Beno Varghese dot-com blog

How would you feel if you family and close one’s forgot your birthday?

As I realized that Christmas is fast approaching, a controversy came to mind. The argument between using ’Merry Christmas’ vs. using ’Happy Holidays’, which to some are childish and to some is a fight for Jesus Christ. ‘Merry Christmas’ has been used by most of the world to wish each other during the Christmas season. Then some of the world decides that wishing ’Merry Christmas’ to someone is equivalent to forcing Christianity on them and in order to not offend anyone, people should use ‘Happy Holidays’ to greet someone.
The reason for the Christmas season is the birth of Jesus Christ and it should be kept that way, to celebrate his birthday. Corporations and others have changed the complete meaning of Christmas by making it a celebration of Santa Claus, Elves, Reindeer, Snowman, and everything else except for ‘Jesus Christ’. What do any of these characters have to do with Christmas? The only thing related to Christ that’s left in Christmas is the word ‘Christmas’ and the greeting ‘Merry Christmas’. If you ask kids nowadays about the meaning of Christmas, many will say that Santa Claus comes to give gifts. Most people recognize and celebrate Christmas by using Santa Claus and the Snowman rather than Jesus Christ. I admit that the characters are very entertaining and make kids happy and I am not telling anyone to get rid of these characters. All I am saying is not to forget the real reason for the season, which is the birth of Jesus Christ and to celebrate his birthday and what he has done for us rather than the other made up characters. 

Bring Christ back in Christmas, leave Christ in ‘Merry Christmas’, and use ‘Happy Holiday’s for the various other holidays that we have such as ‘halloween’, ’st.patrick’s day’, and thanksgiving.   

Hello mr. sun,
A big hello to you,
Amidst the cold morning,
throught the clouds,
your rays reach out for us down below,
giving us some relief from old man winter.
oh that feeling, that warm feeling,
a ray of sunshine can provide,
like finding water in a desert,
like finding the warm spot on your bed.
may your rays keep beaming down on us,
while we thank God for placing you up there,
keeping shining, shining down on us

Semiya Payasam (Vermicelli pudding) is an Indian dessert and is similar to rice pudding. Below is the recipe for making the dessert.

Ingredients needed:

• 1 cup of Vermicelli
• 2 teaspons of Ghee or unsalted butter
• Handful of Cashew Nuts
• Handful of Raisins
• 2-3 pods of Cardamom
• A pinch of Saffron
• 1 cup of Sugar
• 1 cup of Milk
• 3/4 cup of Water

The process:

1. Heat the ghee or unsalted butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat
2. Add the vermicelli and fry until it’s golden brown, stirring constantly
3. In the meanwhile, boil the water
4. Add the vermicelli to the boiling water and cover it. Stir it occasionally.
5. Once vermicelli becomes soft, add the sugar and continue to stir.
6. Add the saffron to the milk and stir it until it dissolves
7. Add the mix of saffron and milk to the vermicelli.
8. Crush the cardsmom to a powder and add it to the mixture.
9. Fry the cashewnuts and raisins in the ghee or unsalted butter and add these to the mixture.
10. Mix all of it well and boil them for about two minutes.
11. Your Semiya Payasam is now ready to be served hot or cold.

Note: 3/4 cup of Milk can be used in place of the 3/4 cup of water to cook the Vermicelli.

Enjoy!