Remember When . . . Christmas Was in the Books?

Remember When . . . Christmas Was in the Books?

by | Dec 21, 2011 | Remember When Wednesdays

I’ve never written a novel set solely around Christmas. But as I’m contemplating fun holiday stuff I could write about here, I realize that both of my last two books have Christmas on the page. Love Finds You In Annapolis, Maryland does in fact take place from the end of November through the end of January, so it’s full of Christmasy goodness and many traditions from the day.
If you missed it last year, I blogged about many of these traditions in a post called Remember When . . . Christmas Was Banned? which also (obviously) touches on how Christmas was not an observed holiday in New England.
In Annapolis, Christmas was far from banned. Being Anglican–the only church in the city was what came to be renamed the Episcopal church when it became unpopular to name them “church of England”–the city celebrated in the style of Merry Ol’ England. I had a lot of fun writing that chapter too, with mention of wassailing, of the hanging greens, and of the simple gifts they gave each other. (They certainly didn’t have to check five different online stores for that remote control car their sons really, really wanted and then bite their nails when they saw it wasn’t due to arrive until December 23rd . . .).
When I started writing another Colonial and did all my research, I realized this next one, too, would have to include the Christmas season–though it goes from November to October so certainly doesn’t focus on it. Still, Christmas Day gets a chapter.
When I first realized that both my hero and heroine had been either living in or raised in the parts of New England that would not have observed Christmas, I had a moment of panic. Oh no! They wouldn’t view Christmas like I do!!! How in the world do I capture their thoughts??
As it turns out, their views of the day came naturally to their characters and in fact really helped me form those characters. See, Winter (my heroine) grew up in a Congregationalist home on Long Island that could trace its roots back to the Puritans. In her home, Christmas was a day of quiet reflection. No gifts, no music, no parties.
Now all of a sudden she’s in a home that celebrates–loudly and boisterously. Winter isn’t wowed by it–she’s saddened and disgusted by it, and feels far, far from home. All she wants on this holy day is to close herself into her room, read her Bible, and spend some time in quiet contemplation and prayer, thinking about what it truly means that Jesus came down as a babe.
Instead, she’s forced into an elaborate gown, paraded through a drawing room full of mercenary, shallow socialites concerned only with who got the more expensive gift, and forced to listen to the drunken jolly-making of New York’s elite.
Merry she isn’t. Because she longs for the quiet of communion with the Lord. Much like she does through the rest of the book.
Though I’ve always celebrated and loved Christmas, writing that chapter really helped me understand how a different approach could be precious and beloved. 
This year, no matter what your traditions are, I pray that you observe them with Joy, share them with your loved ones, and come away with that unmistakable Christmas feeling–the one that says, “God has blessed them, one and all.”

Remember When . . . We Hung the Greens?

by | Dec 14, 2011 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

Christmas is upon
us. And as you can tell by looking around at either my blog or my
house, it’s time to decorate. A Christmas tree, complete with a rainbow
of ornaments, most antique. Garland on my shelves. Everywhere is red,
green, and white (with a few other colors thrown in here and there).
Me
being me, naturally I’ve been wondering about those colors. 😉 Would my
Colonial characters have decorated at all like I do? I know the
Christmas tree tradition hadn’t made it to unerring popularity over here
yet, but the garland? The red accents? Were the Christmas colors the
Christmas colors yet?
It only took a quick search to find my answer–a resounding YES! And since I found it interesting, I’ll share it with you. =)
The
green part of “red and green” I pretty much knew. Since evergreens are
the only thing growing in the Western hemisphere this time of year, it
was chosen as a decoration–one we could find much significance in, as
it’s a symbol of eternal life and/or rebirth. There were, of course,
traditions surrounding this before Christianity took root–traditions
that were easily integrated into the new faith because of how well they
represented our ideals.
But
red–that’s the one I wasn’t sure about. And it’s been around long
enough that historians aren’t entirely sure about it. But this is their
best guess:
Traditionally,
the feast day of Adam and Eve is on Christmas Day. As part of the
celebration in the Middle Ages, they would put on a play to educate the
illiterate masses about Adam and Eve’s story. When they got to the part
about the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil their options were
limited–the only tree still green was the pine. And the only fruit they
had stores was the apple. So they’d tie an apple onto a pine bough, and
that would represent their Tree.
Over
the years, the red apple snuck into Christmas traditions too, appearing
on wreaths and garlands. Red and green soon took hold in its own right.
Holly became a popular plant to decorate with solely because it
combines those two colors (and is an evergreen so, you know, around in
December).
And there
we have it! A tradition that has been around for somewhere between 500
and 1000 years, and shows no signs of stopping. =)

As
a reminder, you only have until TOMORROW, 15 December, to enter the
first round of the Great Annapolis Giveaway (though entries from after
that will go into my second round automatically). Check out the tab at
the top to see what all you could win and how to win it!

Remember When . . . The Party Was Colonial?

Remember When . . . The Party Was Colonial?

by | Dec 7, 2011 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

Next week I’ll be having my first real-life (as opposed to online) book event for Annapolis, at my local library. It’s advertised as a Colonial Christmas party, and I’m having fun putting together all the Colonial aspects. I’ll be displaying my Great ANNAPOLIS Giveaway items, I think I’ll be setting up the little plastic Patriot V. Tory soldiers I have in a mock battle, decorating with greenery . . . and of course, planning a colonial menu. =)

I thought today it would be fun to share with you online folks what my in-person folks will be treated to next week, and the fun recipes I’ve found for colonial dishes. =)
Before I dive into the goodies, though, don’t forget to comment on the THREE interviews I have up right now for chances to win copies of Annapolis AND for entries into the Great ANNAPOLIS Giveaway! They are:
The Love Finds You Blog Party at Seasons of Humility: https://www.roseannamwhite.com/2011/12/love-finds-you-with-spark-of.html
Now for the goodies!
First, my menu will feature two savory items–ham, which was  a staple of life and parties back in the day, since it could be so easily preserved by smoking and salting. And also popcorn, which hadn’t yet reached the widespread popularity of the 1800s, but was certainly around.
Now for the sweets!
Gingerbread
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup hot water
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
  3. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
  4. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving. 
Pear Muffins

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup ripe pears, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
rind of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease muffin tins. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Add the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk and vanilla, mixing just until blended. Do not overmix. In a bowl combine the pears with the walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon rind. Gently fold into the batter. Spoon into the muffin tins, filling each tin 3/4 full. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until nicely browned. Serve warm with apple butter. 

(Thanks to Susan Craft for sharing this one!)
And this one required a bit of introduction–I found repeated mention of “little sugar cakes” as a favorite party food, but had no clue what they were. Petit fours?? Maybe. But as I was searching yesterday, I found this recipe for “Sugar Jumbles / Little Sugar Cakes” which I knew right away were what I was looking for. I’d already discovered that “jumbles” were cookies, and it suddenly clicked about the sugar cakes being the same. So thank you to A Lovely Thought blog (http://anartsideoflife.blogspot.com/2011/04/sugar-cakes-and-tea.html) for this recipe I found!
Sugar Jumbles 
little sugar cakes of old-time goodness
Mix together……… 1/2 cup soft butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla
Sift together and stir in………. 1 1/8 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Drop rounded teaspoonfuls about 2” apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake until delicately brown… cookies should still be soft.
TEMPERATURE: 375’
 TIME: Bake 8 to 10 min.
AMOUNT: About 3 dozen 2” cookies
I like to sprinkle with a powder of sugar on top, and place some pinches of lemon balm from my garden on the serving plate.
Now for the beverages! I’ll have coffee, and . . .

Wassail

Ingredients:

  • 1 gallon apple cider
  • 1 large can pineapple juice (unsweetened)
  • 3/4 cup tea

Place in a cheesecloth or mesh sack:

  • 1 Tablespoon whole cloves
  • 1 Tablespoon whole allspice
  • 2 sticks cinnamon

Instructions: This is great cooked in a crock pot. Let it simmer very slowly for 4 to 6 hours. You can add water if it evaporates too much. Your home will smell wonderful, and this is a great way to set the tone for a holiday party!

And finally . . .

Martha Washington’s Colonial Chocolate
George Washington’s Favorite Hot Chocolate.
4 Tablespoons Cocoa
Small amount Of Cold Water
2 Cups Water
1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
2 Cups Milk
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
Small amount Of Cold Milk
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Hot Water
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Mix Cocoa And Cold Water To A Smooth Paste In A Saucepan. Stir In The 2 Cups Water, Sugar And Milk. Bring To A Boil And Blend In Cornstarch Which Has Been Dissolved In The Cold Milk. Boil 3 Minutes Longer.
Remove From Heat And Set In A Warm Place. Beat Egg And Hot Water Until Light And Foamy. Pour Half Of Egg Mixture Into A Pitcher. Blend In Vanilla Extract. Add To Chocolate Slowly. Pour Remaining Egg Mixture Over Top. Serve.

Remember When . . . The Language Changed?

by | Nov 30, 2011 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

My poor hero just got shot. Fell overboard. Washed up on a Cuban beach in the Pinar del Rio province, near a few tobacco plantations.

And his poor author suddenly realized that the people there he’d be interacting with would be speaking–gasp–Spanish!

See, I took French in high school. I took French in college (and Ancient Greek). The many, many times I’ve had characters dealing with French-speaking folk, I do okay. Sure, I’m rusty, but I have that giant, unabridged French-English dictionary sitting on my shelf. I make do. 😉

Spanish though . . . yeah, my Spanish is limited to what I’ve learned from Dora and Handy Manny, and the obligatory mannerly phrases. But there’s no way around it. Cuba in the 1860s was, quite simply, Spanish. So I must dig out my limited knowledge, pull up an online Spanish-English dictionary, and also call on the help of some fluent Facebook friends who have proven themselves happy to jump into a conversation on which word for “shattered” I should use. 😉

But the hilarious thing is that, even when I want to pepper in a Spanish word that we all know, I keep messing it up. My thoughts sound something like this: “Okay, ‘please.’ I know the word for ‘please,’ obviously. It’s s’il vous pl–aggggghhh! Por favor, Roseanna–Spanish. Not French, Spanish!”

So I decided to make another character share my difficulties. 😉 See, one of the primary people in these scenes is a well-educated British man. Who would be fluent in what other language? French! So he, too, gets to keep lasping into the wrong secondary language. =)

Poor Phin will be stranded on Cuba for a couple months. Poor Roseanna will be done writing those scenes in the next couple weeks. But until then, that dictionary tab will stay open in my internet window. Those Facebook friends will remain on call.

And I’ll be trying my best not to make a Spanish planter say “Merci, monsieur.”

~*~

And don’t forget to check out the first blog review of Love Finds You in Annapolis! (Which has a few French phrases! LOL) You can leave a comment for a chance to win a copy. =)

Remember When . . . Thanksgiving Came?

by | Nov 23, 2011 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

We all the know the story of the Mayflower and the very first Thanksgiving.
If you want to learn about how a day was set aside to give thanks in December during the Revolution, following the Battle of Saratoga, you should check out Elaine Cooper’s post on the Colonial Quills today.
And if you have all my blog posts memorized going back years (ahem), you’ll realize that much of what is to come is reposted from two years ago. 😉

In the Old Testament there were commands for giving thanks to God, as well as New Testament guidelines. That we take time to give thanks is of vital importance–it not only gives the praise where it’s due, it helps us refocus. To get our priorities straight. To really enjoy what we have been given rather than thinking only of what we yet need.

I really love that our country has a history of setting aside a day for this–that some of the first settlers were here to seek free worship of God, and that they honored him for his faithfulness, in spite of the hardships.

I find it even more inspiring that there were people like Sarah Hale who cared enough about this tradition to fight for it. She first succeeded in getting each state to recognize the day, then, eventually, convinced President Lincoln to have the nation honor it as one. At a time when the country was torn by war, this was a monumental moment, one that helped us heal.

In some ways, Thanksgiving is viewed as a “second-rate” holiday to modern people–it doesn’t require presents, and in fact is often lost in the anticipation for Black Friday–and for Christmas. It only rates as a chance to host an elaborate meal.

But I remember my own childhood, when I sat back in my room one Thanksgiving smelling that wonderful turkey, knowing that soon my family would be coming. I remember spending some time writing a story about a girl named Felicia, which I knew meant something like “happy.” I remember cutting out some construction paper turkeys for all my family members. And I remember thinking, “This is one of the happiest days in the year. Where everyone just comes over to be together.”

I still love the holiday for that very reason. It’s a chance to come together with those I love and just be. Be there. Be together. Be thankful for all the Lord has given me.

Thank you, Father, for putting me in a country with such a history of recognizing You.

Remember When . . . More Cultures Clashed?

by | Nov 16, 2011 | Remember When Wednesdays, Uncategorized

One of the most intriguing parts of my current work-in-progress is without a doubt the slave culture in that part of Georgia at the time. I’ve already blogged on my experience discovering the rich Gullah-Geechee a few weeks ago here: https://www.roseannamwhite.com/2011/10/remember-when-cultures-collided-in-old.html

But I’ve discovered whole new facets since then. =)

See, one thing I’ve decided to do is show this rich African-American (and I use that term not in the modern sense but rather as a way of showing how the two cultures combined into something new, the Gullah-Geechee culture) by contrasts within the black characters. It’s turning out to be a lot of fun.

First I have Chloe, a young slave who’s a mulatto and the daughter of the master–which the mistress knows but the legitimate children don’t. Chloe spent the first ten or so years of her life on a rice plantation with her mother and her mother’s family.

Now, rice plantations were harsh places, where life expectancy was 5 years in the fields and the infant mortality rate among the slaves was in the nineties. This certainly played a part in the spiritual lives of the slaves and what we today would call their superstitions. In a world where death lurked right around the corner, the underworld was never far away, right?

So Chloe was raised believing spirits came up out the waterways and ghosts haunted the world. Her aunt is a conjurer. It’s what she knew. But when she was moved to the city, Christianity became more real to her, and in a way that forced her to separate out some of the “superstitious” beliefs–though it was rare for them all to be abandoned. Still, compared to the other slaves she’s around, she’d got a way of thinking more like what we know . . . but with a very strong connection to and respect for that other world that whites couldn’t understand.

But then we have Luther, who is a free black born and raised in England. And this is where the fun comes in. =) In England, he was raised with something close to equality, given the chance to be educated and is in fact a minister. He’s lived all his life in a fine (if modest) house, with fine (if modest) clothes. But he ends up in Cuba to try to purchase his wife’s aging grandmother for her and gets trapped in a whole different world. One where everyone’s sneering at him, black and white alike. Blacks because they see him as someone who has forgotten his roots, and whites because he “puts on airs.”

A fun contrast to be sure. Chloe and Luther are my two secondary POV characters, one with her Geechee speech pattern, the other with his British accent, and I’m having a blast incorporating them into the story! Can’t wait to see how they force my plot to shift and change to adapt to them . . . and how I manage to keep them from taking over, LOL. Good thing Delia and Phin are great characters in their own right!

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