A Christmas tree, and pumpkin bread

We broke down and got a smallish artificial tree last year.  It came up from the basement, finally, on Wednesday and was set up for our first Christmas in a new place.  It doesn't have to be watered, trimmed, or vacuumed after--and it's proof that we have gotten old and poor, that we decided the time had come that we weren't going to wrestle with live trees, which I love, anymore.  Thank you again to our youngest, who made this our gift for last Christmas.

It still has the tree skirt of crocheted Christmas squares made by Janette Draper and bought by us at the Bryant Elementary bazaar so many years ago.  They moved to Oregon some twenty years ago, and every time I bring this out of the box, I miss them.

We don't have a top to our tree, something I guess I need to solve, but that bluebird was a tender gift last year, somewhat in token of this blog.  My dear friend tried to find a sparrow, but couldn't--so if there's a "blue bird of happiness" in legend, this is my 'blue sparrow'.  I went looking for a sparrow to send to the friend whose encouragement started all this, who was in the hospital in dire condition last Christmas; to signify, like the song, that "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."  I found one, but they also had small, bright blue and bright red little birds, and the feeling came over me, standing there, that to our Father, none of us are drab.  All of us are dazzling, if we could only see truly.  I had to gulp back tears, right there in the store.  I sent the two brilliantly colored little birds, along with a note, and now this bird on my tree brings back all of it to mind.

Her gift ornament for Hubby was the Mickey Mouse ball here--perfect!  Near it I put this silky pear that came from somewhere, because the pear trees--plural, two of them--were such an unanticipated bonus to this move. The pears were so good! The little cross-stitched wreath was a quick little gift years ago, that I'd forgotten until I turned it over and read "Love, from Barbara and children, 1990."  My inseparable best friend who developed cancer three years later and died in 1994.  That will go with me forever.

We still have a trumpet (not showing) and harp, from when we had daughters at home who were learning those instruments, small blue glass balls that predate our marriage, they came with Hubby and only a few have been broken.  The ceramic singers up in the top right, I have no memory of them or where they came from  (if someone reading this gave them to us, sorry I don't remember but thank you I love them) are joined by the plaster of paris ones we made years ago from candy molds and everyone painted some.  Here are two Santas, a teddy bear, and a bright yellow french horn.  Then there are the clear ones we did in a later year, these are filled with ribbons or potpourri, but there's another box somewhere with others.  I stuck to the smaller ornaments, to fit the scale of the tree and the space.

So, it didn't happen until an exact week before the day, but we do have the tree up, and all our gifts that weren't delivered when we went to Utah got mailed in time.  I have spiced pear jam to give away, along with pumpkin bread.  I may not make sugar cookies, for the first time since I had kids old enough to cut them out, because there's no place to roll them out.  I still have no top for my corner cabinet, and no room anywhere else.  I don't really want to take the flour out to the table and make a mess in the dining room; on the other hand, Christmas is the only time I roll and cut out cookies, and it may seem strange without them.  I'll see how I feel about it in the next day or so--right now, I've tried two new types of cookies that I can just roll into balls and bake.  I'm missing all our family.

But Sister Stoddard's Famous Pumpkin Bread---that's not something to skip over.  I don't have a college student to have to mail a loaf to--those were expensive care packages sent for Thanksgiving, back in the day.  I got Eric's exact address from Emily on his mission and sent one off to Quebec, only to have him moved just before it could arrive.  Since there was a zone conference or something in ten days, the elders in his old place just hung onto it and brought it to hand over then.  He opened the box, peeked into the foil and saw blue mold.  He wrote to Emily, asking, "Was that pumpkin bread?  Your mother's pumpkin bread with chocolate chips?"  Poor boy was distraught, because he loves the stuff. I tried!  Now she makes it for him herself.

So in case you want something still to make, last minute, here's my recipe.  I made it the first time and goofed, thought two cups of pumpkin was a big can.  Corrected that the next time, and didn't think it was worth much.  So, from the original, I decreased the oil and increased the pumpkin, I added the allspice and chocolate, and it's great stuff.  I am not jealous of it, I 'm happy to share.  Enjoy!


...

SISTER STODDARD’S FAMOUS PUMPKIN BREAD

Combine and mix well:

3 cups sugar

½ tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. soda

3 ½ cups flour

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tsp. each cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg

¼ tsp. allspice

Mix in with above ingredients:

4 eggs

5 fl. ounces (generous 1/2 cup) salad oil

1 29-oz. can pumpkin (3 cups)

Add and stir in thoroughly:

1 cup miniature chocolate chips (you can be generous)

    (regular chips are too heavy, and will fall to the bottom)

Grease and flour loaf pans, 2 large or 6 baby loaf pans. (You can make 3 8x4 loaves)

Bake at 325o for 90 minutes large, 60-65 minutes small.  Test with toothpick in center to see if done—toothpick will come out clean, and bread will pull away from edges when done.

Turn out of pans immediately, onto wire racks, to cool.

[Oh, apparently I put this up last Christmas, the recipe that is.  So sue me, it's up twice.  It wouldn't be Christmas here without it.]