"Don't Mess with Christmas!"

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It's seven days until Christmas and yikes! Not a gift has been purchased nor even thought about. We have been so busy with different activities that we just haven't found the time to go. Dan and I are planning on heading out on Friday since that's the one day this week he is not tutoring. I don't generally like facing the crowds a few days before Christmas but that's the way it goes this year.

 My plan to stretch things over the twelve days of Christmas was shot down by my daughter who loves our traditions. 

 In fact, the conversation went like this when I told her about it.

 Emily:  "Mom, why would you do that?" "We aren't Jewish!"

 Me: "Ummmmmm…..I said, let's celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas, not Hanukkah!" 🤣🤣

 Emily: "It doesn't matter; why would you mess with Christmas?!!!"

 So, per her request, I'm not messing with Christmas. It'll be our traditions though they have evolved and changed over the years as they've grown up and out of some of them. 

 Here is the plan:

 Christmas Eve

 We have a Christmas Candlelight Service that Dan and I are responsible for and that is front and center on Christmas Eve. But the one thing we do for dinner is make it simple with some finger foods. Then we go to the Christmas Eve service, then come home and the kids open their stocking presents and we play a board game.

 Here is the plan for the Christmas Eve dinner.

 Shrimp platter, pigs in a blanket, cheese and cracker platter, veggie platter, bruschetta with capers and black olives (all of my kids love this one), and a cookie platter.

 Christmas Morning

 Breakfast - specialty coffee, homemade cinnamon rolls, breakfast casserole

 Then we open gifts. We have this silly Christmas trivia game and I don't know what prompted me start this a number of years ago, but they had to answer a trivia question before they opened a gift and the activity stuck. I've tried doing away with it but "you know who" won't let me because I'm "messing with Christmas" lol

 Christmas Dinner

 Dinner is different every year and I do a number of different types of meals. This year I'm sticking with more traditional foods.

 Midday Dinner - Roasted butternut squash soup, spiral ham with brandy-spice glaze, glazed sweet potatoes, apple-fennel salad, sparkling cider. 

 Dessert - Various cookies and New York cheesecake with blueberries.

 I'm looking forward to our traditions and having a quiet Christmas at home. We usually buy some board game as a family gift and pull that out and play it.  Good times!

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