Backwoods MamaChristmas

A Delicious Traditional Winter Fruit Cake Recipe

A Delicious Traditional Winter Fruit Cake Recipe

For the longest time, I would do everything possible to avoid eating winter fruit cake. I found the cloyingly sweet cake with its fluorescent candied fruit strange and unpalatable. To be fair, I never had the opportunity to eat a traditional winter fruit cake until...

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How to Decorate an Outdoor Tree with Treats for Wildlife

How to Decorate an Outdoor Tree with Treats for Wildlife

Decorating an outdoor tree with healthy treats for local wildlife is a wonderful winter tradition that gives back to nature. It's a tradition that my children look forward to every winter. We often decorate a tree close to the Winter Solstice or Christmas Day but...

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7 Fun Ways to Celebrate Saint Nicholas Day with Kids

7 Fun Ways to Celebrate Saint Nicholas Day with Kids

My children believe in Santa Claus. Not the fairy tale version of Santa Clause with his red suit, rotund belly, jolly laugh and flying reindeer but the man that inspired the legend: Saint Nicholas. Our family has been celebrating Saint Nicholas Day since my kids were...

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12 Ways to Make Christmas More Meaningful for Your Family

12 Ways to Make Christmas More Meaningful for Your Family

Christmas, a wonderful time of year that's filled with long lists of things to do and gifts to buy. When Christmas finally does arrive many of us are left feeling exhausted and thankful that it's finally over. Can you relate? If yes, you'll be happy to hear that...

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A Merry Christmas

A Merry Christmas

Our Christmas days have been filled with love, music, laughter and shenanigans. I wish you all wonderful and beautiful days of Christmas celebration.

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Gingerbread House

Gingerbread House

Since the beginning of the month my children have been begging me to make them a gingerbread house. Their friends were making them and my children have fond memories of making one a couple years ago. I promised that it would happen and made good on my promise by...

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Twelve Days of Christmas

Twelve Days of Christmas

Merry Christmas! Our family celebrates Christmas for twelve days, starting on December 25th and ending on January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany. I suppose that there are actually thirteen days, but Christmas day doesn't count in that number. For so many people...

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The Christmas Tree

The Christmas Tree

For the last several year, our little family has gone out into the wilderness, or semi-wilderness, and cut down a tree for Christmas. It has been a family tradition that my children and I really enjoy. This year we also cut down a tree... from a string... that hung at...

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On the Second Day

On the Second Day

Throughout the month of December our family prepares for the celebration of Christmas. We light our advent candles and hang ornaments on our Jesse tree, along with other traditions that I mentioned earlier this month. What this means is that when Christmas finally...

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The Christmas Tree

The Christmas Tree

The Christmas tree, a symbol of life and light, is for many people an integral part to the Christmas festivities. I do not remember a single Christmas without the sweet smell of an evergreen tree filling the house and it's etheral glow lighting up the room. Some years...

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The Gingerbread House

The Gingerbread House

        This morning I crawled out of bed reluctantly. Last week was filled with business and I couldn't make myself start this week at the same pace. I shuffled into the kitchen to start some oatmeal and then curled...

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Dawn on the Feast of St. Nicholas

Dawn on the Feast of St. Nicholas

It was dawn. Teddy woke up to nurse and wasn't settling back to sleep. I suspected that he was getting sick. There is a cold making the rounds in our home. Even I woke up with a sore throat and stuffy nose this morning. I picked up Teddy and we tiptoed into the...

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