Christmas is always special to me because family is special to me. I love Thanksgiving and Halloween is becoming a competitor for that exalted "Favorite Holiday" title, but Christmas is by far my favorite. I love the family, the food, and especially the reason for the season, gifts.

But it's not the receiving of gifts that's so important to me. I have been learning that one of things that is Christ-like is generosity and giving. Christians(and Jews) tithe not because it's a salvation thing, nor does God love tithers more than others. Rather, tithing is to teach us to be givers and be generous with our gifts from God. Christmas to me is a way to emphasize that spirit of giving.

So this year, for the first time I contributed a substantial amount to a charity. This is something I've never done before, and it felt wonderful. At first, I wanted to feel recognition for this act because for me it was something unique in my life. Now I see though that recognition isn't necessary and could detract from the act. It will be enough to note on my blog that I did give, but I won't go through the details.

It was wonderful sending a few gifts to my friends and family, and I hope they liked what I sent them. I also made some delicious snacks and shared it at the Christmas party. Additionally, I spent some time decorating the cubicles at work and many people were impressed by the hard work. I just hope it brightened their day while being there at work.

The next update with include pictures as well as a summary of my winter break plans!

Now that I have all this time on my hands... Yeah right!

I finished my classes with a rush and flurry that I haven't had to experience in a long while. The coursework was not heavy during the year but the execution was the problem. Both teachers had problems keeping the class organized. I liked the professor for my morning class- I learned a great deal. However her lack of organization made the class difficult and I ended up having to write two papers at the end because there was little preparation up to those papers. The teacher was nice and understanding, but her organization needs improvement. In addition, she used a bunch of material from the teacher who taught it previously and it added to the chaos. I hope she rewrites those assignments and makes them her own.

The afternoon class was made more difficult not because the teacher was disorganized, but rather because she was crazy. She would make it a point to name drop some of the more important educators out there. She obsessed over some of our fellow students' facial hair(creepy!) and would change her mind often on how things were graded. There was so much confusion in that class that while I did the work, I'm not sure what grade I'm going to get. She said I would have a "solid A" but then again she's crazy, so that could very well change.

I'm just glad I'm done and I can move on. Next semester I'm taking two classes, one is the next step in my education coursework and another is an online course I need to complete for my dual certification in Social Studies. Hopefully I got good grades but I won't know until Dec. 24th. Early Christmas gift? We'll see.

Update: I just checked my grades, 'A' for both of them. Fantastic!

One of the things I would like to share on this blog are some of my recipes... when I get around to it. However, my sister insisted I post this recent and tasty recipe I picked up from Candi. We're not sure what to call it. Originally, it was "Buffalo Chicken" but the hot sauce is Louisiana-style hot sauce, so there isn't much 'Buffalo' to it. Also, I've switched from using chicken to turkey breast instead. So what should I call it? Louisiana Turkey Fingers? Stripped Mardi Gras Turkey? I have no idea, but its so tasty, you'll like it. Remember, this recipe is adapted from Candi's recipe so all credit goes to her.

What you'll need:
8-10 ounces Louisiana hot sauce
15-20 ounces of chicken or turkey breast meat
2 tsp salt
1.5 cups flour
Cajun seasoning
(For the flour and Cajun seasoning, I used a brand of batter called "House Autry Chicken batter")
Frying pan with .25in of oil on the bottom, or if you've got the equipment, a fat fryer and oil.

Cut your chicken or turkey breast into 2-3 ounce strips(too big and the meat won't cook right). Soak the meat in salt water for 20 minutes, then drain and marinate the meat in the Louisiana hot sauce for 30 minutes, coating it. Mix your flour and seasoning and spread out on a plate. Begin heating your frying pan to medium heat. Once the meat is ready, remove each strip from the marinade and place it in the flour batter until it is coated evenly. Place each strip into the oil and cook until the meat strip is golden brown on each side. I've learned its about 3-5 minutes per side, but that can vary depending on the size and thickness of the piece of meat. It's good to have a meat thermometer handy too!

It really is delicious, hope you guys try it.