Christmas Plans

[Shirlv]

Barbie, my plans. Can’t eat a whole ham so a ham steak with glaze, potato salad, green beans and Shirl’s super duper coconut cake. Family would have brought me dinner but I told them I need to cook so it would feel like a special day. Also like to eat. Told my youngest gd I will meet her on the deck of her renovated/my old house for wine in May. Pray it will be safe sooner.

[Acadianmom]

My son's girlfriend is planning on going to the beach in Alabama with my son, her mother and brother. Why go to the beach in the winter? They wanted me to go but I told them I wasn't going any where until I get my shot. I think they just approved the second vaccine so we may not be too far off. I'm not one of the idiots that thinks the vaccines have a tracking device in them so the government can track you. How do they come up with this stuff.

I don't know what I'll cook for Christmas. I have my turkey thighs and a stuffed chicken in the freezer. I bought some cranberries the other day and need to make cranberry sauce. I usually make 2 batches and put enough in the freezer to last all year. I love that stuff.

Martha

[Cudedog]

I'm liking this thread!

Plans are still firming up - currently it looks like dinner together via video chat (did this at Thanksgiving - it was almost like being there!).

I agree 100% with Martha - I'm not going anywhere before I get my shot. I'm a bit concerned about the Pfzier adverse reactions a few have had with this vaccine. . . I have had allergies to one thing and another most of my life, worst allergic reaction was when I got stung once by a bee just at the hairline of my forehead - my whole face swelled so much I looked like Quasimodo (of Nortre Dame cathedral), I could barely open my eyes. Don't know if that counts or not, so far as the vaccine goes - but like Martha said, the Moderna vaccine should be coming along soon.

I wish I could inject that tracking device they are talking about into my stuff - then maybe I would be able to find some of it.

I got a "Sam's Best" brown-sugar spiral sliced ham from Walmart (a whole ham), wouldn't have done that, except I recently discovered that this ham has a really out-of-this-world flavor. Ham freezes well, I like a ham sandwich from time to time, so decided to go for it. Or maybe I will cook up the cross-rib roast that I have in the freezer - it is traditional in my family to have prime rib roast for Christmas (we only would have it once per year) but prime rib is especially pricey this year (no surprise) and if I decide on beef, the cross-rib will do just fine.

I will also have fruit salad, yams, green beans, rolls, maybe mashed potatoes and will whip up another pumpkin pie from my home-grown pumpkin for dessert. Already have the whipped cream waiting in the fridge.

No, I don't need to cook all of this stuff just for myself - but doing a "big cook" makes me feel more like it is the holidays, and brightens my mood.

I have even been using my imagination - with the pandemic I have really let my house cleaning go - by "imagining" my kids will be coming, I have actually managed to get my hiney up off the couch and do some "deep cleaning" house cleaning!

A nice clean house makes me feel better, too. Still got a ways to go, though.

Anne

[Acadianmom]

I wish I could inject that tracking device they are talking about into my stuff - then maybe I would be able to find some of it.

Good idea. lol

Martha

[chalet05]

I'm not sure when I last spent an actual Christmas Day with Monica. 2003, the year Steven died, she came to her sister's for Christmas Eve. The next morning all her ex could worry about was getting to his mother's. Nikki finally got on his case. Her late ex-mother-in-law had to be kowtowed to. No sharing of holidays! I know the last Christmas with Nikki was 2004. Little did I know I would spend 2005 alone because she was mad at me because she thought I did something I really hadn't! And then they moved to Kansas.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the kids will come get me Christmas Day - storm, illness. Military travel restrictions due to Covid prevent my grandson from coming. I am told there will be ham for dinner. I've had fun buying presents again and next year when I can decorate and bake will be even better!

[snowball]

my sister asked me to come to her house but I wanted to stay here... so told her I was thinking of New Years.... pretty safe drive up only get gas on the way back don't go any where while there... anyway was going to opt for a take out from one of the eateries but last week the lady that has us to her house for games suggested that we all come there for dinner ... since we are all widows except for one decided that was what we would do the gal with a husband will bring him along. imagine I will visit with family at least I hope we will visit
I don't know other than ham what we will have will talk about it tomorrow...
it sounds like every one will have a good day... I wish I could talk myself into cooking that much for just me as I miss it but for some reason I just don't do it it's almost 10:30 and still haven't eaten... just couldn't decide what sounded good actually did eat some cheese and crackers
sheila

[JudyJB]

Anne, can I come to your house for dinner??? The food sounds fantastic, especially the prime rib. (Frankly, I have no idea where I will be at Christmas because still no word about if we are getting kicked out tomorrow or if we can stay through our current registration. I did notice no one else checked in today.)

When I was in college, I worked in a fancy restaurant one summer. They catered a lot of wedding receptions and some of them had prime rib for dinner. This was in the days when a prime rib roast came as a huge piece of meat with the ribs attached--looked like a large portion of cow! And it was really PRIME rib. Anyway, in the early morning hours, after a wedding reception was over and the guests had gone, and we had mostly cleaned up the mess, the wait crew would sit around one of the big tables and the chef would bring out a couple of the whole rib racks where they had carved the meat from. There would still be a ton of meat on them and between the ribs. They would be on one of those huge trays. We would dig in with knives, slicing ribs off one at a time and putting them on our plates! The taste was incredible and the meat would melt in your mouth. We would eat like pigs, picking up the huge ribs and getting marvelously greasy! Best prime rib I ever had! No barbecue sauce needed.

Nowadays, prime rib comes without the rib bones and packaged so that restaurants just slice it--no waste and no rib bones for the crew afterwards.

[MandysMom]

We have a regular Christmas routine here. Chris asked for clam chowder in a bread bowl for Christmas Eve,(we used to usually have split pea soup, my Moms Christmas Eve tradition that we adopted, until we both figured out we were tired of it) so I,will make clam chowder! Pie for dessert. Christmas morning, we will open stocking items, while my Amish breakfast casserole bakes. I'll have a fruit salad ready chilled and he will have a sweet roll and orange juice with sparkling water for fake Mimosas. Gifts are always opened Christmas Day after breakfast. Stockings opened before breakfast. Christmas Eve, after supper and when it's dark, we head out in the car to see lights in the area. This year seems especially well lighted, people have put in more effort than even usual. We look forward to it, then return to hot cocoa and a Christmas movie and enjoy our tree and lights.
I had an Aunt ( my Dads sister in law) who always wanted Christmas opened on Christmas Eve. I hated it. So my other Aunt ( Dads kid sister) and I conspired. We went along with the other Aunt, but we only took gifts exchanged with that Aunt and family, leaving the rest at Aunts house where we always stayed. We then had our big gift opening and fun Christmas morning, and all were happy.
I found some nice looking stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in bacon that will be main course after a wedge salad, amd accompanied by twice baked potatoes. Pie for dessert, not mine, but a baked frozen pecan from store.
A couple of the last few years, I did a fabulous Prime Rib ( bone in) , all our local stores carry them, I've never seen them without bones. Easy to cook. Goes in very hot oven(500) for 5 min per lb, then oven stays sealed with heat shut off for hour and half. Perfect every time. I do love a good prime rib, and why would anyone put BBQ sauce on a Prime Rib? Well I know some like to cover the beef taste, but not us.
Chris and I have chosen how we like to do Chrstmas, somewhat different than Mel liked, but suits us. Chris said he wanted me to simplify things so I could enjoy the day, rather than spend it in the kitchen. I appreciate that a lot. By Christmas night we will be planning New Years Eve! We do appetizers for our meal and play games or do Legos or watch tv. we both miss Mel a lot but are relieved from tne stress on all of us through Mel's many years of illness.
Velda

[Acadianmom]

Velda, do you make your own Clam Chowder? My son likes the one in a can but I don't care for it. One of my favorite soups is Corn and Crab Bisque. One year we went to a big horse show in Georgia and stayed at the Augusta Hilton. They had She Crab Soup to die for. I would have ordered it for breakfast if I could have. I probably gained 10 pounds in a week.

Sam's has put in a meat counter and the last time I was there I saw a big rib eye with the bone. I think they call them Cowboy Steaks. One would probably cost $25. Before our house flooded we had a rotisserie and I would cook rib roasts on it. Now you just about have to get a loan to buy one.

Martha

[MandysMom]

Yes, I make the clam chowder. My Dad always made it for our family, but, somehow I never had him teach me. So, a few months ago, I decided I needed to make a good clam chowder, one that would have my son give up the canned stuff. I used Pintetest and researched, to see what ingredients were common, but I didn't want to use flour for thickening. I put it together, in my Instant Pot, letting the potatoes and onion cook a short while at pressure to tenderize. Key was the herbs recipes called for, thyme in particular, which sprinkled over potatoes before cooking, really gave nice flavor. Then I added the clams. Don't have much choice here so I used canned clams, with a company name that seemed vaguely familiar, maybe Dad used. I also matched that with the bottled clam broth that was on shelf above the clams. I use real butter, real heavy cream, as I think they give body and taste. Hopefully round 2 will be as good. My son wanted thirds that night I made it!
Velda

[BarbaraRose]

I want to keep the food simple for Christmas. I made a lot for Thanksgiving and got tired of the leftovers after a couple days and threw the rest out. I think I will just make a nice plate of spaghetti. I plan to buy a Marie Callanders Chocolate Satin pie and have that for desert.

Other than that, no plans. I do miss family get-togethers like we had when my mom was still alive. She loved Christmas so much! We had Christmas Eve at our house and after we were done there, my mom and I would head over to her side of the family and celebrate there til after midnight. Chrismas Day was for stockings, playing with our gifts and relaxing. After she was gone, it was never the same and I really kind of dreaded going to my brother's for Christmas. Always seemed to be a very disappointing experience there.

One thing my mom always did was make stockings for us kids even when we were adults. She would collect stuff for them all year long and by Christmas time she had too much to put in each stocking. She would end up getting a "piggy back" stocking to fill and pin to the regular ones. As a joke one year, I made us each ginormous sized stockings out of fake white fur. They were about 15 inches wide and 2 1/2 feet long! She used them and filled them up almost to the top! She spent all night before Christmas wrapping each individual thing in tissue paper.(she also made stockings for her sister and nieces!). I really miss having a stocking to open on Christmas Day.

When she was in the nursing home with alzheimers, I made her a Christmas stocking and gave it to a friend of hers there to put in her room on Christmas morning. I waited for my mom to call me to thank me for it. Well, she didn't call so I called her and asked her if she got anything from Santa. She said "no". I thought maybe the friend forgot to give it to her so I went over there. I found the stocking in her room with the tissue paper removed from each thing and then put back in the stocking. I was relieve she got it but she never said anything about it until I was getting ready to leave. She told me not to forget my stocking because she worked very hard to make it for me! Somehow in her mind she thought it was one she made to give to me. So I thanked her and took it home with me. I just brought a couple things from it back to her each time I visited. It was kind of sad but kind of funny too.

Even with the bad Christmas's we had (my dad being drunk), she still managed to make them nice and fun for us kids.

[brendac]

Quiet Christmas planned here.
I will spend part of the morning video conferencing with my granddaughters (6 and 7) then movies here in the rv.
Dinner will be prime rib with friends here at the park. They have a park model. I will bring salad and dessert while they supply the main meal. I am very fortunate to have such good friends as this will be my first Christmas without family.
Wishing all of you a Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2021.

[Cudedog]

Quiet Christmas planned here.
I will spend part of the morning video conferencing with my granddaughters (6 and 7) then movies here in the rv.
Dinner will be prime rib with friends here at the park. They have a park model. I will bring salad and dessert while they supply the main meal. I am very fortunate to have such good friends as this will be my first Christmas without family.
Wishing all of you a Blessed Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2021.

Barbie, I enjoyed your story about your family childhood Christmas, and the stocking you made for your Mom.

Brendac, definitely tough spending one's first Christmas without family - I will be doing a video conference "dinner" with my children and their spouses on Christmas Eve. Which helps quite a bit, but is not the same, of course. I have had Christmases with my kids on different days during Christmases past - often not on the exact day itself, but this has been fine, and just as wonderful. Sometimes somehow more so, because when our celebrations have been held "not on the day" there is not the added stress and pressures to fulfill other visiting obligations. We can all relax and just "be".

It's a tough time all around for countless people. I'm remembering and trying to put into practice Tina's calming and valuable words (has anyone heard from Tina? Tina, if you read this, know that you are in my thoughts) to take each day as it comes, with joy and acceptance in one's heart.

Very hard, of course, during these strange, troubling times - but I am healthy, as are my children, I have a roof over my head, food on my plate, a garden in my back yard (I planted lettuce yesterday, it's a cold-weather crop, and I still have green cherry tomatoes out there! In December!!), a warm and loving dog at my side (LOL - and often under the covers!), and a party to look forward to on the computer on Christmas Eve.

I'll take it.

In the Great Scheme Of Things, it really doesn't get any better than this.

I'm truly thankful.

Anne