Raspberry Mustard Ham with Saxon

Happy Holidays! In celebration of the holidays, the Saxon crew has decided to share one of our favorite holiday recipes for this month’s Fresh Brew! We hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season! 

Christmas Ham with Raspberry Mustard

Ingredients

  • 1 cup raspberry preserves
  • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1 fully cooked bone-in ham (18 to 20 pounds)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Mix together the preserves and mustard in a small bowl and set aside.
  2. Score the surface of the ham in a diamond pattern, about 1/8 inch deep. Bake according to the package instructions, 2 1/2 hours or longer. About 30 minutes before the cooking time is up, remove the ham from the oven and brush the glaze onto it. Cook until it’s nice and glossy. Repeat with another layer of glaze if desired.
  3. Serve the remaining glaze in a dish alongside the ham.

This recipe was provided by Food Network. If you’d like to visit the original source, please click here.

**Holiday Hours

  • Our office will close at 12 p.m. on Monday, December 24 and will be closed on Tuesday, December 25.
  • Our office will close at 12 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Monday, December 31 and will be closed on New Year’s Day, Tuesday, January 1.

We wish you a happy holiday season filled with family and friends!

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Christmas Tree and Holiday Light Safety

 

Source: National Fire Protection Association

Christmas tree fires
In 2007-2011, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated annual average of 230 home structure fires that began with Christmas trees. Home Christmas tree fires caused an average of six civilian deaths, 22 civilian injuries, and $18.3 million in direct property damage per year.

Although these fires are not common, when they do occur, they are unusually likely to be serious. On average, one of every 40 reported home structure Christmas tree fires resulted in a death compared to an average of one death per 142 total reported home structure fires.

Similar shares of home Christmas tree structure fires were in December (43%) and January (39%). Christmas tree fires are more likely after Christmas than before. For example, none of the ten dates with the largest shares of home Christmas tree structure fires were before Christmas.

Electrical failures or malfunctions were involved in one-third (32%) of the home Christmas tree structure fires. One in six (17%) occurred because some type of heat source was too close to the tree. Decorative lights on line voltage were involved in 12% of these incidents. Sevenpercent of home Christmas tree fires were started by candles.

Twenty percent of home Christmas tree structure fires were intentionally set. Half of the intentional Christmas tree fires occurred in the 20 days after Christmas.

The risk of fire is higher with natural trees than artificial ones. Researchers found that dry natural trees burned easily but trees that had been kept moist are unlikely to catch fire unintentionally.

Fires involving holiday lights or other decorative lighting with line voltage
Holiday lights and other decorative lighting with line voltage were involved in an estimated average of 150 home structure fires per year in this same period. These fires caused an average of nine civilian deaths, 16 civilian injuries, and $8.4 million in direct property damage per year. Two out of five (40%) occurred in December and 12% were in January. Fifteen percent of these fires began with Christmas trees. Electrical failures or malfunctions were factors in nearly two-thirds (64%) of the fires involving holiday or decorative lights.

Falls related to holiday decorating
In a study of fall-related injuries during the holiday season, Stevens and Vajani estimated that an annual average of roughly 5,800 fall injuries related to holiday decorating were treated at hospital emergency rooms between November 1 and January 31 in 2000-2001, 2001-2002, and 2002-2003. Sixty-two percent of those injured were between 20 and 49 years of age, compared to 43% of the population in this age group. With 43% of the injuries resulting from falls from ladders and 13% caused by falls from the roof, it appears that the majority of these falls occurred during outdoor decorating. Falls from furniture, typically inside the structure, accounted for 11% of the injuries. Some falls occurred when people tripped over or slipped on tree skirts or other decorations.

 


The Cheapest Days To Fly For Christmas

 

Source: Business Insider

If you're traveling for Christmas this year, you've probably already started researching flights for you and your family.

This process can leave you feeling a bit like you're on a mining expedition, sifting through mountains of junk in the hopes of finding that rare gem of a deal.

Our number crunchers here at CheapAir have simplified what can be an overwhelming process in order to clearly identify which dates of travel offer the best overall value.

Here's what we've unearthed*:

Cheapest departure days: Thursday December 18th, Wednesday December 24th, Christmas Day

Cheapest return days: Wednesday, December 31st, Tuesday, January 6

Cheapest overall itinerary: Thursday, December 18th to Christmas Day

Cheapest "practical" itinerary: Wednesday, December 24th to Wednesday, December 31st

Average savings flying on the cheapest departure days: $101

Average savings flying on the cheapest return days: $142

(*average savings compared to most expensive travel days)

As you calculate the overall monetary cost of your flight, don't forget to factor in intangibles like convenience and weather when choosing an air itinerary this holiday season.

Sometimes the lowest ticket price is not always the best overall value if you look at things a bit more with the big picture in mind.