Christmas Traditions

I was chatting with a few friends and family members about their different traditions during the holidays. There are so many great traditions. Since Chris and I are still a young little family, (we have no human children) it'll be fun for us to observe different holiday traditions so we can create some of our own! I've compiled a list of the various traditions from my loved ones I'd like to share with you.

• Jessica L.'s family makes "chex mix" when family comes into town.
• Emily L.'s family gathers at her parents house, opens all the presents on Christmas Eve and spends Christmas day at their own home with their families. They also have a huge turkey dinner.
• Tiffanie H.'s family has tons of relatives in Australia. Because Aussie's are a day ahead, they open gifts from those relatives on Christmas Eve so they can spend "Christmas Day" with them. Then they sleep over at Tiff's parents house, and open the rest of the gifts in the morning.
• Kesliane L.'s family has a big party on Christmas Eve with homemade eggnog, yummy food, and they share their talents.
• Jessica M.'s family opens one gift on Christmas Eve, always jammies, then with money they get from Grandma, they buy games and play all night. They also make gingerbread houses, decorate cookies and new stockings, and eat yummy food.
• Jaimie S.'s mom buys a Christmas pop-up book every year. They then read the book together. They have quite the collection. Jaimie also gets together with all her best friends at a local restaurant and exchange gifts and chat for hours. Always fun! Mama Mia's was yummy!
• Rochelle O.'s family growing up, would make home movies of Christmas day, and mail them to Grandma so she could be part of the fun times! They would also have clam chowder and cornbread on Christmas Eve.
• Tammy M.'s family packs into the family van and drives around looking at Christmas lights.
• My family heads to my aunts house on Christmas Eve for a family shindig. We eat yummy corn chowder, breadsticks, and various candies. From divinity, fudge, and peanut brittle, to fruit cake and popcorn balls. Then we open one gift on Christmas Eve. The rest on Christmas afternoon. We also have a huge family dinner. It's pretty much like Thanksgiving part 2. So yummy.
• Chris' family growing up would wait to build the suspense! They'd open all their presents on Christmas morning and spend the whole day sharing and playing with their new things.

So many wonderful traditions! I'm so excited to have fun things like these for my own children to enjoy one day.

One of my favorite things about the holidays are the yummy treats. I have a super yummy recipe for a Pumpkin Roll Cake.

Cake:

• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup golden brown sugar, packed
• 2/3 cup canned pumpkin, packed
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Powdered sugar
  

Filling:

• 1 cup whipping cream, chilled
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup English toffee pieces for garnish
• Additional powdered sugar, for garnish
• 1 1/2 cups purchased caramel sauce, warmed, for garnish
  

Directions:

For the cake:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Line a 15 by 10 by 1-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
• Sift the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice into a small bowl.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until very thick.
• Add the pumpkin to the egg mixture and combine at a low speed until incorporated.
• Add the dry ingredients and beat at a low speed until mixed.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff but not dry. Fold into the cake batter, with a spatula, until most of the white streaks are gone.
• Spread the batter onto a baking sheet and smooth out.
• Transfer baking sheet to the oven and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 15 to 18 minutes.
• While the cake is hot, dust generously with powdered sugar. Loosen the edges and turn the cake out onto a kitchen towel.
• Fold the towel over the edge of the cake and roll up. Cool completely, edge down, for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

For the filling:

• Beat the chilled whipping cream and powdered sugar in a large bowl until peaks form.
• Fold in 6 tablespoons English toffee pieces.
• To assemble, unroll the cake and sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of English toffee pieces.
• Spread the filling over the toffee. Start at 1 long side of the cake roll and, using the towel as an aid, roll up the cake to encase the filling.
• Place the cake, seam-side down, on a platter.
• Trim the ends of the cake at a slight diagonal.
• Dust the cake with powdered sugar.
• Spoon some warm caramel sauce and the remaining toffee chips over the top of the cake.
• To serve, use a serrated knife to cut the cake crosswise into 1-inch thick slices.
• Drizzle more sauce on each slice and serve.

Make sure you have a tall glass of milk! This bad boy is super sweet! Enjoy!