Share a Spoon - Christmas Traditions

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Merry Christmas Smackers!
Share a Spoon - Holiday Traditions
There are so many things that make the holidays seem like the holidays.  The lights.  The smells.  The trees.  The spirit of giving.  Then of course, there is the FOOD.
We have so many traditions.  We go as a family, the day after Thanksgiving (aka Black Friday) and pick out our Christmas Tree.  We refer to it as our Chrissel Tree, compliments of my Dad.  I'm certain that probably came from one of us kids and just stuck, nevvertheless, Chrissle Tree it is.  We leave the tree up until after New Years Day because it's bad luck to take it down before that.  <----I don't know people, it's just the way we've always done things.  My Granny is very superstitious.  Seriously, I could do a whole post.  Making mental note to do just that.  (Better write it down, Momma isn't really staying on task these days.)
For the last fifteen years or so, it's tacos for Christmas Eve.  I'm not really sure how this became a tradition, but we tried to change it one year and BDC almost lost his mind.  So....Christmas Eve we do tacos.  Period.
So...for Christmas morning.  We have ham rolls.  I bake a whole ham, overnight and that is Christmas breakfast.  I'm almost embarrassed to post this as a recipe cause honestly, it's not a recipe.

What you need:
1 smoked 14-18lb whole ham1 12oz can Coca-Cola1 cup water
Score the ham crosswise 1/4 in down both ways.  In a large roasting pan place ham and pour in the water.  Pour the can of Coke over the ham making sure to get it into the scores.
Bake on 275 degrees overnight.
Voila!  Beautiful baked ham for rolls and no fuss and muss on Christmas morning in the middle of presents and Santa's treasures.
This tradition has been going as long as I can remember.  My mother-in-law has even adopted this tradition too.  It really is easy and tasty!  Thanks for giving me this treasure Mom!
For my Daddy...nothing says Christmas like fruit cake.  I know what you're thinking.  Blech!  But this fruit is actually pretty good!  It's a dark fruit cake and it has some....um...different than normal ingredients!
Mom's Fruit Cake
Ingredients:

4 cups raisins

1 ½ cups  water

¼ cup butter

½ tsp salt

1 ½ cup sugar

In a medium sauce pan add all the above ingredients and bring to a boil.  Boil for five minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

2  beaten eggs

2 ½ c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ cup walnuts

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cloves

½ tsp allspice

½ cup citrus fruit (classic fruit cake fruit filling)

1 ½ cup gum drops (chopped)

Mix the flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, allspice, cloves.  Add the fruit, and nuts.  Cut the gum drops with kitchen scissors.  Spray the scissors with cooking spray so they don't stick.  Add them to the dry ingredients.  Stir in eggs and cooled raisin mixture.
Grease or spray with cooking spray two large loaf pans.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 275 degrees.

For my kids it's all about the baking.  Cookies.  Candies.  Cookies.  Candies.  But most of all??  Pumpkin Bread.  I know.  Weird right?  I make it all through the holidays, but I have been baking for a few weeks now, and I had neglected the pumpkin bread.  Kamden said..."um...Mom, we can't have Christmas without pumpkin bread!"
So I know most of you have seen enough pumpkin bread recipes already, heck, several of them have appeared here on Share a Spoon.  But for good measure...here's mine.  I have tweaked this one to perfection, in my opinion, it's perfect!
Brandee's Perfect Pumpkin Bread

3 cups sugar

1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree

1 cup canola oil

4 eggs

3 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup water

Cream together sugar and canola oil.  

Add pumpkin and vanilla.  

Beat in eggs one at a time.

In a separate bowl combine all the dry ingredients.  Mix well.

Add dry ingredients to the wet a little at a time.

Add the 1/2 cup of water and mix until just combined.

Spray two large loaf pans, or four mini loaf pans with cooking spray.

Sprinkle sides and bottom with cinnamon sugar.

Pour equal amounts into the prepared pans.

Bake on 350 for 50 - 65 minutes.  Cooking times vary depending on mini or large loaf pans.

So there you have it.  My family holiday traditions compliments of The Best Family and Casa di Romano.

Merry Christmas Smackers!

From my table to yours I wish you a very Merry and SAFE holiday!

Now link up and SHARE your must haves for your holiday tables!