PPatterso

n Post

Dec./Post 2011

Christmas

Kwa

nzaa

Han

ukka

hPrayer

Eggnog Snowflakes

& More…

This year has been a very trying time for both myself and my daughter. We have been through a lot this past year. But these trials just makes us stronger and grow closer as a family. So con-tinue to keep Amber and I in your prayers. Prayer is a powerful thing! Trust me, I know! We now live in Jefferson City, TN.

Amber is in the 8th grade and doing well. She also is learning to play the clarinet. She is so excited on playing it. She is growing up fast on me. At age 13, she is almost as tall as me. Soon she will be much taller then me. I still can remember when she was just a little baby and toddler.

As for myself. I am still trying to get back into my business card collection and also tracking my currency on Where’s George. I know I have got out of them these last few years, but now I hope to be able to get back to them again. I am still working as a Secu-rity Officer. I have thought of going back to college and get-ting another Associates. This time in Photography. I guess we shall see.

I decided to change up the newsletter this year. If you have noticed the old format is no more. I wanted something different. After all I used that same format for a couple of years after my divorce, so might as well make a new overhaul for the look. I hope you like this new look. Please feel free to share with me what you think. Feel free to

share anything you may wish to see in next years issue. Send me your favorite holiday dish. It may be featured in 2012 issue of Patterson Post.

This will be the eleventh issue of Patterson Post. We as a family will continue to thrive to improve this newsletter

over the course of time. I am hoping this will continue to be a family tradition that is passed

down from me to my daughter and so on.This year, despite that the University of

Tennessee Volunteers (Vols) football team hasn’t won many games, we as a family are still All Vol. This year and for many more years, I’d say. We will use our white Christmas tree and have Vols Christmas ordainments on it. We may even make some every year to add to the tree. I will have to post a picture of the tree each year in the newsletter.

The picture to your left here is our Vol Christmas tree. As you can see it is still a start. We need to get more decorations. We still have some to paint orange and put on it.

If you are familiar with this newsletter this is repetitive, if not this is new for you. We decided to do a newsletter starting in 2000, instead of handing out Christmas cards. It is our belief that doing a newsletter is more personable and gets you to know us better.

This issue of Patterson Post, I have decided to write about

other Religious winter holi-days that are celebrated, so maybe we all can get a better understand of one another and our beliefs. I also hope you like this new design and format. I may even do some-thing different/similar for next years issue. Got any ideas feel free to share with me.

Patterson’sSteve (Father) & Amber (Daughter)

Cover photo from http://christmas-cards-free.blogspot.com/Graphic design by Steve Patterson

ChristmasDecember 25

Christmas is a winter holiday in which Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God. Mary and Joseph give birth to Jesus Christ in a manager. Jesus was born of an immaculate concep-tion. He was born in Bethlehem.

We celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December each year. Gifts are given to one other on Christmas Day. We eat big meals on Christmas Day, almost like we do on Thanksgiving Day.

Another icon for Christmas is Santa Claus. The man in a red suit who brings presents to all the boys and girls who have been good. He leaves the presents under the tree. He also fills stockings with gifts

as well. Some countries use wooden shoes instead of stockings.

The celebration of Christmas and tra-ditions can very based on the type of Christian faith you are, but all believe in celebrating the birth of Christ. Most of all churches hold a special Christmas service. The Roman Catholic always hold a special Christmas Mass. I was raised Southern Baptist and I always remember my church always doing a Christmas Cantata, where the church choir would sing a bunch of carols and hymns.

My family celebrates Christmas. I will share with you a couple of our traditions we do. We usually decorated our Christ-

mas Tree the day after Thanksgiving. However, this year my daughter and I put it on Thanksgiving Day. Our tradition is on Christmas Eve, the children can open one small approved gift that is under the Christmas tree.

A lot of people today try to take Christ out of Christmas. They will say Marry XMas or Happy Holidays. The Happy Holidays is to please those who celebrate other holidays. The Xmas is just wrong, because you are taking Christ out of the picture. It wasn’t X who is the Son of God, but Jesus Christ.

Some information has been taken from Wikipedia.

HanukkahLate November to late December

Hanukkah is a holiday that is celebrated by the Jewish religion. Hanukkah is a Hebrew verb meaning to dedicate. It is sometimes spelled Chanukah, Chanukkah, or Chanuka. Hanukkah is the celebration of Festival of Lights. This is an rededi-cation of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem.

Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calen-dar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.

The traditional Menorah consists of eight branch or candles. A new light is lit each night for eight nights. Hanukkah lights should burn for at least one half hour after it gets dark. Since candles may not be lit on the Shabbat itself, the candles must be lit before sunset. However, they must remain lit until the regular time—thirty minutes after nightfall—and inexpen-sive Hanukkah candles do not burn long enough to meet the requirement.

The dreidel, or sevivon in Hebrew, is a four-sided spinning top that children play with on Hanukkah. Each side is imprinted

with a Hebrew letter. This dreidel game is often played after the lighting of the menorah.

Special foods such as dairy foods and cheeses. Various types of activities also occur during the Hanukkah celebration. Prayer and blessings are another impor-tant part of the celebration. Hanukkah is not a Sabbath type holiday. Another tradi-tion is giving of Hanukkah gelt. Hanuk-kah gelt is a form of money given to small children.

Some information has been taken from Wikipedia.

KwanzaaDecember 26 to January 1

Kwanzaa is a winter holiday celebrated by some of the African American & Pan African cultures. It is a celebration of Family, Community and Culture. This celebration is a week long celebration that last from December 26 to January 1. According to Wikipedia it has been celebrated since 1966 in United States. Kwanzaa helps celebrate the African cul-ture and heritage to bring it back into today’s culture. Many Christians who celebrate Kwanzaa also celebrates Christmas as well. Kwanzaa is not to take place of any other religion or holiday.

Kwanzaa also has Unity, Self-Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith as it is celebrated.

Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven prin-ciples of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba (originally Nguzu Saba—the seven principles of African Heritage), which Karenga said “is a communitarian African philosophy,” consisting of what Karenga called “the best of African thought and prac-tice in constant exchange with the world.” These seven prin-ciples comprise Kawaida, a Swahili term for tradition and reason. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:

Umoja (Unity): To strive for and to maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race.

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves stand up

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems, and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (family): The belief in family and general com-munal understanding.

Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the build-ing and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Kwanzaa symbols include a decorative mat on which other symbols are placed, corn and other crops, a candle holder with seven candles, called a kinara, a communal cup for pouring libations, gifts, a poster of the seven principles, and a black, red, and green flag. The symbols were designed to convey the seven principles.

Some information has been taken from Wikipedia.

All othersVary depending on the type of holiday

PrayerBefore Christmas Dinner

You can view all past issues of Patterson Post at: http://tinyurl.com/pattersonpost

God of all gifts, we thank you for the many ways you have blessed us this day. We are grateful each of those who are gathered around this table. We ask you to bless us and our food and to bless those we love who are not with us today. In our gratitude and love, we remember your humble birth into our lives and pray for those who are without enough to eat. We

remember the stable in which you were born and pray for those who have no place to live. We remember your chal-lenging message of caring and giving and we pray for peace in families and nations throughout the world. We bless you and give you thanks in your Spirit who brings our hearts to life the Christmas Day and forever. Amen.

Below are some of the other types of winter holidays mostly religious based on other faiths. Eid Al Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice celebrated by Muslims on the 10th day of the month of the lunar calen-dar to commemorate the willingness of the prophet Ibrahim (or Abraham) to sacrifice his son for God. Today, Muslims sacrifice an animal—usually a goat or a sheep—as a reminder of Ibrahim’s obedience to God. The meat is shared with family, friends Muslims or non-Muslims, as well as the poor members of the community.

Three Kings Day At the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas comes a day

called the Epiphany, or Three Kings Day. This holiday is celebrated as the day the three wise men first saw baby Jesus and brought him gifts.

Las Posadas: This is a traditional winter holiday celebrated in Mexico between December 16 and December 24. In Eng-lish, the term Las Posadas translates to ‘the Inn’, and therefore is a re-enactment of Joseph searching for a room at the inn. Hence, every Christmas, there is a pro-cession carrying a doll, which represents Christ as a child and the images of Mary and Joseph riding a small donkey, which goes through the streets.

Bodhi Day: This is celebrated by the Buddhists on December 8 in commemora-tion of the enlightenment of the Buddha. This is considered the most important hol-iday for the Buddhists.

Boxing Day is a Canadian holiday that is celebrated the Day after Christmas. You can read about that holiday in my last years issue of Patterson Post. You can download a copy at www.tinyturl.com/pattersonpost.

Yes, I am sure there are many other winter religious holidays but these are just a sample of them. Special thanks to an old coworker, Stephanie for these.

Eggnog Snowflakes

Mini eggnog-flavored cutouts. Decorate to resemble snowflakes for a

beautiful holiday cookie.Preparation time: 1 hourTotal time: 3 hours, 30 minutesMakes 6 dozen cookies

COOKIES:1 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, softened1 cup sugar1 Land O Lakes® All-Natural Egg 2 tablespoons whipping cream or milk 1 teaspoon rum extract 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1⁄2 teaspoon salt1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

GLAZE:1⁄2 cup powdered sugar2 teaspoons Land O Lakes® Butter, softened2 teaspoons light corn syrup1⁄4 teaspoon rum extract 3 to 5 tablespoons waterDecorator sugars, dragées or frosting, as desired

DIRECTIONS:• Combine 1 cup butter and sugar in large

bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, whipping cream, 1 teaspoon rum extract and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low; add all remaining cookie ingredients. Beat until well mixed.

• Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a ball; flatten slightly. Wrap each in plastic food wrap; refrigerate until firm (2 to 3 hours).

• Heat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface, one-half at a time (keeping remaining dough refrigerated), to 1⁄4-inch thickness. Cut with 2 1⁄4-inch snowflake shaped cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire cooling rack. Cool completely.

• Combine powdered su gar, 2 teaspoons butter, corn syrup and 1⁄4 teaspoon rum extract in small bowl. Beat at medium speed, adding enough water for desired glazing consistency.

• Place wire cooling rack with cookies over waxed paper. Brush glaze over cook-ies; decorate as desired. Let stand until set.

Compliments of NAPS & ©2011 Land O’Lakes, Inc.