Christmas Day 2019 - What a Wonderful Christmas

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Quiet Christmas morning. 

Drank Bloody Mary's as I continued to clean the house and get it decorated for company this afternoon. 

More tchotchkes to set out...

Finally finished decorating the tree. 

As I got the house ready, Dale worked on the turkey. 

I don't think we've made one for about 5 years. Dale has really become quite the turkey-meister. 

As I finished up my tasks I was overtaken by a rather touching sentimentality while listening to the above song. It's not a real common Christmas Carol but I've come to love it quite a bit.

Athena's sweetness is alway appreciated around here. 

She ga lot of walks, attention, and rest today. She blends in with the chair in the above picture so I put a label next to her. 

After getting cleaned up I tended to getting the sweet potato casserole, my one contribution to Christmas dinner, ready to go. 

This was my first ever effort at the task and Mom, who's been making it for years, was horrified to find out I'd be using canned sweet potatoes. She was pleasantly surprised to discover it turned out GREAT (if I do say so myself) and she said as much. 

Our dinner guests, Mom, John, and Noel, started showing up around 3 p.m. which is about the time the turkey came out of the oven to rest. 

It turned out to be a lovely Christmas. The house looked great, the food was fantastic, and, I believe,  a great time was had by all.

I finished out the day with a little Irish cream. 

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 2016 - Christmas Morning and Merry Kiltmas!

Sunday December 25, 2016

Dale was awake when I got up. We had a quiet Christmas morning of coffee and reading. 

Last night, on Christmas Eve, I began a ghost story titled One Who Saw by A.M. Burrage. It was atmospheric and creepy to say the least. I've taken an interest in ghost stories for Christmas over the past couple of years beginning when we started telling personal ones at Noel's annual holiday fete a couple years ago.  

And by the way, Merry Kiltmas!

Holiday Season 2014 - Minneapolis Holiday Market

Last year was the last year of the Minneapolis Holidazzle Parade. This year in it's place there is something called the Holidazzle Christmas Market. 

The following is from Dale's blog:

"Joe is....a shopper which I most definitely am not. But I did go downtown with him today for the launch of the Minneapolis Marketplace, an outdoor, quasi-German themed Christmas market. It actually was pretty fun, and he could not get that silly grin off his face - he was so happy and in his element that I just had to capture it with a picture. For being so cold and having just finished snowing there were sure a lot of people there. The hot mulled wine was VERY popular. And seeing so many people we know and adore there made me happy and gave me a strong sense of connection to my community. And for all of this I am indeed thankful."

We had a blast walking around. We ran into Noel and her family. We also saw a few other old friends we hadn't seen in a while.

Christmas 2011 - Squire House Gardens

My friend Noel and I went to Squire House Gardens in Afton this past Saturday for their annual holiday open house. We've made a point to go every year for a least a decade and Martin, the owner, is always gracious and glad to see us. The open house is a chance to see their holiday merchandise and listen to live music (this year it was and accordianist). They served cheese and crackers, mulled wine and hot apple cider. I bought a few glass ornaments.

Christmas 1997 - My Friend Noel

My good friend Noel (How appro-

priate consid-

ering this is a Christmas blog, huh?! She pronounces it 'Nole'.) and I have been friends for just a couple years shy of two decades. We have a lot in common, as most friends do, not the least of which is a big affinity for Christmas. We love decorating for the holiday and start peeling our eyes for tchotchkes and ornaments sometime in November. Pictured is a Christmas card she sent to Dale and me in 1997. I've noticed over the past 5 years or so that people seem to be sending fewer Christmas cards through the mail. I'm sure it has something to do with the cost. Noel now sends hers electronically

which I've been doing more of as well.

Christmas 2001 - Rosemary Clooney

Dale, my friend Noel and I went to go see Rosemary Clooney at Orchestra Hall in December 2001. The orchestra played the first half and Rosie sang with the orchestra backing her the second half. When we got back to our seats after intermission we noticed a chair had been set by the piano. Now, we saw her do a Christmas performance a few years earlier where she used a stool to sit on for support from time to time which made sense because she was about 71 years old. Having to sit for a performance is not something I'd seen a performer do before so this did not look good. When the show started she had help walking to her chair and did indeed end up sitting the whole performance. She was in fairly good spirits but was nowhere near the energy level I was used to. She mentioned to the audience that she had recently been to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for test and that she was fine. I assumed she was just under the weather and, being a trouper, felt that the show must go on. Sadly, she passed away early in 2002. She was just shy of 74 years old.

Gifts - Colorful Pots and Pans

My earliest Christmases (late 1960's/early 1970's) were spent at my grandparent's houses in Two Harbors, Minnesota. Grandma Alice and Grandpa Louie owned a bakery there which they operated from the mid-1950's to 1981. Grandpa Les worked for the railroad but retired around this time and Grandma Jean stayed at home. Jean and Les also owned a cabin on 40 acres of land about eleven miles just outside of town. I loved going to two Harbors and visiting all of them at their houses but also loved spending time at the bakery and cabin.

It was about 1971 and Mom, Dad, Sam and I were up in Two Harbors for Thanksgiving. I remember sitting on a big unopened bucket of lard in the storage room by the back entrance of the bakery. My brother Sam and I were paging through Grandma Alice's Montgomery Ward Christmas catalog and looking at Christmas toys. What I decided I wanted most was something the catalog called Colorful Pots and Pans. They were big colorful plastic toys modeled after kitchen items but with faces on them. There was a skillet, coffee pot, saucepan, etc. I never got them and I don't remember feeling too disappointed. Once we got back to Minneapolis I'm sure I came up with something I wanted even more.

This past weekend my friend Noel and I were putzing around a Minneapolis antique store and I stumbled upon what is pictured here. If this isn't the actual product I saw in that Montgomery Ward catalog then it's eerily close!

Christmas 2009

Christmas becomes more meaningful every year. I've known for a long time that so many of the traditions found at Christmastime predate the Christian era. During the time of the solstice attention naturally turned to the hearth, home and family due to shortened days, colder weather, and extra time that came with the completed harvest. More time indoors due to the weather and winter vacation allow me to focus on hearth, home, and family. As a teacher I've always enjoyed having a two week winter break during the last part of December as a time to turn my attention to getting ready for Christmas, ponder the past year and think about what lies ahead. It is a natural time to reflect. The religious aspect of Christmas has always meant so much to me and I grow in that appreciation year after year as well. I think of the stories in the Bible in which Jesus shares a meal with others and appreciate being able to do just that with my own loved ones. I'm sure Christ's birthday celebrations looked quite a bit different than what we've created to help commemorate his birth. I admit that part of the energy I get in all the preparations for the season come from actually wanting to create a welcoming place for Him as an actual guest.

There were many wonderful experiences during the Christmas of 2009. Christmas Eve was lovely this year. Dale and I went to Mom's condo for cheese fondue and steak. This is the first time we've done a Christmas dinner at Mom's new place. It was difficult not having Dad with us. I found myself really missing him as I stirred the fondue cheese and listened to the Kingston Trio Christmas album. During Christmas Eve day Dale and I worked on the beef bourginon recipe from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The gently falling snow made it a magical day and contributed to the beautiful atmosphere for the 5 hour total prep/cook time that the recipe took. A couple martinis helped to make it even more magical. I ate too much at Mom's that night and probably had one drink too many. I was not quite recovered from my cold and hit a brick wall after the processional song at midnight mass. This caused me to conk out and I ended up on the couch of the church gathering room for the remainder of the service. Ah well. It was a magical Christmas Eve none the less. On Christmas Day Mom came over for the beef bourginon we worked so hard on the day before. My good friend Noel joined us as well. I felt much better on Christmas Day.