Reading recipes and enjoying Christmas music
By Donna Traywick
Mt. Olivet News
I take spells of downsizing occasionally, then collect more things right back. This week
it’s been my collection of cookbooks. I rarely use them to cook from. I just enjoy reading
them.
I really enjoy those put out by churches or civic organizations. The church cookbook
usually has the name of the person submitting the recipes. I enjoyed reading the Shady
Grove cookbook with recipes from the late Martha Manning, Betty Manning, and Robbie
Trotter, just to name a few.
The Como cookbook had pictures of all the old vintage homes and churches, as well as
recipes from some of the old settlers. I know they are old, when they use terms like lard,
and fat back.
Black Jack’s young people put out a cookbook in the 80’s. Some members of that
young group were Barry and Brian Hitchcock, Sonya and Karen Mason, Ken and Lee
Phelps, Lisa Hudson and LaDonna.
LaDonna submitted 2 recipes from her great aunts, Dale Freeman and Edna billings.
Aunt Edna was the innovated cook that was always trying new ideas. Her recipes were
purple hull pea shell jelly. Each spring she also made Kudzu jelly.
Aunt Dale, never let anything go to waste. She always came to the Palmertree’s at hog
killin’ time. Miss Jessie was pretty thrifty with her meat, but ‘chitlins’ was something that
she culled. Not Aunt Dale, she stayed out in the cold washing them with water hauled
by mule and slide from the spring, she took them home, because no one in the
Palmertree house would eat them.
I saw a picture of Bro. Doug Pepper’s plate of fried chitlins’ on Facebook. I’ll admit they
looked delicious. Many great cookies have only a few. And many noncooks, like me
own a lot.
I love the Christmas season. I love all the festivities, but I get sad that more store
windows don’t depict more religious themes than snowmen, reindeer and other non-
Christian themes.

Our church Christmas music never lasts long enough for me. Joy to the World, which is
the most published Christian hymn, was not primarily written as a Christmas hymn.
Isaac Watts the author wrote it about the Second Coming of Christ. It’s based on Psalm
98. Even though it immediately became a Christmas song in spite of Watts' purpose. It
is also a song for Easter. “Joy to the World, the Lord has come.”
Have a blessed and wonderful week. Please remember the reason for the season. As I
reflect on the stages of my like -the little things- the small gifts mean the most made with
love and not bought with money.
Ponder this: Not he who has much is rich, but he who gives much, is rich.
Email me your best and most unusual Christmas. I’ll print. Email to
donnatraywickmusic@gmail.com