Welcome to
Dean & Nancy's Christmas Pages
Everything Christmas since 1996
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Crafts &
Home Made Gifts | ~ | Christmas
New Orleans Style | ~ | Easy
Decorations|
|Gift
Ideas for Men| ~ | Christmas
Movies | ~ |Festive
Web Graphics | ~ |Trees
& Ornaments |
|The
Reason for the Season |
~ | Poems,
Stories, Jokes| ~
|Tropical
Island Christmas | ~ | Gifts Made in
USA|
|Christmas
Music & Sounds | | Live Free
Holiday Advice |
| Winter Weddings |
~ | Shopping Sources |
~ |More
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| Christmas
Party Games and Gift Exchanges
| ~ |Chocolate
Gifts | ~ | Holiday
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I
was inspired to create this webpage because we spent Christmas a couple
years ago at a beach house in San Juan Capistrano, CA. It was right
on the sand! I was SO cool to wake up Christmas morning, open the
sliding glass door, and step out onto the beach!
We put up island and tropical holiday decor, prepared some traditional island foods, built "sand-men" and listened to steel drum Christmas music!
Spending the holiday with flip-flops and sandy shorts
is a huge departure from what many people view as a normal Christmas.
No
matter, there are tropical celebrations of Jesus' birth all over the
world.
On many tropical islands, the children believe that Father Christmas
arrives on a boat, and that is how lovely lighted "boat parades"
came into existence.
I've gathered a few recipes and craft ideas, and links to places where you can read more about island Christmas traditions. Enjoy!
Aloha Kalikimaka!
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RECIPES
HAUPIA
Hawaiian coconut pudding dessert
1 3/4 cups frozen coconut milk
5 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 cup water
Thaw coconut milk over low heat. Combine sugar and cornstarch;
stir in water.
Stir mixture into coconut milk and cook over low heat, stirring constantly,
until thickened.
Pour into an 8 inch square pan.
Let cool until firm. Makes six servings.
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Papaya
Balls by Mercy
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You can also find recipes for Tropical
Fruitcake, Mandarin orange salad, 1953 Pineapple Christmas Cake,
and many other tropical recipes at Recipe*zaar.com
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Prince
Edward Island: Island Christmas Recipes
Christmas
Turkey On The BBQ by Chef: Craig Napper
Melomakarona
are made by all Greek families in the week preceding Christmas.
Coquito
Coquito is a Christmas tradition much like Eggnog in the United States
of America and elsewhere. Homemade coquito is served to visitors throughout
the extended Christmas holidays celebrated in Puerto Rico and throughout
much of the Caribbean. It is also a frequent Christmas present in
a "from our home to your home" way. While Coquito has gradually become
an "adult" drink with liquor, a tasty and nutritious beverage can
be prepared without liquor (which may be added later on to please
some of the adult tastes).
Ingredients:
* 2 cans of coconut cream
* 1 can condensed milk
* 1 can evaporated milk
* 1/2 quart regular milk
* 4 egg yolks
* 1 teaspoonful of vanilla extract
* ground cinammon
Blend egg yolks and condensed milk. Gradually add and blend in all
remaining ingredients. Refrigerate. Serve very cold, preferably without
ice in small cups. Sprinkle ground cinammon on top. Sip and enjoy.
A more conservative approach is not to include egg yolks. Try it both
ways. They are both a treat to your taste buds! Commercial varieties
of Coquito have been around for a few years. Some people buy any of
the commercial Coquitos and enhance the taste by adding their own
ingredients. More
Tropical Beverage Recipes
Tammy
in Sacramento, California writes:
I made Tropical Lime Cake for my family's Christmas Day celebration.
The kids were absolutely mad for it! I called it "Grinch cake" because
of the color,
and sprinkled holiday red and frosty white sparkling sugars on it
to make it look a
bit more festive hopefully without gilding the ranuncula :-)
It looked pretty and Grinchy green, and the kids were just delighted.
The adult kids too. It is a very tasty cake! Thanks for this wonderful
recipe.
Tropical Lime Cake
(recipe from Wayne in Phoenix, originally (?) from Robb
Dabbs on Allrecipes.com)
1 box lemon cake mix
1 (3 oz) box lime-flavored gelatin mix
5 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups confectioners' sugar
Preheat oven to350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13
inch pan. In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix (Tammy's note:
I sifted it) and lime flavored gelatin. Combine eggs, oil and orange
juice in a blender and blend for at least 5 minutes. Gradually add
the blended ingredients to the dry mixture. Beat for 5 minutes using
electric mixer. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes
in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
When the cake comes out of the oven, prick holes all over it using
a fork. To make the glaze, combine the lime juice and confectioners
sugar (Tammy's note: I sifted this too!) in a small bowl. Beat until
smooth. Pour over the hot cake. This will soak into the cake. Thanks
again, Wayne!
Island
style corned beef with cabbage
1/2 sm. round cabbage
1/2 c canned corn beef
1 sm. round onion
GRAVY:
1 t. cornstarch
2 t. soy sauce
1 t. salt
1/4 t. liquor (I use whiskey or omit)
2 t. sugar 1/4 c. water
Pan fry onion, add corned beef, fry gently for 1 minute. Add cabbage,
and cook for 2 minutes. Mix well and serve. Aloha from the 50th state!
You
would find the following foods at a traditional Hawaiian luau (feast):
Kalua pork which is wrapped in ti leaves and cooked in an underground
pit with heated rocks, poi which is made from pounded cooked taro,
pipikaula which is a form of beek jerky, lomi salmon which is salted
salmon mixed with tomatoes and finely chopped onions, laulau which
is pork and butterfish wrapped in taro leaves (tastes like cooked
spinach), and haupia, coconut pudding, for dessert with fresh pineapples.
Here is a recipe for Oven Kalua Pork:
3 lb. pork butt
2 cups water
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 cup Hawaiian salt (fine rock salt will do)
Place pork, fat side up, in a roasting pan or deep casserole. Combine
water and liquid smoke; pour over meat. Sprinkly with salt. Cover
and roast in oven at 400 degrees for 3 hours. Remove from pan and
shred pork. Makes 6 servings. Simply ono (delicious)!
Find More Luau Recipes at Aloha Friends
CRAFTS & DECORATIONS
Decorating
for an island Christmas celebration is a unique blend of "holiday
and hula" decor. Use more natural items than you normally would,
like palm fronds, dried grasses, and bright tropical flowers.
Dig
out those hula skirts, and use them to wrap around tables, or use
them as window covering. Get our your bobble-hula girls and make tiny
santa hats for them! Sprinkle fake snow all over everywhere!
Use
bamboo sticks, available at
joann.com
and garden supply stores, for displaying christmas cards or hanging
stockings, or make a "tree" out of bamboo!
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PlumParty
is more than a party supplies online catalog. It’s a great source
of inspiration, a home site for entertaining, a truly user-friendly
place for learning and perfecting "the art of celebration."
Actual products may vary - Visit website for current selection. |
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Send
friends and family a beach themed Christmas card... try not to rub
it in!
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You
also will find some great decorating ideas on my summer
luau page.
Draw
fishes and sea life with santa hats and scarves, hang your art on
the walls!
Seashell
Angels are cute and easy decorations
Keep
your Tropical Christmas memories fresh all year round with the Flower
of the Month Club
 There
are many Printable
Origami Projects at TammyYee.com,
I'm printing them right now !!! .. easy to pack for the trip to the beach house, a fun easy craft for everyone to enjoy, and lovely decorations all week! |
IslandChristmasShop.com
features fun and whimsical beach theme
holiday ornaments, greeting cards and party decorations
Bamboo,
Coconut & more Tropical
Candles at CandleBay.com
Hawaiian
Cookies in a Jar (with cute printable gift tag!) is a cute island
theme gift idea
 Decorate
your greeting cards, gift tags, and wrapping with wonderful
unique rubber stamps from Sideshow
Stamps. |
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Use
a palm tree as your Christmas tree!
We bought a cheap pre-lit one at a local home & garden
store for $40... its fakey but thats ok... or you could buy a live
palm... please make sure it will survive after the holidays, either
keep it at home, donate it to someone who can.
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Nautical Ornaments from Bradford
Exchange |
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Thomas
Kinkade Winter Lighthouse Ornament Set One
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Guiding
Lights Illuminated Ornament Set One
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Seaside
Inspiration Ornament Set 1
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Thomas
Kinkade Romantic Sailboats Ornaments Set One
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ISLAND HOLIDAY MUSIC
My husband and I have collected island style Christmas music for years, I think we have 12 or 13 tropical Christmas CD's on our stacks ... . Anything with a steel drum or ukulele will put everyone in a hula-holiday mood!
| C - Is for Christmas
the season of good cheer, H - Is for Happiness to last throughout the year, R - Is for Respect that each and all should show, in this holy season where ever you may go. I - Is for indulgence to know how far to go, S - Is for Santa Clause T - Is for toys for little girls and boys, around the world where’er you go you’ll find them joyfully M - Is a for manger the place where he was born A - Is for angels who watch from dust till dawn S - Is a for stars that the lead three men are from afar -- from Miss PeBeep Christmas in Jamaica |
The perfect labels for your
Tropical Christmas Cards, or party invitations!
LINKS & MORE:
How
to Celebrate a Hawai'ian Christmas
"Most
of the world celebrates Christmas in the tropics or during what is
summer in the Southern Hemisphere. But when most people dream of a
'merry little Christmas' they imagine tastes, smells and sights from
frosty winter festivities in Europe and North America" --from
Merry
tropical Christmas by Terry Mattingly
Christmas
under the Martinique sun
Hal Leonard The Beach Boys - Selections from Ultimate Christmas Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook |
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While
sleigh rides and snowmen are unheard of during the warm and sunny
Australian Christmas season, beach time and outdoor barbecues are
common.
How
to Celebrate an Australian Christmas
Nancy's
Luau Party Idea Page
- great island party inspiration!
YOU
KNOW YOU'RE CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS IN HAWAII WHEN...
Children
in Puerto Rico acknowledge both Santa Claus and the Three Wise Men
(or the Three Kings, as they are known locally) as holiday gift-bearers,
but there has been an increased emphasis on celebrating the coming
of the Three Kings given the island's Spanish heritage. On the evening
of January 5, the eve of the Epiphany, children leave grass (preferably
in an empty shoebox) and water for the Wise Men's camels in expectation
of their arrival with gifts -- Christmas
in Puerto Rico
Aruba
& Netherlands Antilles - Sinterklaas
graphics
used with permission & payment
Mahalo For Stopping By...
Aloha Kalikimaka!
Don't wait in line to mail gifts - Shop
Online!
Thanks for visiting my sponsors and my other websites!
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 Remember...
LOOK FORAMERICAN MADE GIFTS THIS CHRISTMAS! click here!! |
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Come ask me in person! Chat LIVE with Nancy! Click Here! I love to help! |
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| Thanks
for Visiting our "Everythin Christmas" Page! |
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Dean & Nancy's Christmas Pages
Table of Contents:
|
Christmas
Party Games and Gift Exchanges | | Chocolate
Gifts | - | American
Made Gifts | - | Easy
Decorations|
| Festive
Web Graphics | - | Poems,
Stories, Jokes | - | Gift
Ideas for Men | - | Trees
& Ornaments |
| Christmas
New Orleans Style | - | Holiday
Recipes | - | The
Reason for the Season | - | Crafts
& Home Made Gifts |
| Christmas
Links | - | Winter
Weddings | - | Shopping
Sources |
| Christmas
Music & Sounds | - | Tropical
Island Christmas| - | Christmas
Movies | - | Live Holiday
Help & Chat |
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Mele
Kalikimaka is the thing to say
