Tidbits of Christmas Dinner Menu

I hope you had a joyous Christmas. Below are 6 Christmas Dinner Menus Published in 1891 by Table Talk Publishing Company. I've included the comments before and after the recipes so you can see the spirit of the publication. Note the end comment on decorations, quite tasteful imho.

A portion of our pleasure is derived from the hosts of good things we have to eat, consequently let us have as good a Christmas dinner as we can afford; have it served nicely and newly. I will give some five or six menus, running from the elaborate to the very simple:
Menu No. 1
Blue Points on Half Shell, Salted Almonds, Olives
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Soup Crecy
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Boiled Red Snapper Oyster Sauce, Potatoes Parsley Sauce
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Roasted Capon Truffle Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Roasted Goose Potatoe Stuffing, Apple Sauce, Peas Scalloped Tomatoes
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Punch
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Canvas-Back Duck Currant Jelly, Baked Macaroni
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Tiny Lobster Cutlets, with Lettuce with French Dressing, Toasted Water Thins
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English Plum Puddings
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Coffee
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Raisins Fruit Nuts, Sugar Plums

Menu No. 2
Clear Soup
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Salted Almonds Olives
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Diamond-Back Terrapin Saratoga Chips
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Roasted Turkey Oyster Stuffing, Grape Jelly, Potato Croquettes Peas
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Ginger Sherbet
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Partridges served on Fried Mush, Cranberry Sauce
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Asparagus Salad, Wafers Brie
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English Plum Pudding, Coffee, Nuts Raisins Fruits Sugar Plums
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Menu No. 3
Bisque of Tomato
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Turkey Bread Stuffing, Cranberry Sauce, Roasted Potatoes Browned Sweets, Peas
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Mayonnaise of Celery, Toasted Crackers Cheese
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Mince Pie Lemon Custard, Coffee
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Nuts Raisins Fruits Sugar Plums
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Menu No. 4
Cream of Corn Soup
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Roasted Goose Potato Stuffing, Fried Apples, Mashed Sweet Potatoes Cauliflower
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Lettuce and Boiled Chestnuts, with French Dressing, Wafers
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Suet & Fruit Pudding, Coffee
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Nuts Raisins Fruits Sugar Plums
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Menu No. 5
Chicken Broth with Rice
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Roasted Duck Onion Stuffing, Browned Turnips Peas
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Chicken Pie
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Mayonnaise of Celery, Wafers Neufchatel
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Charlotte Russe, Coffee, Nuts Raisins Fruits Sugar Plums
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Menu No. 6
Cream of Celery Soup
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Roasted Chicken Bread Stuffing, Oyster Sauce, Mashed Potatoes,Browned Baked Macaroni
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Lettuce Salad, French Dressing, Crackers Cheese
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Mince Pies Cranberry Tart
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Coffee
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Nuts Raisins Candy
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Let the table be arranged as prettily as possible. An attractive and inexpensive decoration is made from white china silk and holly berries. Crumple the silk in graceful folds in the centre of the table. Break the twigs containing the berries from the branch , and put them in the folds of the silk. Do not have any other decorations on the table, save a twig of mistletoe at each place. The dining room should be decorated with green, and if convenient, have a small round side table covered, first with a white cloth and then entirely with ferns, stems running to the centre. Have in this centre a pretty basket of fruit, the handle covered with holly. In front of the mantle, if space will permit, have two pretty palms, met with a flow of green from the mantle itself. Holly and ground pine make the most appropriate Christmas decorations.


Lynn A. Coleman is an award winning & best-selling author who makes her home in Keystone Heights, Florida, with her husband of 42 years. Lynn's latest novella available this month. The Rails to Love Romance Collection Her story is titled "Love on the Rails"

Legend of Mistletoe

Ah, mistletoe. It’s the sprig under which couples kiss at Christmas.

 










Ironically, mistletoe isn’t a plant but a parasite. It only grows in trees, but is known in more countries than America. It likes to grow on oak, willow, and apple trees, and it’s been around since the times of the ancient Druids who believed mistletoe to be a gift falling from heaven.

Mistletoe was said to have mystical powers of healing, good luck, and warding off evil spirits. It is also believed to have originated in Norse mythology as the sign of love and friendship. They’re the ones who supposedly are the origin for kissing under the mistletoe, but England is also given credit for that tradition. Originally, the custom was to pick off one berry for each kiss and when all the berries were gone, the kissing ended. However, most believe it originated in pre-Christian Europe because mistletoe was thought to have life bestowing qualities and aided in fertility.

This plant/parasite is evident in Norse mythology, but the Romans are said to have also used it in their Saturnalia festival in mid-December. In Scandinavia, the goddess of love Frigga is most closely associated with mistletoe in regards to her son, Baldur, god of the summer sun.

The legend says that Baldur dreamed of his death and told Frigga about it. As a mother, she became greatly alarmed because if he died, not only would she lose a SON, but the earth would be plunged into darkness through loss of the SUN. Frigga went into action and had all the elements of air, fire, water, and earth along with animals and plants vow to never bring harm to Baldur. However, Balder had an enemy unbeknownst to Frigga. The god of evil, Loki knew of one plant Frigga had overlooked. He used that plant, mistletoe, made an arrow with a tip made from mistletoe he had gathered and gave it to the blind god of winter, Hodor. Not knowing what he was doing, he shot an arrow that hit Baldur and killed him. The earth darkened and all mourned Baldur. However, Baldur was miraculously brought back to life.

In her joy, Frigga’s tears fell on the mistletoe plant to create its white berries. Now the plant no longer represented evil and became a symbol of love and peace. Frigga kissed everyone who passed beneath the tree on which it grew. The story ends with a decree that who should ever stand under the humble mistletoe should not receive harm but a kiss as a token of love.

At first, the use of mistletoe for decorations in churches was banned by Christians even though many still used it. It eventually made its way from paganism to Christmas in celebration of renewal and emergence into the “light.” 

From the days of myths and lore to modern times, we find kissing under the mistletoe to still be a custom.

In a less romantic light, we find the meaning and origin of the word. Mistletoe is derived from the Anglo Saxon words ‘Mistel’ which means dung, and ‘tan’ which means stick. So the meaning might be said as ‘poo on a stick.’ Not very romantic is it? Mistletoe is then spread on trees through bird poo. It attaches itself to the host, a tree, and grows on a branch.

It’s berries and leaves were once considered to be very poisonous to humans, but recent research has declared it not to be so. It's still a good idea to be cautious with live mistletoe and the juice from the berries. However, it is a great source of food for many animals and birds. Bees also get pollen from the mistletoe.

Have you ever been kissed under the mistletoe? 
Comment below and be in a drawing for a copy of my Christmas novel: Christmas at Stoney Creek

News reporter Tom Whiteman befriends a homeless man, Joe, and brings him home to Stoney Creek. Tom’s journalistic instincts suggest there’s more to the old man than appearances tell. A carpenter by trade, Joe works at odd jobs around town and makesmany new friends including Faith Delmont, a girl who grew up with Tom. Contradictions in the man’s manners and way of speaking whet Tom’s nose for news and raises even more questions. As he and Faith seek the truth, they learn that God’s love can turn tragedy and loss to triumph and true love comes to those who seek it.  


  

Martha Rogers is a free-lance writer and multi-published author from Realms Fiction of Charisma Media and Winged Publications. She was named Writer of the Year at the Texas Christian Writers Conference in 2009. She is a member of ACFW and writes the weekly Verse of the Week for the ACFW Loop. ACFW awarded her the Volunteer of the Year in 2014. Her first electronic series from Winged Publications, Love in the Bayou City of Texas, debuted in the spring of 2015.  Martha is a frequent speaker for writing workshops and the Texas Christian Writers Conference. She is a retired teacher and lives in Houston with her husband, Rex. Their favorite pastime is spending time with their eleven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.