Advent Calendar - December 2 - Holiday Foods

I can remember as a kid waking up mom & dad to let them know that Santa had been there.  Once everyone was up, we were tortured into eating breakfast before opening our presents!  Just kidding!  I'm sure the bacon and eggs, and the coffee for mom and dad, helped make the morning go smoother as we ripped into our presents.  Believe me, we ate breakfast at a lightning pace!


Our family pretty much had all of the traditional holiday foods for Christmas dinner - everything from ham to turkey, plenty of pies, even cranberry sauce (yuck!).  Honestly, I probably don't pay enough attention to what is being served - if you fix it, I can eat it.

One particular holiday tradition that I remember growing up involved special "Santa" mugs filled with lime-green holiday punch.  My grandma Wright started this tradition, I believe, and my mom still has this punch every year.  The kids really enjoy it :

Christmas Punch

Makes 36 servings

2 cups sugar                                    6 cups water

3 packages lemon-lime koolaide         2 liters lemon-lime soda

3 cups pineapple-grapefruit juice*       1 quart lime sherbet

1/3 cup lemon juice

About 2 hours before serving, stir half of the lime sherbet in punch bowl to soften.  Mix sugar, koolaide, juices and water together in large pitcher.  Stir until sugar is dissolved.  (This could be done ahead of time and chilled).  Blend into the sherbet that is in the punch bowl.  Scoop remaining sherbet on top.  Carefully pour in 7-Up or any lemon-lime carbonated beverage.

*If pineapple-grapefruit juice is not available, mix 1 1/2 cups of pineapple juice and 1 1/2 cups of grapefruit juice.

** Freeze 7-Up ice cubes with drained marschino cherries in the middle for color.