So relax and enjoy time with your family and friends! Give gifts, decorate evergreens, feast and be merry, feel warmth in your heart for the love of your kin and the return of the Sun. Even if you are surrounded by Christians you can still rejoice in the season because it is ours! Yule is the reason for the season!

We hope that some of the great articles on the Acorn Hollow site help to make a special Yule for your families and  please do feel free to share any practices that you incorporate at this time of year.

Wassail and a Merry Yule!

Thank you to all that have shared their creations! Hail our Creative Folk!

Tara Mitchell AOR created this from our “Hail Baldur” craft.

The Metzger Clan created this Julbock and Jul Nisse. We received these handmade Scandinavian stars from a friend. All crafts available on Acorn Hollow!

We will continue to add creations as we receive them!

Merry Yule!

Potato Stampers:

 Materials:

Russet Potatoes

Knife (make sure Mom and Dad help out!)

Chopping board

Paint

Paper plates or pie tins

Paper bags or tissue paper for wrapping

Instructions:

1. Wash and dry the potatoes.

2. Option 1: Cut potato in half and carve out (raised) shape.

Option 2: Cut out an inch slice of potato and make the

shape out of the entire piece.

3. Pour paint colors on paper plate (pie tin)

4. Stamp paper as desired.

5. Make sure completely dry before wrapping present.

 Yarn Balls

 Materials:

Yarn and 5-6 small gifts (runes and charms would be great)

Instructions:

Start with largest item, and wrap yarn in all directions until nearly covered. Add another item, and continue to wrap, then add another trinket, repeat until all items are included.  Tie a tag on it with something like:

“This is a gift ball, unwind and see what falls out.”

http://tinyurl.com/az3okuk

• Hot glue should be handled by parent or with parental supervision with older kids. (low temp glue guns are good too)
• Use olive oil brushed lightly on surfaces intended for the hot glue. If you use wax paper, make sure it is the waxy side and allow cooling completely before using “Modge Podge” or watered down white glue.
• If using low temp glue, you can use that glossy plastic surface sheets, again ensure it is completely cooled before removing. Glass or Formica surfaces are great too.
• Utilize either a flat scraper or a flat, thin metal spatula when using hard surfaces.

Materials:

• Glue Sticks
• Hot Glue Gun
• Wax Paper
• Tape
• Dish Detergent or oil
• Ornament Template or free hand it
• Glitter or other decorations
• Mod Podge or thinned white glue with water.
• Small Paint Brush
• String or Wire

Other options:

• Bowl of cold water
• Toothpicks
• Fishing line
• Imagination

Procedure:

If you are using a template, choose a simple thick black-lined image.

1. Cover template with wax paper, tape to hold it still
2. Use a slow, thick stream of hot glue/low temp glue. Reinforce weak areas.
3. Allow to cool completely. Remove from wax paper. If it is sticking, run remnant wax paper under cold water and set the ornament at the same time.
4. If using Modge Podge, simply brush the cooled ornament. If you are using white glue, thin with water and brush ornament.
5. Sprinkle with glitter, or paint, or whatever you feel like doing. Nothing is ok too!
6. Hanging – This can be done by hot gluing string, wire or fishing line. You can also use a tooth pick in the hot glue phase to create a hole. Make sure you dip it in oil or dish soap prior to inserting in your ornament.
7. Display on tree, or hang from ceiling around the living room at different lengths. This looks really nice.

Optional:

Use hot glue and shoot into a bowl of cold water in circular designs, or any designs. Allow to dry. Brush with Modge Podge or thinned white glue. Decorate. Attach a string, or fishing line. Display.

A great website for this craft:
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2011/12/hot-glue-glittered-snowflake-ornaments.html

Yule Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

grated rind of 1 lemon

juice of one small lemon or

1 tablespoon Kirsch

2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk, beaten

2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Procedure:

Cream the butter.  Gradually beat in the sugar, beating well after each addition.   Beat in the grated lemon rind, the lemon juice and the 2 whole eggs.  Blend thoroughly.  Stir in the flour, beginning with 2 1/2 cups.  Knead the dough with the hands until it is smooth and clears the fingers. If it is too sticky, add the remaining flour.  Wrap the dough in waxed paper and chill for 4 hours or overnight.   Roll out the dough between two sheets of waxed paper to the thickness of 1/4 inch.   Cut the dough with small fancy cookie cutters in shapes such as stars, hearts and crescents.  Place them on a buttered and floured cookie sheet 1 inch apart.   Brush with the beaten egg yolk.  Bake in a preheated moderate oven (350) for about 15 min. or until golden.

Tips:  Keep in a tightly closed container.  Cookies taste best after 2 days.

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Cinnamon Stars

Ingredients:

3 egg whites

3 cups confectioners’ sugar

3 cups unblanched grated almonds

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon mace sugar

Procedures:

Beat the egg whites until stiff.  Beat in the confectioners’ sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time. The mixture should be stiff and glossy.  Reserve 1 cup of the mixture.   Beat the almonds, lemon juice, cinnamon and mace into the remaining egg-white mixture. Let it stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour; it should dry out and be firm.   Sprinkle a cutting board with sugar.  Carefully roll out the dough to the thickness of 1/2 to 3/4 inch. If the dough sticks, sprinkle more sugar on the cutting board.  Cut out the dough with star-shaped cookie cutters.  Paint each cookie carefully and neatly with the remaining egg white mixture. Place the cookies on a buttered and floured cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated slow oven (275) for about 15 minutes or until set.

Tip:  The icing must remain white.

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Jam Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups butter

2 1/4 cups ground blanched almonds

2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring

3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

apricot or strawberry jam

confectioners’ sugar

Procedure:

Beat the sugar and the butter together until light and fluffy.  Beat in the almonds and the vanilla flavoring.  Add the flour.  Knead until smooth.   Roll out the dough on a lightly floured cutting board to the thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch; the thinner, the better the cookie.  Cut with small round, star or diamond-shaped cookie cutters.  Place the cookies on lightly buttered and floured cookie sheets.  Bake in a preheated slow oven (325) for about 15 minutes, or until golden.  Remove cookies from the baking sheet.  Spread half the cookies with apricot jam.  Top with the remaining cookies, dip the edges into confectioners’ sugar.

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Vin Chaud (Hot Wine)

Ingredients:

1 bottle red wine

4 cinnamon sticks

1 5-inch by ½-inch piece of orange zest (white pith removed)

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 cardamom pods

5 whole cloves

1/3 cup Cognac

Preparation:

Cook’s note: For the best flavor, use a slightly fruity red wine.

How to make vin chaud:

Mix all the ingredients together in a large saucepan. Bring the mixture to just under a simmer over the lowest heat setting on the stovetop. Do not allow the wine to boil. The mulled wine is hot enough when the sugar has dissolved and pulling and lifting a spoon from the wine brings up steam. If desired, strain the spices from the wine by pouring it through a fine-mesh sieve or a cheesecloth-lined colander. Add 1-2 teaspoons of Cognac to a mug and ladle the mulled wine over

Traditions for the holidays are a must with me and boy do we have a lot of traditions. Sometimes too may to count! I find myself trying hard to incorporate not only one culture but about 6. Yep I am planning for carrying on traditions that are Icelandic, Scottish, Russian, Ukrainian, German and Irish. The best way I can do this is through the mixture of foods and beverages we serve during our celebrations.

Yule is a time for family and fun and doing things together. As a child I remember being at my Amma’s house and making all of the Icelandic foods. I remember the piles of Pönnukökur, Rosettes, and the many layered cake; Vínarterta.

Although I do still make Rosettes and Vínarterta one of mine and my children’s favorites is making Pönnukökur. These thin, crepe-like Icelandic pancakes are traditionally served at Yule and are sprinkled with sugar (I like to add cinnamon), or you can add freshly whipped cream along with some fresh preserves or freshly cut up fruit. The recipe below is one that my Amma has shared with us, if you are not a fan of the almond extract it can just be eliminated from the recipe, however to me it wouldn’t be the same without it!

Pönnukökur
(Icelandic Pancakes)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 to 3 drops of almond extract
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups milk
½ half of a stick (1/8 lb.) of melted butter.

Method:
Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In another mixing bowl beat the eggs,
milk, butter, sour cream, vanilla and almond extract.

Gradually add the ingredients together to make a smooth thin batter.

Let the batter stand for 30 minutes, to let everything settle.

To cook, there is a special pan that you can purchase from Iceland, along with a spatula. However you are more than capable in making them in a typical frying pan, as long as you keep the amount of batter thin at the bottom of the pan.

Here is the pan (very low sides).

It is key that when you pour the batter into the pan, you need to rotate the pan, (the rotation helps the batter spread thinly and quickly over the surface).

A trick to keeping these thin pancakes from sticking around the edge is to use a spatula to skim around the outer thin edge of the pancake from the pan (right after rotating).

Once the bubbles start forming in the middle and out, or until light golden brown (one the reverse side), flip the pancake over. The first side usually is about 10-20 seconds, and the other side is about half of that. DO NOT LEAVE the pan, these cook quickly.

Once cooked, flip it on a plate to sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and roll up tightly or stack on a plate for folding in whipped cream and preserves or fruit.

Some people get even more creative and put on other items like Nutella or ice cream.

I found this cute video of someone making Pönnukökur, just in case there are those visual learners. Plus the lady is too cute! Video can be found at: http://vimeo.com/18118408

Here is a Link to a cool website about Iceland: icelandwantstobeyourfriend.com

Credits:

Recipe
The recipe book of Jodi Webb (AOR)  from her Amma: Ingaborg Burgess (Hallson)

Pictures
http://iceland.intracore.com/2008/11/18/if-this-is-tuesday-then-this-must-be
http://cardamomandcinnamon.wordpress.com/2011/
http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/p%C3%B6nnuk%C3%B6kur/Interesting

Hail the Reawakening!

Ostara Booklet

Acorn Hollow Odinic Rite Printable Calendar

Hail is the whitest of grain; it is whirled from the vault of heaven
and is tossed about by gusts of wind and then it melts into water.

Hagalaz means hail. The coming together of the warm thunderstorm and the freezing ice. It also could mean the seed pattern of the coming spring or of renewal. You could look at it either as the renewal of ourselves or renewal of our Folk. Also Hagalaz is a destructive force, which is what hail does to material things. The destructive side of this rune can show us that even though we can create order from chaos, there is still chaos within us that we cannot pretend it is not there. This is the first rune of the second Aett. These runes are the chaos that creeps back in and can either stifle us or motivate us towards being the best we can be! Always looking at the past pattern to learn and change for the future. Call on Hagalaz when we need to ‘see’ the pattern of renewal and recognize the importance of struggle and success, the harmony of purpose.

While making these snowflakes, think on Hagalaz and the coming Spring!

Materials:

• Hexagon Snowflakes Printable
• Scissors
• Various lengths of fishing line or white string
• Tape
• Optional items: glue, glitter and other silvery embellishments.

Directions:

• Cut out the template
• Fold according to instructions
• Using scissors cut out a pattern (with adult help)
• With the fishing line or string and tape hang the snowflakes from the ceiling or a high archway so they look suspended in the air.

Merry Yule!
FFF
Hyndla

Children’s Yule Booklet

Yule booklet 2011