Christmas in Connecticut
Today we scratched the second state of our map: Connecticut! It’s a small state, but we packed a lot in. We learned about some of the unique state holiday traditions including Mystic Seaport’s Lantern Light Village and Essex’s “Trees in the Rigging” Boat Parade. We then put on the Christmas album of famous Connecticuter Michael Bolton, lit a Yankee Christmas candle (as the state song is sung to the tune of “Yankee Doodle”), put a Y(a)le Log video on the TV, mixed up some crème de cassis cocktails in honor of the Hartford Courant being the oldest newspaper in America (1764), and flipped through the book “A Connecticut Christmas” to learn even more about the state’s holiday traditions.
We had some fun playing a Christmas version of Connect(icut) 4 and also amused ourselves with Christmas versions of the famous Connecticut products Frisbee (invented in Bridgeport in 1871 by college students throwing pie tins) and Pez (invented in the 1920s to help quit smoking but now produces 12 million candies a day out of its Connecticut home).
And for the main show, we watched the 1945 classic “Christmas in Connecticut” and based our dinner menu off of the “Christmas Dinner” menu by “America’s Best Cook Elizabeth Lane” from the movie, including celery soufflé, candied sweet potatoes, hot rolls, and salad with walnut dressing. And for dessert, we baked up some Nutmeg Spice Cookies to honor “The Nutmeg State”.
MENU:
Cassis Cocktails
Salad w/ Toasted Walnut Dressing
Hot Dinner Rolls
Connecticut Spice Cookies (Nutmeg State)
ACTIVITIES:
“Christmas in Connecticut” Movie
Christmas Connect(icut) 4
Mystic Seaport Lantern Light Village
Essex’s “Trees in the Rigging ” Boat Parade
Michael Bolton Christmas Album
Yankee Company Christmas Cookie Candle
Y(a)le Log Video
INTERESTING READS & CONTEXT:
“A Connecticut Christmas” Coffee Table Book
Connecticut Products: Pez, Frisbees
