No gorgeous table pictures here! The table cloths (unironed and wrinkly) were thrown onto the tables about 30 minutes before we ate. One of these years I'll get the table decorated in advance :) I'm always a little too ambitious with the menus. Roast Goose with Chestnuts, Prunes and Peach Brandy (the gravy was fabulous) and a Roast Turkey breast with make-ahead giblet gravy, individual mince pies, Pommes Duchesse potatoes, two stuffings, pots de crèmes for dessert, and more and a few things I never got to, too. This year was just about perfect! Very happy day, because I had a crowd to feed. Loved seeing the pictures. Mlweaving_Marji - definitely know the feeling when the kids AREN'T there. Isn't it nice when that day is over, when it's like that? (P.S. I've been eyeing the brussel sprouts recipe too).

The guitar heros went over just fine. They didn't even use it yesterday, they were into the Wii games. The DD playing got, it for the son who was setting on the sofa on the left. DD's DH's parents have the Wii system and they've always loved playing that at Mammaw and Papaw's, so they got themselves (the kids) one for Christmas. LOL Big kids. Well, SIL and his Dad play golf all the time. DD get hot when she sends DH over to his folks to pick up some folding chairs or something, and it takes 2 hours to go 1 mile and back. I love the picture of my Mom and Lily too. Full circle. Leslie

Christmas Eve is our big family gathering, we include a dinner for 20. We serve buffet style, but sit at dining tables. (I discovered that 20 is the perfect number: 10 at the DR, 10 in the sunroom at two folding banquet tables) We went with a simple dinner menu this year: beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes (two trays from costco, they were great, and pretty in my new red-orange Dansk pan) and a simple Chistmas salad my aunt made. Elegant! Appetizers were made/brought by others: just shrimp w/sauce, an artichoke dip with crackers, and my kids always make the classic Lipton soup dip. Dessert was the most complicated: DH made his mom's Walnut glory cake which calls for 9 count'em 9 separated eggs. But it's not called "glory" for nothing! Our Scandinavian tradition calls for rice pudding which, for the first time, came from my kitchen. It was a tad soupy, but delicious. And folks brought cookies and candy. Christmas morning DH made our traditional "Eggs McDH" and mimosas. We forgot to make the fruit medley, but that's okay. Then we went to my folks' and my brothers met us up there, for baked French toast (made with Challah, best French toast ever!) and bacon. Christmas night is our quiet intimate dinner at home of leftovers, at the dining room table with the party dinnerware. Me, I felt like the Very Hungry Caterpillar: I ate "one nice green leaf and felt much better". Literally, I had the salad with no dressing lol! Ahhh.

Our Christmas Eve dinner is the family get together on DH's side. We had it at his brother's house. I took a whole ham, studded with cloves and glazed (I get my hams from my butcher who wins prizes for his hams and they are soooo good). I also made the desserts- brownies for the chocolate fiend nephew, a coffee cheesecake, and meringue nests with lemon curd, whipped cream and raspberries. MIL brought her trifle, which I love because I love trifle and DH doesn't- this way I get trifle without having to make a whole one just for myself, and MIL likes to be able to contribute something. Hostess made nibblies to start. I have to say, I wasn't a fan of any as her cooking has increasingly become "healthy". She subs healthier ingredients and leaves out what she considers unhealthy, and the results are usually not great. (For other SIL's birthday on Boxing Day, she made a tiramisu with ricotta instead of mascarpone and no sugar, claiming that there was sweetness in the liqueur. There were no takers for the large amount of leftovers.) BIL's gf brought half peaches stuffed with ricotta and basil and wrapped in pancetta, broiled in the oven- these were great. Main course was turkey roasted by another SIL, with jus (DH commented afterwards that there was no gravy and I said, there was jus in a jar there- he thought it was ham jus), and the ham. Usually we have bread sauce with turkey but I guess SIL didn't feel like making it. We also usually have carrots, brussels sprouts and roasted potatoes but this year the hostess made her strange but OK Czech potato salad (no discernible dressing and includes chunks of carrots, peas and I think pickles), a nice grilled corn, avocado and tomato salad and a green salad. Nephew of the SIL who brought the turkey and his wife brought a large container of cooked jumbo shrimp. The company was convivial and a good time was had by all. Other SIL and I both brought a bunch of plastic takeaway boxes so we could divvy up the leftovers and everyone went home with their favourites.