Love and Joy come to you, and a Merry Christmas, too!

Christmas is only a couple days away, and all the shopping and preparing should be done. Now it's time to celebrate our Lord's Nativity, with all the wonderful traditions that have been handed down to us, and to partake of those we have made our own.

It's time to lift a glass from the Wassailing Bowl, as did our Colonial forefathers, and toast family and friends! Of course, Wassail is an English tradition, but the American Colonials embraced it, too. "Wassail" comes from the Old Norse word "ves heil"and and the Old English "was hal" which means "good health". This is the greeting that goes along with the ritualized drinking and toasting at Christmastime.

The old Traditional song captures it best:

    Here we come a wassailing
                                                             Among the leaves so green.

And here we come a wand'ring

So fair to be seen.

Love and Joy come to you

And to you your wassailing too,

And God bless you and send you

A Happy New Year!

Hear a lovely, spirited version, for your enjoyment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft2oNPYlUxo

And, finally, see a recipe you can make for the great day:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/wassail-recipe/index.html

Merry Christmas to All, and to all a Good Night!

(I will be gone a couple days over the holiday, but I will be accumulating stories to tell you.)