"There you will find a baby, sleeping in a manger"
What a way to make an entrance hmm?
A lesser known story is that of Hilary, John and Alison's first Christmas when they found themselves stranded out in the cold. Well, sort of anyway.
Imagine having no where to go. No where to stay.
The story I want to tell you about happened on a cold and windy Christmas Eve night in 1990.
After spending a late evening celebrating the coming Christmas holiday with the Fechino clan, proud new parents John and Hilary Fechino returned to their modest home in Richmond Virginia along with their young baby daughter Alison only to find that there was no heat in their house.
Don't be fooled by the cozy glow of the Christmas lights. It was cold in there!
The thermometer in the small home only confirmed what they felt as soon as they walked in the door. The house was cold. Really, really cold. And it was too late at night to do anything about it.They knew that they could have gotten back in the car and returned to John's parents's house, but this was their first Christmas as a family and they really wanted to spend it their own home. Even though thermostat registered just 58 degrees, the young family decided to climb into bed together in an attempt to keep warm.
Baby Alison dressed in her flannel sleeper.
The parents dressed little Alison in her flannel sleeper. Then Mom and Dad, in an attempt to make it through the cold, dark night dressed in their warmest sweat clothes. But the parents's concern for their young child's safety, and due to the quickly dropping temperature in their home, it was impossible for them to sleep. They knew what they had to do. They, much like the famous family in Bethlehem, had to find shelter where the family would be safe. And they had to do something quickly.
Guided by a bright light high in the northern sky (a light that we now know was just a street light), the brave family of three donned their winter coats and traveled out into the night. Luckily, safe refuge from the brutal weather was to be found just next door.
There they found a warm place to stay at the home of Miss Marjorie Drumm. And lucky for the outcast travelers, instead of being forced to sleep on a bed of straw in her garage along with her 1985 Buick, Marjorie offered them a warm and cozy sofa bed in her living room.
The next morning, a lone wise man answered the call and came to help the young family. After puttering with the family's furnace for what amounted to about 3 minutes, he was able to provide the gift of heat to the family in exchange for a bunch of gold and silver (okay they paid him with a check but how romantic does a check sound??). It was a Christmas miracle!! It seems as though there was nothing really wrong with the furnace after all. The pilot light simply needed to be lit. The wind from the night before had blown it out.
So by now you are probably asking yourself is this the super warm and fuzzy "feel good ending" to the Christmas story? What do you think? Well, I will tell you. There is a an even brighter, more wonderful part of this story that you still don't know about. Stick with me.
Here's the rest of the story.
You see, the kind and loving Marjorie Drumm, that warm and generous woman who took in the poor family who found themselves out in the cold, had up until the time the night visitors arrived, spent her Christmas eve all alone.
Marjorie, an only child whose parents had long since died, had no immediate family members. And although she had been engaged to be married twice, she had never married.
Mother and Child. Marjorie Drumm and her mother Margaret.
For many years Marjorie had enjoyed every Christmas holiday in the company of her dearest friends Bill and Winnie Hale and their children. But this year was different. Winnie had died of cancer earlier that year leaving Bill and his family devastated by her passing.
The Hale family decided to spend their first Christmas without Winnie out of state at the home of one of Bill and Winnie's daughters. Marjorie, although invited to tag along, had decided to stay in Richmond that year and spend Christmas alone.
And all alone she would have been that Christmas eve night if not for the strong cold wind that blew out the pilot light to our furnace.
While anyone else might have been bothered by having to welcome neighbors into their house at three o'clock on Christmas morning, Marjorie was delighted to have the young neighbors she loved so very much spend even just a few hours with her that Christmas.
When we arrived at her door, I remember her jokingly asking, "Who is it?" To which I replied, "Just Joseph, Mary and the baby. Any room in your Inn?"
When I think back on that Christmas so long ago, there are many things I remember. I remember how cold we were that night. I remember how concerned we were for Alison's safety. And I remember feeling helpless and not knowing what to do or where to turn.
But what I also remember, and cherish most of all, was the warm and loving embrace that Marjorie gave me when she opened her door and found us huddled together on her door step. It may have been years ago now, but for me, that embrace is not just part of my Christmas past, it will forever be my Christmas present.
Marjorie no longer spends Christmases alone. She, Winnie and Bill are now all in heaven and I am sure they are enjoying their Christmases together once again.
Marjorie Drumm, circa 1940
Thank you again Marjorie for sharing a very special Christmas night with me and my family 21 years ago. Bless you.
Mama's Little Baby loves Shortenin', Shortenin', Mama's Little Baby Loves Shortenin' Bread!
It is now 2011 and our little baby girl Alison is all grown up. Alison is a woman now but she is not so grown up that she no longer enjoys making (and eating) her favorite Christmas cookies, made of tender and buttery Shortbread.
Every Christmas Shortbread cookies are baked in our home
This recipe comes from a former co-worker of mine named Joan Thines (now Eyster). She told me that she got this recipe years ago from her dentist. The dentist's wife would make batches of these cookies and then give them out on Valentine's Day to her husband's patients.
Traditionally made of just butter, sugar and flour, these shortbread cookies are simply the yummiest, butteriest cookies you will ever eat. And they could not be simpler to make.
Hermey explains, "Some day, when I am a dentist my wife will bake cookies for all my patients!"
While the dentist ( and no, the dentist really was not a later day successful Hermey from the Rudolph story in case you are wondering. That is a different story all together) chose to give these out on Valentine's day, these cookies have become a part of my Christmas holiday baking for over 20 years now. Once you try them they are likely to be a part of your holiday cooking too from now on.
Joan Eyster's Short Bread Cookies
Ingredients:
3 Sticks of Softened Room Temperature Unsalted Butter (no substitute)
1/2 Cup of Sugar
4 Cups of All Purpose Flour
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla, Almond or Lemon Flavoring is optional
Directions:
Set out the butter and let it come to room temperature. The butter must be completely soft for best results.
Cream softened Butter (not melted, just softened) and Sugar together until light and fluffy. These cookies are butter flavored, however you can add extra flavor with the help of extracts. If you choose to add additional flavor to your cookies, you can add in your choice of flavorings at this stage. If you choose to make a lemon flavored cookie, try adding in grated lemon zest for a great affect.
Gradually add in the Flour in several batches, a little at a time. Toward the end of the mixing process, the dough will become dry and stiff. If the dough is too dry to stay together, you can add in a teaspoon or two of water. Once the dough can be formed into a ball, shape it into a thick flat disc, wrap it in plastic and then refrigerate it for three hours or over night. If you prefer to make just round cookies rather than cut out shapes, roll the dough into a log shape before pacing it in the refrigerator. Once the dough has been removed from the refrigerator, simply slice the cookie dough into round discs and bake.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. It will be very stiff when you remove it from the refrigerator. Allow it to come to room temperature before rolling the dough out.
Place a sheet of waxed paper on the counter and sprinkle it with flour. Place the dough on the floured paper and then top the dough with another sheet of waxed paper. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough between the waxed paper until it is between 1/4 and 1/8 inch thick. Use your favorite cookie cutters, dipped in flour, to make shaped cookies.
Bake the cookies in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. These are ready to remove from the oven when the edges just begin to brown. Be careful not to over cook them. Allow cookies to cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet as they will crumble if you try to remove them when they are still warm.
To Frost or Not to Frost, That is The Question...
These cookies are great without frosting. In fact, some of my family members prefer to eat them without any frosting. But these cookies are also great when topped with Butter Cream frosting.
To make a simple Butter Cream frosting, start with one stick of softened room temperature butter. Using an electric mixer, whip the butter until smooth. Gradually add in one cup of Confectioner's sugar. Add in one teaspoon of extract (choose either Clear Vanilla or Lemon).
Once the first cup of Confectioner's sugar has been added in, gradually add in another cup of Confectioner's sugar. Before you are finished, you will had added in a total of two cups of Confectioners Sugar.
If making Vanilla Frosting, add in a couple of teaspoons Heavy Whipping Cream during the sugar adding stage to thin the frosting to the preferred consistency. If making Lemon Frosting, add in some Lemon zest and fresh Lemon juice instead of using the Vanilla Extract and the Heavy Cream.
Once the Frosting has been made, you can either pipe it on the cooled cookies using a bag or spread it on with a spatula. Add food coloring to color the Frosting if you like. Go wild and use sprinkles too if you want to. The only rules are to have fun and enjoy yourself.
You will find that the fragrance of these cookies when they are baking to be simply irresistible. I like to make the simple round version of the cookies and then serve them for dessert when company is expected for dinner. For a great homey touch, prepare the cookie dough in advance, then slice the dough into rounds and them place on the cookie sheet. Bake them in the oven just before your guests arrive. The fragrance of the baking cookies will drive your hungry guests wild.
My guess is Mama's little baby won't be the only one who loves these cookies. One try and I am sure you will love them too. Give them a try, won't you?
Enjoy!!
Yummm! And a great story to go along with it, too. I think I'll try these cookies soon. Keep 'em coming, John.
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