I was trying to enlighten and educate Chatter with some newly discovered Christmas knowledge I recently acquired when she gave me this look.
I told her “It just so happens that snapdragons, one of my favorite flowers, was named after a Christmas game from 1704. To be precise a Christmas game of picking raisins from burning brandy and eating them while they were on fire.”
Chatter’s disbelief made me say “I’m serious. I read it in a dictionary.” Her reply “Well ok Mom that sounds like a real nice game.”
Tipper
Appalachia Through My Eyes – A series of photographs from my life in Southern Appalachia.
Parents get dumber every year from when the child turns 13 until the child gets to about 23 or 24, then the parents start getting smart again!
Don’t know whether that was a wives tale or a real piece of knowledge. However, all I can say is that that is a big tongue ouchy. I think I will pass on that game.
Tipper,
Chitter and Chatter have got a lot
to say anyway, but so do most
teenagers. Love them big, thick
eyebrows…Ken
And we think video games are bad…
There is a shiny globular shaped object on the left side of the picture over Chatters right shoulder. It appears to be an awfully ugly Christmas ornament or the back of my head. I don’t recall being there that day.
I have to agree, that sounds like a real nice game. Lol
Made me smile 🙂
How much of the Brandy would they consume before starting to pluck the raisins? This sounds like a Bar Game which could be injurious to one’s health.
Tipper,
I just had to research the Snapdragon parlor game. Besides Wikipedia, I found many other references. I found that it is even played in 21st century. It’s played a lot now in bars…go figure! It was popular in England, Canada and the United States. Not in Scotland, etc.
There is also a ‘chant’ that goes with the game, which is very interesting as well…Brandy doesn’t burn long, just enough to burn the alcohol off..
It must have been great fun, when there were only candles, lanterns back in the day. A large flat bowl was used, filled with brandy set a fire and lit up the room. Other fruits were used as well.
This reminds me uh-oh…I can just hear Don saying, here she goes again off the line of conversation…well anyhow…here goes…
When I was a young girl doing the ‘home-ec’ class, we learned to make the popular (back then) Baked Alaska..duhh.. my whipped egg whites looked flamed when it came out of the oven with melting ice cream! Don’t even ask me about the time, (when I got old enough to buy rum) in my later years that I tried to make Flaming Bananas Foster!
Thanks Tipper for another interesting post…
PS…I like my raisins chocolate covered…In fact I have a large jar sitting right here I bought for Christmas treats from Costco…Would you like a handful? Your welcome!
I agree with Miss Cindy that teenagers think that adults know nothing. I agree with Chatter that adults know nothing. Teenagers see adults playing with fire and are told that only adults can do it. They see adults consuming alcohol and are told that only adults can do it. What other conclusion could they reach?
Children don’t begin life as idiots, they learn it from adults.
Tipper-I am speaking only in general terms and by no means intend to insinuate that your girls will learn to be idiots in your home.
I remember as a teenager thinking I had everything figured out and didn’t need an adult telling me otherwise. Fortunately most of us come to our senses later on down the road when we realize our parents were actually smarter than we gave them credit for. And then the cycle starts all over with our kids. I love the look on her face!!
Sounds like a dangerous game for a bearded fellow, I’ll just eat my raisins out of those little boxes!!
Miss Cindy has it right–that’s a look of bemused condescension, with a small degree of “can you believe I have to put up with this?” thrown in for good measure. Of course it could have been worse–she could have said (and with some merit): “Just because you read it in a dictionary doesn’t mean it is right.”
Of course Mark Twain, as he did in so many other areas of life, pretty well summed up matters when he wrote something to the effect of his father being woefully ignorant when he was 14 years of age and how amazing it was how much his father had learned by the time Twain reach 21.
Jim Casada
http://www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com
Now Tipper, that is exactly what you hope from Chatter – LOTS OF CONFIDENCE! My mother use to call it ‘KMOW IT ALL” when we tried to pull that act on her. HAPPY KNEW YEAR and think twice about seeing the movie UNBROKEN – as it is HEAVY but true.
Eva Nell
Have you tried the game? I might watch but I don’t think I would want to get involved.
Condescending is the word for Chatter’s look and her comment. I think it’s a teenage thing. You know, when they know everything and adults know nothing. We can hope she will grow out of it!
Doesn’t sound like a fun game to me.
Well, OK, that sounds like a real nice game to me too.