Welcome to Awakenings!

Monday, December 14, 2015

Third Week of December


December is a month of holiday after holiday, celebration after celebration, unfortunately oftentimes far from any thoughts of serenity. Rather it becomes a long-drawn-out period of frenzied shopping (especially if you wait until last minute Christmas Eve), chaotic preparations and anxious travel. In a sense, we all share a longing for January just to finally find time for some rest.

In the midst of all the frenzy comes the third week of December, a closer proximity to winter solstice and believe it or not, the...

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/halcyon-days.html
December 14-28 (Always 7 days before and 7 days after the Winter Solstice)
Find out more about... HALCYON DAYS OF DECEMBER

December 13 is...
Along with the Holiday Sugar Shack of December 12 must be inhabitants...a colorful little gingerbread family! Missed this day yesterday? Never too late to get the kids into the kitchen and test their creativity. Make it a challenge to see who can come up with their own coolest creation! After all, Christmas is still 11 days away.

Rockin' Through the Decades 50s - 90s
Classic rock, R&B, smooth jazz, gospel, and country dominated the music scene through the decades from the 50s to the 90s.

December 14 is... 
National Bouillabaisse Day
***** 
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bouillabaisse-238411
During the winter months, comfort foods provide warmth from the chilly winds that cut right through to the bone. Such foods usually are presented in the form of hot beverages, soups, stews or chili. The soups, stews and chili can be served in large bowls or cups dependent upon just how hungry and cold you are. Today's soup is not just any soup...it contains seafood with this seafood still being in the shell. So, this is the soup you have to crack!
Alabama: Echoes from the Heart of Dixie
Alabama joined the union as the 22nd state on December 14, 1819.


Motown Renaissance Man
A traditional and long-established style of music is that which is categorized as 'soul'. Welcome into the spotlight...Marvin Gaye!


December 15 is... 
***** 
http://wearpinkwednesdays.com/happy-national-cupcake-day/
"There's nothing a Cupcake and Coffee can't solve."
~ Marie Williams Johnstone
There are no ordinary moments when in the kitchen knee deep in cupcake baking and decorating. Since we are in the midst of the holiday season with Christmas in the not so distant future why not bake a huge batch of Gingerbread Cupcakes!
Those Gritty, Downright Playful Rockers!
Welcome into the spotlight...gritty, downright playful rockers with echoes of blues and country, wrapped around John Fogerty's down-home twang. The one and only Creedence Clearwater Revival!


December 16 is...
Make anything ho-hum into something yum-yum! Just clothe it in chocolate...strawberries, bananas, pretzels, wafers, potato chips, peanuts, even bacon (Hey! Bacon Me Crazy!) While there just might be something that is not enhanced by chocolate, the point of this day is not to find out what won't go with chocolate but to explore and discover new ways to dress up anything with chocolate. You may even be one who likes the Chocolate with a Unique Crunch! Go ahead and experiment! Melt, dip or drizzle your favorite chocolate! What do you have to lose?
December 17 is...
Maple Syrup Day
***** 
http://vermontmaple.org/

Maple syrup is strictly North American. New York, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Vermont stake claim to the maple tree as their State Tree. Vermont leads the United States in total maple production, pumping out 1,320,000 gallons of maple syrup in 2013.
Maple Syrup Trivia...
It's called "liquid gold" for good reason: It takes about 40 gallons of raw sap to create one gallon of syrup. Plus, "sugaring season" lasts only a short six weeks in late winter.

Extreme Glam Rock Fashion
The most successful British group of the 70s based on sales of singles...Welcome into the Spotlight Slade!
 
December 18 is...

The is definitely the month for Cookies! Cookies! Cookies! What is your fav?, especially since National Cookie Day has already been celebrated on December 4. Cookie days celebrated up to this point generally focused on any cookies with the easy way out being bought, not homemade. Bake Cookies Day is set aside for people, young and old, to stir up some cookie dough spreading holiday aromatic scents around not just the kitchen but permeating throughout the house.
New Jersey: Industry, Immigrants & Innovation
On December 18, 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the United States Constitution. On November 20, 1789, the state became the first in the newly formed Union to ratify the Bill of Rights.
 
The Lion Sleeps but Still Roars
A group of Brooklyn boys hit it big-g-g-g-g time in the 60s when they recorded what is known today as the most recognizable song on the planet! Welcome into the spotlight..."The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by The Tokens!
 
December 19 is...
http://www.examiner.com/article/december-19-is-national-hard-candy-day
Today is a celebration of ALL types of hard candies, especially the chunks of hard candy that is around during the Christmas holidays. One of the all-time favorites, of course, is the peppermint! Hard candies come in many different forms. It is everything from lollipops to candy canes to caramels.

Smooth Balladeer
Iconic country singer who scored 55 No. 1 hits over the long expanse of his career is in this day's spotlight...Conway Twitty!





No comments:

Post a Comment