12 Days of Christmas {Treats}

Did you know….

1. In Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Tiny Tim was originally going to be called ‘Little Fred. ‘Dickens had two brothers called ‘Fred,’ Frederick and Alfred, the latter of whom died young. He probably altered the name to ‘Tiny Tim’ because the alliteration made the name catchier. (Although I can appreciate the connection to his family, I gotta say that ‘Tiny Tim’ sounds better than ‘Little Fred’).

2. Harper Lee’s friend gave her a year’s wages for Christmas, on condition that she give up work and write. She wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. (You want my opinion? That was a huge waste of money. That’s right. I’ve never been a fan of To Kill a Mockingbird. I don’t even know if I can really explain the reason, I just didn’t like it.)

3. There is a species of snail called Ba humbugi. The Fijian snail is named after Scrooge’s famous exclamation in A Christmas Carol, although Scrooge only utters the words ‘Bah, humbug!’ twice in the whole story (though he exclaims ‘Humbug!’ a number of times). (Umm….okay. I’ve got nothing else to say about this one.)

(Source: The Huffington Post)

Rice Krispie Treats. I know some of you are probably thinking that they don’t really count as a ‘Christmas’ goodie, considering they’re available in stores year-round. My sister Ashley disagrees with you though. When I was planning what I would post for Day 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas Treats series for the blog, she suggested I make some of these for her (she’s a fan). After thinking about it for a minute or two, I agreed…so I guess I disagree with you too. These most definitely count as Christmas Treats.

You may be able to buy these in stores, but I do think that they’re worthwhile to make on your own. I’m not exactly sure why, but they do taste different…and better than the pre-made treats. It probably has to do with the freshness of the marshmallows (as ‘fresh’ as processed marshmallows can be anyway) and butter. They didn’t last long in my house. If you’ve never had homemade rice krispie treats, then I’m very sorry for you. They’re not only very tasty, they’re also RIDICULOUSLY easy to make. As in less-than-10-minutes-easy. You’re welcome.

This time, I’m giving you guys two very strong, very emphatic recommendations for the price of one. The first I don’t think really needs much of an introduction or justification. I mean, who DIDN’T grow up listening to this book being read to them at Christmastime? Who DIDN’T grow up watching the cartoon narrated by Boris Karloff? Hearing him sing “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch” is worth watching the movie in an of itself, but I just love the traditional animation given to the Whos. This movie brings back so many memories and feelings of nostalgia for me. I watch it every year, at least twice at Christmas.

I still remember the first time I saw the second movie poster in the hallway of a movie theater as I was coming out of another movie (I don’t even remember what was now). I flipped out. I was so excited, guys. Without knowing a single thing about the script or story line, I made up my mind that I HAD to see it. I went in with super high expectations- and by the time I went out, I didn’t find myself disappointed. I don’t care what the critics had to say about this movie- it’s good. It just is. Never in a million years would I have though about giving the Grinch a back story explaining why he hated Christmas, where he even came from, or why he was living alone with a dog at the top of a mountain. Luckily someone else did. I won’t spoil it just in case there are some people who haven’t seen the movie- I will say though, that it’s a very creative idea (you may even shed a few tears). Jim Carrey stars as the Grinch. I will admit: Even beneath all that makeup and the Grinch suit- you will DEFINITELY know that Jim Carrey is in there. Like every other major comedian out there, he has his own trademark ‘schtick’. He takes the part and makes it his own. I’ve always been a Jim Carrey fan though, so I don’t mind when he goes into ‘character.’ It doesn’t ever take away from the story or other acting- it could just be due to how the script was written, but I couldn’t really see anyone else playing this part. Plus, according to IMdb: “The prosthetic make-up Jim Carrey wore took 3 hours to apply. Carrey felt so horribly confined and uncomfortable in the latex skin he needed counseling from a Navy SEAL who taught him torture-resistance techniques.”

I think he deserves props for that alone, wouldn’t you agree?

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Rice Krispie Treats

Recipe Courtesy of Kraftrecipes.com

CLICK HERE FOR PRINTABLE VERSION

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 pkg (10-1/2 oz.) JET PUFFED Miniature Marshmallows
6 cups KELLOGS RICE KRISPIES Cereal

Directions

1. Melt butter in large saucepan on low heat. Add marshmallows; cook until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

2. Add cereal; mix well.

3. Press onto bottom of 13×9-inch pan sprayed with cooking spray. Cool completely. Cut into 12 squares.

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