[Sca-cooks] Christmas Dinner

[Laura C. Minnick]

At 05:26 AM 12/26/02 -0800, you wrote:
>--
>What did everyone else do for Christmas?  Watching the old movies is part
of my yearly tradition. What family traditions do you practice for the
holidays?

Hmm. The past few years (including this one) aren't nearly so
representative of family tradition (though last year was close) but the
standards are...

We play a huge game of Monopoly teh day after Thanksgiving.

Weekend after T-day, I drag out the big box of nutcrackers (I collect them-
currently have 13 standing wood ones, three hanging ornaments, and five
candles) and put them out. My favorites are the Scotsman (I named him
Angus), the Prince, who has a mass of curly ice-blond hair, and a stubby
little one in shades of hunter and navy. I'm also fond of my St. Nicholas,
in his bishop's robe and miter.

Over the next couple of weeks I slowly get out other decorations. One or
about the 11th, we get our tree- usually from a tree farm. I saw, and the
kids yell "TIMBER!" We usually get take-out on teh way home, and eat our
take-out, play the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Chistmas album, and put up the
tree.

Christmas really begins for me when we start baking. it isn't Christmas
until I make pfeffernuisse (and that may be my problem this year- I haven't
felt well enough to do the baking). I usually do pfeffernuisse, some
spritz, rice krispie treats, gingerbread men, and Russian tea cakes. (And
then the box arrives from Morwyn and I quit baking and eat hers!)

Gotta play/sing the Messiah.

When the kids were little I usually ended up making costumes for the church
play.

The kids were always allowed to open one present Christmas eve before going
to bed. They were not allowed to get up at oh-dark-thirty (I'm a mean
mommy). They were allowed to get down their stockings, but the rest waited
until after we had dressed and eaten breakfast- when I damn well felt like
cooking it! Usually something a little fancy- french toast, dutch pancakes
with sour cream and lignon berries, good bacon, friut, orange juice, hot
tea, etc. (this was actually one of my favorite parts of Christmas- teh
breakfast). After breakfast was cleared, then we opened presents.

Dinner was ham, with the usual trimmings- potatoes, cranberries, etc., and
a rich dessert. Then Mommy (me) falls over into a stupor and watches
everyone play with thier new toys, trying not to think about the cleanup.

New Year's eve we'd have a small party- maybe sleep-over with Annie's
friends. At teh stroke of midnight, we stand on the porch with pot lids,
big spoons, other kitchen implements, adn make as much noise as we could,
throwing confetti in the air. And stay up watching movies. OH- our 'must
watch' movie for the holidays? 'Mixed Nuts' with Steve Martin, Rita Wilson,
Madeline Kahn, Garry Shandling, and an almost tolerable Adam Sandler. It is
a hoot of a littel nonsense film, and much fun.

The tree comes down New Year's Day, and we sweep up teh house and clean out
the wrapping paper and made new for a new year.

Things are a little different now with the kids growing up and doing thier
own stuff, and my being sick, but some stuff stays. My son gets pouty if we
don't play Monopoly. And there must be cookies.

Maybe next year.

'Lainie
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Sometimes Life makes drastic changes without our permission...