Merry Christmas to you Daisy and to all our forum friends!

Here it is a bright and sunny Dec. 24th morning and I've got everything finally under control, all presents wrapped and the turkey defrosting in the bottom of the fridge. The tree is decorated and the presents are under and I was already out this morning around 9 am to buy German potato salad for this evening before the big crowds invade the deli. We'll have a simple Christmas evening with a toast of sherry followed by sliced ham, cheese, salads, bread rolls, red wine then Christmas stollen and fruitcake with some Baileys and coffee. Then we open our gifts also this evening, watching concerts from Germany on TV sometimes ending with the midnight mass service from Rome.

I would like to start the turkey dressing this afternoon if I get time. Tomorrow I'll be cooking the traditional Christmas dinner around 2 pm. We're going out to lunch today so I can relax and get the table ready for this evening's buffet. I'm off to Pilates too this morning. I think I need to work off the mince tart and stollen I've already been tasting!

Merry Christmas to all!

SharonCb

Merry.Christmas.to.all.
Daisy.I.hope.you.have.better.health.for.the.New.Year.
Barb

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through! ~Author Unknown

Merry Christmas everyone! I went and saw a friend of mine play in a bell choir at church yesterday. After that, I went and delivered cookies and preserved treats to friends. Today I'll be baking bread (plum butter bread roll and maybe a blueberry bread roll or an onion braid). Tonight we have our big celebration with the DH's family. Tomorrow we open gifts!

Sharon, it sounds like you have things under control.

Daisy,I'm glad you'll get to spend time with your son.

Wishing everyone the best in the New Year,
Becky

Merry Christmas to my forum friends.

Tonight we go out with the in-laws and another family for our traditional Chinese food. Christmas day we'll head to the movies with friends and probably end up back at someone's house for dinner!

Time to start thinking about New Year Resolutions? Ack!

Merry Christmas everyone. Tonight, after church at 5 pm, I am serving bbq ribs, sweet and sour meatballs, rice, ichiban salad and baking for dessert. My sister, nephew, sister's BF and his girls are coming to church and then to dinner. It will be the first time I have met them all together!

Chance is the angel Gabrielle in the pagent at church, and my wish to you all is what they close the pagent with..... "Peace on earth and goodwill to all!"

Merry Christmas to all from Chicago! May you have a wonderful celebration with family and friends. We have light snow on the ground after a wind storm yesterday.

I will be bringing a shrimp and crab feast to DM in the hospital later today and then Dad and I will continue on home to enjoy the same. Just a few errands to run this morning.

A rib roast is in the fridge for Tuesday, still not sure of all the sides. I am so not organized this year. Oh, well, it will work it self out.

Daisy, I wish you great health from Santa
Sharon, enjoy the concerts and say Hi to the Cristkind.
Jessy, movie reviews please.
Everyone else, Make Merry!

Peppi

Merry Christmas everyone!

And a huge thanks to so many.

Saturday I took Diane's honey mustard proscuitto palmiers to a party - they're wonderful.

Tomorrow we will be having the beef tenderloin recipe that Chase posted, and Woodie's strawberry spinach salad. (My SIL is bringing roasted beets, asparagus, and twice baked potatoes)

I hope to make Sol's honey rolls, too.

For dessert I am serving AnnT's praline cheesecake - it's a real attention getter. We love it.

So thanks thanks thanks for being a part of our celebration!!!

We will have a quiet night tonight as my mom isn't well enough to come over. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she'll be able to come tomorrow for a bit - it would mean so much to everyone.

Scott has to go late tonight to my aunt's home to get Will's big gift. A leopard gecko. He's really cute! We got him in Buffalo last week and he's been hiding out at her house.

:-)
Stacy

It's a beautiful clean & sunny morn here in Mystic after a rain, lightening, & thunder storm last night. DH drew the short stick & had to return to NY last night to be at the bank until they close today at noon. He'll be back by early afternoon.

I hope everybody has a wonderful Holiday filled with love & good eats.

Merry Christmas!

/tricia

Merry Christmas everyone!

Quiet evening at home just the three of us. Chris is going to his Mom's for dinner but will join us later tonight and is here tomorrow as well. Tonight I'm making a prime rib with Yorkshire pudding with garlic mashed , gravy and squash.

Tomorrow my family will be here, 16 in all. Noisy and busy and fun. Dinner is turkey, ham and all the usual trimmings. Our favourite meal of the year.

Wishing all of you the very best of the holidays and a peaceful and healthy New Year.

Sharon

Daisy, wishes of good health go out to you for 2008; I'm glad you'll be with your family.

We are in Florida since the 19th; we fled the snow and slush of Montreal right on time.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

Stacy, you're a hard act to follow, that's a fun picture. I hope we get to see a pic of Will and his leopard gecko...

Peppi, You are what makes Christmas for you folks. I'm not sure I've ever known anyone more giving than you... a special Merry Christmas to you!

Chance will be a perfect angel!

Jessy, the Season's Best to you and yours! We are doing movies tomorrow too, here at home.

Becky, lucky are those who receive some of your goodies, a lot of love goes into the making...

Ohiomom...I love that saying..

Barb, I hope you have a wonderful day.

Sharon, you add so much love to everything you do. This is a good time to say "Thank YOU!" You add some much sunshine and beauty to my life through the many wonderful pictures of your life. I treasure them all, I sure hope to visit the Canary Islands...

Daisy, it's been a hard year for you, I'm so glad to hear your DS is there. May Santa grant all your wishes..

We have a quiet Christmas Eve and Day planned. I'm making Lobster Bisque and serving it in my own bread bowls tonight for Our Christmas Eve dinner. Tomorrow it will be the opening of presents, making phone calls to wish those we can't be with a Merry Christmas, movies here at home, I have a very special dinner planned and more movies.... Our friend David will be spending the day with us, this is a hard Christmas for him, the first since his DM's passing. He's doing well, some Christmas spirit kicked in last week.
Kim has to work half a day on Wednesday, then we are off to visit my DM, then on to Ohio to have Christmas on Friday with Kim's family. So we are spreading it out...all week!

Nancy

Merry Christmas to you, too, Daisy! I know it's been a tough year for you and I hope next year will see you rebound. I'm glad to hear that your son is able to come home to see his mom. Enjoy the day!

And Merry Christmas or Happy Chinese Food to the rest of you! Speaking of Chinese, the other night we had take-out and my fortune cookie had a very deep message that gave me pause. I figured I'd share:

"Here we go. 'Moo shoo cereal' for breakfast with duck sauce."

It is still dark out here. I haven't looked, but I suspect it is still raining. Suppose to clear up and be sunny later today and then rain in the forecast for the rest of the week. I'm semi organized. In a few minutues I'm going to start making our tourtiere. Our traditional Christmas Eve Dinner. Want to get it baked early. If I get everything I want to get done this morning, then this afternoon I'll drive down to Victoria to pick Matt up when he gets off work. Otherwise he will be coming up on the bus. I baked our Christmas dinner dessert last night (Sticky Toffee Pudding) and the fresh turkey is in the fridge and has been pre-salted.

Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday.

Ann

Great picture, Stacy!

Merry Christmas to you all!

Carol

Merry Christmas everyone!

Michelle

Hello, all! Glad to hear your Christmas preparations are coming along. Daisy, a luncheon with my son would be a lovely way to spend the holiday. Enjoy and keep on getting better.

Guess where I am? At work! I got here late after hitting the grocery store, the bakery (cranberry scones)and the flower shop (red carnations). I was only an hour and a half late! Hospitals never close but since I am not on the clinical side, there's nothing happening.

I got a last minute invitation to a neighbor's party this evening. We all eat and drink, then troop outside to see Santa on the fire engine who rides all through our town handing out apples oranges and candy canes (and scaring the little kids to death!).

My son dropped by yesterday and wondered what we're doing for Christmas Eve. I said I hadn't planned anything. Well, actually I had planned to finish cleaning and wrapping, although I don't have much.

So we are now having a pizza dinner. Maybe I'll put a bow on it so it looks like a wreath.

I also said that I was going to make a nice breakfast for us and he asked if he can bring his friend who is a girl (as a opposed to girlfriend) along. Sooo -- I need to make it a bit more special.

I hope my 90 - y.o. mother will join us but when I asked her she said no. We will have dinner with her. She is in the Christmas doldrums and being very crabby. I understand it but I wish she wouldn't take it out on everyone else.

So that's it so far. I thought I was done but have to stop and pick up a small gift for the friend who is a girl. I feel bad for her because she has no family but her mother. The mother abandoned her as a child to be raised by a relative. Now the mother wants back in her life, and she is trying to accept her. Other than that she has no family.

So -- enjoy your holiday!!

Merry Christmas to everyone. Chance being such an angel herself, it's befitting for her to be an angel in the pagent. Pictures, please! Great family picture Stacy, want to see a picture of will and his gift, too!

We are attending a Christmas party tonight and I am bringing Joey's Killer Lasagna and Joey's Killer Spinach Lasagna. Thanks, Joe! I am hosting Christmas dinner tomorrow and have started NOTHING, have a few candies made and Chex Mix. So ever heard of Chex Mix dressing? LOL! So, I better get busy. I've ordered a fried turkey at a Cajun restaurant close to here, so that will be the first for us. I am even considering going to Costco for a few things as everyone is extremely busy trying to get No. 3 restaurant opened on Wednesday and we have the inspector from he!! ...so, it will be on the run, anyway.

I know Santa is coming and he's already checked his list, so all is well.

Merry Christmas.

Brenda

Merry Christmas to everyone, I hope it will be safe and filled with wonderful things for all. We are going to the movies as well tomorrow (not sure yet what to see), and yesterday we saw "Alvin and the Chipmunks" at the request of the boys. It was really funny, I highly recommend it. Instead of our usual Chinese food om Christmas Day, I think we're going to BBQ since the high temp is supposed to be 75. No snow for us:-) Take care and stay safe.
DONNA

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Daisy, spending time with your son is so special. Our middle-est moved home this summer, and changed majors (again), which at first I thought a hassle, but have come to really enjoy. I'm getting to know him all over again as an adult. It's fun. Of course, his latest major change being to culinary arts helps to make it all that much more fun. He's planning on helping out with Christmas dinner.

Speaking of which, we're doing Christmas in 2 parts. We're having an immediate family Christmas Christmas evening with all our kids and our Grandson. We're going to have a Mexican feast, complete with tamales (of course!), the spinach enchiladas that Chase posted over on the vegetarian thread, tacos and fajitas, with flan for desert.

Then, Thursday our extended family will be arriving from the north and the south, from both sides. My brother is about to move "down under" to Perth, Australia, so this will be a last get together before he leaves. Thursday is when we'll do the more traditional ham and turkey and lots of veggie dishes and too many desserts. I'm feeling wild-eyed and excited about it all, and really looking forward to the chaotic fun.

I hope all have a wonderful Christmas, and that 2008 will be the best ever!

Sally

{{!gwi}}

Merry Christmas Everyone!

The ham is baking in the oven, beans are in the crock, homemade rolls and cookies are cooling. I just have to make a couple veggies at the last moment, and toss the cherry pie in the oven when I take out the ham. I think everything is finally under control. Tomorrow afternoon I will finally be able to relax. I love the way the house smell when the Christmas dinner is cooking. In a little while I will light a log in the fireplace, I'm glad yesterdays wind storm (which Peppi was also enjoying! not) has passed. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday - and that the new year brings you many wonderful things.

A very Merry Christmas to all my forum friends!

I wish all of you a joyous Christmas filled with the love of family and friends.

We have just finished our "Flaming Yon" and are settling in for a long winters night. Hopefully the young 'uns will be off to bed soon so Santa can come to our house. We had some spies last year who were trying to steal a peek... poor Santa had to wait until way past midnight before he could stop by.....

I am so grateful for each and every one of you and try to honor you all in preparing the wonderful recipes I have gotten from my forum friends

Alexa

Be well Daisy and have a wonderful time with your son and his love.

I'm about ready for an early night...I am cookied out, both baking and eating! but tomorrow we are going to young friends house - the woman who had such struggles with her pregnancies. There is a happy and healthy 4 yr old there now! Such a blessing to them

I thought I'd put 'this old couple' in a old timey look. But with all the fun we have here and seeing you all in person, we try to stay young.

Look over in Conversations to see what Santa brought me. (I cook for Santa so he's goooood to me!)

i'm sorry to hear things continue to be tough for you daisy but of course, am delighted your son has returned for a visit. i know that must be a huge boost for you and i hope it will carry you straight into as much recovery as you are capable of!

as alexa has said, i treasure the friends i've made here and hope all of you have them to share your time with. i have numerous recipes now that i make that are associated with a specific person here and i think that's really wonderful! best wishes to all of you for a wonderful holiday season and upcoming year!

Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

We've just returned from our neighbor's annual Christmas Eve party with nine million kids! It's always a warm and wonderful affair---and she's an excellent treat maker! She makes her own caramel and dips pretzel sticks and then finishes them off in chocolate mmmmmmm divine!
Wishing everyone a lovely day tomorrow, whether with friends or family. Good eating, good times and cheers!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Just got home from our big Christmas Eve gathering and open house. DS and her two boys hosted this year at their new house. Tons of food and sweet treats and a few spirits too.

Tomorrow it's over to Mom's for a prime rib dinner....one of my favorite meals.

David

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope 2008 is a better year for you, Daisy. I am glad you will be able to have Christmas lunch with your son as I know you miss him terribly. Has he fully recovered from his accident?

We had Christmas Eve dinner with DH's family last night- a real event as everyone was there except DD's BF (who works on a mine site two weeks on, two weeks off. He gets back to town on the 27th). DH's youngest brother and his parner have been living in Prague (she's a Czech and we love her to bits) but have moved back to Perth, so DH's mum had all her chicks together for Christmas. We watched an amateur documentary about MIL's birth village in Scotland (a tiny fishing village), and one of the old gents who was reminiscing at length was MIL's older cousin. It was amazing how alike they are, and every time he smiled or laughed I could see my MIL's smile :-) His Scots accent was very thick but I understood more than DH (he's not good at accents). It was quite interesting.

DD came home with us and woke up here on Christmas morning. Her BF had got her the bike she wanted and had asked DH to smuggle it up here so she could have it on Christmas morning (I told her he's a keeper :-) ). The look on her face was priceless. I cooked a turkey for the three of us (loooove turkey :-)) even though it's over 100F outside, thank Whoever for airconditioning. Ate ourselves to a standstill then had naps as we were up late last night and DH had to work a short shift on 4 hours' sleep this morning.

Got some good news- my StepDad's dog went missing Saturday and he was feeling quite crushed as she has been his main companion dince Mom died five years ago. It seems she may have followed some house hunters into the yard of an empty house and got shut in as they closed the gate behind them, not realising she was there. A neighbour noticed her there on Sunday and when she was still there Monday evening took some water over to investigate. She had a drink then took off for home- he followed to make sure she got to where she was going OK. SD was very relieved, as she is on medication and as temps here have been 100F+ she could easily have died. Our little Christmas miracle.

Sally- I live near Perth and would be willing to give your brother a hand settling in, if he needs it and I am available (we're away until the beginning of February). You can email me at ace at westnet dot net dot au for any info!

Merry Christmas everyone!

We had a surprise white Christmas this year (we were expecting rain) and I have been taking walks in the mornings with my mother and enjoying the snow, which is just right: just a couple of inches.

This year there were two more people celebrating with us: my brother's girlfriend and her daughter. It was nice to have a child in the house for a change. She is a very lively little girl and we played games with her and everyone enjoyed watching her unpack her presents.

Merry Christmas to all my forum friends!

I'm just sitting here with my cup of coffee waiting for the kids to get up.

We'll spend the morning here, then go to my moms for a while, then back here where I'll cook a turkey for dinner plus one pork chop for my daughter.

Enjoy your holiday everyone.

Tracey

Santa brought me a new digital camera!!!! Yipppeee!!!

Hope you are all having a terrific day today!

Just dropping by to wish all or you a Very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Cheers!

Bubbe

A Happy Christmas Day to you all!

This morning is mild and sunny/partly cloudy here in my little corner of "the South." I've already made emergency cranberry sauce - my sister forgot that important item on the menu and luckily I had a package of berries in the freezer. I've vacuumed and straightened the house a little as my two sons will be arriving later this afternoon. We will have a family feast at my sister's this evening:
smoked salmon, beef tenderloin, turkey, dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, scalloped oyster casserole, green salad with pears, avocado, and blue cheese, focaccia, and a bounty of sweets. This is always the richest meal of the year - and we love it!

A safe, blessed, prosperous, and healthy New Year to all!

Teresa