Grandkids Christmas Brunch With Santa 12/15/2013

"Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling." -- Edna Ferber (Roast Beef Medium)

Celebrating The Season With Joe and Amy, Amy's Folks, And The Grandkids!

This year is was special because Grandma Michele and Grandpa Tony joined the fun! We got to visit with them and the grandparents got to watch the kids enjoy themselves and see Santa!

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Fun Fun Fun

We Arrived A Few Minutes Early

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
We needed to gain our composure before the sugar-effect kicked in!

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Cathey Liles.... Never heard of her!

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
It was a magnificent California Winter Day - The temperature hit 81 at 1:00 PM

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Spiderman was watching over the event... Looking for Charlie and Alex

The Boys Wanted To See Santa Immediately!

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
The word bashful is not in their vocabulary

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
They were pretty excited about seeing Santa

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Santa asked if they sent him a letter with their list.....

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
The soldiers helped Santa in his duties

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Grandma Tony and Grandma Michele
Charlie and Alex
Daddy Joe and Mommy Amy

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Alex gets the sun out of his eyes... So does daddy Joe

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Grandma Michele has the boys get one more chance to talk to Santa

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Santa explains about K-Mail or L-Mail or H-Mail....
No No... He remembered it's "E-Mail"

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Santa said he had to train all the elves to use email... Well, sort of!

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Mom and Dad help out...

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
We are all feeling the heat.... Thank goodness for the slight breeze

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
An excellent Santa

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
The boys get a helping hand

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Mustard on pancakes Charlie???

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
James and Linda were at the next table - Linda shows pictures of the baby

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Champagne for breakfast... It's a must!

Hey Alex & Charlie... Better Make Some Cookies

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Santa knows his cookies

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Santa had a helper (who is getting danger pay today!)

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013       Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Let's find a table and begin the project...

Did You Know? - Originally, the term gingerbread (from Latin zingiber via Old French gingebras) referred to preserved ginger. It then referred to a confection made with honey and spices. Gingerbread is often used to translate the French term pain d'épices (literally "spice bread") or the German term Lebkuchen or Pfefferkuchen (pepperbread, literally: pepper cake).

The term Lebkuchen is unspecified in the German language. It can mean Leben (life) or Laib (loaf), while the last term comes from the wide range of spices used in this product.

Gingerbread was brought to Europe in 992 by the Armenian monk Gregory of Nicopolis (Gregory Makar) (Grégoire de Nicopolis). He left Nicopolis Pompeii, to live in Bondaroy (France), near the town of Pithiviers. He stayed there 7 years, and taught the Gingerbread cooking to French priests and Christians. He died in 999.

During the 13th century, it was brought to Sweden by German immigrants. Early references from the Vadstena Abbey show how the Swedish nuns were baking gingerbread to ease indigestion in 1444.


Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Mom provides guidance... This is gonna be fun!

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
"Hey Alex... Mom and you are getting that look again!"

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Isn't it nice that Mom's can handle sticky things???

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
"Dad's a pretty good squeezer also.... Squeezer... NOT geezer!"

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
It's going to be a work of art

Did You Know? - Modern Christmas cookies can trace their history to recipes from Medieval Europe biscuits, which when many modern ingredients such as cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, almonds and dried fruit were introduced into the west. By the 16th century Christmas biscuits had become popular across Europe, with lebkuchen being favoured in Germany and papparkakor in Sweden, while in Norway krumkake were popular.

The earliest examples of Christmas cookies in the United States were brought by the Dutch in the early 17th century. Due to a wide range of cheap imported products from Germany between 1871 and 1906 following a change to importation laws, cookie cutters became available in American markets.

These imported cookies cutters often depicted highly stylised images with subjects designed to hang on Christmas trees. Due to the availability of these utensils, recipes began to appear in cookbooks designed to use them. In the early 20th century, U.S, merchants were also importing decorated lebkuchen cookies from Germany to be used as presents.

In Canada and the United States, since the 1930s, children have left cookies and milk on a table for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, though many people simply consume the cookies themselves.

 

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Alex is watching with care.....

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
"OK Dad... I got it from here?

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
How to decorate with one simple step!

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
The boys had something in mind... A gingerbread ninja is a "ginja"

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
A proud daddy! That cookie makes his eyes water....

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
It's ready to go... All it needs is the rug-rats!

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Hey dad... Will you pay the bail???

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
I'm inside and I can't get out!

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Double trouble

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
"Watch me... I am going to hit the ceiling!"

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
"Mom... My nose is stuck!"

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
"I can bite my way out"

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
We are bounce-ologists

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Oh-oh.... Charlie found out the grass was wet!

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
"Come on dad... Take your shoes off also!"

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Alex gives us the "Special Christmas Smile"

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Family.... So very important

Did You Know? - Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts.  ~Author Unknown


Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
We visited with James and Linda for a little bit

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
We said goodbye to Old Ranch

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
Always a friendly smile at the front desk

Brunch with Santa at Old Ranch December 2013
..and a little shopping at Old World