For the first time since we met, My husband Clay is going to be off on Christmas day! Every other year, he's been off on Christmas Eve for me but this time I kind of put my foot down and got him to accept the fact that he is the Executive Chef and has worked every Christmas Day for the last 17 years and he's earned it. At first he argued with me that he HAD to go in but eventually realized that being home with our daughter was more important. Time to let his sous chef prove himself.
On Christmas Eve around 5, we will have a number of friends over for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Then after everyone leaves, we will have a quiet, late supper and then open about half of our presents.
Christmas morning we will get up, have coffee and open the rest of our presents and then my husband will make me eggs benedict.
The only major bummer about this week is that it has been so warm. It's 7:15pm as I write and it's still 65º. This is the third night in a row that I've wanted to light the fireplace but it's just too warm!
Posted by pierre (Member # 1462) on :
For nearly 26 years we've always brought a huge amount of Kentucky Fried Chicken, cole slaw, beans and gravy home for Christmas eve. Lyn makes the spuds. All the kids get to open one present Christmas eve. Christmas morning is a quiet pandemonium. Lat always tries to look cool, but his excitement breaks through every so often. Rosemary is still like a little girl. She still insists on the stockings on the stair rail, Easter baskets and Halloween costumes. This will be Liz's second Christmas with the St.Maries. Coming from a modest background, last year she was in a state of shock with the deluge of presents from Lat. This year she's particularly excited. I have my children around me. Life is good in Lost Prairie.
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
Christmas Eve at 1 pm, we have our Christmas with my stepson and his girlfriend. Between her family stuff, her church & his family stuff, we've squeezed in Christmas Eve afternoon as ours. I make my 3-cheese, almost better than sex lasagna and we spend the afternoon together. For the first time in years, I haven't gotten my stepson the 1 awesome present he has to show everyone..cause I have no clue what it is. But I did manage to figure out something for his girlfriend that I think will be her awesome present.
My family (grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins) hasn't had a real family Christmas in 10 years, since my grandparent's sold their house. I got back from my trip over Thanksgiving weekend to learn I had been nominated into having one this year at my house. It's at 6:00 Christmas Eve.
Then, once everyone finally gets outta my house I will make my husband watch the Grinch movies with me, as always.
Posted by Kimberly Zanetti (Member # 2546) on :
I knew I forgot something! Thanks for reminding me Kissy. Christmas Day we'll have my world famous manicotti. That is if I can find any ricotta! The one supermarket that is not on strike around here didn't have any today. That's all I want for Christmas - is for grocery strike to be over. It's been going since October 10th and I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to go back to my regular grocery store.
Posted by Jillbeans (Member # 1912) on :
Hi Kimberly... Glad you will have your hubby home for Christmas. I am baking my cookies tomorrow (after waiting until midnight tonite to call & harass my sister...see BOB BURNS festiva post) We will go to the kid's service @ church...ride down to my sister's afterwards whilst enjoying the lights & Luminaria along the route...hang out with my huge family (due for other arrivals in January & July) We will come back home for shrimp & munchies, then it's off to bed for the little one. The older kids will be with their friends by that time. We put the fun in dysfunctional. Even though I have been married twice, I was always the one who did the Santa-thing. Sometimes I had to be careful not to rouse the passed-out husband for fear of bodily harm. It is nice to be alone and not have to deal with that now. There are not enough presents to give out on Christmas Eve. we will share them in the morning. My favorite part is the stockings. I try to get goofy gag gifts like a whoopee cushion or something dumb. I will creep downstairs before the kids wake up & put on coffee & some sticky buns. I may even IM the few die-hard Heads online. Justis (8) will come downstairs and the present-frenzy begins. He will end up playing with the boxes. Rachael (16) is next, rumpled and drowsy, looking more beautiful than when she takes 2 hours applying makeup & doing her hair. Evan (20) will roll out of bed by noon, unshaven. I swear he gets the most excitement out of opening his gifts. He always acts silly and makes us laugh. Then I will make a ham and hang out enjoying staying home and doing nothing! Folks will stop in to visit & enjoy cookies. I gotta get a move on...vinyl to weed! Happy Holidays, Kimberly, to you & yours. LOVE Jill
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Going to do my annual drive around the area Christmas Eve, wishing customers and friends well, then it's out to the shop for a few late night last minute projects for family.
Christmas Day will be spent at home this year, the first time in a while. The "relatives" thing was wrapped up over the weekend and we're keepiing it down to the immediate family for a change. Been wantiong to do it this way for years and looking forward to a little less chaos this season. (The typical family gathering starts with about 30- people....it's a big family!)
Rapid
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Kimberly, you shoulda told me you needed ricotta, I got some last week for the lasagna I'm making for Christmas dinner and could have picked up some extra and shipped it to you.
I made my pretzels and sesame seed cookies today, Christmas Eve I'll be doing some of the prep work for Christmas Day breakfast and dinner.
Christmas morning me and mom are hittin the bike path for exercise by daybreak, then breakfast.. then I don't know what we're going to do for the rest of the day, my sister and her new husband (and their dog) won't arrive til probably 5 or 6 pm Christmas Day and I guess we'll open whatever gifts the dogs havent torn into by then (my dog Rizzo has already opened a couple, someone apparently sent chocolate!)
Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :
You guys are making me hungry!!
On Christmas Eve, about 3pm we're going to my mom's. I'm bringing buns and a fruit and veggie platter, sis in law bringing meat, cheese and goodies, and mom is only serving coffee, or else! We want it relaxing for her. She's served her years of doing huge turkey dinners for all 35 of us.
I'm going to bring some presents from our house for Cody so he's nice and busy. We exchange and open gifts with my mom. Instead of stockings, she sets out plates of candy and nuts, each person having their own.
On Christmas Day, I think for the first time ever, we will have a true family day! The day will start when the boss gets up (Cody of course), and we'll just open presents at our leisure. Of course with all the new cool toys suitable for a 4 yr old, we will have a blast playing with the new loot! Food wise, I hope to have fruit, buns, meat, cheese, crackers, easy things to just pick at while we relax, no hustle and bustle in the kitchen. (can you tell I'M not a chef? LOL!)
Now I am liking that lasagna idea for dinner though! I think I'll borrow that one! If anyone wouldn't mind sharing their winner recipe, I'd LOVE it.
We aren't sure when we're seeing Mike's parents at this point. Probably the 26th or ? If no one shows at their place Christmas Day (Mike's sis' family that is), they will probably join us for dinner. (yes, there is a reason we don't go there, it's a VERY long story. )
I'm personally not working again until Jan 5, so within that leisure time, I'm attempting to convince hubby to drive cody and I out to a local ski hill for some toboggan fun. We don't get snow here (right Dan?!?) so I'd love to go find some!
Looks like nearly a whole week of unplanned days! How cool is that! Pj's till noon, here we come!
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
Check your email Donna. That's the secret recipe I created so guard it with your life. Posted by Jane Diaz (Member # 595) on :
Ever since the boys were little, Bill takes them shopping on Christmas eve. When they were small, it was one for breakfast out and then shopping, then the other for lunch out and shopping. They always got all dressed up and looked forward to that time with their Dad. Then at night we go to late Christmas eve candlelight service and home to play Santa. This year we are going down to Bloomington, when the boys live now and take them shopping. Then they will follow us home and do the late service. On Christmas morning, we do coffee, juice, coffee cakes & fruit while we take turns opening presents, one at a time. The youngest always starts first. After that we usually had the big Christmas dinner with all the trimmings. This year we will postpone that a day. We are going to get my Mom out of the nursing home and take her to her favorite restaurant. It would be too hard to get her into our home (lots of steps), too far away and too long away from her bed. She is in a wheelchair and needs quite a bit of care. She REALLY wants out of there though and I think this should be aobut the right amount of excitement and not TOO much strain on her for a couple hours. We all miss my Dad but especially her, after 67 years as her constant companion. This will be our first Christmas without him. The day after Christmas our oldest son & fiance will come down from Chicago and we will do the Christmas dinner thing with them. My brother will bring his whole family to the nursing home then and they are bringing food in to a dining room they have there so my Mom will have two days of being fussed over. Then Sat. or Sunday , my 6 will go back over to visit her. (It's about 1/2 hour away). It will be a sad Christmas without my Dad, but I really am looking forward to time off and time with my kids to just cook, quilt and watch videos.
Posted by Terry Whynott (Member # 1622) on :
We'll be spending the holidays trucking our new little guy all around hells half acre, showing him off to anyone and everyone that wants to see him!
Maybe I'll sneak off to a quiet room and catch a nap here and there, while relatives pass him around.
For some reason Christmas has never brought about good feelings with me. This year is different with Jackson brightening the festivities. I might actually enjoy Christmas this year!
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
I'm going back to Louisiana to see family and friends. It's been too long between visits. While I'm there, I'll eat some Lasana and gather the things I need that aren't available elsewhere. Drink a glass of Mississippi River water. Rub some delta dirt on my hands and then make myself a sachel of gris-gris to help ward off some of the wacked out types that seem to abound here in Houston.
Terry my younger son appointed himself the ambassador of Christmas. He is making sure no one is left out and getting what they want. You have a fun 13-15 years ahead of you.
[ December 23, 2003, 12:42 PM: Message edited by: Santo ]
Posted by Donna in BC (Member # 130) on :
Terry, you found the secret of life! Wait till your little guy is old enough to show you what Christmas means to HIM. Every day is amazing seen through the eyes of a child. You'll never be the same again. Posted by David Fisher (Member # 107) on :
Breakfast at the Oulaws looks like being champagne, chicken and some light dishes with antipasto (sp?) along with breads and a vegetarian pasta dish. Christmas lunch at Mum's will be (as always) roast turkey breast & garlic roasted lamb shanks with baked vegies and trimmings. Once the relative run is over its back to our place for prawns and bugs around the pool, prawns being shrimp of the 3-4" variety and bugs being a type of lobster with 4-5" meaty tail. Seafood has been bought from a mate at the fish markets fresh from the trawler thismorning, finger bowls will be at the shallow end of the pool. Storms are forecast but in that event we'll retire to the garage or verandah before returning to plan A. In the meantime we've stocked the xmas tree and stockings, made the tartare sauce and vacuumed the pool. From here on its all good. David
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
Dave, what are bugs, downunder?
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
quote:Originally posted by David Fisher: ....and bugs being a type of lobster with 4-5" meaty tail.
Posted by Santo (Member # 411) on :
That's where I got confused, Mike. Our ditch lobsers, crawfish, have 3 inch tails linke their shrimp and our shrimp have 4-5 inch tails like their lobster, mudbugs.
Posted by Robert Peach (Member # 2620) on :
We`re celebrating Christmas in California with our son. We`ve been driving across the country visiting a few letterheads on the way. Tonight we`re going to boil a mess of New England lobsters and pig out. Family and good food,it doesn`t get much better than that! Hope all of you have a great Holiday.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)