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Home , Twelfth Night (holiday), Wassail, Wassailing

December 2020 Issue #386

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HERITAGE CLUB NEWSLETTER

Due to COVID-19, all events are cancelled until further notice.

Give yourself the gift Season’s Greetings! of happy holidays As 2020 winds down and we reflect on all the changes we have endured, remember that without the past, we can’t arrive at the For many people, holidays mean good cheer, shopping and family future. Let’s finish the year with positive thoughts and good cheer! gatherings. For others, the holidays can be tough. Many people Mail a card to someone – you don’t have to know them, feel more stress, disappointment, guilt and sadness. And this year, you don’t have to sign your name, just spread some happiness and COVID-19 concerns may make the holidays challenging for all. positive words of encouragement this holiday season. Setting healthy limits is key to keeping the holidays a favorite time

For December, I am putting EVERYONE into the drawing and of the year. each day up to Christmas, I will randomly draw a name to mail Tips for a happier holiday during COVID-19 a with a little something extra tucked in.

• Be reasonable. Don’t expect this year’s holiday celebrations We had a record amount of puzzle entries turned in for November! to be like other years. Staying healthy is the number one Out of the 157 received, 6 had no name on them so unfortunately, priority. they could not be entered into the drawing. The winners are: • Give yourself and others a break. Don’t get upset if Judy Jacobs Jo Mathiesen Becky Conley Sylvia Rollins things don’t go as planned. Judy Schneider Pauline Alter Deborah Katt Cheryl Baron • Enjoy the season. But don’t expect it to it to be the same Shirley Schock Marilyn Dunkle as non-COVID years.

Extra 2021 calendars are still available at any of the bank branch • Take care of yourself. Get enough sleep and make time locations - stop by and pick one up. If you would like one mailed for exercise. out, let me know and I can mail one out to you. • Spend within your budget. Worrying about money adds Shirley Baker, a fixture with Washington County Bank for 47 years to the stress of the holiday season. will be retiring on December 4th. I am sure many of you have had • Carefully choose the events you can attend. Celebrate Shirley assist you in some capacity – please join me in extending our with people who are respecting COVID safety rules. Consider best wishes to her and her future adventures. having some “get togethers” online through video-chat. Focus on the true meaning of the holidays for you. I extend to you my wish for a very Merry Christmas full of good health, love, happiness and the hopes of a much better 2021 to • If you’re away from family and friends, or have come! experienced the loss of a loved one, share your feelings of grief. Keep the demands on your time, energy

-Becky and wallet to a minimum. Reach out and talk to loved ones for support. Email: [email protected] Mailing address: 303 S. 13th St., Tekamah, NE 68061 Phone: 402-374-2020 Cell: 402-870-1310 Source: Resources for Living

Blair 402-426-2111 | Tekamah 402-374-2020 | Fort Calhoun 402-468-5411 | www.washingtoncountybank.com

YARN ORNAMENT

This cute little yarn wrapped ornament is made using a mason jar lid, some yarn, ribbon, and glue. This ornament would also make an awesome gift topper for your presents!

Materials List

• Worsted weight yarn, any color • Mason jar lid • Glue, or another adhesive • Ribbon (optional)

Instructions:

1. Wrap yarn around the mason jar lid; adhere using glue. 2. Wrap a single piece of red yarn around the white yarn. 3. Cut a small piece of ribbon (in any color that you want) and tie into a bow. Affix to the yarn wrapped mason jar lid using glue, or another adhesive. 4. Cut a small piece of yarn (in matching color) and tie a loop around the top. This will allow you to hang the ornament on your tree!

Have you ever wondered about the history of ?

Wassailing is a very ancient custom that is rarely done today. The word '' comes from the Anglo-Saxon phrase 'waes hael', which means 'good health'. Originally, the wassail was a drink made of mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, , and sugar. It was served from huge bowls, often made of silver or pewter. College, in Oxford University, has a Wassail bowl, that is covered with silver. It can hold 10 gallons of drink! Wassailing was traditionally done on New Year's Eve and , but some rich people drank Wassail on all the 12 days of Christmas. The Wassail drink mixture was sometimes called 'Lamb's Wool', because of the pulp of the roasted apples looked all frothy and a bit like lamb’s wool.

One legend about how Wassailing was created, says that a beautiful Saxon maiden named Rowena presented Prince Vortigen with a bowl of while toasting him with the words 'waes hael'. Over the centuries, a great deal of ceremony developed around the custom of drinking wassail. The bowl was carried into a room with a great fanfare, a traditional carol about the drink was sung, and finally, the steaming hot beverage was served. From this it developed into another way of saying Merry Christmas to each other!

One of the most popular Wassailing Carols went like this:

A Wassail Bowl Wassail Recipe Here we come a-wassailing Among the leaves so green, Ingredients Here we come a-wassailing, 48 ounces 1 cup sugar So fair to be seen: 1 quart orange juice 1 cup lemon juice 1 quart pineapple juice 24 whole cloves Love and joy come to you, 4 sticks And to you your wassail too, And bless you and send you, Directions A happy New Year, Heat over stove for 1 hour. Remove cloves and cinnamon sticks. And God send you, Keep over low heat and serve hot. A happy new year.

In parts of (such as and Sussex) where apples are grown, especially for cider, Wassailing still takes place on Twelfth Night (or sometimes New Year's Eve or even ). People go into apple orchards and then sing songs, make loud noises and dance around to scare of any evil spirits and also to 'wake up' the trees so they will give a good crop!