[there is nothing worse than trying to sing a carol to your child and not knowing the words!! my little one LOVES Deck the Halls, I could remember the lyrics until I got to "troll the ancient Yule tide carol" my version was 'something something Yule tide carol' yeah, I know.....doesn't really flow does it?]
The music to Deck the Halls is believed to Welsh in origin and was reputed to have come from a tune called “Nos Galan” dating back to the sixteenth century. In the eighteenth century Mozart used the tune to Deck the Halls for a violin and piano duet J.P. McCaskey is sometimes credited with the lyrics of Deck the Halls but he only edited the Franklin Square Song Collection in which the lyrics were first published. The first publication date of Deck the Halls is 1881. The author is unknown but the words are said to originate in America.
Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Troll the ancient Yule tide carol,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
See the blazing Yule before us,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Strike the harp and join the chorus.
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Follow me in merry measure,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
While I tell of Yule tide treasure,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Fast away the old year passes,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Sing we joyous, all together,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Heedless of the wind and weather,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
[I had to find this article today because I'm finally getting my tree up this weekend. Normally, I like to have it up the weekend after Thanksgiving but between traveling, my etsy shops picking up and prepping for a craft show, this is the soonest I could manage. I always thought garland went on last but followed this instruction last year and it went pretty well. The big question is how a 17 month old will act with a decorated tree. I'll keep you posted!]
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Our tips on the next pages will give you ideas for setting up your tree, lighting it, keeping it fresh, and decorating it to be beautiful.
1. In a small bowl, combine dried cherries and brandy or cherry juice. Let stand for 30 minutes. Generously grease and flour six popover pans;* set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In another small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat until combined. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat just until combined, scraping side of bowl occasionally. Stir in chocolate-flavored syrup. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, stirring just until combined. Stir in brandy-soaked cherries and any liquid.
3. Spoon batter into prepared popover pans, filling each half full (a scant 1/2 cup each). Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean (centers may dip slightly). Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from popover pans and cool completely on wire rack. If necessary, trim cake top edges so they are even with the sides.
4. Place one cake (smallest end up) on a large slotted spoon. Hold the spoon over the bowl of Truffle Frosting. Spoon frosting over the cake, letting it drip down the sides, until the cake is coated. Let cake stand on rack over waxed paper until frosting is set. Repeat with remaining cakes. If desired, place Powdered Sugar Icing in a sturdy resealable plastic bag. Snip off a tiny portion of one corner. Pipe small dots of icing on cake tops.
5. Sift powdered sugar and/or cocoa powder over dessert plates. Place cakes on plates. If desired, garnish each one with a Bing cherry.
6. Makes 6 servings
7. *Test Kitchen Tips: Nonstick cooking spray for baking really helps these cakes unmold easily. This product is designed to grease and flour baking pans in one step. Look for it with other nonstick cooking sprays in your supermarket.
You can use six 6-ounce straight-sided ramekins instead of the popover pans. Grease and flour the ramekins. Cut three 15×12-inch pieces of foil; cut each piece in half lengthwise to make a 15×6-inch piece. Fold each into thirds lengthwise and place around top of a ramekin; secure with tape. Set aside. If you use ramekins, increase the baking time to about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean.
8. Powdered Sugar Icing: In a small bowl, combine 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk, and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until icing reaches piping consistency.
The light will dance on these wintertime snowflakes, made from a variety of crystal-like beads.
For each snowflake:
1. Add beads to 4 pins. Place beads on 1 corsage pin in desired order, leaving the last 1/4 inch without beads. Make 3 more beaded pins using the same arrangement.
2. Make another set of 4 beaded pins, using a different arrangement. Make an additional set of 2 beaded pins. (You should have a total of 10 beaded pins.)
3. Add 4 matching pins to cork. Cut the cork, if necessary, so it is about 1/4 inch long. With the round side of the cork laying on the work surface, poke one beaded pin into the cork (close to work surface) like a spoke of a wheel. Place a matching beaded pin opposite the first. Place the remaining two opposite each other, between the first set.
4. Add remaining pins. Using the remaining set of 4 matching pins, poke each into the cork, slightly closer to the top of the cork and alternating with the first set of four. Place the remaining 2 beaded pins into each round end of the cork.
5. Cover the cork using glitter paint pen. Allow to dry. Apply a second coat, if necessary, and let dry.
6. To hang, cut a desired length of monofilament and tie to one spoke of the snowflake.
Jazz up the classic snowflake in an unexpected way using jingle bells.
1. Cut three 6- to 8-inch lengths of 16-gauge crafts wire.
2. Using needle-nose pliers, bend one of the wires to make a hook for hanging.
3. Cross the wire pieces in the center, wrap with fine crafts wire to secure in a spoke shape, and reinforce the wire with hot glue.
4. Hot-glue one bell over the center intersection of the wire assembly.
5. Slide bells onto each wire spoke, securing them on the back side with hot glue.
6. Trim the remaining wires.
