Christmas Eve 2019 - Mom's

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Mom moved this past spring from her condo to senior living apartments which was another change in our Christmas routine. We'd spent to last 11 Christmas Eves doing cheese fondue and steaks at her condo in Edina. Her new place is as equally charming and comfortable. 

Since her move I'd forgotten we were storing her artificial tree in our basement and she never asked for it. I offered to bring it over a few days ago but she said she'd just pass on the tree for this year and would decide if she wants to do one next year. I brought over a little tabletop tree that I'd left decorated from last year. Dale was unaware of I even had it and was a little taken aback that I could produce a decorated tree like Mary Poppins magically pulling something out of her nanny bag. 

Anyway, dinner was lovely. We finished out the evening with Baba dessert. My favorite dessert from childhood which was introduced years and years ago by Grandma Jean. 

Christmas Eve 2019

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

It's been a rather quiet and low-key day so far. Dale went to the gym this morning while I stayed home and did a little more work decorating the tree. I also got some preliminary cleaning done as we're having, Mom, John, and Noel over tomorrow for Christmas Day dinner. 

Got Athena on a nice walk. She's sleeping like a baby now. The weather is unseasonably mild. We're at 38 degrees as I write this.

Dale and I went grocery shopping at Kowalski's yesterday but went again this afternoon for some last minute items. I'm making a sweet potato casserole for tomorrow. Mom was a little disappointed to find out I'm using canned sweet potatoes but I convinced her to cut me a little slack as it'll be my first effort. 

Christmas Eve 2017

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Sent the above picture to Sam and Pete.

Sam texted back that they got a white Christmas. I texted back that that's pretty good for Kansas.

Pete texted back that they are doing cheese fondue at their house.

Christmas Eve 2016

Saturday, December 24, 2016

I love Christmas and I love spending it with two of my most favorite people.

Christmas Eve 2016 - Santa's On His Way

Saturday, December 24, 2017

Christmas 2016 - Christmas Eve Service

Saturday, December 24, 2017

Lovely Christmas Eve service at Gethsemane. Dale sang in the choir and I was one of the three kings in the Christmas Pageant. Pictured with me is Mark, one of the other kings. I think we did a great job.  My first Christmas pageant EVER!

Christmas Eve 2016 - Mom

Saturday, December 24, 2016

Dressed up before heading over to dinner at Mom's place.

Bought this cute little guy about 16 years ago from the school secretary at the school I was working at at the time. Her name was Tammy and she and her mom made these and sold them. 

We had a wonderful time at Mom's. Her friend Lynn joined us and after appetizers we had cheese fondue and then filet mignon. She only made one batch of cheese fondue as last year Dale wrote her a post it note and put it on the cover of her cookbook to remind her. Lynn brought a mushroom mix to put on top of the steaks. She was horrified they shrunk as much as they did after putting them in the microwave for only a minute and a half. We all thought it was delicious none-the-less. She also brought a tiramisu cake for dessert which was very delicious, especially so because it was not overly sweet.  Lynn also brought over a DVD of a fire in a fire place. The audio was of the crackling sound of a fire and also a loon calling in the distance. Dale was particularly taken with the video.

Mom's tree looked beautiful as usual.

Christmas Eve 2015 - From Dale's Journal

"Well, the weather huffed and puffed and tried mightily to deliver a White Christmas to Minneapolis, but that great laboring brought forth a mouse in the form of an icy thin layer of snow/slush that froze solid last night when the temperatures finally dropped below freezing to give us our first “average” day in weeks.  Not very Christmas-y and since I’m all about the atmospherics around Christmas, this is kind of disappointing.

But Christmas will come just the same, so we’ll play along.  We’re heading to Joe’s mom’s house for the traditional Christmas Eve meal of cheese and bread fondue with a side of tenderloin and carafe of wine.  Once the beavers have finished building dams in our arteries and we awake from our stupor, Joe and I will transform into cherubs and sing tonight at Christmas Eve mass.

Tomorrow is Christmas dinner at our house with Joe’s mom, possibly a friend of hers, and the last minute addition of a Christmas orphan who just texted asking if my invitation from a month ago is still good.  He promised wine and to wear bells.  Well, hell yeah, he had me at “wine”.  The bells are just frosting on the cake."

Christmas Eve 2015 - Mom's Tree

We got to Mom's around noon. Her friend Lynn was there to join us for lunch. We started with an appetizer of brie and apple slices on crackers.

Christmas Eve 2015 - Mom

This year is my 50th Christmas and I've celebrated  all of them with this dear woman. Thanks Mom, for making them great. I love you.

Christmas Eve 2015 - Fondue

Mom gets the fondue cheese ready.

Christmas Eve 2015 - Dale

Dale's ready to eat!

Christmas Eve 2015 - Christmas Cookies

Mom served Christmas cookies for dessert. She used Grandma Jean's sugar cookie recipe which turns out some pretty awesome results. Mom thinks they're the best sugar cookies she's ever tasted and I have to agree with her. The recipe had been lost for a while but she told me that this year she found it again! She also served a nut pastry called _________. It's made by Tobie's (yes, the one between Minneapolis and Duluth) although she found it at a grocery store near her. Earlier this morning Dale and I stopped at Kowalski's for some last minute shopping for tomorrow's dinner and I picked up the cookie you see below. It's a shortbread cookie but it had a gingerbread taste to it. The bottom part was dipped in some kind of frosting. The whole thing was marvelous.

Christmas Eve 2015 - To All a Good Night

Can't wait until tomorrow...

Christmas Day 2013 - Dale, Mom, and Joe

This turned out to be a lovely Christmas. The time with friends at church was marvelous and the time with Mom on Christmas Day was very meaningful. It's too bad we didn't get to do the traditional Christmas Eve fondue due to my singing in both the afternoon and late evening services at church. Mom sang at the late service at her church and also the 9:00 a.m. Christmas Day service. We decided in advance that it might be a little hairy trying to fit all the prep and dinner in in between services. Sometimes an occasional break with tradition helps one to appreciate that tradition even more. There's always next year...

Christmas Eve 2013 - Dale and Joe

Dale and I both sang with the traditional choir for the 10:00 pm Christmas Eve service.  Here we are after the service looking very angelic in our choir robes.

Christmas Eve 1968 - The Minneapolis Tribune

I obtained a facsimile of the 1968 Christmas Eve edition of the old Minneapolis Tribune at an exhibit at the Minnesota History Center. The exhibit was 1968 and covered a lot of the events that happened during that turbulent year in American history. It was fun to see what the headlines were. Mom and Dad and I were living in Minneapolis near the old Fairview and St. Mary's hospitals.

Christmas 2011 - Christmas Eve Service

Dale and I sang at the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve service at Gethsemane Episcopal Church this afternoon. Mom attended the service. I had a solo in Children Run Joyfully, that went, if I do say so myself, pretty well. The service itself was lovely and it was so nice to have Mom there with us. The above photo was taken on December 4th. We haven't had much snow this season. In fact, it's the first brown Christmas we've had since 2006.

Christmas 1972 - Christmas Eve

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Christmas 1994 - Christmas Eve in Denver

Here's Dale enjoying family, food, and friends at his cousin Dianne's house on Christmas Eve 1994. In the bottom picture Aunt Shirley is just over Dale's shoulder.