Day 25: Merry Christmas -- the origin of the tree, plus a gift from Lisa Porter -- homemade orange glazed cinnamon rolls

Here On Nest by Tamara blog
We Wish You A Very Merry Christmas,
Sharing the History of The Christmas Tree
and a Christmas Morning Recipe...

Today ends this 25-day Countdown to Christmas event here on the blog.  It was great much fun to think about an inspiration each and every day leading up to December 25. 

Let's end with some tidbits about

the origins of the Christmas Tree - 

Miles' has me thinking about Christmas trees, and he asked me where the idea of them originates.  Funny how kids can do that to you- their inquisitive nature snaps you out of your routine and has you questioning exactly what your doing.  Seems an understandable question to ask why the heck we drag a tree into our home every year, string lights all over it and place wrapped gifts underneath it.  So, together, we did our research. In our research throughout Google and in Wikipedia, this is what we came up with...

The History of The Christmas Tree

The First Christmas tree has been historically traced to the 15th century in Livonia.  Research suggests evergreen trees were erected for the holidays in someone's house. In the same room as the tree, was the Christmas pyramid, a triangular construction of wood, with shelves to hold Christmas figurines, decorated with evergreens, candles, and a star. By the 16th century, the Christmas pyramid and paradise tree had merged, becoming the Christmas tree.  On the last night of Christmas celebrations, the tree was taken to the Town Hall Square where the members of the church danced around the tree in celebration. In 1584, the pastor Balthasar Russow wrote of an established tradition of setting up a decorated spruce at the market square where villagers first sang and danced around it, then set the tree aflame.  

By the German Middle Ages (16th century) villagers created a "Paradise Tree" and plucked an apple from it. They hung wafers on the tere (symbolizing the host, the Christian sign of redemption) and in a later tradition, the wafers were replaced by cookies of various shapes. Outside of the church, people placed trees in guild halls then decorated them with treats and sweets for children to enjoy. The trees held apples, nuts, dates, pretzels and paper flowers and were collected from the trees on Christmas Day.  Soon after, they are seen in the houses of wealthier Protestant families, and by the 18th century they adorned the trees with expensive candles. Only in the 19th century did they come into use more widely, often in schools and inns before they appeared in homes. The German army placed Christmas trees in barracks and military hospitals during the 1870-1871 war. During the turn of the century, Christmas trees again appeared inside churches, this time in a new brightly lit form.  The candles were added as the symbol of Christ. 

Please enjoy this wonderful Christmas Cinnamon Roll Recipe, and Wishing You A Very Merry Christmas.

inspiration from Lisa Porter Collection

It's a busy day today, so I made these delicious homemade

orange glazed cinnamon rolls for my family to start our morning.  My friend Lisa Porter sent these over last Christmas for my bloggy trading party, and now I have adopted them into my Christmas morning tradition.  Lisa pens a beautiful and informative blog called the Lisa Porter Collection and after following her musings for over four years, I have immense respect for her viewpoint.  Lisa is the stylish, smart friend you just have to check in with daily and see what she weighs in on everything from blueberries to fashion.  She is a fabulous cook and baker, and you just know she creates a beautiful Nest for her family in Lexington, Kentucky --...I love how she champions artists and talents and their perspective on her blog too -- check out this incredible recipe she has shared...

Christmas Morning Cinnamon Buns

¾ cup warm orange juice

1 package active dry yeast

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, beaten

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

3 to 3½ cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

½ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Orange Icing:

1 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar

¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

1 to 2 tablespoons orange juice

Tip: Use a citrus zester and citrus juicer for fresh zest and freshly squeezed juice. Use standard measuring cups and spoons or scales for accurate measuring.

Directions

Dough:

In a large mixing bowl, combine warm orange juice and yeast; stir and let sit until yeast is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add sugar, egg, melted butter, salt, and orange zest; beat until mixture is smooth. Add 2 cups flour; stir until well mixed. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured pastry mat or pastry board; knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time if dough is too sticky.

Place dough in a well greased bowl; turn dough over once to grease the top. Cover bowl with a small kitchen towel and let dough rise is a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

Prepare one 13x9x2 inch oblong pan; lightly grease the pan with shortening.

Punch dough down then turn onto a lightly floured pastry mat or pastry board; knead dough briefly, 4 to 5 times. Roll the dough into an 18 inch by 9 inch rectangle.

Filling:

using a pastry brush, brush the top of the dough with melted butter to within ½ inch of the edges.

In a small bowl, stir together sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle sugar cinnamon mixture evenly over buttered dough to within ½ inch of the edges. Sprinkle with raisins and pecans (optional). Roll-up dough jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch the seams together to seal. Slice dough into 1½ inch pieces and place about ½ inch apart in baking pan. Cover and let rolls rise is a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake:

Bake rolls 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove rolls from oven. Place pan on a wire cooling rack to cool.

Orange Icing:

In a small bowl, combine confectioner’s sugar, butter, vanilla, orange zest, and enough orange juice to make a good spreading consistency. Spread icing onto still slightly warm rolls.

Makes 12 rolls

Tip: This recipe takes a little extra time so I always double the batch!