Here’s a book that is full of nostalgic pictures, party ideas, and quirky recipes for all the major holidays: Holiday Jubilee: Classic & Kitschy Festivities and Fun Party Recipes, by Charles Phoenix with Kathy Kikkert. The author loves to do odd things with meatloaf, and Moms who’ve raised boys tell me the rat would have gone over big time! Don’t miss the lamb, either, with mashed potatoes for fleece, or the gelatin Christmas tree, complete with lights. This was a hoot!

This all started when Constant Reader told me about Jolabokaflod, or Yule book flood. Seems it is a tradition to give books as gifts in Iceland this time of year, in fact, publishers time their schedules around it! I love it! To learn more, I found The Little Book of the Icelanders at Christmas, by Alda Sigmundsdottir. It explains what, why, and how various traditions got started, including jolabokaflod. They sound like a lot of fun!

Reading Hermit With Dog