The Vegas Voice 12-20

By: Pat Alexander / Art of Entertaining
I
’m sure it comes as no surprise that I love
Christmas. It seems if there’s a holiday, I find
a way to embrace and celebrate it.
So, let me tell you about the year I nudged my family, sisters,
brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews to have a Christmas celebration
in the snow. We rented a huge cabin in Big Bear, California that had a
slew of bedrooms.
But even so, my niece and her beau still wound up sleeping on the
floor of the kitchen (mostly because it was the warmest room in the
house). We ate, we drank, we cooked (Italian background, remember)
played games, squabbled, laughed, and generally just had a wonderful
time together.
On Christmas Eve, at midnight, just after the wished-for snow fall,
we decided to take a walk. It was one of those glorious nights when the
stars lit up the sky with no city lights to dim their beauty.
As we walked through the frosty night, we sang Christmas carols,
all off-key, but, really, we didn’t care because our singing voices are
uniformly bad. It’s a family thing.
What I remember most is the closeness we felt. We were together as a
family and the common bond was our love for each other.
We’re scattered now, from one coast to another, and we’ve not had
another Christmas all together since then. But when I hear their
voices in our Christmas Day calls, I have the memory of a wonderful
26
Cooking & Sweets & Treats, Oh My
Rebecca
By: Renee Riendeau / Movie Revelations
Netflix offers a lush cinematography of
locations and costumes as it presents
director Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of Daphne du
Maurier’s novel, “Rebecca.”
In 1938 it was a best seller, and it was eighty years ago that Alfred
Hitchcock won an Oscar for his rendition of “Rebecca”, a popular
British, romantic, thriller. As one film critic said, “This version is
ravishing to behold!”
The female archetypes were perfectly cast, and the men paled
by comparison. Armie Hammer is the archetype of a prince - tall,
charming, fairytale-like, Maxim De Winter.
Lily James as Mrs. De Winter, Kristin Scott Thomas, the housekeeper,
Keely Hawes, as Beatrice, Maxim’s sister.
The main scene is the imposing, castle-like family estate on a
windswept English coast. A young newlywed arrives at her husband’s
family home only to find herself battling the shadow of his first wife,
Rebecca, whose legacy lives on in the house after her death.
She must contend with his sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers and the
snobbish servants who make her life miserable and refer to her as “the
girl.” Evidently Rebecca was charming, sophisticated, and untouchable
in everything she did.
The new Mrs. De Winter was penniless, yet inquisitive, plucky and
proactive. Everyone around her seems obsessed with the previous wife,
December 2020
Christmas when we were all together and I remember that I am blessed
with a fun, caring family held together by love.
We suffered sugar overload from the dozens of homemade cookies
and sweet treats we brought with us that year because, what’s Christmas
without cookies? I’d like to share one of my favorite recipes for you to
try. I think you’ll enjoy it.
PAT’S SNO-BALLS - 350 Degree Oven
Cream 1 cup softened butter, ¼ cup Confectioners Sugar, pinch of
salt and 2 tsp. vanilla. Mix in 2 cups flour and 1 cup finely chopped
walnuts. Roll into a ball, wrap in Saran, chill overnight. Roll into 1”
balls, space 1” apart on greased cookie sheet, bake 20 minutes.
Toss in Confectioners sugar while still warm, then again when cool.
Pat Alexander writes about all things home. She is well known for
her cooking, parties and interior design, and consults on kitchen
and bath remodels.
Rebecca.
She was tormented by all the family secrets, and Maxim was negligent
in protecting her from the servants. However, when she learns the truth
about Rebecca and that Maxim really didn’t love Rebecca, she takes
charge of her new life, becomes the wife he really loves and grows into
full womanhood.
I’ve thought a lot about this film and still haven’t decided how to rate
it; somewhere between 3 and 4 in my movie realm scale. It’s definitely
worth seeing and or reading the novel, “Rebecca”, at your leisure.
Renee Riendeau is the movie critic for “Renee’s Revelations”
on Anthem Alive SCA-TV. As a dog sitter she operates “ Renee’s
Roommates” out of her home and can be reached at
rriendeau@aol.com.