Pretty one

 

John gave me a Wentworth wooden puzzle for Christmas. We've collected several over the years and they are the type of puzzles you can do over and over.  

Made in England with little whimsy pieces that match the themes. I'm slow at puzzles (compared to him) so he likes to look over my shoulder sniggering because I can't see the pieces right in front of me. 

I told him go away. It's not nice to make fun of people not as smart as you! So I finally finished it in peace yesterday afternoon. Thank goodness for puzzles, embroidery and reading. And naps. 

This week always feels like some sort of time vortex. Christmas is over but nothing feels back to normal yet. The decorations are still up and the chore of getting everything packed away looms. As does the new year, with all the uncertainly that comes with the unknown. 

"Surrender to what is. Let go of what was. Have faith in what will be.” — Sonia Ricotti 

 Simple advice, but easier said than done for many of us. 

Boxing Day

 

We had a wonderful Christmas and hope you did also. I didn't have time to take many photos, which is how it should be, but here's our precious girls, Amanda, Nova and Maya at dinner: Ham with peach glaze, baked yams with pecan crumbles, cauliflower with cheese sauce and a giant bowl of greens for these big salad eaters. Whew. 

 

And yes, we always get carried away here with gift giving (especially Father Christmas John!) but what generous and thoughtful presents all around. 

Boxing Day is the perfect time to reflect and enjoy these gifts of family and love. The kids have plans, but we will be home recuperating. 

The only thing to unwrap today is the leftover ham. I see bean soup on the horizon. 

Christmas Eve, ready or not

 

I made a rum cake this morning; John picked up some beautiful flowers for the table. All stocked up with food for tomorrow and beyond, we're as ready as we can be.

To our family traveling today on snowy roads, Vaya con Dios! And thoughts of peace and love to all our friends and family, especially those who have suffered recent losses.  

“Christmas Eve is my favorite. I think the anticipation is more fun than anything else. I kind of lost that. The idea that something - food, traditions, an arbitrary date on the calendar - can be special because we decide it should be. We make it special. Not just for ourselves, but for others.” 

― Kiersten White, from "My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories."     

Let your heart be light

 

That's a new one. "Christmas Adam" is apparently an unofficial holiday on December 23, the day before Christmas Eve. The name Christmas Adam is reference to Adam coming before Eve in creation in the Bible. Whatever! 

Well, final preparations are in full swing today: extra leaf brought up for the table, beds made, bathrooms cleaned, endless stuff moved from here to there to make room for this and that. We will be a full house. One last trip to the grocery store this morning for the salad eaters. Tomorrow I'll try a new gluten free rum cake recipe-- hey, enough rum and anything tastes good. Breakfast buffet and ham dinner planned for Christmas day.

Wherever you are and whatever your traditions, large or small, wishing you a wonderful holiday.

Let your heart be light.   

 

Wonderful

 

The French Impressionist exhibit "Farm to Table" at SAM was just wonderful. Seattle is the last city on the tour and it closes in January, so if you live around here, try not to miss it. We got there when the museum opened at 10 and had the exhibit to ourselves before the Sunday crowds showed up.  

Renoir, Matisse, Pissaro, Degas, Gauguin-- all the famous artists were represented with works centering around the themes of growing, harvesting, marketing and cooking food-- subjects near and dear to French hearts. And mine.

 

John made a new friend at SAM. We didn't invite her along to lunch at Von's 1000 Spirits, a boozy place across the street. I thought of her though, watching someone at the next table attacking a massive and messy hamburger. 

I had my go-to fish tacos (good) and John had salad (along with a fancy fig old fashioned.) But the fun part about Von's was watching those complicated cocktails coming out of the bar and tossed back at 11 am. 

 

Well, it is the holiday season. I felt virtuous ordering cranberry juice.

 

After that culinary adventure, a walk through the Pike Place Market. I wanted a little piece of smoked salmon, but the $60 a pound gave Mrs. Scrooge pause. Last but not least, apple strudel from Three Girls Bakery and a stop Fran's Chocolates. We were home by early afternoon with lighter wallets, but enjoyed our annual holiday downtown treat. 

John, unaccustomed to stiff drinks in the middle of the day, retired for a nap! 

 

Countdown to Christmas

 

 

 

Simpler times, and by gosh, I'm old enough to remember gifts like that.  There was always a can of pipe tobacco under the tree for Dad. 

On this day in 1843 Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol."

The celebration of Christmas in Victorian times was still somewhat controversial. Puritans in England and America argued that Christmas was a holiday left over from the days when pagans celebrated the winter solstice (it was.) Many Christians felt that the extravagance of Christmas was an insult to Christ. 

But "A Christmas Carol" turned out to be a huge best-seller in both England and the United States and set the tone for Christmas as we know it today: a season of generosity, feasting, and merriment. 

There are dozens of "Christmas Carol" movies, but our family favorite is the 1970 "Scrooge" musical starring 34-year old dreamboat Albert Finney. Maybe tonight. 

This weekend is the final countdown before Christmas. On Sunday, the Winter Solstice, we're going downtown and see an exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, called "Farm to Table: Art, Food and Identity in the Age of Impressionism." It's supposed to be excellent, then out to lunch somewhere and probably a walk through the crowded market. Our annual tradition...

Have a wonderful weekend.