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  Christmas Memories, Cookies, Candies, and Desserts For me, it was the official start of the Christmas season, seeing the matriarchs gather in coffee klatches and recipes exchanges. As a little tike, anything that signaled the approach of Christmas was enough to cause excitement around our home. Watching my great-grandmother summon the elderly women of our family and neighborhood, was a sure sign that big things were heating up in our little kitchen. These beautiful women were dignified and almost aristocratic in their black mourning dresses, with clouded stockings, and clumpy shoes. I can still recall the gentle scent of...

RECIPES FOR CHRISTMAS Plan for your Christmas Feast and Gifts HERE!Holiday Ham with Fruit and Root Beer Glazed   BOILING AND SYRUP INGREDIENTS: 6  12oz bottles root beer (high quality) 1 red apple, sliced 1 green apple, sliced 1 cup red seedless grapes 1/2 orange, sliced 1/2 tsp cloves cracked black pepper to taste 1 tsp file (ground sassafras) BOILING HAM:1) Place ham in a heavy-bottomed black iron pot or dutch oven. 2) Surround the ham with apples, grapes, orange and cloves. Add root beer and dust with cracked black pepper and file. 3) Bring to a rolling boil...