Christmas on Rosy Lane

By Rose Elaine

In the tizzy of tinsel, music, food, and gifts, it can be hard to remember what the holidays are truly about. Managing The Rose Elaine Manor is already a massive job year-round, and even smart, capable Rose can't handle the party planning on her own. Especially not with Uncle Hadley sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. As Elaine scrambles

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carla Cruit
• Release date: Nov 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781951165635

Rose Elaine

Rose Elaine spins beauty out of pain, giving hope and joy to women around the world who need a reprieve from their daily lives. Passionate about self-love and community, Rose Elaine inspires tenderness and self-care through creating her line of Rosy Lane-inspired teas, coffees, body scrubs, and lotions for busy women who deserve to pamper themselves. When she's not writing or creating her luxury goods, she lives a full, heartwarming life with her husband, adult children, eleven cats, and her stunning watercolor paintings. Learn more about Rose and pamper yourself with her creations at https://roseelainepublishing.com/!

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Christmas on Rosy Lane

First Edition

Registration number TXu 2-292-622

Decision Date December 29, 2021

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022907065

Rose Elaine LLC

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-1-951165-61-1

Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

roseelainepublishing.com

Table of Contents

Thanksgiving Day, by Lydia Maria Child

Thanksgiving on Rosy Lane

Deck the Halls

Three Weeks Before Christmas

The Christmas Story, KJV Luke 2:1–21

The Christmas Castle

Practice Makes Perfect

A Visit from St. Nicholas, by Clement Clarke More

The Children’s Party

Christmas Day

Happy New Year

New Year’s Eve

Nancy’s Recipes, From our Home to Yours

Other Books by Rose Elaine

Thanksgiving Day

Lydia Maria Child

Over the river, and through the wood,

To grandfather’s house we go;

The horse knows the way

To carry the sleigh

Through the white and drifted snow.

Over the river, and through the wood—

Oh, how the wind does blow!

It stings the toes

And bites the nose

As over the ground we go.

Over the river, and through the wood,

To have a first-rate play.

Hear the bells ring

Ting-a-ling-ding,

Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

Over the river, and through the wood

Trot fast, my dapple-gray!

Spring over the ground,

Like a hunting-hound!

For this is Thanksgiving Day.

Over the river, and through the wood,

And straight through the barn-yard gate.

We seem to go

Extremely slow,—

It is so hard to wait!

Over the river and through the wood—

Now grandmother’s cap I spy!

Hurrah for the fun!

Is the pudding done?

Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

Thanksgiving on Rosy Lane

Thanksgiving is a festive time at Rose Elaine Manor. Keeping with the traditions that had been passed down for over one hundred years, the ladies in the community would help Nancy, Betsy, and Rose feed over one hundred people.

Nancy, the Manor’s cook, had preparations down to a science. On Monday, these ladies would bake rolls, biscuits, and cornbread for the stuffing. Tuesday was set aside for cakes and candy. Wednesday, the stuffing was assembled, as were the casseroles and ham. The side dishes were prepared, and the turkey would be put in the oven at 3:00 a.m.

Treasured cookbooks with pages dog-eared and decorated with stains and handwritten notes in the margins and index cards with recipes scrawled in longhand were read and often needed to be deciphered. Time had taken a toll on the paper, and water stains and faded ink left some of the cards unreadable, but the chef’s memory remained clear.

Is that two tablespoons of sugar, Nancy? Rose asked as she began to collect the supplies for the rolls.

The older women taught the younger girls. The girls listened and followed directions as closely as possible and added a note or two when a card needed to be updated for posterity.

Laughter and joy filled the house as the smells of the food permeated the dwelling.

Monday began with a meal: cornbread, black-eyed peas, cream corn, butter beans, mashed potatoes, and meatloaf. Jobs were handed out.

Margaret volunteered to be the designated dishwasher. Nancy and Penelope planned to make the cornbread, Betsy and Gertrude would make biscuits, and Rose would work with the teenagers and shape the homemade rolls.

Penelope Pinkerton stood on a stool and helped Nancy mix the ingredients. Penelope’s red hair was in tight braids, and she had a little apron tied around her middle to dry her hands.

Nancy instructed, It will be helpful if you break the egg into a small bowl and mix it with a fork before adding to the batter, Penelope.

Penelope followed Nancy’s lead and mixed the batter well.

Nancy continued, Be careful—the stove is hot, and we have to wait until the oil is hot before adding the batter; otherwise, it will stick to the bottom of the pan. Nancy poured the batter into the cast-iron skillet, and it sizzled. She then put the skillet in the oven and handed the bowl, measuring spoons, and cups to Penelope to take to the sink for washing.

The process would begin again. They needed four pans of cornbread before