Christmas Means Dinner

Dinner means death.
Death means Carnage.
Christmas means CARNAGE!

Dude, we totally ate Babe. Your favorite movie and your favorite dinner should have NOTHING in common.

After a rather freakish display of materialism love and appreciation for each family member, I got busy cooking the dinner I totally could have prepped the night before, but didn't because I chose to drink a bunch of wine instead. Bygones. We didn't have anything special, except that I borrowed recipes from people, so even that we weren't with them, their holidays could be with us, at least at our table. That makes it totally special. I made Gigi's family green beans, which were good but not nearly as good as when she makes them, and I made Leslie Dillinger's Gruyere scalloped potatoes. Holy Greasy Jumping Jesus Christ on a Popsicle Cupcake Crutch! Those are some damn delicious potatoes. Leslie, I'm stealing your recipe for myself. Gigi, I'm letting you cook next year. You bring the beans, I'll bring the cookies.

For dinner, I decided I'd try something I haven't tried before. Because I like to experiment, that's why. I thought it would be fun to try out 'Suburban Soccer Mom Martha WannaBe'. Yep, that's just about everything I rally against. But I can't fight it anymore, I like the suburbs and Martha, and soccer moms are crazy hot. And so, my normally white on white table was set with gramma's china, my dad's silver, and kitsch.Even the baby got in on the action. She has a thing for Martha. Just ask her Gramma Gigi.We had "Champagne"And since a certain Godfather has taught all of my children to toast, properly, we said "Cheers!" (or Earws!, depending on the person) 4,936 times.
We had a ham that actually didn't suck, though I expected it to, seeings how the last time I roasted a ham I was still A) less than 23 and B) single. A gorgeous bouquet of flowers capped it all off nicely, and then we ate that poor, helpless little pig.Why, yes, I DO have an enormous ring on my table, thank you for asking. That table is one bazillion years old. YOU try and keep rings from forming on it.

Dinner was lovely and quiet. We did not have to run to Gramma's and then my dad's and then Aunt Jane's and then home before bed. We didn't have to vacuum before company came over. We didn't have to put on deodorant (though maybe we should have). We had to sit on our butts and eat too much food and enjoy each other's company in a way we rarely get to in my house. It was nice, and the nice made it a little easier for us all to ditch the sad we were all feeling on our first Christmas away from everything we hold dear. The staying put was great, the staying put at Gigi's would have been heaven.

I made dessert, and I learned something.I learned that what takes you 3 days the first time may only take you two hours the second time, and that you should only substitute almonds for hazelnuts if you want your Busch de Noel to, although sweet-looking on the outside, be bitter on the inside to a freakish degree.

And then we took pictures and then we watched movies and then we were so tired one eye wouldn't stay open anymore and so we went to bed. And that was our amazing, action packed holiday. Go big or go home. Apparently, we went home.
(Nine years olds just don't take the world's best pictures)