Home for the Holidays 2022

Larned Christmas Parade

Come and join us for the 102nd Larned Christmas Parade

Saturday, December 3 11:00 a.m

2021 Photos Courtesy of Janet Fleske

Lunch by Boy Scouts Boy

Music with Girl Scouts Live Music

How to celebrate the holidays away from home

A popular Christmas song attests “there’s no place like home for the holidays.” For many people, a truer statement couldn’t be uttered. But sometimes life gets in the way of an old-fashioned holiday spent at home.

There are a number of reasons why individuals may not be able to spend the holidays at home. Active military service people may not be able to leave their posts to travel home. Some students studying abroad or even far away domestically may find getting back to their homes can be time- and cost-prohibitive. Some people may not be home for the holidays because work obligations keep them out of town, or because they have planned vacations to serve as nontraditional holiday celebrations.

Being away from some familiar sights and sounds of the holidays doesn’t mean celebrations should be any less special. Here are tips for celebrating away from home.

• Find people in similar situations. Chances are you will not

student or someone on a business venture. Connect with others who are away from their families and do something together for the holidays.

• Partake of local traditional activities. You may be used to baking sugar cookies for the holidays, but in a foreign country, the locals may make another type of dessert. Figure out how the locals celebrate the holidays and then take part in any way you can.

• Volunteer your time. If you

HOLIDAYS AT BTI

the less fortunate. Deliver meals to those who are not able to leave home, like seniors, or volunteer at a soup kitchen. Visit a children’s hospital and deliver small gifts.

• Engage in virtual fun. Connect with people at home through the power of digital technology. Video conferencing services connect people who can’t be together in person. Utilize these apps and services to remote into a holiday dinner or when loved ones open gifts.

• Cook up your favorites. Evoke traditional holiday celebrations by cooking the foods you would normally enjoy at home. Those tastes and smells can transport you back to grandma’s kitchen or dad’s living room.

• Stay off of social media. Being away from home during the holidays can be challenging, and that challenge can be even greater if you see photo after photo on social media of people you know spending time with their friends and loved ones. Tune out of your social feeds for a few days.

• Invite others to you. Maybe you don’t have the means of getting home, but you can bring those at home to you. Find out if anyone can plan a road trip, train ride or flight to where you are and then enjoy the holidays together.

Being away from home during the holidays may not be ideal. However, there are plenty of ways to maintain your holiday spirit when celebrating in unfamiliar surroundings.

Entertaining options to accommodate late arrivals

In a perfect entertaining scenario, all guests arrive on time and food comes out of the oven at the ideal temperature. Even though holiday hosts can hope for the best, it’s a good idea to plan for instances when guests take liberties in regard to when they show up to dinner.

People have their own interpretations of what qualifies as “on time.” For example, for an event that begins at 4 p.m, some guests may turn up at exactly 4 p.m., while others may arrive an hour or more later. According to etiquette expert Miss Manners, ordinarily it is understood that dinner is served roughly a half hour aft time. While it’s frustrating for hosts doing a culinary balancing act when guests do not heed etiquette and show up on time, there are some ways to plan ahead for late arrivals.

• Know your audience. If you have perpetual late arrivals, you likely know who the culprits will be. Adjust their invitations so that their proposed arrival times are one hour earlier than the rest of the invitees.

• Shift accountability. On the invitation, clearly state your desires with something such as, “Arrive at 3, dinner will be served at 5.” This gives guests a window of flexibility. Plus,

you’ll be largely off the hook if the meal is already on the table when late comers arrive. Simply say, “We knew you wouldn’t want us to wait for you.” Plus, if guests know exactly when food will be served, they can fortify themselves with snacks if they must be late.

• Plan make-ahead dishes. Some meals taste even better when they’ve been allowed to sit and the flavors meld. These include quiches, layered pasta dishes, casseroles, and even stews. Incorporate them into holiday

entertaining plans, and then you can reheat as needed prior to dinner being served.

• Use the oven as a warmer. Even something like a roast or turkey can be kept warm for some time without compromising on quality. Foods can typically be kept hot in a preheated oven set to 200 F to 250 F. Even lower temperatures between 160 F and 170 F will keep food safe at an internal temperature of 140 F without it actually being cooked more. If it goes above 140 F, turn off the oven and then back on as needed.

• Choose foods that cook quickly. If you prefer to cook to order for guests, then have appetizers on hand to keep early guests satisfied. Then when everyone has arrived you can rely on fast-cooking items like steaks, chops and cutlets. Thin cuts of meats and poultry will take much less time to cook than briskets and roasts. Give them a holiday makeover with innovative flavors and impressive garnishes.

• Consider catering. Catering companies are masters at keeping food at the ready for guests. A buffet service will keep food hot in chafing dishes, which is perfect for a holiday party with an open door policy on arrival time.

How to travel safely this holiday season

Transportation Security Administrators screened more than 1.3 million people on January 3, 2021, at airport security checkpoints across the United States. That was the largest number of travelers the TSA had seen since March 15, 2020, which was just four days after the World Health Organization declared a pandemic. Airports and other transportation hubs are now as crowded as ever, as the world has largely opened up and vaccinations have helped people feel more confident about traveling.

With millions once again returning to the roads, rails and skies to celebrate the holidays with friends and family, it is once again prudent to go over safety tips that pertain to holidayrelated travel. Follow these guidelines when heading home for the holidays.

Make your home secure

Travel safety begins before you even step outside your door. It means securing the home and any belongings inside and protecting them from thieves who prey upon holiday travelers. Burglaries tend to rise in both the summer months and during the holidays, when homes are more likely to be vacant. Ask a neighbor to keep an eye on the property and report any suspicious activity. Install a home alarm and activate it. Utilize a video doorbell, which can be answered remotely. Don’t post travel plans

on social media, and be sure your home looks occupied while you’re away.

Practice safe air travel

Airports are busy at all times of the year, but particularly so during the holiday season. Guard belongings by keeping an eye on your luggage and other bags at all times, even after boarding the plane. If you will be bringing a tablet, laptop or another expensive device onto the plane, put it on the x-ray belt last, so the

device will not be out in the open for too long. Keep close to young children so they cannot wander off and get lost.

Prepare for vehicle travel

If you’re driving, get an oil change if it is due or close to it. Have an emergency kit packed into the car that includes road breakdown tools, flares, blankets, water, and snacks.

Avoid distractions while on the road and depart after getting plenty of rest. Designate a sober driver to get everyone home after drinking at a party where alcohol is being served.

It’s cold, icy and snowy in most areas during the holidays. Roads can be slippery and conditions suboptimal. Leave extra time, drive slowly and avoid driving until roads have been treated.

Keep gifts out of sight

When transporting gifts to and from home, including shopping for presents, keep items away from curious eyes. Packages should be kept in a locked trunk or in a covered cargo area. Consider shipping items to their destinations (and insure the packages) to avoid running the risk of gifts being lost or stolen en route.

These are just a few ways to keep safe when traveling for the holiday season. Keep merry and bright by avoiding theft and injury.

Savor the holidays with a special roast

Roasts are customary during the holiday season because they often feed a crowd and look impressive on serving platters. Some people opt for a roast beef while others prefer to roast a turkey. However, chicken just as easily can be turned into a Christmas dinner since it is versatile and tasty. In addition, the cooking time for a roasted chicken is much

Roast Chicken with Whole Roasted Garlic

Serves 4

1 4-pound chicken

Kosher salt

2 lemons, one pierced several times with the tines of a fork and one halved

Few sprigs each of thyme and rosemary

4 large bulbs garlic, 1 per person or portion, ends cut to expose the cloves (keep the hairy root end intact)

EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil) for drizzling

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup white wine

Warm, crusty bread

shorter than it is with other roasted dishes. This recipe for “Roast Chicken with Whole Roasted Garlic” from “Rachael Ray 50: Memories and Meals from a Sweet and Savory Life” (Ballantine Books) by Rachael Ray provides the basis for a tasty holiday meal. Simply multiply the recipe as needed depending on the number of guests.

Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish. Salt the chicken inside and out and place uncovered in the fridge overnight.

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Pat the chicken dry and fill with the pierced whole lemon, thyme and rosemary. Tie the legs up. Dress the bulbs of garlic with EVOO; season with salt and pepper. Arrange the garlic in the baking dish around the chicken. Rub the skin of the chicken with butter and season with pepper. Pour the wine into the bottom of the dish.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour or until an instant-read

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thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the dark meat reads 165 F. Let the chicken stand for a few minutes on a carving board until just cool enough to handle. Carve the chicken, dividing the white and dark parts and slicing the breast meat on the bias. Arrange the chicken on plates or a platter and top with drippings, juices and the juice from the remaining halved lemon. Th may get dark but it won’t be charred. Serve in the skins or squeeze the paste from the skins with your knife and pass with a spoon to eat with the chicken or to slather on the warm chunks of bread.

easy holiday centerpiece ideas 6

The holiday season is a great time to make any home a bit more merry and bright. Most individuals let their personalities show through their home decor, and holiday decorating is just as personal as decorating throughout the rest of the year. The main living areas of a home get the most decorating

1. Frosted pine cones

Take advantage of a crisp winter’s day to venture into a forest or park that is rich with evergreen trees. Gather pine cones from the forest floor and, if possible, a few evergreen boughs. Give the pine cones a touch of winter whimsy with a little faux snow in a can or even white paint. Nestle the boughs and pine cones into a wide-mouthed vase or bowl in the center of the table. Individual pine cones can later be turned into place cards for seat-

Cut many strips of paper roughly 6 inches in length from various colored pieces of paper to match the holiday theme. When guests arrive, ask them to write a favorite holiday memory or two, or what they’re thankful for. Twirl the paper strips around a pencil to curl them, and then place the curlicues into a decora-

host or hostess can read some of the sentiments.

3. Magical forest

Use green and silver conical party hats to turn a table or sideboard into a veritable evergreen forest. Arrange them on a blanket of faux snow or white confetti.

4. Freshly cut Select attractive flowers in vibrant holiday hues from a florist or even the supermarket floral section. Cut the stems and place them into an unusual display container, such as holiday themed mugs or a punch bowl.

5. Glass baubles

Who says ornaments should be exclusive to the tree? A crystal or glass cake stand can be transformed into an icy delight when topped with silver and clear glass ornaments.

6. Birch wood

The crisp white coloring of

pieces of the cut wood in varying heights intermingled with white candles that mimic the shapes and scale of the wood.

7. Fruit and vegetables

If guests are coming over and the race is on for a fast centerpiece, look no further than the kitchen. Lemons, artichokes, pears, or pomegranates look festive in a bowl interspersed with some greenery and baby’s breath.

8. Cornucopia

The horn of plenty can be customized to any holiday. Purchase a horn in wicker or woven grapevine and fill with flowers, fruit and greenery, or even painted gourds or miniature pumpkins.

Holiday hosts and hostesses should not neglect the dining table when they decorate. Festive centerpieces can be handmade without much effort on the part of hosts.

Wrap up this app at your holiday cocktail party

Cocktail parties feature prominently on social schedules each holiday season. Such get-togethers are convenient because the foods and beverages served are designed to be small and portable. That can save any holiday host time in the kitchen.

There may be plenty of prepared foods in the grocer’s freezer that can be served for gatherings, but the taste of easy, homemade offerings can mingle with the time-savers when guests arrive. “BaconWrapped Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates” are an easily prepared appetizer that pairs sweet with savory. Even better, these morsels are delicious served warm out of the oven or can be eaten at room temperature when late-arriving guests stroll in.

Wrap up cocktail party spreads with this recipe, courtesy of “Spectacular Spreads: 50 Amazing Food Spreads for Any Occasion” (Rock Point) by Meagan Brown.

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Bacon-Wrapped Goat Cheese

Stuffed Dates

Makes 16 16 pitted dates

8 thin slices bacon, halved

4 ounces creamy goat cheese

Toothpicks

Hot honey, for garnishing

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnishing

2025 Forest Ave. Great Bend 620-793-7660

Hours: Tues-Sat 10am-5pm One Block West of the Courthouse

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

If your dates are not already pitted, slice the dates lengthwise on one side, but not all the way

through, to create an opening. Remove the pit.

Using a teaspoon measure, fill the cavity of each date with a heaping teaspoon of the goat cheese and then gently press the sides together to close a bit.

Wrap each date with a half slice of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Arrange the baconwrapped dates on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, turning the dates halfway through so the bacon is evenly cooked. Transfer the baconwrapped dates to a serving platter and drizzle with the hot honey. Garnish with the parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

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Unique and personalized gifts for all the people on your Christmas list. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, we’d be happy to design something to fit the bill

Stop by 19th and Washington in Great Bend

Or see us this season at the Christmas Craft Mall in Central Baptist Church at Harrison and 12th Street.

Shop our entire line of products and find our store hours at JustSayItThough.com or find us on Facebook.

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Nativity scenes

Nativity scenes, also called creches, have a long history and are a traditional part of Christmas decorations for many families and churches.

History

Nativity scenes date back centuries. According to “The Life of St. Francis of Assisi” by St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan monk, the first person to stage a nativity scene was St. Francis of Assisi in 1223. Pope Honorious III gave St. Francis permission to set up a manger with an ox and an ass in a cave on Christmas Eve in the Italian village of Grecio. He then preached to villagers as they looked upon the nativity scene.

According to Guideposts Magazine, the practice spread and within a century, nativity scenes with statues rather than living people and animals could be found in nearly every Italian church at Christmas time.

The oldest-known Nativity set can be found in Italy, a group of marble figures that are in Rome’s Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. Believed to have been created by the sculptor Arnolfo di Cambio, the figures are thought to have been created between 1284 and 1289.

The largest known nativity scene was created over a period of 60 years by Tomáš Krýza, a weaver who lived in what is now the Czech Republic from 1838 to 1918. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, he created a display that featured 1,389 figures of humans and animals. Today, it is housed in a museum in Jindrichuv Hradec.

Traditions

There are many traditions surrounding the nativity scene and they often vary from family to family. Perhaps the most common tradition - and one followed by many outdoor and public nativity scenes is that the Christ child is not placed in the manger until Christmas Eve.

In some families, the creche is set up in one room and then the statues of the Holy Family, shepherds and wise men are put in other areas and travel a little closer to the manger every day. The Holy Family and shepherds arrive Christmas Eve and the Magi don’t arrive until Epiphany, Jan. 6. Other traditions surround who gets to place the Christ child in the manger. An Italian tradition is that the oldest member of the household gets to do it while other families give the honor to the oldest child.

Setting the scene

Sevelli Group, a religious store in Vatican City that dates back to 1898, recommends the following steps for setting up a nativity scene:

1. Find a place for your nativity set.

2. Decide how and where you will place the Holy Family.

3. Display the Magi away from the manger and move them closer day by day until Epiphany.

4. Choose what other figurines you want — the animals, shepherds, angels and children.

5. Add lights to brighten your nativity set.

Bake up a sweet holiday treat

Entertaining is a big part of the holiday season. Calendars are packed this time of year with gatherings with friends, family and professional colleagues.

Entertaining requires keeping plenty of refreshments on hand to ensure guests maintain their holiday spirit. Dessert is no stranger to the season, with office break rooms, dining tables and buffet stations brimming with sweet treats to tempt celebrants’ palates. Everyone should have a goto dessert to bring along to a holiday party or to offer guests when hosting their own fêtes. Cookies are a standard due to their versatility and portability.

Festive “Sour Cream Cookies” provide all of the holiday feels and can be customized in color to reflect celebrations of Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, or New Year’s. Bake up a batch, courtesy of “Live Well Bake Cookies” (Rock Point) by Danielle Rye.

Sour Cream Cookies

Makes 22 cookies

1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

1 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3⁄4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 1⁄2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1⁄2 cup sour cream, at room temperature

Vanilla Buttercream

Frosting

1⁄2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream or milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Gel food coloring (optional)

1. To make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt until well combined. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar together for 1 to 2 minutes, or until well combined.

4. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined, making sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

5. Mix in the dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with the sour cream. Make sure to mix in each addition until just combined, and be careful not to overmix the batter.

6. Using a 11⁄2-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough onto the prepared

baking sheets, making sure to leave a little room between each one.

7. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are set and spring back when touched lightly. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. To make the vanilla buttercream frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter for 1 to 2 minutes, or until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, 1⁄2 cup at a time, mixing in each addition until well combined.

9. Add the heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and gel food coloring (if using), and continue mixing until fully combined.

10. Once the cookies have cooled completely, spread the frosting on top of the cookies.

11. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Winter Wonder Wetlands!

Winter months provide some unique times to get outdoors! Take advantage of the winter’s wetlands and wildlife at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center (KWEC).

Do you have family visiting over the holidays? KWEC is open Tuesdays through Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 1-5 p.m and is located 10 miles northeast of Great Bend. Admission to the Center is always free. Our exhibit hall tells the story of Cheyenne Bottoms through interpretive displays, historical and cultural artifacts, hands on activities, and natural history collections. Visit our classroom to meet the animals of Cheyenne Bottoms and learn more about some of the reptiles, turtles, and amphibians that call this area home. Enjoy a video screening in the auditorium to learn more about Cheyenne Bottoms throughout the seasons and the land management practices that contribute to the diversity of species that can be found in the area.

For those more inclined for the outdoors, the KWEC nature trail is always open and offers a ½ mile walk where birds, rabbits, deer, and other wildlife are often encountered.

And finally, as you shop local for your Christmas gifts this year, be sure to check out our gift store for some unique gift ideas for all ages, including our extensive collection of field guides, nature themed books, and children’s nature books. KWEC’s children’s book Ava: A Year of Adventure in the Life of an American Avocet, would make a great gift for young nature enthusiasts. The gift store also features art, apparel, children’s gift items, science toys, bird feeders, and locally produced items. Local merchandise from Kansas Earth & Sky Candle Co., Artisan Soaps, MY Studio, Dunworkin Pottery, and items from several nature photographers are available for purchase. Gift certificates make great gifts and are redeemable for merchandise, guided tours, and programs/ activities.

Mention seeing this article in the Tribune’s Home for the Holidays magazine, and receive 40% off a single item purchase throughout the holiday season, excluding consignment items, tours, and binoculars.

Get in the holiday spirit at the KWEC Holiday Open House on Saturday, December 3 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Enjoy the gingerbread bird house kids’ workshop, “Find the Christmas Goose” contest, and Christmas refreshments!

The Kansas Wetlands Education Center is located at Cheyenne Bottoms, 10 miles northeast of Great Bend, KS along K-156 Highway. Contact the KWEC at 877-243-9268 or visit wetlandscenter. fhsu.edu to view other activities or events.

10 miles NE of Great Bend along K-156 Highway wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu 1-877-243-9268

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Ugly holiday sweaters

Ugly may be in the eye of the beholder, but since the turn of the century, more people are embracing the kitsch and dubious fashion of ugly holiday sweaters.

What constitutes an ugly holiday sweater? The definitions vary, though the authors of “Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Book: The Definitive Guide to Getting Your Ugly On,” offer up a wide array of pictures that include just about any sweater that is a bit kitschy, a bit campy and might come with 3D snowballs or bells.

History

Holiday sweaters first became popular in the 1950s, but subsequent generations found them embarrassing and one of those dreaded gifts that got hid

away in the closet. Then, after making a few heart-warming appearances in movies, they started to make a comeback.

They’re pretty easy to find, as the contemporary holiday tradition means that holiday sweaters — of any degree of ugliness — will sell like hot cakes. You can find them in your local yarn shop, any local clothier or stores that offer items from major retailers. They all have their own version of the ugly sweater. Some of them aren’t even ugly!

You can also go the DIY route. Head to your local craft store or hardware store and pick up a glue gun, LED lights, non-breakable ornaments, tinsel, garland or anything else you can think of that you can attach to a sweater in a knock-out fashion.

Ugly Sweater Party

It’s also become a popular theme for holiday parties. According to the book “The Ugly Christmas Sweater Rebellion,” the authors were the creators of the first Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, ones that were done as festive fundraisers for such causes as cancer or Make a Wish Foundation. Ever since 2002, their parties encouraged everyone to wear the cheesiest, most festive sweaters they could find. They then mixed in caroling, tree decorating, eggnog chugging, live music and milk and cookies. Those are just the start of the ideas you can use for your Ugly

Sweater Party.

The Ugly Sweater Party features games and contests judging the sweaters in such categories as:

• Most likely to make Santa blush

• Funniest ugly sweater

• Most creative ugly sweater

• Most likely to go viral on social media

• Most original

• Best couple combo

• Tackiest sweater

Want more ideas? Head over to Pinterest and search for ugly holiday sweater parties and you can find printables for ballots, invitations and a plethora of games and recipes.

Cider rules

Nothing says cozy like a warm mug of apple cider and nothing needs cozy like a stolen few hours in front of the fire amid the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

Up your relaxation game with these great cider recipes.

Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Cider

Makes 12 servings. Recipe is from Taste of Home.

Ingredients

8 cups apple cider or juice

1 cup caramel flavoring syrup

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 vanilla bean

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon whole allspice

Whipped cream, hot caramel ice cream topping and cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Directions

1. In a three-quart slow cooker, combine the cider, caramel syrup and lemon juice. Split and scrape the vanilla bean, then add the seeds to the cider mixture. Place the bean, cinnamon sticks and allspice on a double thickness of cheesecloth, then bring up the corners to tie with a string, forming a bag. Add to the cider mixture.

2. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours or until heated through. Discard the spice bag. Pour cider into mugs and garnish with whipped cream, caramel topping and additional cinnamon sticks.

Homemade Apple Cider

Makes 12 servings. Recipe is from Gimme Some Oven.

Ingredients

10-12 medium apples, any type or assorted types, quartered

2 oranges, quartered and peeled, if you want your cider less tart

4 cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon whole cloves

Optional seasonings: 1 teaspoon whole allspice, 1 whole nutmeg or 1 inch fresh ginger

16 cups water, more or less

1/2 cup sweetener, such as brown sugar or maple syrup

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a stockpot. Cover with the water, leaving an inch or two of space.

2. Turn on high heat until it reaches a simmer, then reduce to medium low and cover and simmer for about 2 hours or until the apples are completely soft.

3. Mash the apples and oranges with a potato masher or a wooden spoon. Cover and simmer for another hour.

4. Strain using a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth. Press the solids against the strainer to release all of the juices. Discard solids.

5. Stir in the sweetener.

6. Serve warm. Garnish with orange slices and cinnamon sticks.

Apple Cider Cookies

Makes 40 cookies. Recipe is from Betty Crocker.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons sugar

1 0.74-ounce package apple cider instant drink mix

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 17.5-ounce pouch sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 egg

3/4 cup finely chopped peeled apple, or about 1 medium apple

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, mix sugar, a teaspoon of the apple cider drink mix and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, stir cookie mix, softened butter, egg, the rest of the cider drink mix and cinnamon until a soft dough forms. Stir in apple pieces until combined. Shape the dough into 40 1 1/4-inch balls. Roll the balls in the sugar-spice mixture and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

3. Bake 7-9 minutes or until the edges are set and light golden brown. Cool one minute, then remove to a cooling rack. Cool completely, about 20 minutes, before storing in an airtight container.

For many families, a Christmas morning tradition involves a pickle — not the kind you can eat, but a glass one hidden on the Christmas tree.

While there are many origin stories for this tradition — including many people who insist that it comes from Germany — there is no evidence to support most of them. Rather, they simply make for fun (and sometimes gruesome) stories about why people would associate a pickle with a Christmas tree.

Christmas pickle origins

Recent surveys of Germans led to the discovery that there aren’t many Germans aware of the Christmas pickle tradition, making it unlikely that the tradition is from there. The website History Daily gathered several tales that might be the backstory for the tradition.

Spanish St. Nicholas. Three Spanish boys stopped at an inn while traveling home from school to visit their families for the holidays. A crazed innkeeper cut them up and put them in a barrel of pickles. Luckily for them, St. Nick came by, discovered them and revived them. The boys ever after hung pickles on their Christmas tree as a way of thanking

the saint.

Dying Civil War Soldier. Another story centers a Civil War prisoner of war in Georgia. As he lay dying, he asked the guards if they would grant his final wish — find him a pickle, which was his favorite food. They did so and the result was miraculous. His wounds healed and he lived. Every Christmas after that, he put a pickle on a tree to remember the kindness of his captors.

Woolworth Sales Technique. Another origin story takes place 20 years later in the late 1880s. Woolworth had started importing glass ornaments from Germany. Most of the

fruits and vegetables sold well, but not the pickle. Faced with a surplus of ornaments, one sales clerk made up a story about an “old world” tradition. People loved it, so he told other Woolworth managers the story. People believed the story of the quirky Weihnachtsgurke, and the tradition took off

Christmas pickle traditions

e tradition itself is fairly simple. On Christmas Eve, an adult in the house takes the pickle and hides it in the tree. Naturally camouflaged, it can often be hard to nd. First thing in the morning, the family searches for it. The first child to see it gets an extra present or holiday treat or might be designated the first child to open a Christmas present.

Some places get a little more elaborate. The Pickle Packers International named Berrien Springs, Michigan, population 2,000, the Christmas Pickle capital of the world, according to the city’s website.

For many years they celebrated with parades, an annual Christmas Pickle Festival and lots of pickle items for sale from the traditional ornaments to chocolate-covered pickles.

A can’t-miss holiday side dish

Side dishes are just as important to a holiday meal as the main course. It’s perfectly acceptable to offer a few new and unique dishes on your holiday table, but guests likely will be expecting some tried-and-true classics as well.

Green bean casserole is a staple of many holiday dining tables. Alongside mashed potatoes and candied sweet potatoes, green bean casserole is a beloved holiday recipe — and it’s easy to make as well. Th for traditional “Green Bean Casserole,” courtesy of Campbell’s®, can hit the right tone for guests who want a taste of holidays past this year.

Green bean casserole

Serves 6

1 can (101⁄2 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup or 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom soup or Condensed Unsalted Cream of Mushroom Soup

1⁄2 cup milk

1 teaspoon soy sauce

4 cups cooked cut green beans

1 1⁄3 cups French’s® Fried Onions (divided)

of condensed soup if you desire a wetter casserole, or change the flavor by selecting a different flavor soup variety, such as Cream of Asparagus. You can add grated Parmesan cheese or shredded cheddar if you want a

the casserole to the oven to crisp up for 5 minutes. (Check that the slow cooker crock is oven-safe; otherwise, spoon the mixture into an oven-safe dish for the final baking and serving.)

Get the right care, in the right place.

When you need prompt medical attention, whether your condition is minor or serious, we have the care teams to meet your needs. Experts at the Convenient Care Walk-In Clinic at St. Rose Medical Pavilion provide symptoms to cuts and sprains. No appointment is necessary. And for serious or life-threatening conditions, our Emergency Department team at Great Bend Campus provides excellent care around the clock.

Learn more about where to go for the care you need at KansasHealthSystem.com/GreatBend.

Convenient Care Walk-In Clinic

St. Rose Medical Pavilion

3515 Broadway Ave. Great Bend, KS 67530 620-792-2511

Monday-Friday: 7 a.m.-7 p.m.

Saturday-Sunday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Emergency Department

Great Bend Campus

514 Cleveland St. Great Bend, KS 67530 620-792-8833

Open 24/7

The Nutcracker

While nutcrackers of all sorts get used throughout the year, the iconic nutcracker soldier dolls come marching out around Christmas-time each year.

They show up as toys, collectibles, decorations, and even on Christmas sweaters.

History of the Nutcracker doll

The traditional nutcracker doll is typically a toy soldier with tufts of hair made from white rabbit fur and a crown or helmet of some type. The originals come from a mountainous region in Germany near the Czech border, known as Erzgebirge or “ore mountains.” A mining town, when the deposits started to run out, the miners began making nutcrackers and other holiday decorations, according to The Frontier Post.

In the early 1800s, the nutcrackers started out as representations of authority figures — political leaders, police officers and military personnel. The idea was that common people could order their superiors to work for them cracking nuts open.

It was one of those Ore Mountain carvers who, in 1870, created what is now the iconic Nutcracker look. Friedrich Wilhelm Füchtner became known as the “father of the Nutcracker” and his iconic soldier doll went into widespread

production. Today, the eighth generation of Füchtners are still running the family business in Seiffen.

Coming to America

While nutcracker dolls have been around for centuries, it was only in the 1950s that they began to be popular in the United States. In 1944, “The Nutcracker” ballet by Tchaikovsky, based on a short story by E.T.A. Hoffmann and adapted by Alexandre Dumas, came to the U.S. for the first time, getting a professional production in San Francisco. Then George Balanchine, a famous ballet choreographer, brought it to New York City in 1954.

Since then, “The Nutcracker” has been an iconic standard every November and December around the U.S. Like its hero, Clara, fans of the Nutcracker frequently like to collect the dolls in one form or another.

The ballet isn’t the only way the dolls came to the U.S. Arlene Wagner, the curator of the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, said that American G.I.s played a large role in introducing the nutcracker dolls to American collectors. Soldiers stationed in West Germany after World War II ended started buying the dolls and sending them home as Christmas gifts.

Prussian soldier look continues to be popular ers to high-end collectibles, from hand-made to mass produced. They are available in all sorts of themes, whether Star Wars figurines or animals or characters from the iconic ballet.

If you’re thinking of starting a collection, consider strolling through your local gift shops and seeing what options they carry. This lets you develop a personal relationship with the store owner or manager who can help keep an eye out for special editions that they know you might be interested in.

The perfect tree topper

A holiday tree’s crowning achievement is the tree topper, the decoration that can tie all your decorating themes together.

Choosing a tree topper becomes an important purchase as many toppers get used year after year and some are even passed down through generations.

Types of tree toppers

Tree toppers are limited only by the imagination. They can speak to your personality as well as tying together decorating themes.

Traditional tree toppers include stars, angels, bows, snowflakes or bouquets. If you’re looking for something more whimsical, you might get a tree topper in the shape of a top hat, a reindeer, a red truck, a gnome or such characters as King Kong or Yoda. If you have a children’s tree, you might top it with ornaments in the shape of Santa, Snoopy, stuffed animals or stars made of candy.

You may also seek out a unique tree topper or one that takes advantage of modern technology. You can order a tree topper in which wire strands spell out your family name. Some tree toppers have LED projectors that project such shapes as stars upon the ceiling above the tree. Some tree toppers you can control from your smart phone or a remote

control to change the colors of the lights or the order in which they flash or play music.

Another option is to make your own tree topper. You are likely to find great ideas for how to do that at your local craft store.

Height of the tree topper

Another factor to consider is the size of the tree topper. You want to make sure there is enough room between the top of the tree and the ceiling to accommodate the topper. Generally speaking, you want to have at least six inches of space between the ceiling and the top of your tree topper.

If you have a standard 9-foot ceiling, follow these guidelines provided by Balsam Hill, a maker of Christmas trees:

• 4- to 5.5-foot tree can have a tree topper that is 5 inches tall by 6 inches wide.

• 6- to 6.5-foot tree can have a tree topper 7 inches tall by 5 inches wide.

• 7- to 7.5-foot tree can have a tree topper 4 inches tall by 4 inches wide.

Tree topper weight

Most tree toppers are made of lightweight fabrics such as paper, fabric, plastic or fiber composites so that they balance well on the tree. If your topper is made of something

Balsam Hills recommends standing a tree topper on your palm. If it starts to tilt within three seconds, you’ll need extra support.

Safety tips

Once you’ve picked out a topper, it’s time to place it on the tree. Start by gathering any tools you will need to secure the topper to the tree.

Ask a friend or family member to hold the tree steady while you put the topper in place. Use a stable stepladder to reach the top of the tree.

For a pre-lit tree topper, make sure that all the wires and plugs are working. Inspect the topper for burnt-out or cracked bulbs before plugging it in.

Bring holiday cheer to work

Holiday decorating doesn’t have to be limited to your home. Given how many hours people spend at work, it makes sense to decorate one’s work space with seasonal cheer.

Be respectful of the diverse cultures of your co-workers when you are decorating your cubicle. Consider adding elements of different winter holidays or staying away from anything that would fall outside the realm of professionalism.

Get inspired

People love to share their creative achievements on social media. If you’re looking for inspiration, turn to Pinterest, Instagram or even TikTok for a treasure trove of images people have created to show off how they have decorated their work spaces. You’ll find everything from light displays to cardboard winter houses to garland and electric candles. In many cases, you can message the creator and ask for advice on how to replicate it.

Another source of inspiration is pictures from office decorating contests.

Tree trimming

Decorating a holiday tree can be an alloffice team building activity. Each person can bring in or make an ornament. At a large

organization, each department can have their own tree and its members decide what their theme is going to be.

Light displays

One easy way to brighten up your work space is to bring in strands of holiday lights and festoon them around your cubicle or office.

It can be as simple as a string of white lights or a more elaborate display of multiple lights that flash or outline holiday shapes.

Holiday themes

Teambuilding.com offers some holiday inspiration by suggesting several decorat-

ing themes to get people in the spirit. They include:

• Gingerbread village

• Toy factory

• Sweets and treats

• Nutcracker suite

• 12 Days of Christmas

• Christmas movie scenes

• Cozy cabins

Supplies

You don’t want to break your holiday budget purchasing decorations for the office. Sometimes the simplest of supplies can have a cheerful effect — lights, garland, wrapping paper, ribbons, balloons or candy canes.

It’s also a great time to go green and use recycled items. One suggestion combining paper cups with garland or saving old paper towel tubes to wrap with red and white ribbons or decorate with Sharpies to create candy canes. Or take a larger-sized cardboard tubes that are being thrown out and transform your cubicle into a holiday log cabin.

Maybe you don’t have time or the creative urge to do a lot of holiday decorating? If so, you can add a dash of seasonal cheer by picking a screensaver with a roaring fire or a winter wonderland scene.

BLACK FRIDAY SAVINGS

Lot to do as Christmas approaches

BY DALE HOGG dhogg@gbtribune.com

Christmas is a busy season in Central Kansas. There are many activites to get the holiday spirit or keep the spirit alive, here are a few.

November

• 25 Hoisington Christmas Tree Lighting 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Horse-drawn carriage rides, hot chocolate and cookies, and Santa.

• 25 Trail of Lights begins in Great Bend. The Trail starts on North Main at Brit Spaugh Park’s Wild Lights with its animated dolphins, lions, deer, ducks and sea dragons. Next is the enchanting Lights on the Lake in Veteran’s Park, where Santa and his elves live and a lighted nativity inspires the season. Then it’s back to Main Street and Lafayette Lights in Downtown Great Bend (don’t miss Toyland at 10th Street and K-96 on the way). The Courthouse Square glows with snowflakes and elegant lighted entry arches.

• 25 Explore Great Bend: Shop Local Black Friday, participating stores.

• 25 – Black Friday. Door-buster deals, specials, bargains in businesses all over the area.

• 26 – Small Business Saturday. Cookie contest and Home for the Holidays Parade. The $1,000 giveaway will be after the parade that starts at 5:30 p.m. downtown. There will also be a $750 second-place prize, a $500 third-place prize and a $250 fourth-place prize. First two place winners must be present to win.

• 25-30 Wheatland Electric Christmas Light Contest: Various homes in Great Bend.

• 26-30 Rosewood Golden Tickets: Santas Around the World - Lakin and Main.

• 26 Dog’s Day Out: Humane Society Fundraiser, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. - Jack Kilby Square.

• 26 Explore Great Bend: Small Business Saturday, participating stores.

• 26 Home for the Holidays Festival and Parade: (downtown Great Bend).

• 26 Creative and Unique Craft Fair: River of Life Church, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

• 26 Holiday Pop-up Market: Dilly and Doc and Bingo Hall, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

• 26 Great Bend Cookie Contest: various participating stores. Make a $5 donation at the Cookie Headquarters at Rosewood gallery to start off your judging. 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

• 27-30 Santas Around the World: 1223 Main St.- Thursday and Friday, 4-6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 1-6 p.m.

• 27 Giving Tuesday -Support local charities www.goldenbeltgives.org.

• 30 BCC History of Dance Presentation: BCC, 7 p.m.

December

• 1-18 Wheatland Electric Christmas Light Contest: Various homes in town.

• 1-16 Rosewood Golden Ticket: Santas Around the World - Lakin and Main.

• 1-23 Santas Around the World: 1223 Main St. - Thursday and Friday, 4-6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 1-6 p.m.

• 2 BCC Holiday Concert: Fine Arts Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

• 3 Larned Christmas parade at 11 a.m.

• 3 Dilly and Doc Santa’s Workshop: 10 a.m.-noon.

• 4 Claflin Christmas Market 12 to 4 p.m. Shopping with 30+ Vendors. Visit with Santa at 3 p.m. Enjoy Clydesdale pulled wagon rides, lunch by the Boy Scouts, music with the Girl Scouts, live music and, Sweets by the Pound a Claflin Library Fundraiser

• 4 Ellinwood 10th Annual Christkindlmarket on the brick streets starting at 1 p.m. The Library will be hosting a decorate a Gingerbread House with the Kay Club, Cookies by the Pound, and Photos with Sankt Nikolaus at the Museum of Ellinwood. A raffle drawing at 5:15p.m. concludes the day.

• 5 Santa’s Workshop: City Auditorium, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

• 6 Barton Bards Play: BCC, Fine Arts Auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

• 7 GBRC Santa’s Elves: GBRC Event, Must Pre-enroll. Check out on website.

• 8 Holiday Band Concert: GBHS, 7 p.m.

• 10 Barton County Historial Society Ghosts of Christmas Past 2022. 1 p.m.4p.m. Free Admission, Hot Cider, coffee and cookies. Get your picture taken with Santa.

• 10 Central Kansas Community Choir Concert: First Methodist Church, 7:30 p.m.

• 11 Vespers- Acapella Concert: GBHS auditorium, 2 p.m.

• 12 Choir and Madrigal Concert: GBHS auditorium, 7:30 p.m.

• 13 GBRC Santa’s Elves: GBRC Event, Must Pre-enroll. Check out on website.

• 14 Orchestra Concert: GBHS, 7 p.m.

• 15 Christmas Dinner and Open House: Great Bend Senior Center, 12 p.m.

• 16 Adaptive Christmas Dance: GBRC Activity Center, 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m.

Skirt your tree with class

The tree skirt is a piece of fabric placed on the floor surrounding the Christmas tree. It covers the tree stand and provides a place for presents. A tree collar wraps tightly around the stand, almost like a scarf, to hide the bottom of the tree and the tree stand.

A bit of history

Back when Germans first began decorating Christmas trees, they used real candles. They placed a covering under the base of the Christmas tree to protect the floor and collect the wax and needles that fell out of the tree.

Then, around 1879, according to the blog Christmas Tree Source, people started using Christmas tree stands and the mat underneath became what we now know as the tree skirt. It became a boon for those who like to decorate and what was once a simple piece of fabric took on a new life. Families would embroider or quilt them to match their decorating themes. They became the fancy lawn for

holiday villages or nativity scenes.

Materials

From those simple mats to today’s decorative masterpieces, tree skirts come in all sorts of different materials and styles. According to House Beautiful, in 2022 you can find skirts made of wicker, felt, faux fur and jute. Other sources offer them in velvet, rattan, silk or chunky knits.

Tree collars can be found in rattan, burlap, seagrass and shiny metals.

You can make them yourself by quilting, knitting or crocheting. For unique touches, add beading, felt appliques or embroidery.

Measurements

The next decision you’ll need to make for a tree skirt is what the diameter will be. Some of that will be dictated by the space you have around your tree. The company Christmas Lights Etc. offers size guidelines:

• 56” is best for larger artificial trees, 9’ and higher. Live trees 7.5’

and higher can use a 56” tree skirt if the tree stand is large in size as well.

• 48” is great for 7.5’ Christmas trees.

• 42” - 48” are ideal for 4.5’6.5’ trees.

• 20” mini tree skirts are for 2to 3-foot tabletop trees.

Christmas tree collars

Here are four diff

• Rings: Solid, round pieces that can’t be adjusted.

• Square: Usually made of wood, they fit in with rustic decors.

• Hinged: Hinges let you wrap the collar around the tree rather than dropping the tree into the collar.

• Panels: Several panels are assembled around the tree and then can be taken apart and laid fl for storage.

Choosing a collar that matches the rest of your decor in style and theme, using plastic and metal collars for live trees and

saving more delicate materials for artificial trees, deciding what sort of features — price, durability, installation ease — are most important to you and measuring the tree stand.

Making mincemeat tarts

For some families, it wouldn’t be Christmas without mincemeat pies and the recipe for making them is a closely guarded secret passed down to only one person per generation.

Today, though, the name comes across as somewhat deceptive. Why are they called mincemeat when there is no meat in them?

What is it?

Mincemeat pies today are a pastry made with a fl and filled with mincemeat — chopped dried fruits, spices, sugar and nuts soaked in brandy and infused with citrus or mild spice. Today they are usually round, though the top crust is sometimes cut into decorative shapes.

Other names for mince pies over the centuries have been Christmas pyes, shred pies, crib cakes (referring to the Christ child in his crib) and wayfarer’s pies.

History

Mincemeat pies date back to the Middle Ages. Back then, mincemeat did contain meat, usually mutton, but sometimes beef, rabbit, pork or game. Mincemeat was a way to preserve meat. The meat was finely chopped, as was the fruit and it was mixed with a preserving liquid.

According to Walkers, who now sells packaged mincemeat pies, King Henry V served mincemeat pie at his

coronation in 1413. It was his favorite Christmas dish, then served as the main course.

During the Tudor period (of which Henry the V was the first monarch), according to the website Historic UK, mincemeat pies were rectangular, purposely

shaped like a manger and a pastry representation of Jesus was put on the top. The pies were made with 13 ingredients, one ingredient to represent Jesus and each of his apostles. Different ingredients symbolized different parts of the Christmas story, such

mince pies started to be round.

made with lamb or veal, in the 19th century, minced beef was Historic UK, it was only in the late Victorian era and the early 20th century that meat was no e most common one is that it should always be stirred in a clockwise direction.

air with each family member getting to give

It’s also considered bad luck en made on what is called “stir-up Sunday,” the last Sunday before Advent begins. That is when British families would make the Christmas pudding and the mincemeat tarts.

If you wanted to have good health and happiness in the new year, then folklore has it you should eat one mincemeat pie on each of the 12 Days of Christmas.

A savory breakfast casserole

The countdown is almost over and Christmas morning is about to dawn. It’s a time filled with traditions, wide-eyed children, stockings and presents.

With so much going on, it can be challenging to put a festive breakfast on the table as well.

One breakfast that can easily become a holiday tradition because it can be made in advance and heated up Christmas morning, is a Christmas breakfast casserole. It’s tasty, filling and the red peppers and spinach give it a merry appearance.

Christmas breakfast casserole

Ingredients

1 tube ground sausage (consider using maple or Italian)

8 eggs

1 30-ounce bag of frozen hash browns

2 red bell peppers, sliced thin

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 teaspoon basil

8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Saute the sausage in a skillet until golden brown. Drain and let cool.

2. Break and scramble the eggs. Mix in the chopped spinach, sliced red peppers

and ½ of the shredded cheese. with non-stick canola or olive oil. Spread the cooked sausage in the bottom of the pan.

4. Spread the hash browns on top of the sausage and then pour the egg mixture on top.

5. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top.

6. Refrigerate overnight or bake immediately.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for

There are plenty of ways to mix up the casserole to fit to your family’s taste. Do you want something a little sweeter? Slice and add apples or pears to the mixture and replace the basil with cinnamon or nutmeg. Do you want more of a kick? Use spicy sausage and a bit of

portobello mushrooms. There are as many variations on this recipe as there are families who celebrate Christmas. Some recipes call for adding toast, croutons or bread cubes to the recipe. Feel free to experiment and find the casserole that your family will clamor for year after year.

Give the gift of local experiences

BY DALE HOGG dhogg@gbtribune.com

Sadly, the glitter of many Christmas gifts fades before the wrapping paper is in the dumpster and the holiday lights stop twinkling.

So, why not give the gift of experiences – more specifically, something local? These lead to richer memories, longer lasting happiness, they allow the recipient to try new things and then create more human connections.

In short, they won’t get thrown away or end up in a thrift store.

There are a lot of opportunities out there, and here are some ideas:

The arts

For those wanting to give the gift of culture or entertainment, here are

Happy

some suggestions:

• Great Bend Community Theater – Individual tickets are $14. Season tickets are $30/person for all three shows in the upcoming season. Call 620-792-4228 or email gbct.crest@gmail. com.

• Golden Belt Community Concerts – Tickets are sold as memberships for the entire season. They are: Adults - $50; students -$10; family - $110; and grandparents - $110. Contact Linda Jerke, 620-793-2748, with any questions regarding GBCCA memberships.

• Golden Belt Cinema 6 – Gift cards are available. Call 620-792-5769.

• Tickets to local high school activities such as plays – Contact the activities office of the school.

• Tickets, passes to Barton Community College plays and concerts – Visit the BCC Visual and Perform-

ing Arts Department at bartonccc.edu/community/ visual_performingarts.

Sports, staying active

If you want to give that special someone who happens to be a sports fan or just likes to stay active, here are some ideas:

• Tickets to local high school sporting events –Contact the activities office of the school.

• Tickets, passes to BCC sporting events – Contact the BCC Athletics Office at 620-792-9377.

• Great Bend Recreation Commission membership or activities – In addition to sports for all ages, the GBRC also offers classes for the young and old. Contact 620-793-3755.

• Health club memberships.

• Gymnastic Classes.

• Dance Classes.

• Golf course membership.

• Passes to the Wetlands

Waterpark at Great Bend – Summer discount punch passes can be purchased for $40, and allow 15 admissions to the water park during the season. Call 620-792-1516 or 620-7934111.

Museums and landmarks

This area has a rich history, both in terms of the development of this nation and its role in the natural world. There are plenty of facilities that showcase this heritage.

• Great Bend Zoological Society membership – This non-profit benefits the Brit Spaugh Zoo in Great Bend. Call 620-7934226.

• Programs and gift cards for the Kansas Wetlands Education Center –The center is dedicated to educating the public about wetland communities, with emphasis on Chey-

enne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. Call 877-243-9268.

• A membership to Barton County Historical Society – Memberships start at $20 per for an individual or $30 for a family. Call 620) 793-5125.

• A membership to Ellinwood Historical Society

– Call 620-564-2886, or visit ellinwoodhistoricalsociety.com.

• A membership to Hoisington Historical Society – These are $5 per year per person. Call Karla Berry at 785-4831250.

Personal Experiences

• Tanning Salon

• Beauty Shop

• Massage

• Spa

Local News

• Great Bend Tribune newspaper subscription

Great Bend festival kicks off the holiday season

BY SUSAN THACKER sthacker@gbtribune.com

Christmas and the City of Great Bend’s annual Home for the Holidays Festival and Parade are fast approaching.

The festival, the city’s holiday kickoff event, is set for 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26, in downtown Great Bend. The theme pays homage to the city’s 150th anniversary this year – “150 Years of Celebration” with former City Attorney Bob Suelter serving as grand marshal.

“It’s Great Bend’s way of inviting Santa to town and kicking off our Christmas season.” Great Bend Community Coordinator Hayes said.

There are fun shopping events during the day, along with the Great Bend Cookie Contest. To be a judge for the cookie contest and vote for your favorite cookies, stop by Cookie Headquarters at Rosewood Furniture Gallery, 16th and Main in downtown Great Bend, to pick up a cookie box and voting bracelet. All votes must be returned to Cookie Headquarters by 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The evening events start with the Home for the Holidays Lighted Parade at 5:30 p.m. on

Main Street, followed by the annual lighting of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree.

Fire and ice

The Reverend Butter from Houston, Texas is an ice sculpting champion. Last year’s ice sculpture performance by Reverend Butter was so popular that event organizers promised to bring him back, along with fire bending by Phlox Fire, to make it a “Fire and Ice” show, Hayes said.

Phlox Fire is a troupe of fire performers based in Wichita. With LED lights, props and fire, dancers will present a show like no other.

That’s only part of the fun. Here is the full schedule of events:

Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022

• All day - Holiday Shopping in Great Bend: Be sure to check out the unique items and hometown charm of Great Bend’s retail shops.

• 8 a.m.-noon: The last day to participate in the $1,000 to Explore Great Bend.

• 9 a.m.-4 p.m.: Creative and Unique Craft Fair: River of Life Church.

• 10-2 p.m.: Dog Day Out - Enjoy sloppy joes and walk a shelter dog, Jack Kilby Square.

• 10-4 p.m.: Pop-up Market, Dilly and Doc and Bingo Hall.

• 10-4 p.m.: Great Bend Cookie Contest: Stop in Rosewood Furniture Gallery, 1607 Main.

• 5:30 p.m.: Home for the Holidays Lighted Parade, Main Street.

• 6:30 p.m.: Light the Square - all in Jack Kilby Square.

• Annual Lighting of the Mayor’s TreeMayor Cody Schmidt.

• Ice Sculpting Performance by Reverend Butter.

• Fire Bending Performance by Phlox Fire.

It was noted that because of the ice sculpting and fire show, the city’s ice skating rink will likely not open that night. It may not be available until the following week.

• Announcement of Cookie Contest, Parade, Window Decorating and Explore Great Bend Winners.

• Visit Santas Around the World.

• Horse-drawn carriage and wagon rides provided by Rosewood Services.

• Free train rides provided by the City of Great Bend.

• Free hot dogs, hot chocolate, funnel cakes, cider, cookies and more.

A season for good sleep

Are you craving a long winter’s nap? It can be hard to get good sleep around the holidays, but it is essential to staying healthy and enjoying all the season has to offer.

Different ages need different amounts of sleep, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Newborns need 14-17 hours of sleep. School age children need nine12 hours of sleep every 24 hours, teens need eight-10 hours. Adults need seven or more hours per night.

Not getting enough sleep can cause health problems. Health problems associated with getting less than seven hours sleep include heart attack, coronary health disease, stroke, asthma, COPD, cancer, arthritis, depression, chronic kidney disease and diabetes.

Develop healthy sleep habits

How can you make sure you get enough sleep. The CDC suggests a couple of habits that might improve your sleep hygiene.

• Be consistent. Go to sleep at the same time and wake up at the same time, even on weekends.

• Prepare your sleep space. Make sure the place where you sleep is quiet, dark, relaxing and at a comfortable temperature (slightly

• Unplug yourself. Remove all electronic devices from your sleeping area including televisions, computers and smart phones.

• Watch what you eat and drink. Avoid large meals, alcohol and caffeine before bedtime.

• Exercise. The more you move during the day, the more easily you are likely to sleep at night.

The Sleep Foundation adds more tips.

• Take baby steps. Making gradual changes helps you adjust and settle into a new sleep schedule.

• Avoid the nap temptation. If you must nap, keep it short and take it early in the afternoon.

• Don’t force it. If you find yourself tossing and turning and can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, get up and stretch, read or do

something else calming in low light before trying to sleep again.

• Optimize your bedroom. Make sure you have the right mattress and pillow for you. Block out light or use an eye mask. Drown out noise with ear plugs or use a white noise machine or fan. Engage in some aromatherapy using such scents as lavender.

Diagnosing sleep disorders

What if none of that helps? You might have a sleep disorder. Common sleep disorders include insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome or sleep apnea. If you can’t sleep, the CDC recommends keeping a sleep diary for 10 days and then taking it in to your family doctor.

There are templates for sleep diaries online, but the CDC recommends recording when you go to bed, when you sleep, when you wake up, what naps you take, how much exercise you get, and recording any alcohol, caffeinated beverages or medications you are taking.

There are also sleep apps that help you track all of the above and can even monitor how much sleep you’re getting and what sort of quality sleep you’re getting.

So bundle up in those matching PJs and drift off to dream of sugar plums and nutcrackers.

Walk off your holiday meals

The feast is over and the dishes are cleared. You’re filled with ham and pie, green bean casserole and mincemeat tarts. It may be tempting to claim that family recliner and slip off into a coma until all the food digests.

Recent studies suggest a healthier alternative: Go for a relaxing walk. Take with you those relatives you never see and talk while you walk so you’re not tempted to overdo it. Exercising too hard right after eating can cause heartburn and diarrhea, but there are many benefits to taking a moderate to relaxing walk.

Benefits of walking after you eat

What have scientists been saying about walking after a meal? Here are just a few benefits:

• Improve digestion. Take a 15-minute slow walk after that holiday meal. It will help move your food from your stomach to your intestine and you’ll digest your food better according to researchers published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases.

• Regulate your blood sugar. The American Diabetes Association says that 10 minutes of walking after dinner can improve your glucose levels and help prevent a glucose spike and sugar crash.

• Lose weight. The International Journal of General Medicine advised that walking just after a meal can

help a person lose weight more effectively than if they wait an hour before walking.

• Reduce gas. Your fellow party guests may thank you, according to a study published in 2020 in the journal PLOS One. They found a direct relationship between how much a person walked and how much that person had irritable bowel syndrome symptoms.

• Feel better. Th Clinic shares that an aft dinner stroll can release serotonin, a hormone that makes a person feel good, improves memory and promotes good sleep.

• Boost blood fl helps you get the blood pumping through the body. This helps your muscles, your circulation and even your bones and organs.

Get into a stride

You’ve probably been walking all your life, but not all walks are equal. In order to get the most fitness and health benefits from a walk, you need good posture and purposeful movement. What does that look like? The Mayo Clinic paints this picture:

• Keep your head up and looking forward.

• Relax your neck, shoulders and back; don’t have them stiff

• Swing your arms freely with a slight bend in your elbows.

• Keep your back straight and slightly tighten your stomach muscles.

• Walk smoothly, rolling from heel to toe.

Wind down with wines

The hectic rounds of holiday partying might leave your head spinning in more ways than one, but there’s a solution to your celebratory beverage confusion: a few wellselected bottles of wine.

Feel free to lean on the experts at your local liquor store or even the wine aisle of your better grocery stores along with this guide.

Riesling

Rieslings are German white wines that may also come from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and more. It can be dry, semi-sweet or sweet, even sparkling. These wines can have notes of citrus, pineapple, apple and other fruits, even honeycomb and jasmine. Rieslings have an impressive flexibility. Pair lighter, more crisp Rieslings with fish, while Rieslings with more body can go with Asian foods, pork, chicken and more.

Labels to check out: Domaines Schlumberger Les Princes Abbes, Covey Run, 14 Hands, Mt. Beautiful North Canterbury.

Brunello di Montalcino

This acidic red wine plays well with rich, meaty dishes such as pot roast, ribeye or stick-to-your-ribs winter stews. It’s an Italian red wine from the Tuscany region that boasts a high tannin content. Young Brunellos carry

nocenti, Le Gode.

Syrah

This dark red grape variety is also called shiraz. It comes from France originally, but is now grown around the world. It’s a bold, meaty wine that pairs well with darker meats and loads of spice. It carries notes of blueberry and black plum, but can also be chocolatey with tones of tobacco and green peppercorn.

grape skins, but not quite enough to make it a true red. The color can range from pale pink to light orange to a near purple, depending on what grapes and techniques are used. Rose wines can be still or sparkling and have a wide range of sweetness. It’s grown around the world and, contrary to popular belief, it’s not made by mixing red wine and white wine. That practice is actually forbidden by law in France, excepting champagne.

Barton County Health Department

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Gingerbread decorations

So beloved is the Christmas treat of gingerbread, that even Shakespeare penned a tribute to it in 1598, a character in “Love’s Labour’s Lost” saying, “And I had but one penny in the world, thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread.”

Gingerbread has had lots of uses and ingredients throughout the centuries and even today it can apply to any sweet treat that has ginger blended with honey, treacle or molasses.

History

While it is now considered a Christmas tradition, Rhonda Massingham Hart in her book “Making Gingerbread Houses,” said the first-known recipe for gingerbread pre-dates Christianity and came from Greece in 2400 BC. By the late Middle Ages, Europeans were making gingerbread cookies shaped like animals or people and decorated with gold leaf. They were found in medieval fairs in England, France, Holland and Germany, according to PBS.org. Tradition has it that Shakespeare’s queen, Elizabeth I, came up with the idea of decorating cookies to look like important people who came to court.

It was in Germany, thanks to some other writers, that the cookie became a house. Bakers

were inspired by the Brothers Grimm’s “Hansel and Gretel.”

German bakers formed a gingerbread guild, while in Sweden, nuns were baking it as a cure for indigestion.

Here in America, English colonists brought gingerbread with them as they settled the New World. Tradition has it that the cookies were used to bribe Virginia voters. George Washington’s mother, Mary Ball Washington, was said to have preferred a softer recipe for cookies than what was eaten in Europe. When Marquis de Lafayette visited her in Virginia, she served him this treat which became known as

“Gingerbread Lafayette” and was passed down through the generations.

Bigger is better

While even the smallest of gingerbread cookies can make a great treat and families around the world enjoy the messy but creative undertaking of building a gingerbread house, some people get serious about setting records.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest gingerbread house was built in 2013 at Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas. They had to get a building permit for the house that used 1,800 pounds of butter, 7,200 eggs and 1,080 ounces of ground ginger. The house, which was almost 40,000 cubic feet ,required 4,000 gingerbread bricks. If you’d tried to eat it? You’d consume 35.8 million calories.

Jon Lovitch, the creator of GingerBread Lane and the one-time sous-chef at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel, has broken the record several times for the “largest gingerbread village.” According to his website, the entire village is entirely edible. He doesn’t use cardboard, stands or even fake snow. He spends an entire year making the parts of the village and then they are displayed in cities around the U.S. Each year, the village has at least 1,251 houses.

Parties with a punch (or two)

Holiday gatherings call for big bowls of holiday punches. These festive drinks are sure to please and look pretty in your cut glass or crystal punch bowl set. Cheers!

Cranberry Pomegranate

Christmas Punch

Recipe is from Pizzazzerie.

Ingredients

3 cups pomegranate juice

3 cups 100% cranberry juice

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 750-milliliter bottle dry sparkling wine or 3 cups ginger ale or 2 cups of lemon-lime soda or 3 cups sparkling apple cider

2 oranges, sliced

1 cup fresh cranberries

Directions

1. Chill all ingredients. Combine the juices and almond extract in a large punch bowl. Stir well.

2. Add your sparkling beverage of choice just before serving.

3. Garnish with orange slices and fresh cranberries.

Recipe is from Liquor.com.

1 1/2 cups genever

1 cup champagne

1/2 cup Cointreau

1 cup club soda

3/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1/2 cup simple syrup

8 dashes Old Fashioned bitters

Pineapple slices, star anise pods and grated nutmeg, for garnish

Directions

1. Add 2 cups of ice cubes to a punch bowl.

2. Add the genever, champagne, Cointreau, club soda, lemon juice, simple syrup and bitters into the bowl and stir to combine.

3. Garnish with pineapple slices, star anise pods and grated nutmeg.

Baltimore Eggnog

Recipe is from Liquor.com.

Ingredients

2 dozen eggs, separated

1750-milliliter bottle cognac or grandy

16 ounces Jamaican rum

2 pounds powdered sugar

3 quarts whole milk, chilled

1 quart heavy cream, chilled

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

1. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until light and lemon colored.

2. Continue to beat while adding the rum, sugar, milk, heavy cream and salt.

3. Beat the egg whites and nutmeg until they form stiff peaks.

4. Fold the whites into the yolk mixture. Serve.

German Christmas bread

While fruitcakes are the brunt of many a holiday joke, stollen tends to be loved by everyone who has tasted it.

What is Stollen?

A German Christmas bread, it has almost as many names as it does fruit and nuts in its batter. It can be found under the names of Dresden stollen, strutzel, striezel, stutenbrot or Christstollen.

Cooking America describes the traditional bread as “a colorful collection of nuts, raisins, currants, candied orange, lemon peel, plus traditional spices of Christmas such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, mace or cloves, brandy or rum and lots of butter.”

It is usually covered with a layer of sugared icing or powdered sugar. Some of the legends say that the shape and the white icing was a symbol of the swaddled Christ child.

According to one stollen bakery, Reimer’s Stollen, the hump on the loaves represents the humps of the camels that the Magi rode to bring gifts to

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of the precious jewels and gifts in the camel’s packs.

History

Stollen has been around for centuries. Culinary historians place its creation in 1329 when the Bishop of Nauruburg held a baking contest. Dresden bakers submitted a bread baked with the best butter, sugar, raisins, citron and other specialty ingredients. Not only did the Bishop award them top honors, but he ordered that each year a certain quantity of grain be set aside to be used only to bake stollen.

The website Kitchenproject reports that the first official mention of stollen in documents was in 1474. The Christian Hospital of St. Bartholomew in Dresden recorded it as a cake for fasting periods. That stollen was made with only flour, oats and water since sugar, butter and milk were forbidden in Lenten periods.

That rule sapped a lot of the flavor out of the bread, so in 1647, two brothers, Kurfűrst and Albrecht Ernst petitioned the Pope, asking him to strike down the butter ban. They were eventually successful and the bread started tasting better.

Stollen continued to show

were 36 pounds and five feet long were presented to the King of Saxony for Christmas celebrations. In 1730, August the Strong held a festival to try to gain European allies. He ordered the Bakers Guild to make a huge stollen. It was 1.8 tons, 27 feet long, 18 feet high and a foot high. A special oven had to be built just to bake this one loaf of stollen.

Traditions

In the early days, loaves of stollen weighed 30 pounds. Residents of Dresden owned special utensils that were only used to cut and serve stollen. Traditionally the first piece of the loaf was set aside as a charm to ensure the family could afford stollen the following year. The last piece was saved to ensure the family had enough food for the year.

In 1994, Dresden launched a stollen festival. Each year, they bake a huge stollen on the Saturday before the second Sunday of Advent. A horse-drawn wagon carries the bread and pastry chefs to the Striezelmarkt Square and, according to Kitchenproject. com, they ceremoniously slice it with a 1.2 meter long stollen knife. It is then sold it visitors and a portion of the sales go to charity.

Impress with a Swedish Tea Ring

While the Swedish tea ring is a delicious treat year-round, foodies suggest that it got its start as part of the grand Swedish Christmas feast.

To this day, many families serve up the holiday version of the Swedish tea ring on Christmas morning. Covered in snow-like icing and sprinkled with chopped green and red cherries, it makes a festive addition to the holiday table.

While the tea ring can (and should) be made in advance, it isn’t for the faint of heart, nor should it be considered a fast food. Most recipes warn that it can take three hours or more, with most of it in the prep time. The reward comes from the appreciation of all who bite into this delicious Christmas treat.

In 1967, Betty Crocker provided this recipe for the cinnamon-swirled pastry:

Swedish Tea Ring

Prep time: 2 hours, 45 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 12-14

Ingredients

For the dough:

2 packages active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)

1/2 cup lukewarm milk (scalded then cooled)

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

4 1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 cup raisins

For the glaze:

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

For decor (optional):

1/2 to 1 cup candied cherries

1/2 to 1 cup whole pecans or sliced almonds

Directions

1. Make the dough: Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, sugar, salt, eggs, butter, and 2½ cups of the fl until smooth. Mix in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Turn dough onto lightly fl board; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. (At this point, dough can be refrigerated 3 to 4 days.) Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1½ hours. (Dough is ready if impression remains when touched.) Punch dough down. Roll the dough into rectangle, 15 x 9 inches, on lightly fl surface.

2. Add the cinnamon-raisin filling: Spread dough with the 5 tablespoons softened butter; sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and raisins. Roll up tightly, beginning at 15-inch side. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal well. Stretch roll to make even. With sealed edge down, shape into ring on lightly greased cookie sheet. Pinch ends together. With scissors, make cuts 2/3 of the way through ring at 1-inch intervals. Turn each section on its side. Cover; let rise until double, about 30-40 minutes. Heat oven to 375°F. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. (If tea ring browns too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.)

3. While tea ring is baking, prepare the glaze: Mix together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until glaze is smooth and of desired consistency. When the tea ring is done, remove from oven. Spread with glaze and, if desired, decorate with nuts or candied cherries while still warm. Enjoy!

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