a wassailing

Two weekends ago, Abe & I held our 3rd annual Christmas Wassail Open House. We make gallons and gallons of our secret wassail recipe, an assortment of appetizers, and fill our home with wonderful friends to share the evening.

Ideal as that may sound, every time I hear wassail, I think of a claymation Christmas program I saw when I was a kid. Until I looked it up on YouTube, I had not seen this program since I was about 11 years old. It has left me wondering why this particular scene is ingrained in my head, yet I can't remember something like the presidents of the United States. Actually, I think the reason I remember this scene is because the dinosaur-like creatures* are somewhat terrifying.

Here it is:


I also fondly remember the 3 kings camel scene:


And who doesn't like the California Raisins?


By the way, a much requested recipe at the Waffle - I mean, Wassail - party was the spinach artichoke dip. Credits go to my sister.

Spinach Artichoke Dip
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
1 (8oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 c mayonnaise
1/4 c grated parmesan romano cheese
1 tsp crushed garlic, or 2 cloves fresh garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Dash of cayenne pepper

Blend all ingredients together. Microwave or bake in oven until heated through.

Also, some photos of the party.







Our friend Evelyn brought a German Smoking Man, which is a traditional Christmas incense burner.

*Why dinosaurs, anyway?

not without my handbag!

When I leave the house, I go through a quick mental checklist to make sure I have everything. The checklist used to be wallet, keys, good to go.

Then I got a cell phone and started wearing glasses. Wallet. Keys. Phone. Glasses.

Now the list is wallet, keys, phone, glasses, sunglasses, and iPod. Imagine if I made it a habit of always carrying a purse! I could add checkbook, change purse, screwdriver, tissues, miniature calculate, lip balm, miniature flashlight, granola bar, pen, miniature notebook, miniature fashion dog, a small collection of sea shells, extra socks, a smock, fish food.

Is this why women have so many purses? There's so much to possibly carry that you have to distribute the essential nonessentials among various handbags, and use different ones depending on both outfit coordination and anticipated emergencies. Bus ride into work: black satchel with ballpoint pens, Macbook, favorite magazine, and body spray. Day at the beach: cherry basket weave with Nalgene water bottle, retro sunglasses, lotion, the Twilight series, favorite sunshine yellow towel, and tiny drink umbrellas. Drop off in combat zone: sandy camo with matching hand grenade clip-ons, equipped with combat boots, parachute cord, and a set of miniature carabiners.

Lest you think I am disparaging the all-purpose handbag, check out this old claymation feature that emphasizes the importance of a purse to lady.



Wallet, check. Keys, check. Directions to the underworld, check.

(If you're interested in more claymation, here's another favorite: Creature Comforts: An interview of London Zoo animals. Sorry, no embedding option. )