I didn’t know how much traveling I would be doing in December, so I started planning and preparing for Christmas in mid-November. All that work led up to [basically] two days of family, friends and food. Then it was all over. POOF!
On Saturday the 13th, me, Jimmy and Josh went to holiday parties at two different friend’s homes. What a late night! Jimmy and I hadn’t been out late in ages. We found out that we just can’t hang with the youngins’ anymore. Thank you, Ruben & Pablo and Carmen & June for two great parties.
We had the Atlanta venue party Monday night, the 22nd. There was a TON of food. I brought my signature Turtle Cheesecake and Reeses Peanut Butter Cheesecake. We had about 45-50 employees there. Man, the food…..I ate like it was my last meal. Local management did a great job of stretching their budget.
Me, Jimmy, and Josh had our gift exchange Tuesday morning because Jimmy was leaving for his parents’ house in Rock Hill, South Carolina, later that morning. Jimmy got me a 160GB iPod for all my music and movies. I really wanted one to pass my time when I am flying. For over a month, Josh had been converting all of my movies, TV series and music, and loaded it all onto the iPod. Josh got me a docking stereo and several other accessories for my iPod. I got a portable XM Radio for Jimmy and a portable printer for Josh to use with his laptop.
On Christmas Eve morning, I invited to breakfast those who could come for sausage and french toast. I got up around 5am to start my day and I had about a dozen people for breakfast. Later in the day, the rest of the family came, and I ended up with 27 people at the house. I have five siblings and four of them were able to make it with their families. Unfortunately, Karen was unable to come down from Illnois, but Debbie was able to make it from Tucson, Arizona with her children and new beau.
The appetizer menu consisted of sausage balls, meatballs, cocktail weiners, bacon-wrapped stuffed jalapenos, bacon-wrapped stuffed mushrooms, a vegetable tray w/ dip, chips and salsa, crab dip w/ crackers, spinach and ham pinwheels, cheese balls w/ crackers, pumpernickel bread bowl w/ dip, sesame chicken wings, bruschetta, cathedral fudge, coconut squares and a big ole’ crock pot of hot apple cider.
The gift exchange happened around 6pm. Good Lord, Have Mercy! What a great time! For all the preparation and work that went into it, I just love having everyone over to the house with good food and good company. My family is so big, we don’t have too many opportunities to get everyone together. Even this time, we were missing one, but we still made the best of it and had a great time.
After everyone left, I cleaned up the house, loaded the dishwasher, vacuumed, and took out the trash. My nephew, Jimmie, stayed the night with Josh, so I left them downstairs around 10pm, showered, and poured myself into bed. I turned the TV on and don’t even remember watching the first commercial. I was tired, to say the least.
We went to Mom’s for Christmas Day. With the exception of Karen, we all were together again for a day of playing cards. Mom, et al, made a wonderful dinner! Since Jimmy had to work Friday, he came home late on Christmas Day. His mother sent him home with all her meal’s leftovers and a deep freeze full of frozen food.
All in all….I have one of the most dysfunctional families there is. We may argue and bicker and gossip about each other when they aren’t around, BUT…I wouldn’t want them any other way and I love them all.
