It is a time of year when most of us do tend towards excess, but it is in celebration of our good fortune and thankfully the excess is usually extended to giving as well. We share our wealth with others and enjoy meals with family and friends, toasting to good things to come in the New Year.

We have spoken often this year about the value of good food – enjoying fresh foods, growing them or buying them close to home, and preparing them so they retain their unique flavours and even colours. As you know, Martin and I are very passionate about food and its importance, not just as sustenance but also as part of the fibre that forms our society.

I was painfully reminded of how important it is to value every bite of food this past week when I managed to knock one of my front teeth loose in a fall. I certainly was aghast at the look of my face with such a prominent feature out of place, but the biggest shock came in thinking that I would be eating Christmas dinner through a straw. Let me tell you, for a foodie such as myself there is not much worse as punishment than to miss the week of the year when food is at its pinnacle. That old song, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth…” kept ringing through my head.

Martin bundled me off to the dentist where he bonded my teeth together and sent me on my merry way. I was to come back in the New Year to have a wire put on as final support in the healing process. But wait! It gets better! As I write this, I am waiting for the emergency on-call dentist to call me, as the original work done to bond my teeth together came apart only days later. The bonding was to help hopefully avoid me having to endure a root canal. Needless to say I am less than impressed with a certain dentist in not doing a suitable job and then not answering his pager over the holidays. (I will not mention his name here, but you can be sure I will be telling as many friends as possible that I most certainly do not recommend his services.)

I will mention that I am not a lightweight when it comes to dental work. I don’t want you to think that I am complaining just to be heard here. I went through appliances that cracked the cartilage in the roof of my mouth, and having all four wisdom teeth removed at the same time as my jaw being broken (along with braces, of course). All of this was for a good cause and I endured it with the best smile I had at the time. The part that upsets me on this occasion is that repair work is having to be RE-done because someone didn’t bother to do the job properly the first time and didn’t bother to follow up, either.

The lesson I have learned here is that just like with food, you need to remember to think of all the details yourself – don’t rely on anyone else to provide you with the information and don’t assume anything. Ask the questions to ensure that you are getting what you want and deal with reliable businesses that offer a relationship so you can trust their practices and their products. This trust is worth a great deal in today’s world as it cannot be bought by paying more: it is a quality that people possess or don’t. I believe it used to be referred to as integrity.

I hope the rest of you reading this did enjoy a sumptuous holiday feast and continue to munch on leftovers as we glide into the New Year. Value every last morsel with your family and friends, savour every sip as you clink glasses. Those memories may fuel you later in less fortunate times.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Here we are, a few days from the big day and everyone is running at mach speed trying to check everything off the list and be sure that they are ready to fulfill all their holiday obligations. Fight the traffic to get to the mall, wait in line to buy the gifts, stay up 'til midnight wrapping and baking and decorating so that it’s all according to plan for Christmas Eve. You barely have time to get to the parties to see people and then you are thinking of the million other things that need doing when you get home. The problem is, Christmas is all over too soon and many of us are left feeling symptoms of withdrawal when all too soon things are just back to the usual race. So, fear not, gentle reader – I have a simple solution for you to save the spirit of Christmas and your sanity!

Here it is – stop the rushing and just listen, look and enjoy. You think I am a bit nuts, don’t you? I can’t stop, you say, or I shall never get it all done. Well, so what? Isn’t the most important thing to be able to enjoy the season, to spend time with family and friends, to be grateful for what we have? I wrote last week about the magic and mystery that is in the true spirit of Christmas. It seems to me Christmas is only mysterious when we lose sight of its true significance. Instead of worrying about all the gifts from the store, think of a simple meaningful gift for your loved ones (maybe it is a “gift certificate” for an afternoon spent sharing a coffee). Instead of the complicated holiday menu, try the shortcuts you can find all over the internet or on the Food Network (a shameless plug here: I know a certain chef Martin here in Kelowna who will offer suggestions if you send him an e-mail!) Ask the kids to help wrap gifts or clean the house or shovel the walk and then spend the time gained sharing a hot chocolate or humming a carol or two. You will find that even the smallest moment spent simply enjoying the fun of the holiday season gives your heart a boost that will broaden your smile and increase your stamina.

Tom Robbins said “It is contrary to the nature of mystery to stand still. Yet it’s always there, somewhere, a world on the other side of the mirror…, a promise in the next pair of eyes that smile at us. We glimpse it when we stand still.” Take the time to stand still and enjoy Christmas and you will realize another truth this same author wrote “It is never too late to have a happy childhood.”

As a closing note, here is a simple treat for you to enjoy – it can be a great gift when packaged in a tin or gift bag, too!

Spiced Pecans

You can use hazelnuts or walnuts too (many of us have trees – include the recipe with some nuts from your tree and you have a very personal gift for a friend or neighbour!)

2 tbsp butter, softened (OR see option below to avoid using butter)

2/3 cup granulated sugar (you can substitute brown sugar for a more maple-like taste)

1/2 cup water

3 cups pecans

2 tsp EACH ground ginger and sea salt (you can substitute cinnamon if you like, or a combination of fragrant spices like cardamom, nutmeg and cloves)

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment and spread parchment with butter. Or, if you have a silicone baking sheet, put that on your rimmed baking sheet and you can place the nuts directly on it. (Martin sells these on his website if you need one.)

In a saucepan, pour water and then pour sugar over, in a pile in the middle. Bring sugar and water to a boil – DO NOT STIR – and let boil for approx. 5 minutes, or until golden in colour. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans and let stand for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Using a sieve, drain pecans and return to saucepan stir in spices. Spread on prepared baking sheet and bake at 350F till toasted, approx 10-15 minutes. Let cool on pan and then package for gifts or serve.


A very Merry Christmas to you all!

Kristin and Martin

Okay, have I got your attention? You probably thought the headline for this week’s column was just another ploy but I really do want to talk about the real thing, if you’ll pardon the expression. Santa Claus is an important part of Christmas and he doesn’t just belong to the children, either.

In an age where everything is about knowing the intimate details and having the “behind the scenes” scoop, people seem to think that reality is never what it appears to be. Famous people must not really be happy there must be some scandal behind their smiles. Spectacular events are not really as special as you initially thought special effects done on computer and broadcast to you are the reason behind it. This kind of skepticism is infectious and it makes us think twice before believing anything. But does that mean there is nothing worth believing in? Quite the contrary – we need to believe now more than ever.

In 1897, Francis Church wrote that now famous letter to a young girl named Virginia. Today there is talk of the newspapers folding their operations because no one is reading them. Somehow we still need to get the message out to the world that just because you cannot understand the magic of how something good works does not mean you need to discount its value. If we are ever to achieve greater heights in our existence, there needs to be something out there we have not yet imagined to which we can aim our sights. Otherwise, quite frankly, what is the point?

I am calling on all souls that wish upon stars and throw pennies into fountains – you are needed now to share your faith with those less fortunate, and to ensure that children keep that twinkle in their eye that makes them want to believe. For you see, it is the children that save us all. Those of us who can hold onto the glimmer of wonder that comes from believing are trying to keep some of the magic of childhood with us.

And by the way, for you skeptics in the crowd, I really do know Santa Claus. I have touched his beard and felt his smile warm my heart I have even shared coffee with him! He is alive and well, and quite busy this year I am happy to report. You see, there is hope for us yet, if we keep believing. (If you would like to get in touch with him, send me an e-mail and I will pass your name along!)

Lastly, I am reprinting Mr. Church’s original letter for you here as I think it still says the right thing, a century later.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Kristin

From the Editorial Page of The New York Sun,
written by Francis P. Church, September 21, 1897

Virginia, your little friends are wrong.  They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age.  They do not believe except they see.  They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds.  All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's are little.  In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy.  Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus!  It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias.  There would be no child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.  We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight.  The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus!  You might as well not believe in fairies!  You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove?  Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus.  The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see.  Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn?  Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there.  Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart.  Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond.  Is it all real?  Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus!  Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever.  A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.