Best Memorial Day

The Christmas Card Christmas cards originated in England over 150 years ago. "You cannot reach perfection though you try however hard to there's always one more friend or so you should have sent a card to," wrote Richard Armour. Sir Henry Cole knew exactly what Armour was saying. The founder of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London had so many Christmas greetings to send that handwriting them was impossible. Yet he wanted to make his friends aware of the need to help the destitute on that holiday. The answer. In the year 1843, Sir Henry commissioned John Calcott Horsley to paint a card showing theThe First Christmas Card by John Calcott Horsley feeding and clothing of the poor. A center panel displayed a happy family embracing one another, sipping wine and enjoying the festivities. (So much for good intentions. The card drew criticism because showing a child enjoying a sip of wine was considered "fostering the moral corruption of children.") "A ...

To add good cheer to the merry-making of English Christmases, posset was drunk on Christmas Eve. It was made of hot milk combined with spices, lemon and sugar, and bits of oatcake and bread were added. The posset was taken with a spoon, and lucky, indeed, was the fortunate youth or maiden who drew out the lucky coin or the wedding-ring which had been dropped in the posset-pot! During the 19th century, on Christmas Eve, the custom was to offer each caroling guest a posset cup and a piece of apple pie or tart. 4 cups milk 4 tablespoons sugar 4 slices toast 1 teaspoon cinnamon 4 cups of beer (preferably ale) Heat the milk, sugar, and toast in a saucepan, but don't let it boil. Stir the cinnamon and beer together in a punch bowl. Discard the toast. Pour the hot milk over the ale and stir. Drink from mugs while warm. Serves 8-10. Some possets contained raw eggs. The egg-nog (eggs beaten with sugar, milk or cream, and some kind of spirit) is a modern form of this drink.