Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar
7 ounces marshmallow cream
2 sticks real butter, softened
10 ounces mint chocolate chips or mint chocolate candy chopped
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Serving tray decoration:

Powdered sugar
Mint leaf sprigs

Directions:

Line a 9x9x2-inch pan with foil, grease; set aside. Combine sugar, butter, evaporated milk and marshmallow in large saucepan on medium heat until it boils. Stir constantly. Boil for five minutes. Add mint chocolate and vanilla. Stir until contents are well blended and melted together. Spread into pan. Refrigerate for minimum of 8 hours. Cut into desired size squares. Serve on a plate dusted with powdered sugar and decorated with mint leaves.

As Christian men and women, we know the true meaning of Christmas in our hearts, but how many of us proclaim this fact to the world around us during the holidays? We can gently challenge those who would see Christmas as a time for commercialism and greed by letting our actions speak for themselves.

Pass it on. Want to give a special gift to a friend or coworker? Give them the gift of the Word. Share the Christmas story, and I don’t mean “‘Twas the Night before Christmas”. Pre-printed leaflets recounting the miracle of Jesus’ birth can be purchased from a Christian bookseller. Or, add that personal touch and create a booklet of your own. A small item, such as a candle, can be included too. Fill a weary heart with God’s message.

Share His love. When someone invites a person to their house, it signifies that they wish to share their good fortune with them. When we accept Christ into our lives, his home becomes our home. Invite a friend or coworker to God’s house for an Advent service or a Christmas program. They will be glad they came.

Get involved. For people living on the fringes of society, life gets a little bit harder around the Christmas holidays. Suicide rates increase. Those in urgent need, like the poor and destitute, become more so due to the weather conditions that time of year. God cries out for us to show His love.

Volunteers are a welcomed sight at holiday time. Soup kitchens and food banks seek extra people to prepare and serve hot meals and help with food box deliveries. The social services agency can provide particulars on families in the area that want to be “adopted” for Christmas. As a church body, everyone can pitch in and provide gifts and other necessary items. Providing gifts for orphaned children can also be a church project or one taken on by individual families within the congregation. If you see a need that has yet to be met, begin your own program to provide it.

The object here is to let Christ’s light shine in the life of another. During his lifetime, Jesus met each person at their level of need. Someone whose belly has been filled with food you helped to provide will be ready to hear more about the God you serve.

A commitment to Christ is a commitment to communicate his life and love to others. If Christ is number one in our lives, our actions should let everyone know it. As Christians, we have a unique opportunity to bring to the world, a true understanding of the Christmas season.

Ingredients:

1 4 to 5 pound beef rib eye roast
5 medium baking potatoes, cleaned and quartered
1 small bag of cleaned baby carrots
1 large onion diced
1 bottle of light beer
5 cloves of fresh garlic, cleaned and minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all spices and rub onto roast. Pour beer into a roasting pan and place roast inside. Surround roast with vegetables. Cover roasting pan. Bake for 45 minutes and then baste roast with beer and au jus from the pan. Return roast to oven for about 45 minutes to an hour longer, or until a meat thermometer registers 135 degrees for medium rare or 150 degrees for medium. Cooking times can vary depending on desired doneness and roast size. Once done, remove from oven and cool for about 20 minutes. Carve and serve with vegetables, rolls and other holiday dishes.

Are you tired of buying the same old wrapping paper year after year? Creating wrapping paper is a unique way to show that you really took time to make someone’s present special.

Here are some items you may wish to use: ribbons; small Christmas balls; scissors, glue; glitter; and rubber stamps.

Tissue Paper:
Take whichever color tissue paper you choose and wrap the present. Use the same color ribbon or combine different color ribbons to tie around the present.

Tin Foil:
Another creative idea is to take tin foil and use it as wrapping paper. Wrap the present, and, in the middle, glue a gift card with a poem or rhyme; picture or sentiment; or whatever you prefer to make this present special to the person you are giving it to.

Paper bags:
Do you have some paper bags at home? If so, you can create adorable wrapping paper. Use rubber stamps, stickers, glitter, markers, paints or crayons to personalize and decorate the wrapping paper. This is a fun activity to do with kids.

Personalized wrapping paper:
Print photos of the recipient off your computer and glue them onto the gift. You could cover the entire package with photos of the recipient or just add a few for flair.

Cellophane:
Using colored cellophane as wrapping paper is another popular idea. There are so many ways you can use this cellophane. For instance, wrapping homemade cookies on a plate and tying the top with a ribbon; candies in a mug; or simply wrapping a present using the cellophane and decorating it.

Make a curly cue bow:
Take your scissors and open them up so that you have one blade to work with. Place the blade at the bottom of the bow that is untied (sticking out) and pressing firmly with your thumb on the inside of the ribbon and your index finger on the blade holding the outer side of the ribbon, run the blade up to the top of the ribbon. You have just made a ribbon curly cue.

There are literally thousands of different kinds of wrapping paper one can purchase, but there is only one creative wrapping paper idea – and that is one made with love.

2 lbs. white chocolate
30 small peppermint candy canes

Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper or heavy tin foil. In a microwave safe container add the white chocolate and heat on medium in the microwave for about 4-6 minutes. Stop during heating and stir occasionally until the chocolate is smooth and melted.

In a large plastic bag add the candy canes. Using a rolling pin or another similar tool, begin breaking the candy into small pieces. Stir the candy into the melted chocolate and spread in the pan, evenly.

Place in refrigerator for about 60 minutes and then break the candy into pieces.

Christian and non-Christian alike have heard of him. As children, we imagined the sleigh, decorated with gold and jewels. Small pointy-eared people stuffed dolls, train sets, trucks, and other treats into a bottomless red bag. The sleigh driver-a plump, kindly man sporting white hair and a red outfit, sat at the ready to lead his reindeer team across the night sky in search of deserving girls and boys. I remember not being able to sleep on Christmas Eve, my body filled with nervous energy as I waited for Santa Claus to arrive.

The aforementioned images have been a tradition in America for the last two centuries, even in Christian homes. Today, we have to ask ourselves: does Santa Claus have a place in Christian celebrations during the Christmas season? The modern Santa Claus was loosely based on an actual person who possessed qualities every Christian should imitate.

The name of St. Nicholas has been used interchangeably with that of Santa Claus but they are not the same. Saint Nicholas was born in the third century A.D. He came from a Christian home and believed in the teachings of Jesus Christ. He used his vast resources to help those in need, thus fulfilling Christ’s mission. Stories grew from his extraordinary deeds, each more fanciful than the one before. Once Europeans colonized America, the stories evolved into tales to entertain children and our version of the Santa Claus legend began.

As Christian individuals, we have a responsibility to represent Christ in all aspects of our lives. What greater opportunity exists to show the world God’s love than during the celebration of Christ’s birth? God sent His only Son into the world to give mankind a second chance that we did not deserve. Our children deserve the truth. Make-believe stories are fun, but when they appear to be more popular than the truth, they can mislead our children.

The Santa Claus legend must be replaced with the facts. Saint Nicholas existed and he lived his life in service to the Savior whose birth we celebrate during the Christmas season. That’s the truth. At Christmas, nothing should overshadow the birth of Christ, God’s ultimate gift.

Here are some tips for making personalized Christmas ornaments.

Why not trim your tree with family photographs. For example take the pocket sized 2-1/2 inches by 3-1/2 inches. Use a hole punch to punch a hole at the top, and put a red, white, or gold ribbon through the photo to hang on the tree. You can adorn your tree with an entire collection of photographs of your family from past to present.

If you have small picture frames made of light wood, paint them different colors. Choose your favorite photographs of the kids, and hang the frames on the tree by placing a ribbon either through the hook on the back or under the frame stands. For thicker frames, cover the outer edges with foil paper or fabric and decorate them with sparkles so they will stand out and enhance the look of the tree.

For the computer savvy, use a digital camera to take photographs of your entire family.
Use software to generate the picture into your computer and save the pictures to paint shop software. There are many things you can do to decorate the pictures. Add Christmas borders such as trees, bells, Santas, reindeer or holly and then add their names using different colors and fonts.

After the photograph has been decorated you can reduce the photograph, using the software, to 2-1/2 inches by 3-1/2 inches, and insert the photo into the frame and hang the frame on the tree. For larger photographs, take a piece of cardboard, cut the cardboard to the size of the picture, and paste the picture to the cardboard, punch a hole at the top, and hang the photograph proudly on the tree.

Your children can also participate in the decorating process by drawing pictures of themselves or family members using construction paper. An entire tree can be filled with their drawings, using different colored construction paper. They can hang their pictures using traditional hooks, ribbons, or yarn. Imagine their faces when the entire tree is filled with drawings. Remember to take a photo of them in front of the tree for your family scrapbook.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
Food coloring
Cookie press with desired cutouts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine sugar, egg, butter, salt and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat until mixture is fluffy; add flour. Beat until well mixed. Add a few drops of food coloring, 1 to 2 drops at a time until desired color is attained. Put dough into cookie press. Place desired shapes 1-inch apart on baking sheets. Bake for 7 minutes, or until edges brown slightly.

Instructions:

2/3 cup real butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks from large eggs
1 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites, beaten
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Strawberry, cherry or raspberry preserves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend butter and sugar together. Slowly add egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Beat until well blended; add flour. Once well mixed, shaped dough into small balls. Dip balls into beaten egg whites and roll in nuts. Place on greased cookie sheet. Gently press down on each ball with thumb. Bake 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven; cool. Fill indents with preserves prior to serving.

Ingredients:

1 pound of sweet potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup real butter, unsalted and softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 9-inch pie crust, prepared, but unbaked
1/4 cup crumbled pecan pieces, optional

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil sweet potatoes until soft and tender. Cool and drain. Mash potatoes in a mixing bowl. Add butter and mix until well blended. Slowly stir in sugar, eggs, milk, spices and vanilla. Mix with a hand mixer until creamy and potato chunks have disappeared. Pour potato mixture into the unbaked piecrust. Sprinkle pecan pieces on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until knife comes out clean. Cool and serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. For an extra festive touch, sprinkle ice cream with peppermint candy pieces.