Celebrating the Christmas Season in St. Charles

 

Christmas on historic Main Street in St. Charles Missouri is always a wonderful way to spend some time.  The shops are all decorated for the holidays, and it is very festive looking.  On this post I will tell you about the festival that is the highlight of the holiday on Main Street and give you a photographic tour of the area with photos I took on a beautiful December morning.

Main Street Decked out for the Holidays.

Storefront with Merchandise Displayed on Sidewalk

The photo above shows one of the creative ways the storeowner uses his merchandise to add to the festive decorations.

Windows and Doorways

The decorating of store windows and entrances adds to the festival atmosphere.

Christmas Traditions

Christmas Traditions is an annual festival held each year from Thanksgiving until Christmas.   It is a very exciting time for young and old alike. Each Friday evening through Sunday evening you will find a host of storybook characters walking around Main Street.  Characters like the Sugar Plum Fairy, Jack Frost and Santa's from many lands are all handing out trading cards.  My granddaughters loved to try to collect all the cards when they were younger and came to visit.

At noon on Saturdays and Sundays all of the characters follow Santa and Mrs. Claus on a parade down Main Street, while children both young and old line the streets to watch.  When not in the parade Santa can be found in the railroad station where you can get your photo taken with Santa.

Other traditions include carolers walking the streets and singing carols and vendors selling things like roasted chestnuts and hot Wassil.

Children can send a letter to Santa and drop it in the special mailbox.

Decorations Galore

Wreaths are found everywhere on buildings, windows and doorways.

This big tree and the red sleigh in front of it is a favorite place to stop and have take a photo of your group.

I hoped you enjoyed seeing one of the ways we celebrate the holidays in my area.  

A few years ago, I wrote about Main Street St Charles with an emphasis on the history of the area.  You can find it at this link.  Photographing Christmas in Historic St. Charles. 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Tips And Tricks To Make Holiday Fudge

Christmas and the holidays mean one word in this house - Fudge! It was and is the annual tradition to make fudge for the Christmas holidays. Fudge is not difficult to make, but does require strict attention to the recipe for a successful fudge dessert. I have compiled a few tips and tricks to make fool proof successful fudge for the holiday season.

The Original Fantasy Fudge Recipe is my favorite fudge recipe. It is tried and true. A smooth and creamy consistency that melts in your mouth. This is fudge made with marshmallow creme in a jar - old school with the original recipe ingredients. The recipe on the jar of today is slightly different from the original and as always, Grandma knows best when it comes to recipes. 

Fudge Tips And Tricks

One cooking tip I have learned through which is now probably hundreds of times making fudge (disclaimer: the annual Christmas fudge tradition has transitioned into making fudge a few times a year, so I am not 100, but have probably made fudge at least 100 times through my fudge career) is the boiling time.

Perfect, creamy, melt in your mouth fudge with this recipe requires five minutes of rocking and rolling boiling. Not a second more, not a second less and the fudge comes out perfect. 

The second cooking tip I have learned is to stir stir and stir. While the ingredients are boiling the fudge must be stirred constantly or the bottom will burn on the pan. Not only does this ruin the taste the pan will be absolutely horrendous to try and clean. Just when your arm is exhausted is not the time to walk away from boiling ingredients - keep stirring!

The third cooking tip I have learned is to split the cooked fudge into two batches: one with nuts and one without. Fudge lovers are definitely in two distinct groups as to if fudge should be with or without nuts. I prefer fudge without nuts so am very partial to leaving the nuts out entirely. This is a large recipe so there is plenty of fudge to make 3/4 of a batch without nuts and 1/4 batch with nuts or vice versa.

Fun Fudge Recipes From The Savvy Age

What else can you do with Fudge? Alot! Fudge is such a hit for the holidays with a little experimentation I have found fudge is also quite versatile. The favorites fudge spin off recipes so far: 

Fudge Christmas Cutouts

Fudge Cups - Snickerdoodle Fudge

Fudge Balls

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Gifts for Festive Affairs - Gift Review

If your holiday plans include an invitation to a holiday dinner or as a house guest at a relative's home, than a gift specific to the home and the host is perfect. 

Cutting Board Gifts 

Since almost all invitations to a holiday gathering involves food, a special cutting board makes a thoughtful and useful gift.

There is a wide range of cutting board sizes and styles, many even in animal shapes, or personalized, to choose from. My favorites are the handmade boards I found on Etsy. 

Handmade in Walnut, Cherry or Maple wood, in a variety of sizes, the personalized cutting boards at WallThingsCo on Etsy have just the one you want to match the person you are gifting. 

If you are going to 'grandma's house' for the holidays, this Nana's Kitchen board is a popular choice. But this Etsy Shop offers a wide variety of choices, or you can choose your own name, saying or design. A  lovely choice for your favorite cook.

Coffee Mugs

In town for an overnight or several days visit over the holidays? Then you will be having coffee in the morning with your hostess. Therefore a coffee (or Tea) mug makes the perfect hostess gift. With so many designs and 'sayings' available, it is easy to match one to the person it is for.

To get into, or stay, in the Christmas spirit, consider a coffee mug from this group of vintage Waechtersbach cups made in West Germany.

Six such pretty designs to choose from ~ a Christmas tree, white terrier dogs, a white cat, a 2000 Christmas tree, white snowman, and a shorter Christmas tree mug. They can be found in the Etsy Shop of TheRustyJewels. 

Or choose the cutest hostess mug I have ever seen. The ever-popular Yoda on an adorable coffee mug.

Found in the Etsy Shop of Expression Prints, a shop filled with a large variety of mugs with sayings which help you express your thoughts to those you love.

Special Glassware  

Glassware makes a lovely gift for your host or hostess. With so many choices, such as a beer steins for HIM or pretty glassware for HER, the choices are endless. 

These hand-painted vintage songbird glasses would be a lovely hostess gift to someone who enjoys birdwatching or who enjoys the bird feeders in their back yard.

Available in the Etsy Shop of 'Shop the Leo Collective'. 

And as a dandy gift for HIM, choose this handmade frosted glass Christmas beer mug from the North Pole Brewing Company. 

It's available in the Etsy Shop of Hippie Radio Boutique.

Summary

Hopefully, this gift guide will allow you to be prepared for that host/hostess gift for those holiday invitations.

Happy Holidays! 

For more Gift Reviews, check out ReviewThisGifts.com

*Festive Gifts review by Wednesday Elf

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National Bird Holidays and Awareness Days- 3rd Quarter

Bluebird of Happiness

 I love to explore designated bird holidays to find out more about these fascinating creatures that give pleasure to our lives.  For the third quarter of the year, I discovered three different holidays that I would like to write about in this post.

National Hummingbird Day

The first Saturday in September is designated as National Hummingbird Day.  These little birds have long fascinated people and as beautiful as they are, they are only found in the America's, especially North and South America.  The first recorded siting of a Hummingbird took place in 1557 in Brazil in by a French explorer.

Hummingbird at Feeder

Hummingbirds are very colorful little birds that are characterized by their ability to hover mid-air and rapidly flap their wings which make a "humming" sound. 

In my area of the country, we put out our hummingbird feeders in early April, hoping to attract these fascinating little birds as they migrate north.  

To find out more about hummingbirds and National Hummingbird Day check out this website. https://nationaltoday.com/national-hummingbird-day/

World Shorebirds Day

World Shorebirds Day is celebrated on September 6th and is a day to learn more about the birds that frequent our shores.  It is surrounded by a week where volunteers count the shorebirds in their area.

Blue Heron

Shorebird fishing on Rock

White Ibis

When we travel to the shore, I always enjoy seeing all the different shorebirds.  They are very different from the types of birds we see at home in the Midwest, and I enjoy trying to identify each bird.  The three photos above are shorebirds I photographed in Florida.

National Bluebird of Happiness Day

The bluebird is my favorite bird and I get very excited the few times each year when they visit my backyard.  I have my camera ready and delight in capturing these beautiful birds with my camera.

Bluebirds Enjoying a Drink

Bluebird of Happiness

There is much written about bluebirds, and you will find them on all types of cards and household decor.  On September 24th we celebrate National Bluebird of Happiness Day.  Here is a little history of the bluebird I found on the website. https://nationaltoday.com/bluebird-of-happiness-day/

For the longest time, it has been known that the bluebird is a harbinger of happiness. This notion was first held by the Chinese who saw the bird as immortal, a protector, and a symbol of the sun. Native Americans too were in deep awe of the bluebird. Navajos revered it as a spirit in animal form, and the Iroquois believed the bluebird’s song would make the harsh winters bearable. For the Russians, the bluebird represented hope.

Bluebird of Happiness Day will be a great time to spend some time learning more about these birds that bring happiness to so many people.

Reviews on Birds

Here are some reviews written on Review This about the birds listed in this review.

Bluebird Facts and Photography

Hummingbirds at Your Feeders 

Photographing Florida Birds

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Reviewing Christmas Home Decor

With December comes decorating homes for the holidays. Therefore, it's time to review some great ways to add Christmas decor to your own home. From the living room to the bathroom, your house can be festive and ready for the holidays with these ideas and suggestions. 

Holiday Accents Around the House

Christmas Wall Decals

For me, any decorating needs to be easy. That includes my Christmas decorating. So I look for those accents that I can add to my home decor that don't take work. Simple festive accents are what I
found. 

Holiday wall decals are one of those simple accents. Author Mandee provides us not only with some great suggestions for Christmas wall decals, but also easy ideas for how and where to use them. She has such an imaginative way with home decor. 

More easy accents include Christmas throw blankets. I love how simple this can be. Just toss a blanket over the back of the couch and you have a festive touch. Choose one in the style of your decor. If vintage is your style, then Vintage Christmas Throw Blankets is for you. Now, that's easy decorating in my book.

Festive Home Decor for Christmas

Decorative Christmas Tree Accent Pillows

Walls and couches are not the only way to add easy festive touches. Christmas Bathroom Hand Towels offers you many choices to add the holiday mood to that often-forgotten room of the house. Fun and cute hand towels to elegant and beautiful ones, there is a set perfect for every holiday home decor.

Of course, I have to include the bedroom as well. For me, that's a decorative pillow propped on the bed. Since a Christmas tree isn't usually included bedroom decor, put it on a pillow instead. Decorative Christmas Tree Accents Pillows has a selection of some beautiful ones for you to browse. 

Keep the Fun in Christmas Decorating

Besides easy decorating for Christmas, we also want to keep the fun in the holidays. Some suggestions include shopping online. Our own Review This Gift Guide gives you so many great choices to find just the right home decor items for your own holiday decorating. 

 

 


Posted by: BuckHawk

About This Contributor

BuckHawk decribes herself as "Basically a lazy person who prefers the easy things in life." So that's what she writes about. Easy home decorating, easy recipes, easy entertaining. But, she is also a lover of animals, gardening and crafting. You'll find her writing all over the Web, but with Review This Reviews! she has the opportunity to write about all of her loves.

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White Beans and White Bean Soup Recipe Review

Making white bean (Great Northern Beans) soup is a holiday tradition in our home.  I don't just make white bean soup during the holidays, but it is a part of the holiday week menu of recipes that I look forward to making and eating.

Every holiday, whether it is Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter, I bake a big ham for the family.  I can hardly wait for the ham to be devoured so I can use the bone in a big pot of white bean soup.  The ham, itself, is usually served at least twice over the course of a few days.  I admit, sometimes (like this past Thanksgiving) I don't wait for all of the ham to be gone before I claim the ham bone for soup.

I love the holidays and cooking for the holidays, but after several days of heavy feasting, I am always ready for a lighter fare of soup for a few days.  For some, white beans are exclusively a side dish.  For me, they make a fabulous soup!  And, just so your know, I do make white beans as a side throughout the year.  I make the side dish exactly the same way as I make the soup, but with less water.

 

White Bean Soup Recipe by Sylvestermouse
ReviewThisReviews.com

Camellia Brand Dried Great Northern Beans, 1 Pound (Pack of 2)…

I use a package of dried white beans.  I do have a preferred brand, but I have been known to use different brands if I can't find the Camellia Great Northern Beans in the store.  I have found that the Camellia brand has less beans that I need to throw away before cooking.

I use the entire package of beans in one pot of soup.  I start by inspecting the beans as I rinse them in small batches in my colander.  I toss any shriveled, dark or broken beans, as well as any bean loose or floating "skin". 

All whole, white beans that pass inspection are placed in a large dutch oven size cooking pot, covered with water, and left sitting out on the kitchen counter to soak for 8 hours, or overnight. 

 

Directions for White Bean Soup

• Rinse the Beans & Soak for 8 hrs. or overnight (water should be 2/3 up the pan since the beans absorb water while soaking)
• After 8 hours, Rinse the Beans again and put them in a dutch oven pot with Ham (Ham Bone Preferred) OR (2 T Bacon Grease if a ham bone is not available)
• Bring to a Boil, then turn the heat down to a low boil  (on my stove top that is 3­½)
  
• Add a generous amount of salt and pepper and stir the seasoning into the beans
• Cook covered (tilted lid or Pampered Chef Boil Over No More cover) on low simmer for 1½ - 2 hours 

*Note: I normally check the cooking beans a few times to add water as needed to keep the water from boiling down too low 

 Pampered Chef Boil-Over No More Pot Cover Splatter Guard

Wisconic 2 Pack Mini Colander Berry Baskets - Plastic, Durable Kitchenware, Dishwasher Safe - Made in the USA - Prussian Blue & Light Teal

Cooks Standard Dutch Oven Casserole with Glass Lid, 6-Quart Classic Stainless Steel Stockpot, Silver

 

 

Bacon Grease

I mentioned bacon grease in the recipe above because I season white beans with bacon grease if a ham bone is not available.  Bacon grease is exactly what it sounds like.  It is the grease that is rendered when cooking bacon.  I cook bacon in the microwave on a bacon tray or rack that allows the grease to settle below the bacon.  I literally pour the bacon grease from the tray into a bacon grease jar to use as needed, whenever needed.  You will find a partly filled jar of bacon grease in my kitchen at all times.

Nordic Ware Microwave Compact Bacon Plastic Rack,10-Inch by 8-Inch

Ceramic Bacon Grease Container Keeper with Strainer, Frying Oil Storage Can, Turquoise

 

Check Out More Recipe Reviews at
ReviewThisRecipes.com

White Beans (Great Northern Beans) and White Bean Soup Recipe Review Written by:

© 2023 Cynthia Sylvestermouse
 

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Christmas Movies Reviewed: Comedies

During the holidays, I frequently need a break from decorating and cooking for guests.  It is at those moments that I reach for a Christmas movie that will make me laugh.  I always feel rejuvenated after resting and watching a comedy that really makes me laugh till I cry.

There are two Christmas movies that are great comedies that our entire family loves, so no matter who is visiting, I know these movies will be fun to share.  

If you haven't seen them before, get ready for some real belly laughs! 



 

A Christmas Story  (Rated PG)

A Christmas Story (Full-Screen Edition)Check PriceI will admit, "A Christmas Story" was not a personal favorite until I was married and old enough to identify with the characters.  There were highlights in the movie that would make me laugh when I was a child, but now I absolutely roar with laughter over the "relationship" with the leg lamp, and I can certainly imagine big dogs eating our Thanksgiving turkey.  Those things were simply too far from my own personal experiences as a child for me to really understand how funny they are to parents.

The "gift" from Aunt Clara has significance to everyone!  Don't we all receive gifts we end up wearing just so the giver thinks we like them?  While the bunny outfit might be a bit outrageous and exaggerated, I think we can all appreciate Ralphie's plight, but I especially "appreciate" the father's reaction. 

As you can well imagine, there are several gifts that are perfect for "A Christmas Story" fans.  You can see them here:  A Christmas Story Gifts

Christmas Vacation (Rated PG-13)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Special Edition)Check Price"Christmas Vacation" starring Chevy Chase and a host of other favorite actors, is my all time favorite Christmas comedy.  We actually watch it several times each year and still laugh like it was the first viewing.  

There are so many wonderful characters that make this movie great.  All of the actors do a tremendous job, but the outlandish actions of Cousin Eddie throughout this movie, either remind us all of a relative or make us appreciate our own relatives more.  

Randy Quaid very nearly outshines Chevy Chase in this movie.  Truly, one without the other would not be as funny.  The two together make Christmas Vacation a fabulously hilarious comedy.

This movie has a PG-13 rating for good reason. While we all find it hilarious, it really is not appropriate for children due to profanity and adult situation references.    

You can find a selection of gifts for the Christmas Vacation fans here:   "Christmas Vacation" Gifts

More Christmas Comedies

I am sure I have left no doubt in our readers minds, that I suggest breaks full of laughter, from the work surrounding the holidays. Finding something that makes us laugh adds to the natural rejuvenation of our body and spirit which will help us to enjoy our holidays more thoroughly.  

Here are a few more Christmas Movies:  Comedies that will make you laugh out loud.

 Planes, Trains & AutomobilesCheck Price Click to See More Christmas MoviesCheck Price Christmas with the KranksCheck Price

 

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