This year we thought we would be by ourselves for Christmas, but plans fell through and now the kids are coming for the Christmas Eve dinner and I’m so happy. We missed Thanksgiving because we were sick, and although we are all meeting for New Year to celebrate my birthday, I’m looking forward to tonight.
Some years ago, I mentioned to Gordon that one year I wanted to do a themed tree, where you pick a couple of colors and stick with them. But usually we decorate with ornaments we had for years, because it’s tradition. After we survived Thanksgiving and managed to drag the tree out of storage, Gordon looked at me and said, “You know, the kids are not coming. If you wanted to color coordinate, this year is it.”
Me, thinking: I have a ton of red and gold: What color would you like?
Gordon: Blue.
Me: O_O
It’s blue, silver, and gold technically, but I think it turned out. Gordon informed me it looked like a Hallmark TV movie, and I am ridiculously flattered.
Everyone’s Christmas Eve present is wrapped and ready to go under the tree at the end of the dinner.
I think I might be getting yarn. I am so excited.
The menu is simple. We are doing the hobbit ham from Rhubarb and Lavender, stuffing, roasted potatoes with that awesome Wagyu lard Grace Draven gifted me, mac and cheese, and fried oysters, because they are Kid 1’s favorite. We usually have lobster tails for Christmas, and we splurged on some. I need to soak them, because although I thawed them in the fridge, I’m pretty sure they’ve turned into a small iceberg.
I might make Olivier salad. Nobody will eat it, including me – I will take two bites and be done – but I’ve been craving it this year. Gordon’s cousin sent us a charcuterie board and it will be perfect to set out while we are finishing up cooking. Kid 1 requested a banana cream pie on behalf of her boyfriend and I’ve never made one, so that will be an adventure.
Oh, I have to tell you about my awesome gift. I’m a fiend for mushrooms. There are some foods that will forever be marked as luxury for me because of my childhood. Oranges, bananas, and also mushrooms.
One of the simplest comfort meals for me, which I make when I don’t feel like making anything, is the imitation crabmeat or shrimp, stir fired lightly with broccoli, Korean rice cakes, canned Polar Straw mushrooms, and lobster sauce, which actually has zero lobster in it and is just thickened broth. It warm and delicious, and the rice cakes are chewy. If I feel spicy, I throw gochujang in there.
Recently, the straw mushrooms vanished from the grocery shelves. So I can’t have my favorite dish anymore. I tried adding regular mushrooms, but it’s not the same.
A few days ago, Grace Draven came over and dramatically set a massive gift wrapped in candy cane striped paper on my kitchen table. It was hella heavy.
Guess what I saw when I tore the paper?
12 cans. She bought me 12 cans. Best gift ever.
This has been an exciting, but difficult year. The work is a mountain climb. Not the horrible Sisyphus kind of mountain, but more like a really beautiful hike. You love the scenery, the air is fresh, and you keep climbing, but it is tiring. Gordon and I have kept up the pace, but I have to tell you, getting the dining room table clear was like excavating a dinosaur fossil. It was covered with all the special edition signing sheets. I’ve been wrapping the signed sheets in butcher paper and hiding them in boxes. I keep being paranoid that one of the cats decides to ruin them.
Kid 1 has gone back to college to finish her degree – it makes every older adult in her life deliriously happy – and despite being diagnosed with a math disability in high school, she not only finished all of her college math classes, she has 4.0 for the semester. We have conversations about philosophy and politics.
Kid 2 has promised to deliver a complete manuscript next year. Her father and I are a bit pissy at the moment, because the 2/3 of the draft we’ve read was good and we want the rest. We are being told to w*it. The nerve. She also has been trying to help us with the workload. Check this out.
Is this not sick? She just threw it together.
Maggie 2 has crossed 90,000 words. It is NOT done. Not at all. We know where we are going, but getting there is taking a lot of words. It will be another brick.
Without promising anything, we are hoping to invite you to a wedding next year. It will have fangs, weapons, and former mothers-in-law who are in serious need of comeuppance. And there will be an Augustine novella at the end of January, hopefully. I wish I could show you the cover, but our agency is insisting we wait until we have a firm pub date.
I can’t tell you anything. I’ve turned into CIA. I can neither confirm nor deny…
Well, it is time for me to clean the house and start this mac and cheese. I wish you the best holidays: calm, boring, peaceful, and warm. Whether you are spending this season with family, friends, or alone, I hope it will restore a little bit of happiness for you. ::hug::
Thank you for the wonderful year.
