Tag Archives: dessert

‘Tis the Season for Christmas Songs (Even the Traumatic Ones)

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WATFORD CITY, N.D. — For the past few weeks, I’ve been turning on the Christmas music for our drive to and from town with our daughters. ’Tis the season, of course, and also, we were looking for just the right song to sing together at church on Christmas Eve.

These girls of mine are tough DJs and make quick judgments about whether a song is worth a complete listen. I know, typically, what is going to land well with them at this point.

Rosie likes a little rock and R&B, and Edie loves a female powerhouse voice, preferably one singing about keying her ex’s car or (gasp!) offing him entirely. Maybe I would be more concerned about it if I wasn’t singing along at the top of my lungs to Reba’s “Fancy” and The Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl” at her age like these songs weren’t about the darkest of female experiences. Turns out “Goodbye Earl” transcends generations as one of Edie’s top 10 go-to car ride requests.

Knowing this, I thought I would be safe to have a little fun with our Christmas song mix this morning, so I cranked it when “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” came up on the stream. “Have you heard this one?” I asked, looking back at them from the rearview mirror.

“Oh, my dad loves this song,” replied my sweet little niece.

And then, after the first verse rolled through, I heard Edie’s distraught voice: “Did the grandma die?!”

“Uhhhhh,” I said, pausing to think about it. “No, I think she just got hurt.”

Cue the second verse where I find out that indeed, the grandma died. And consequently, the grandpa was taking it well because he got to drink his beer uninterrupted with the only concern being whether to open her gifts or send them back.

“Well, yeah, I guess she does die,” I admitted after the song revealed itself.

“This song is TERRIBLE!” Edie exclaimed.

“What kind of CHRISTMAS song is THIS?!” Rosie demanded.

“My dad sings this one loud,” my niece chimed in.

I flipped the mix to a Carrie Underwood Christmas mix and we all calmed ourselves, because apparently these girls do have limits.

Anyway, by the time you read this, we will have practiced our version of “Little Drummer Boy” about 6,000 times, and I will have had to break up a dozen or so arguments about the whole ordeal, because is it really Christmas without a couple sister fights while the elf is watching from his recent perch, probably on top of the fridge, because he’s running out of ideas?

I hope you’re all settling into the season and looking forward to your celebrations. If you need me, I’ll be looking for that gift exchange T-shirt I bought for my niece’s boyfriend that somehow disappeared into the black hole that is our house.

The missing hamster is probably using it as bedding, so I hope she likes it. (Although I have a suspicion one of the girls will be opening it on Christmas Day because I let my husband loose on the gift wrapping job …)

Oh, and we’ll be making this fudge. You should, too.

Merry Christmas!

Mom’s Famous Fudge

Ingredients:

  • 1 12-oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 12-oz package milk chocolate chips
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla
  • 4 1/2 cups of sugar
  • 1 pound of butter
  • 1 12-oz can evaporated milk

Directions:

Butter an 8-by-12 baking dish.

Bring sugar and evaporated milk to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to stir and boil for 7 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and stir chocolate chips, vanilla and butter.

Stir until smooth and pour into the buttered baking dish.

Refrigerate until set.

Muster up your incredible strength to cut the fudge into squares and serve it on cute little platters or in festive tins for your friends.

Become the favorite.

How to survive the final push to Christmas: Fudge

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Greetings from the ranch, where I’m sitting next to the Christmas tree and am happy to report that it’s still standing despite blatant disregard for the no-cartwheels-in-the-living-room rule.

The elf is making a snow angel in a pile of flour on the kitchen table, and since you last heard from me, I’ve had to come clean about the whole situation, at least to my 9-year-old, who got pretty suspicious when the thing only moved once while we were in Vegas for four days and the grandparents were in charge.

Turns out I forgot to add “move elf for the love of Christmas” to the thanks-for-helping-us-out note.

We’re still standing, too, after those four days in Vegas, where I performed some music and we met up with my Texas family to watch my uncle rope in the World Team Roping Championship.

We were all there for the National Finals Rodeo takeover in Sin City, where thousands of ranch and rodeo families struggle to navigate taxi and Uber rides and try not to get lost or broke among the craps tables and slot machines. I lost $60, my sobriety and my dad at a bar in the Venetian all in a matter of 20 minutes.

In times like these, I would usually just look for the cowboy hat, but when the big rodeo comes to Vegas, everyone in the city is dressed like my dad. Turns out that tracking app we convinced him to put on his phone came in handy when he wandered off to put $20 in the slots only to lose all $20 and his bearings.

It only takes 20 minutes to be reminded that cowboys don’t do well in crowds.

But man, a sea of cowboy hats among the bright lights and sparkle of Vegas has always been the most fabulous juxtaposition to me, and where they house all those horses was a mystery unlocked when my husband and dad were invited to walk among the 2,000+ stalls filled with some of the country’s best equine professionals below the cling and clank of the casino, restaurants and hotel.

What a time to be alive! And what a far cry from the whipped frozen plains at the ranch, our horses haired up and tucked cozy among the oak groves.

We’re home among those frozen buttes now, and whatever time we borrowed from sleep in Vegas, we will be making up for in this final push to Christmas (she whispers as she frantically types to submit this before bedtime and on deadline). Just today, my husband and I made record time finishing the last of the Christmas shopping and errands in time to dress and fluff up Rosie for her Christmas program.

Now all I have left is another grocery store run because I forgot a few things, another shopping trip because I forgot a few gifts, all the wrapping, all the baking, a trip to the elementary school to sing carols with 500 kids, and a Christmas party or two to top it off before we can all kick back and enjoy the holiday.

But first, per tradition, the fudge!

Below I share the recipe, just like I do every year, a small gesture of thanks for following along and for sharing some stories of your own. I have so much gratitude for the opportunity to reflect with you here week after week.

May you find all the joy there is to find this holiday season standing tall and strong against all odds, like our Christmas tree and all the cowboys in Vegas.

Mom’s Famous Fudge

  • 1 12-oz package of semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 12-oz package milk chocolate chips
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla
  • 4 1/2 cups of sugar
  • 1 pound of butter
  • 1 12-oz can evaporated milk

OK, onward.

Butter an 8-by-12 baking dish.
Bring sugar and evaporated milk to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to stir and boil for 7 minutes.
Remove pot from heat and stir chocolate chips, vanilla and butter.
Stir until smooth and pour into the buttered baking dish.
Refrigerate until set.

Muster up your incredible strength to cut the fudge into squares and serve it on cute little platters or in festive tins for your friends.

Become the favorite.