12/16/2010 Sierra Star Holiday Pages

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made locally

See all five weeks at www.sierrastar.com K30218

Last Minute Shopping?Shop and taste some of our

delicious food products.

Saturday, December 18th11 am – 3 pm

“Simply Sandra” will demonstrate,sharing her Holiday recipes and ideas.

Amazing Gift Ideas from Local ArtisansOriginal Art • Jewelry • BooksScarves • Pine Needle Baskets

Decorative Gourds • Soap RocksKnitted & Crocheted Items • Candles

Gift Baskets • Angels • Christmas DecorCoarsegold Caps & Sweatshirts

and MUCH, MUCH MORE!!!Open Tuesday – Saturday 8:30 am – 5:30 pm

Sunday 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Through the Holiday Season

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The funniest facelooked out at meFrom a silver ball

On the Christmas Tree!At first I thoughtIt was Santa’s elf,

But I looked again andIt was just myself!

– Anonymous Poem

COOKIES AND CRANBERRIESARE HOLIDAY STAPLES

SUBMITTED BY

CATHIE

CAMPBELL

Serve atangy-sweetcranberrygelatinsalad withapples andnuts toenhanceyourholidaymeal.

G elatin salads areoften consideredold-fashioned, but

great flavor is never out ofstyle. Besides, old-fash-ioned can also be part ofour holiday traditions, andwe love our traditions thistime of year!When youset your dinner table forfamily and guests thisChristmas season, give thistangy-sweet gelatin salada place of honor, as it willbe sure to please.

Cranberry gelatinsalad1/2 cup walnuts,

chopped1/2 cup apples, diced3/4 cup celery, diced2 small boxes cherry

gelatin 1 can wholecranberry sauce2 1/2 cups hot water

1. Mash whole cranber-ry sauce well. Mix withwater and gelatin tillsmooth; allow to cool.2. Add celery, apples

and nuts. Pour into moldand chill.

White chocolatecranberry shortbreadcookiesThese cookies combine thesweet tenderness of whitechocolate and butteryshortbread with the tangy biteof dried cranberries. Santawill be very pleased to find aplate of these when he visitsyour house this year! Be sureto make a few extra foryourself and everyone else,as these treats will disappearfast.1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted

butter, room temperature1/4 cup granulated white

sugar1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup flour1/4 cup fine yellow

cornmeal (sometimescalled cornmeal pastryflour)

1 tblsp. rice flour orcornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt1/3 cup dried cranberries

(or cherries)1/4 cup white chocolate

chips or chunks1. Preheat oven to 300and place oven rack incenter of oven. Have readyone 8-inch (20 tart panwith a removable bottom.2. In bowl of your electricmixer (or with a handmixer), beat butter andsugar until smooth (about 2minutes). Beat in vanilla.3. In a separate bowl,whisk together flour,cornmeal, rice flour andsalt. Add mixture to butterand sugar mixture and beatjust until mixed. Fold in

dried cranberries and whitechocolate chips.4. Press the shortbreaddough evenly into the tartpan. Prick surface ofshortbread with a fork toprevent shortbread frompuffing up. Then, using asharp knife, score the top ofshortbread into 12 evenpieces.5. Sprinkle a little sugaron top of the shortbread.Place in preheated oven andbake until shortbread hasnicely browned (biscuitcolor), about 50 to 60minutes.6. Transfer shortbread toa wire rack to cool for 5 to10 minutes before removingfrom tart pan. Place theshortbread round on acutting board and cut into12 wedges (along the linesscored). Cool completely ona wire rack. Makes 12shortbread wedges.

— Cathie Campbell

holiday get-together isheld in the home of a seniorwith memory loss issues,don’t rearrange the furni-ture and other key objects.This could be a source ofconfusion and anxiety.Keepaway fromembar-

rassing moments: If a se-nior forgets a person’sname, a place or an eventdon’tmake it worse by say-ing, “Don’t you remem-ber?”Instead, guide the con-

versation forward, as youwould for a best friendwhoneeds help finishing athought.

Car ride: Many seniorsdon’t drive asmuch as theydid, but they’d love to seethe holiday decorations putup by the retail stores andover zealous neighbors.Make movement easy:

Is a senior coming for avisit? Remove slipperythrow rugs and other itemsthat could present barriersto a seniorwho hasdifficul-ty walking or has balanceproblems.Say hello: For seniors,

it’s so important to letthem know you are think-ing of themduring the holi-days, especially to thosewho are alone.

Seniors today are of thegeneration that loves thesimple things: a note in themail, or a phone call.Invite them for a cup of

coffee: It doesn’t have to bemuch, it’s the thought thatcounts.Share a holiday tradi-

tion: Have a senior sharesomething special duringthe holiday season withyou that is drawn fromtheir own holiday memo-ries.Be it a favorite cookie,

decorations, arranging acenterpiece or a favoritemovie or song that is visit-ed upon.

Tips for the caregiver:MakeaNewYear’s reso-

lution: Create resolutionsthat are better than losingweight or getting orga-nized. Think to spendquali-ty time with the seniors inyour life, tobring thegrand-children for more frequentvisits, or to look into homeor community care — to re-lieve some of the care giv-ing responsibilities fromyourself, and ensure thewell-being of your agingfamily member.

— Cedar Creek SeniorLiving

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

Seniors:Helpmaketheseasonmerry

SIERRA HOME ADVERTISER • Wednesday, December 15, 2010 PAGE5

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HomemadeTamales

Tamales must be picked up by 3pm 12/23$22.95 Dozen

Order yourChicken or Pork

for ChristmasPlease call in advance.

20%Senior

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Not Valid With Any Other OfferDrinks not included

Monday & Tuesday60 or Older

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TequilaMargaritas

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OpenMon-Sat 9-5

(559) 642-6611

40315 Junction Dr., Suite C, Oakhurst (next to Sierra Lanes)http://www.catsmeowstamps.com • catsmeow@sti.net

GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS FOR ALL AGES!

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Give Your True LoveDiamonds and Fine Jewelry from

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Jewelry ArmoireStarting at$17995

Photos are Illustrations only

Holiday memoriesW ith presents and parties

foremost on the mindsof many, the religious

significance of the holiday seasoncan take a backseat to some ofthe secular celebrations.One of the religious celebra-

tions of the season is Three KingsDay, also known as the Feast ofthe Epiphany and Dia de los TresReyes. Celebrated on Jan. 6, theEpiphany marks the twelfth dayof the Christmas holiday andremembers the three kings whocame to bear gifts to the new-born baby Jesus.According to the Bible, three

kings, or wise men, namedCaspar, Melchior and Balthasarsaw a bright star in the sky thenight Christ was born. Theyfollowed this star to Bethlehemwhere they found the child.There they presented Christ withgifts of gold, frankincense andmyrrh.“And going into the house

they saw the child with Mary hismother, and they fell down andworshiped him. Then, openingtheir treasures, they offered himgifts, gold and frankincense andmyrrh.” (Matthew 2:11)Frankincense, also called oli-

banum, is a sap of the Boswellia.The tree is tapped, much as onewould a maple tree for syrup, and

the frankincense resin drips out in“tears.” Frankincense was used formany reasons in ancient times,typically in religious ceremonies asan incense. The aroma of frankin-cense is said to represent life, and

the Judaic, Christian, and Islamicfaiths also used frankincense oils toanoint the young. It has also beenused in alternative medicine as astomach aid. Ancient Egyptiansused charred frankincense to makekohl, or the eye makeup distinctiveof that region.Myrrh is another tree resin and it

comes from the Commiphoraspecies. Myrrh was commonly usedas a healing agent, especially anantiseptic.Ancient Greek soldiers carried it

to treat and clean wounds earned inbattle. Egyptians burned myrrh aspart of rituals. It is also anothersubstance burned during religiousceremonies. Myrrh was also used inthe embalming process in ancienttimes.Historians and religious scholars

say that the gifts given to Jesus bythe three kings were quite appropri-ate. The gold represented hisroyalty, the frankincense his divinityand the myrrh his future death.On Three Kings Day many people

take down holiday decorations andofficially call an end to the Christ-mas season. They may also ex-change small gifts symbolic of theepiphany.

— Metro Creative Services

METRO CREATIVE SERVICES

The Gifts of the Three Kings holdstrong symbolism.

“The nativity angel myson made for me when hewas little. It’s so old nowthat it’s in horribleshape!”

— Diane of Oakhurst

“A St. Louis Saint Nickfrom Hallmark that we gotyears ago.”

— Tim of Oakhurst

“The angel on top of mytree is my favorite orna-ment.”

— Dena of Coarsegold

Gift of the Three Kings

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITECHRISTMAS ORNAMENT?

“All of the ornaments mykids made in school withtheir pictures.”

— Bruce of Oakhurst

The holidays can be awonderful time of year, es-pecially when families andfriends get together toshare the old times and thenew.Yet for seniors, the joyof the gatherings and theseason in general can be amixedbagof eager anticipa-tion and additional stress.

Tips to help seniors enjoythe holidays:Careful Planning: Be-

fore an event begins, putyourself in your senior’sshoes. Do you have difficul-ty walking? Do you havetrouble rememberingnames? Plan ahead tomake adjustments that canrectify the situation tomake it more amenable. Itcan be as simple asmovingsome furniture andmakingname tags.Oh thememories:Holi-

days are all about themem-ories- for any age.Often the

holidays are one of the fewtimes of the year whenyounger family memberscan hear about days goneby.Entice seniors to share

their stories and experienc-es. Help spur the conversa-tion by having picture al-bums, family videos, music,even vintage clothing orhousehold items to helpthose memories come out.How much is too

much:Many seniors live in

environments that are rela-tively quiet, with a limitedamount of activity in a day.Think about how muchstimulation may be in yourenvironment and limit theamount of activities ortime seniors are involved inthem. Loud family gather-ings can be a bitmuch, so aquiet place to sit downmaybe a good refuge.

Don’tmove a thing: If aSee SENIORS 5

Keep seniors in mind this season

PAGE 4 • Wednesday, December 15, 2010 • SIERRA HOME ADVERTISER