawpaw went up on the roof on Christmas Eve and made prints in the snow for us...or did he? ;)
Hi - I love your Blog! I am a Christmas and sweater weather freak too! Here's my favorite Christmas memory:
We would always go to my aunt's house for Christmas and my 2 sisters and my cousins and I would all stay up late talking about what we hoped we would get from Santa. All of a sudden there was a big noise from outside - on the roof and my Dad, my Uncle and Grandpa all ran in and said, "Girls, Santa just stopped over the house - did you hear it?" We ran outside because they told us that there was something on the lawn. While we ran out there we found our presents in the middle of the night - it was so exciting! I got a Cabbage Patch premie that year - I'll never forget it!
Happy Blogging! Keep it up - I love reading your posts!
Starla
Congrats! I love reading your blog, and can't wait for 100 more posts to come!
I don't necessarily have one specific holiday memory. Just the memory alone of spending my holidays at my grandparents house as an innocent child, with no idea of the arguments and drama going on behind the scenes (thanks mom!) will always linger in my mind. The holidays were just about the only time we spent with the rest of our family, and it was always special for me. Watching my grandmother rush around the kitchen, making last minute preparations to a meal she had been working on for over a week helped me better enjoy the food she shared with us. When we all sat down to eat our meal, there was nothing but peace until our bellies were full, and we were greatful.
I don't see my grandparents or the rest of my family much anymore. But, the memories of those times will always be with me.
My favorite holiday memory must be when my dad and his brother would take me and my sister out in the car for a drive on Christmas Eve and go look at all the light displays in the city, and somewhere along the way they would point up in the sky and say "look you guys, do you see Santa and his reindeer?". Of course us kids would scramble to see who saw him first (which was basically a random light in the sky), and then we would try to follow the light to see if Santa was going to our house. And when we got back home, there would be filled stockings and pretty presents under the tree....Santa had made his visit while we were out looking for him. Although I was always bummed that we never beat him to our house. :-)
-Brooke
First of all, I want to say that I was going to leave a comment even BEFORE being seduced by a freebie and a holiday storyathon. I wanted to say: congrats, be proud, congrats! You certainly HAVE found your niche.
BTW, my favorite holiday memory is the way my family looks on Chirstmas morning: exhausted, messy-haired, gracious, and bathed in the glow of Chirstmas tree lights.
I just found your blog (everybody loves sandwiches->vegan core->squirrel vegan). I love squirrels and vegetarian food. Congrats on 100 posts.
My family is pretty lax about holidays. When we added a German shepard to the house, my mom stopped decorating for Christmas.
When I was in elementary school we celebrated Chinese New Year in Taiwan. We burned paper money and incense for our ancestors in heaven. We walked to a large park and watched fireworks. The atmosphere was festive and exciting.
Congratulations on 100 posts! I've enjoyed every single one of them. =)
My best holiday memory? Well, all my relatives are in Japan, so holidays are generally just with my parents and sometimes with my brother. My best holiday memory, though, is when we went up to Tahoe for Christmas. I had just started skiing (still a huge obsession for me) and I had never actually seen it snow. On Christmas Eve, I looked out the window to see snow falling like glitter from the dark sky. It was amazing-- I'd never seen anything so beautiful. I must've watched it for hours. I still think of that moment when I need some tranquility in my life.
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