Flight Magazine December 2022

A note from our LIFE EDITOR

Excluding the lights, carols and gingerbread chai, giftgiving may be my favorite part of the Christmas season. There’s something about the intentionality in carefully choosing particular items or recipes with loved ones in mind that just sparks joy and warmth in my soul — finding the book he’s been dying to read, balancing the art and science of homemade bread to go along with their favorite jam.

But delightful as it is, this part of the holidays also gives rise to my greatest dilemma: I’m far from being the gift-wrapping pundit I’ve long desired to be. It’s just not in the cards. Which is prob ably why Secret Santa never became an established tradition in my family.

Sneak a glance at the presents crowded under the Christmas tree and you’ll spot mine straightaway. They’re wrapped in news paper, most likely the weekend comics (the “funny pages,” as they were commonly known in my childhood home), and an inordinate amount of Scotch tape. Maybe some twine to tie it off like make shift ribbon.

It’s not pretty. The corners aren’t crisp and the lines aren’t the cleanest. But maybe they don’t have to be.

My mama has been saying all my life, “It’s the thought that counts.” I’m starting to think she’s onto something.

Rachel Estes Life Editor

A WEARY WORLD rejoices

Grasping strands of hope amidst hard seasons

BY ABIGAIL BURLE

You might be familiar with the Christmas hymn “O Holy Night,” but rarely do we stop and meditate on the lyrics.

What is a thrill of hope?

What does it look like for a weary world to rejoice?

Singing Christmas songs might be one of the most well-known ways we celebrate during the season.

“O Holy Night,” for me, remains a faithful part of my holiday tradition. It’s wrapped up in the memories of listening to Amy Grant, the smell of evergreen trees and my family hanging Grand mommy’s hand-knit stockings on the mantel.

During the holidays, it’s tempting to ignore the hard parts of your life. A season that focuses on joy and togetherness can lead to depression for those that are alone.

But what if we lived out the lyrics of “O Holy Night?”

What if we truly saw the everyday things of life — the good, the bad, the hard, the joyful, the sickness, the loneliness and the suffering — as a practice to lean into the goodness offered to us,

no matter what?

In 2017 and 2018, my three kids, triplets who all have chronic lung diseases from being born 16 weeks early, missed out on all the holiday celebrations to help keep them protected. My husband and I watched those around us gather together for two years, long ing for the day we could celebrate with everyone.

The 2019 season was supposed to be our first Christmas sea son to celebrate out of the house with all of our loved ones. But that year, all three of the kids were in the pediatric intensive care unit over Christmas with a respiratory disease.

We spent over two weeks as a family of five in three differ ent hospital rooms as our kids were covered in tubes and wires. Looking out the windows of the hospital, we were reminded that everyone was celebrating the season of joy. But what about us? This was supposed to be our year to celebrate.

Then entered COVID-19 and once again our holiday plans, and everyone else’s, were halted. Four years of isolation during the season of togetherness. Four seasons in a row of missing what

we thought the holidays offered.

How can you and I enter into this upcoming season with joy and hope when the circumstances we find ourselves in seem dark?

What if the lyrics of “O Holy Night” offer you and me both an insight on what the Christmas season truly offers?

“The night of our dear Savior’s birth” paints the picture of Christ’s earthly arrival at night, inviting us into the darkness and His willing ness to enter into the darkness with us. You and I are not alone; this is the gift He offers us through the season of togetherness.

“A world in sin and error” re minds us that it’s not supposed to be this way, and we are asked to see beyond this world. Having the perspective that focuses on the “not yet” can foster hope that doesn’t disappoint.

“Pining,” you and I are longing for the world to be made right. Thankfully, Je sus has come to turn the tables and make a new way.

“Glorious morn,” a new day is of fered to us, freedom to see our life through a new lens.

“The soul felt its worth.” You and I can personally receive joy and hope this season, no matter the circum stance we find ourselves in.

And lastly, “A thrill of hope, a wea ry world rejoices.”

All it takes is a thrill, my friends, for our weary souls to rejoice. This doesn’t mean you ignore the hard things, but our weary souls rejoicing amidst them (anyway).

Rejoicing in the small, everyday things is the avenue into joy and hope.

So whether you find yourself in a hospital room, newly diagnosed, alone for the first time, overflowing with love, recently engaged, welcom ing your first child or experiencing grief, let’s sing “O Holy Night” togeth er with a new perspective this season.

Please accept this as an invitation to find a thrill of hope and for your weary soul to rejoice, no matter what.

Sausage Balls

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground pork sausage, room tem perature

• 2 cups biscuit mix

• 1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

How to prepare

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• Combine sausage and biscuit mix in a large bowl; mix until well combined. Add shredded cheese and mix until fully incorporated.

• Roll mixture into about 30 golf ballsized rounds.

• Line a baking sheet with parchments; place sausage balls on baking sheet.

• Bake until golden brown and sausage is cooked through, 20-25 minutes.

Christmas Gingerbread Houses and Cookies

By Jocelyne Champagne Shiner from The Champagne Family Cookbook

Making gingerbread houses is a 4-step process:

1. Make the dough and chill overnight.

2. Cut out and bake all the pieces. Depending on how many you are making, this can take a few hours. 3. Decorate the house pieces. 4. Assemble the house.

Ingredients for Dough:

2-2/3 cups butter, softened

3 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses  4 tablespoons ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons ground ginger (or 2 tablespoons ground and 1 tablespoon fresh-grated root)  2 tablespoons ground cloves  1 tablespoon allspice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons baking soda

10 cups all-purpose flour (King Arthur is great)  1/2 cup water

Directions for Dough

1. Cream butter, sugar and molasses together. Blend in cin namon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and baking soda. Add flour. Mix in enough water to make a soft, pliable dough. Chill for at least 30 minutes. (I put dough into an extra large zipclose bag to chill overnight.)

Ingredients for Ornamental Icing:

 1 pound confectioners sugar

 3 egg whites at room temperature

 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Icing

1. In a large bowl with a mixer at low speed, beat in all in gredients until blended. Beat at high speed 7-10 minutes or until knife drawn through mixture leaves a path. Add a little water to make thinner or extra sugar to thicken as needed.

2. Because the icing dries very quickly, make each batch just before you are ready to use it. If you must store for a few hours or overnight, cover tightly with plastic wrap. When using, keep container covered with damp cloth or paper towel. Mix in food colors as desired.

3. Makes about 2 cups.

To roll dough:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Dough should be “leather hard.” Roll out to 1/8-inch or 3/16-inch thickness on floured surface.

3. Cut with gingerbread man or other cookie cutters, or house parts-shaped templates. For house pieces, place template pieces on top of rolled out dough and cut out around shapes. Cut out two of each template pieces for one house. You can also make the bottom out of gingerbread, but I usually use foam core (or plywood for the huge ones!) cov ered with plastic wrap, then icing.

4. Carefully transfer to ungreased cookie sheets. Brush dough lightly with water before baking, if dusty with flour.

5. Bake 10-15 minutes for large shapes, or 5-7 minutes for small cookies and parts. Cookies should be a nice brown, but not dark (unless you want them to really “snap.”) Leave on cookie sheets to cool.

To assemble a house:

1. Decorate your pieces first. Let the icing dry rock-hard for a couple of hours or overnight. (If overnight, loosely place a piece of waxed paper over pieces to keep off dust.)

2. Using a pastry bag, pipe a thick line of icing on the bottom and one side of the front piece. Position on base. Do the same for the side piece and set in place next to front. Con tinue until all four sides are together, then add extra icing on inside corners for strength. Let assembly dry until hard, about an hour or more.

3. Once dry, take the roof pieces and check for fitting against the house. Pipe icing on the top edges of the front, back and sides. Pipe icing on the roof pieces where they will meet in the center. Place both of the roof pieces on the house and hold for a few minutes until set. Let the house sit without disturbing or moving it for a couple of hours (or overnight). With fresh icing, pipe “snow” on top of the roof to cover the roof seam as well as the side seams. Add swirls and icicles (pulling icing with knife) to create snowy scene as desired.

4. The gingerbread (undecorated, not assembled) freeze beautifully if you want to bake ahead of time, then ice or create a house later. I’ve kept them in the freezer for up to three months, if properly wrapped.

Candy ideas for decorating:

If you plan on eating the house within a short time, almost anything goes. Stay clear of candy canes and peppermint discs, as they will melt and drip goo down your icing and house. King Leo peppermint sticks (the “chalky” kind) work great for logs and posts. They also taste great with gingerbread. Gumdrops work great and give an old-fashioned appeal. You can cut them in half and press the cut sides into ic ing. Any sprinkles that are dry and made from sugar are good.

King Leo peppermint sticks

Gumdrops

Jelly candies (wreaths, etc.)

Chicklets

Skittles

Hard, dry sprinkles

Miniature marshmallows

Necco wafers

Cereal squares

Pretzel sticks

Jordan almonds

Upside-down sugar cones, decorated for trees

Cut fruit leather, for stained glass

NANNY’S Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

 1 cup unsalted butter (if you choose to use salted, do not add extra ½ teaspoon)

 ½ cup sugar

 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

 ½ teaspoon of salt

 2 cups all-purpose flour.

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a mixer or with hand mixer, blend butter, sugar, vanilla and salt on medium-high until pale and fluffy.

3. Add flour in slowly until you have a well-mixed dough.

4. Transfer to parchment paper and chill for 1 hour.

5. Once chilled, roll out dough (on a lightly floured surface) to ¼ inch.

6. Dip cookie cutter into flour and cut out your preferred shape.

7. Place cookies on a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

8. Cook for 10 minutes or until golden.

9. Once out of oven cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transfer ring to wire rack.

Cookie Glaze

 1 pound of confectioners’ sugar

 5 tablespoon of margarine powder

 Slightly less than ½ cup water

 ¼-½ tsp of vanilla or desired ex tract flavor

 1/8 tsp cornstarch (optional)

 Add food coloring to desired color.

Christmas

COMES TO GREEN STREET

BY RACHEL ESTES

On any other day, Green Street remains a heavily traveled thoroughfare flanked by 19th and 20th century Victorian and Neoclassical architecture on either side.

But come the first Sunday in Decem ber, clad in holiday grandeur, the half-mile corridor becomes a passageway to Gaines ville’s past.

Since 2002, Christmas on Green Street has drawn crowds by the thousands to cel ebrate the holiday season with a parade and tours of the historic homes, which claim a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

Christmas on Green Street 4-7 p.m. Dec. 4 Historic Green Street, Gainesville gainesville.org

The tradition was minted by the Gainesville Historical Society, which or ganized the festivities year after year until its disbanding in 2018, when the event was handed off to the City of Gainesville.

Today, it remains the largest event the city hosts in a single day, according to Main Street Gainesville manager Nicole Parham, and a meaningful way of celebrat ing the Gainesville of Christmases past, present and future.

“The historic district is the heartbeat of Gainesville — the origins, the things that helped us grow into who we are now as a community. When we can celebrate our past, it’s also a way to celebrate today and

also what’s to come. There’s such a mix of generations coming together. I think so often in our culture we separate all the generations — we have kids programs and young adult programs and things for older people, but things like Christmas on Green Street bring all the generations together to celebrate as one.”

This year’s Christmas on Green Street is slated for 4-7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, fea turing antique cars, festive floats and lively marching bands.

The festivities begin with road closures at 2 p.m. and the opening of the food court at 3 p.m.

The parade begins at 4 p.m., begin

How a 20-year tradition brings thousands home for the holidays

ning near the “Y” intersection of Thomp son Bridge Road and Riverside Drive and continuing along Green Street down to EE Butler Parkway before exiting left on Spring Street.

True to tradition, Santa Claus brings up the rear on board a Gainesville fire engine before magically appearing at the Norton Agency during open houses, which are slated to commence around 5:30 p.m., immediately following the parade.

This year, each home features its own QR code for guests to scan and learn more about their historical backgrounds.

The ceremonial lighting of the Rotary tree, a giant holly bush towering over the corner of Academy and Green streets, is slated for 6:30 p.m.

As a beloved tradition that withstands the test of time, Christmas on Green Street remains a significant means of preserving history and a sense of belonging amidst Gainesville’s continued surge of growth and development, according to Parham.

“It brings a sense of place, a sense of tradition and, as a community, it’s part of our foundation,” she said. “Those are things that bring life into our culture.”

UPCOMINGEVENTS

04

03BUFORD HOLIDAY FESTIVAL AND PARADE

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Main Street, Buford

03

HALL COUNTY WINTER

FARMERS MARKET

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hall County Farmers Market, 734 E. Crescent Drive, Gainesville

03FESTIVE ART WORKSHOP FOR ADULTS

Dec. 3, 10, 17

10:30 a.m. to noon.

Quinlan Visual Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Gainesville

CHRISTMAS ON GREEN STREET

4-7 p.m. Historic Green Street, Gainesville

06

FESTIVE ART WORKSHOP FOR KIDS

Dec. 6, 13 4-5:30 p.m.

Quinlan Visual Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Gainesville

10

SANTA’S JEEP FESTIVAL

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 5302 Railroad Ave., Flowery Branch

16

CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR AT FREE CHAPEL

Dec. 16-18

3001 McEver Road, Gainesville

01

POLAR BEAR PLUNGE AND PADDLE

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Lake Lanier Olympic Park, 3105 Clarks Bridge Road, Gainesville

01

FIRST DAY HIKE

08

FLOWERY BRANCH WINTER FARMERS MARKET

Dec. 8, Dec. 22 3:30-6:30 p.m.

Market Pavilion, 5210 Railroad Ave., Flowery Branch

17

LEATHER MAKING CLASSES

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Quinlan Visual Arts Center, 514 Green St. NE, Gainesville

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Don Carter State Park. 5000 N. Browning Bridge Road, Gainesville

12

FLOWERY BRANCH WINTER

FARMERS MARKET

Jan. 12, Jan. 26

3:30-6:30 p.m.

Market Pavilion, 5210 Railroad Ave., Flowery Branch