A quiet Christmas Eve.

written by Julie R. Neidlinger      5 comments      link this post     


We've always been a family of Christmas Eve celebrations. When my grandparents were still alive, we'd walk across the road to their farm and have Christmas morning (with grandma making pancakes on a huge griddle) and our noon meal with them. But we've always had our presents and main focus on Christmas Eve.

This year, it was just mom, dad and myself, a nice, quiet evening.

First, the food. I did the cooking, and here's what was on the menu (sort of -- with some substitutions, of course, since I can neither follow a recipe straight due to rebellion and ingredient shortages). We are all still on the South Beach Diet, but there's really very little deprivation at this point. Our meal was fully SBD sanctioned. (heh)

Main Meal:

• Cheese and broccoli-stuffed chicken, with roasted garlic and a mustard-pepper sauce [see photo]
  
• Cauliflower "mashed potatoes"
  
• Steamed broccoli
  
• Lemon cheesecake and ricotta tart with almond and oatmeal crust, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with cocoa and lemon rind [see photo]
  

MIA:

• We didn't have our usual birthday cake for Jesus -- I was pressed for time and didn't get it made. I might make it tomorrow, and if I do, it will be a flourless chocolate cake (here are a couple of other recipes for it, if you'd like to try: with coffe, French version) a delectable and rich dessert for chocolate lovers that mainly consists of chocolate and eggs -- no processed flour.
  

After our meal, we went into the living room, and mom read the Christmas story from the Bible. This year, we read it from Matthew; in the past years it has always been Luke. It was a nice change, to read from Matthew. I took a few photos of Brutus who had earlier caught a whiff of the catnip toy I'd sewed him this afternoon. I'd tucked it up in the tree but apparently he found it. He was was all over it, and was content to roll around and suck and chew on it while we proceeded to open our gifts.

Mom and dad got many nice things. Today I dumped out my wallet and other junk from a purse I had gotten a week or two ago from Amani Africa. Mom has repeatedly mentioned that she liked it, so I wrapped it up this afternoon and gave it to her. I think she really liked it. Mom got me a great selection of kitchen and cooking utensils ("For the little cook!" she said), as well as some things for cake decorating. I love to decorate cakes, and I've been wanting to start working in the fondant icing method; that's what she gave me -- stuff to do that.

We are now, after cleaning up the living room and kitchen, going to watch the movie I bought for us: Amazing Grace.

Tonight, after this extremely lovely and calm evening of rather simple and old-fashioned fun, I plan on going to my room, turning the lights low, and sitting on my bed with my cat and reading a book for a while before heading off to sleep. I will also finish working on a little Christmas gift for my readers, which I will make available to you tomorrow, after Santa* visits Lone Prairie.

This has been a nice, low-key Christmas season, and a fine way to tie of a rather hectic and tough year.

Photos: Brutus opening his gift | Brutus in front of the tree | Brutus with the Christmas stocking I got when I was a pre-schooler | Dad and Mom opening presents | Dad, mom and brutus

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*We were never raised believing in Santa, hence our Christmas Eve celebrations (before "Santa arrives"). We never had presents "from Santa" to open in the morning...I don't think I missed a thing. I always had to be careful when my cousins came, that I didn't say anything that would reveal that Santa didn't exist. I got into a fight on the playground once, trying to patiently explain to other kids why it was likely impossible and the many ways the Santa myth has changed across cultures. Fifth grade was a bad year.

Labels: brutus, christmas, family, food

Copyright (c) Julie R. Neidlinger      12/24/2007 08:22:00 PM      (5) comments      Links to this post    
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