(Photo by Melissa Gutierrez) Dear Friends, Another year has drawn to a close, and it's time to look back at our accomplishments of the past twelve months. We're so proud of our family's achievements and want to share them with those who are dear to our hearts. Some of our fondest memories of 2008: * Michelle had her baby (no, not that one) and is taking full advantage of the Canadian government’s generous maternity leave policy. We expect her back sometime around 2013. * Mike completed a lifelong dream and became the world’s first head-banging ninja film critic. * Eugenia consumed 152,846 calories cooking for her Spark articles, and she will gladly eat another Sausage McMuffin for the sake of the Spark. * Jessica finally picked a winner. Sort of. * Robert’s World of Warcraft gold farming business has gone bust (his Chinese workers revolted, demanding time for sleep despite his generous offer of more Red Bull). Undaunted, he plans on making a killing selling fake tickets to the presidential inauguration. Got to love his entrepreneurial spirit. Wish him luck! * Richard finally joined Facebook this year and no one has seen or heard from him since. * Suzi is sick to death of the incessant pleas to upgrade your television with a digital conversion tuning box prior to the FCC's digital TV transition in February. She’s also trying to beat her addiction to the Discovery Channel's "Storm Chasers" (in HD, baby!) by replacing it with an obsession with "Antiques Roadshow." * Liz made progress on her screenplay about gigantic, possessed parade balloons that break free and take over a city. * Chris has developed an obsession with downloading his entire life onto the Internet and becoming "VirtualChris." * Helene a fait un effort valient de comprendre ces Américains fous, mais ne sait pas s'il vaut l'effort. * Dave followed his crapping out on Jeopardy! with an attempt to memorize every useless factoid of trivia in the world and writing a Spark about it. 182 down; who knows how many to go? Warm wishes to you and yours over the holidays and in the coming year. Love, The Spark Household Suggested Sites... How to Write Family Christmas Letters - ideas for lively and creative family letters. The Gloating Christmas Letter - how to decode the boasting and bragging of typical holiday letters. The Perfect Holiday Letter - dos and don'ts for your holiday missives. Everyday Etiquette: How to Write a Holiday Letter - how to get kids to take up the tradition. How to Write a Holiday Thank You Letter - show your gratitude, not your ego.

Directory categories: Christmas Humor, Correspondence, Letter Writing, Writing

Archived under: Biographies, Christmas, Communication, Holidays, Humor, In Character, Jokes, New Year, The Spark, Writing

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(Photo by babe_kl) Poor fruitcakes! Once considered winter delicacies, they have become the butt of cruel jokes about doorstops and paperweights. Critics mock their longevity and density, and each year countless cakes are re-gifted or tossed away. Some speculate that the endless ridicule of comedians is to blame for the fruitcake's brick-like fall from grace, but others suspect a decline in the quality of the cakes themselves. For hundreds of years, fruitcakes were tasty concoctions of dried fruit, nuts, and spices -- and often a liberal dose of brandy or whisky. Mass-produced commercial versions left out the booze and the spices and replaced the dried fruit with a candied variety -- super-sweetened bits of garish and artificial goo. But now, hip chefs are reinventing fruitcake for the 21st century with innovative (and more natural) ingredients and presentation. Fruitcake is making a comeback -- and this time, it's edible! Suggested Sites... Christmas Recipe Index: Fruitcakes - a variety of fruity, tantalizing treats. About.com: Fruitcakes - recipes and tips for making fruitcakes that are not just palatable, but delicious. cdkitchen: Fruitcake Recipes - features both traditional and unusual recipes, including beer fruitcake and sourdough fruitcake. Recipes for Christmas Cakes - with or without fruit, these confections will put some cheer into the holiday season. Society for the Protection and Preservation of Fruitcake - learn to love the fruitcake.

Directory categories: Fruitcake Recipes, Fruticakes for Sale, Christmas Dessert Recipes, Christmas Recipes, Cake Recipes

Archived under: Christmas, Cooking, Flops, Food and Drink, Fruitcake, Holidays, Recipes

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German and British soldiers unite in No-Man's-Land (From National Army Musuem) We've all heard of so-called Christmas miracles, either in holiday movies, Hallmark commercials, or on Christmas cards. But not everyone knows about the one that actually occurred on the Christmas of 1914 in Ypres, Belgium, during the battle between German and British forces in World War I. On Christmas Eve, soldiers in the muddy trenches of the German army, feeling more like being festive than fighting, put down their weapons to decorate what they could with lit candles and began to sing Christmas carols. Soon, they heard similar songs echoing from their enemy's side, where the British soldiers were held up. Next, the putative enemies were yelling out cheerful holiday greetings to each other across the field in the others' native tongues. And then, the unthinkable happened: The soldiers rose up unarmed from their underground shelters and walked right into the middle of "No-Man's-Land" to shake hands with their enemy -- the same people who had been firing bullets at them less than 24 hours earlier. A Christmas truce had unofficially begun between the opposing armies. Not a shot was fired along the Western Front throughout the entire holiday, and some say the armistice lasted until New Year's Day. Soliders exchanged such gifts as chocolates, smokes, and any other worthy item they could find at their disposal. They joined together for Christmas dinners and apparently even played a soccer game. Not all of the events that took place during the truce were festive, though. Soldiers paid their respects to their fallen comrades by pulling their bodies behind their own lines and giving them proper burials, and were even assisted by the opposing side. A British solider asserted in a letter that "There must be something in the spirit of Christmas as to-day we are all on top of our trenches running about. Whereas other days we have to keep our heads well down...We can hardly believe that we've been firing at them for the last week or two -- it all seems so strange..." The "spirit of Christmas," indeed. Suggested Sites... Joyeux Noel - Academy-award nominated film about the truce. Interview with Stanley Weintraub - 2001 interview with Stanley Weintraub, the author of the book "Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce." Christmas Truce 1914 - Everything2.com - brief outline of the events and aftermath of the truce. Christmas Truce at the World War I Front - detailed article about the events. First World War.com - comprehensive website about World War I, aka The Great War.

Directory categories: Christmas Truce of 1914, World War I, Christmas, Joyeux Noël, First Battle of Ypres

Archived under: 1910s, Christmas, History, WWI, War

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(Photo by Monica D.) For some, the holidays wouldn't be complete without its frothy smoothness. For others, it ranks right up there with fruitcake as Christmas' most unappetizing treat. I'm speaking of egg nog and, today, appropriately enough, in addition to being Christmas Eve, is also National Egg Nog Day. What is egg nog exactly? Varieties are myriad but the basic recipe remains the same. Eggs beaten with sugar, milk or cream, and usually some kind of spirit make up the base, while creative chefs think "outside of the blender" to transform the classic nog with additions like coconut, chocolate, or banana. There are even vegan varieties for those with an aversion to eggs. Considering the ingredients, it's pretty obvious that egg nog is not a diet-friendly beverage. In fact, studies suggest that nog contains around 230 calories per ½ cup - and that's before the addition of rum or brandy. Now, I don't claim to have a terribly sophisticated palate, but I'm of the camp who believes egg nog to be a fairly disgusting brew. I find the consistency about as pleasant as chilled phlegm and not even the most liberal shot of bourbon can mask that cloying clot that clogs the throat. It's about as appetizing as a hot buttered rum, another completely confounding holiday cocktail. Christmas or not, I say you can keep your egg nog. Still I suppose it's Scrooge-like of me to trash egg nog on this, the day "nogheads" everywhere rejoice in its supposed splendor. As for me, I know just what I'll do with my serving. Suggested Sites... Egg Nog World - features egg nog recipes from around the world. The History of Egg Nog - trace egg nog back to the the seventeenth century as a beverage used to toast one's health. MDA: Egg Nog Preparation Tips - find tips and tricks from the Midwest Dairy Association. EggNogRecipe.net - collection of egg nog recipes handed down from family and friends. YouTube.com: Traditional Eggnog Recipe - Expert Village provides a video tutoria to make traditional egg nog from scratch.

Directory categories: Egg Nog Recipes, Cocktails, Christmas Recipes, Drinks and Drinking, Christmas

Archived under: Alcohol, Christmas, Egg Nog, Eggs, Food and Drink, Holidays, Recipes

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(Photo by Kris de Curtis) Every year, it seems like the Christmas season gets pushed up earlier, starting at the beginning of November instead of the end. It's like Halloween is the new Thanksgiving. Most people say, "Jeez, it's too soon!" But for me, it can't come soon enough! You see, I'm a huge Christmas geek. Bring on the movies, the music, the lights, and the egg nog (that my doctor strongly advises I avoid putting into my fat body)! First, the movies: Ahh, Christmas movies! I own them all and can't wait to watch every one during the season. These aren't just classic Christmas movies, but classic movies, period. Despite what my grumpy old colleague says, it doesn't get any better than "It's a Wonderful Life." I cry at least three times during that film. And if you don't feel just a little something when Harry Bailey calls George the "richest man in town," then I'm sorry, but you're just heartless and stupid. Next on my long list would have to be "Christmas Vacation." I'll admit that some of Chevy Chase's slapstick falls totally flat, but I'll be damned if I don't laugh out loud every time that squirrel leaps out of the tree to attack everyone, or when Clark has one of his cussing rants. Christmas music might be the corniest music ever, but I don't care. I love it. Maybe it's because it makes me feel like a kid again. Being a fan of hard rock and metal music, I prefer Gary Hoey's instrumental renditions of the classics. (If you're a fan of rock, but aren't completely sold on Christmas carols, check out his killer version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.") At the same time, however, I like the good old classics like Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, and Andy Williams. Heck, I might be the only person I know who doesn't mind hearing carols by Bing Crosby, the Jackson 5, and Twisted Sister back to back. While I'm not a huge fan of jazz, my all-time favorite holiday album is Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack for "A Charlie Brown Christmas." No matter what mood I'm in, that one always hits the spot. Every year, we take the kids to various holiday traditions around town. There's a drive-through light display that we visit at least twice, and a Christmas in the Park setup of holiday-themed houses and displays with bad animatronic figures, scalding hot cocoa, and even carnival rides, yipee! (OK, that particular event was a lot more fun when I was a kid.) And almost every neighborhood has at least one house that's been transformed into a giant box of lights -- some even synced to music. (That tradition is free, so naturally, it's one of my favorites.) My kids are already accustomed to these traditions and start bugging us right after Halloween about the Christmas season: "When can we put up the lights?"..."Can we watch Christmas movies now?"..."Is Santa coming tonight?"..."Daddy, don't drink so much egg nog!" Suggested Sites... Christmas Movie Montage - YouTube - a sappy montage with sappy music -- and I love it! Christmas Radio Stations Online - Yahoo! Music - listen to holiday music radio stations, from country to "Scrooge Tunes." Gary Hoey's Ho! Ho! Hoey Collection - Amazon - because it's that awesome! Give it a whirl. Top 25 Christmas Movies of All Time - Moviefone - I don't agree with them all, but it's got some good ones. The Ten Worst Christmas Movies of All Time - Film School Rejects - now this list, I agree with!

Directory categories: Christmas, Christmas Movies, Christmas Music, Christmas Theme Parks, Egg Nog Recipes

Archived under: Christmas, Entertainment, Holidays, Movies, Music

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