Happy Holidays!

H A P P Y H O L I D AY S

TRADITIONS FROM THE ATMOSPHERE TEAM

HO HO HO

During the Holiday season one of my favorite memories was from when my father played Santa Claus as his company hosted an annual community event. My dad was one of several Santa Clauses to meet and greet hundreds of children who attended this event! The Christmas show entailed decorating the entire high school gym to replicate Santa’s workshop in the North Pole. There were elves, dancing toys and choirs singing Holiday songs, providing a festive atmosphere! Toward the end of the show, Santa Claus made his debut on the stage, to the delight of the children.

After the show concluded, all the children were directed to leave through numbered exits where a Santa handed each child a wonderful gift and a bag of treats.

Prior to the event, and as the older child at the ripe age of 7, my mother made it clear that I was only to exit with my sister through door #4.

When Santa handed gifts to my sister and me, he called us by name which of course made us feel very special, thinking that we had been VERY, VERY good (or perhaps that we were on his watch list)! At the time, we had no idea that this particular Santa was indeed our father!

Much later, I learned my dad devoted several weekends a year playing Santa Claus, which he thoroughly enjoyed for 25 years! Whenever I see a Santa Claus, cherished memories of my father come to mind.

The picture on the right was taken the year he retired from the Santa Claus trailer (my dad is on the far right). The picture on the left is of my sister and me at Christmas with my dad!

Carlene Wilson Minneapolis

BELIEVE

I grew up the 6th of 10 children.

Although my family was originally from Boston, my parents relocated to Arizona in 1958, with 5 kids in tow, for a job at Motorola.

I was the first born of the Arizona children and there were 4 more to follow. One of my favorite traditions, which my siblings and I have continued through the years, was the Christmas cookie party.

We all put on our holiday pajamas and decorated plain sugar cookies with all kinds of colored frosting and confections. My mother would fill the punch bowl with fruit punch and ginger ale, with a bit of dry ice to make it festive. On that night we each hung our Christmas stockings one by one while my Dad filmed on his Super 8.

One of my favorite things was when you became old enough, you were able to stay up to play Santa and build toys for the little ones. As time has moved on, I am grateful to have really never have grown too old to still believe.

Amy Welty Phoenix

KUNG PAO, PLEASE!

We have a family tradition that was established about 10 years ago- we get Panda Express takeout every Christmas Eve for dinner! It’s certainly a strange tradition, but our kids, now 16 and 18 years old, still demand that the tradition continues!

My wife and I used to be ushers at our church in Texas where we led a team of 20 for three services on Christmas Eve. The last service went until 5 or 6 pm and did not leave much time for us to prepare dinner or meet family members.

So, we decided to get takeout and because most restaurants close early on Christmas Eve, Panda Express was a product of one of the only choices! It now is a family favorite and Christmas Eve tradition that we carry with us, no matter where we’re living!

Craig Holst Minneapolis

GRANDMA’S COOKIES

Every memory that I have from Christmas includes my Grandma’s Surprise Cookies. Filled with either cherries or chocolate, my cousins and I learned from a very early age how to push on the bottom to determine which filling was present- and then fought over the cherry cookies!

Though a bit tedious to make, it wouldn’t be Christmas without having them on the cookie platter and I’m so thankful each year for my grandma’s patience in making them!

Natasha Fonville Minneapolis

Bon Bon Cookies 1/2 c. soft butter 1/2 c. brown sugar 1 tbsp. vanilla 1 ½ c. Flour 1/8 tsp. salt Maraschino Cherries (patted dry) Dough Pre-heat oven to 350.

Mix the butter, sugar, vanilla together thoroughly. Blend in flour and salt. If flour is dry, add 1 to 2 tbsp. cream.

Wrap dough around maraschino cherry.

Place 1” apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.

Icing 1 c. confectioners’ sugar 2 tbsp. cream 1 tsp. vanilla Food coloring Mix together icing ingredients.

Take cooled cookie and top with icing and sprinkles.

CHRISTMAS BRUNCH

Oatmeal Bake 2-1/4 Cup(s) Quick Quaker® Oats or 2-3/4 cups Old Fashioned Quaker® Oats, uncooked 2/3 Cup(s) firmly packed brown sugar 3/4 Cup(s) raisins or dried cranberries 1 Teaspoon(s) ground cinnamon 1/2 Teaspoon(s) Salt 3-1/3 Cup(s) Skim Milk 4 egg whites, lightly beaten or 1/2 cup egg substitute 1 Tablespoon(s) vegetable oil Cooking Instructions Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 8-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.

In large bowl, combine oats, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and salt; mix well. In medium bowl, combine milk, egg whites, oil and vanilla; mix well. Add to dry ingredients; mix until well blended.

Pour into baking dish. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until center is set and firm to the touch. Cool slightly Serve topped with milk or yogurt and fruit, if desired. Store leftover oatmeal tightly covered in refrigerator.

We put up two trees and always cram one of them full of all the holiday cards we get. It gets pretty colorful.

We also make a brunch-meal-ahead for Christmas Day, Oatmeal Bake. We got it years ago from a friend, the recipe produces an oatmeal ‘cake‘ of sorts, we top it with fresh berries, yogurt, or whatever else you usually eat with oatmeal. We mix it up and bake it on Christmas Eve, then warm it up midmorning on Christmas.

It’s an easy and fun treat and tradition!

Megan Sciera Washington

MOLASSES COOKIES

Molasses Cut-Out Cookies 1 cup butter ½ cup brown sugar 1/3 cup dark molasses 2 2/3 cups sifted flour 1/8 tsp baking soda 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 tsp powdered ginger 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 1/8 tsp cinnamon In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter until light & fluffy; gradually add the sugar. Blend in the molasses, flour, baking soda, salt and spices.

Mix well. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in saran wrap. Chill for 30-60 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove 1 package of dough from the fridge at a time. Roll the dough and cut with cookie cutters (recipe says roll out thin, but I leave my thicker for a softer vs crispy cookie).

Bake on greased cookie sheets for 810 minutes. Cool, frost and decorate.

Vanilla Frosting 2 cups powdered sugar 2 tsp butter, melted 3 Tbsp milk Âź tsp vanilla Mix all together until smooth. with food coloring if desired.

Color

Growing up, I would help my mom make cut-out sugar cookies for Christmas.

After I graduated from college, I began a tradition of making cut-out cookies with my best friend from high school. After she moved away from Wisconsin, I continued the tradition of making cut-out cookies and enlisted the help of Oleg. Over the years, Oleg lost interest, but I could usually get him to help decorate at least a few cookies!

Even though my annual Christmas cookie making is a tradition, there has been constant change in trying different recipes from different types of sugar cookies to gingerbread cookies to different frostings. One of my favorites is the Molasses Cut-Out Cookies- I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Melissa Novinski Madison

PAJAMA PARTY

When I reflect on our family Christmas traditions, I can’t help but smile. My 2 sons always pestered us to open a gift on Christmas Eve and we always acted like we wouldn’t let them. Of course, we would eventually acquiesce and allow them to open a present. Each year it was always the same gift- a pair of Christmas pajamas! This always led to them grumbling but made for great family pictures! They are now 27 and 30 years old and we still send them pajamas each Christmas.

Jeff Anderson Phoenix

DECK THE HALLS

We have so many Christmas traditions but the one that has been around the longest is our Christmas stockings. My Aunt JoAnn made these beautiful personalized stockings for my sister and me. When we were kids, the stockings were the first spot we ran to on Christmas morning, grabbing them quickly and then rushing back into one of our beds to open them together! We still use them today- almost 40 years later! And now, my niece and nephew also have stockings made by Aunt JoAnn so the tradition continues. We all have so much fun sorting through the wonderful trinkets, makeup, jewelry, candy, lottery tickets and various other surprises found inside! As adults, the stockings buy us a little time to have a cup of coffee before the kids drive us crazy begging to open the presents! ;)

Myra Basar Minneapolis

SANTA!

Since as young as I can remember, our family would always go to the Children’s Christmas Eve mass. My mom, dad and all three of us kids would get dressed up and ready to pile into the freezing cold car, eager with anticipation. Every year my mom would always seem to be taking a little too long getting ready and my dad would say “come on kids, while your mom finishes up let’s go drive around the neighborhood and look for Santa and his reindeer!” A half hour would go by with 3 little faces glued to the backseat windows, looking for any signs of Santa and his reindeer flying through the sky. Dad would finally swing back home to pick up mom who would be anxiously waiting, and off we went to mass! When mass was over, we would all head back home and much to our surprise, Santa always came while we were at Christmas Eve mass! Wow, Santa really does know all and see all!

When our kids were younger, we followed the same tradition with them.

Now that they are older, they still want to be surprised when they come home from Christmas Eve mass, with or without, the drive to search for Santa and his reindeer in the sky. Hopefully when they have their own families, they will keep this tradition alive!

Here’s a favorite family Christmas Cookie my Grandmother used to make, that I still make almost every year!

Stacy Brandberg Minneapolis Meltaway Cookies 1 cup butter 3/4 cup cornstarch 1 tsp almond extract 1/3 cup powdered sugar 1 cup self-rising flour Icing 1 cup powdered sugar 2 Tbs milk 2 Tbs butter, melted 1 tsp almond extract Food coloring

Preheat oven to 350.

In bowl, combine butter, powdered sugar and almond.

Sift together flour, cornstarch and add to your butter mixture and mix well.

Roll into a little larger than 1" balls and place on ungreased baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes or until bottoms are just starting to brown.

Remove from oven and gently place on cooling rack.

Meanwhile, make your glaze- mix together powdered sugar, milk, butter and almond extract. Stir in enough food coloring to reach desired color and drizzle a little bit of icing over tops of each cookie and sprinkle with sprinkles!

Let icing harden a few minute before serving.

LUTE-WHAT?

Every memory I have is of Mindy’s family Norwegian tradition, that always falls on Christmas Eve. Always with tons of midwestern snow, everyone dressed up fancy for Christmas while gathering around the white flocked tree and eating delicious Lutefisk, Lefse and Krumkake! It warms your heart just thinking of it, doesn’t it?!

Traditionally the kids opened a few gifts, which always included new pajamas, while staying up late to wait for Santa.

This day was always about family, love and laughter and our favorite great Aunt’s cookies with chocolate kisses in the center!

Mindy MacWilliams Madison