The Holidays, 2021 Style

With Thanksgiving 2021 over, and Bruce having watched his first Hallmark movie, the holidays have officially begun. It used to be that watching Love Actually every year got him in the holiday mood, however, now with a seemingly never ending stream of Christmas movies available, he's ignored his old favorite lately. He loves him some Candance Cameron Bure. 😁

But first things first. Thanksgiving! It has probably been four years or so since last I prepared the meal and to tell you the truth, I think it showed. At the very least, I am far slower than I used to be when I was cooking for a big crowd. Sometimes Maureen would help, while other times, particularly when the children were young, my Mother. An exceptional cook when she wanted to be that's for sure! Wanting is the operative word here as she left much of the cooking to us girls when we were young. Speaking of my Mother, there is always something a bit bitter sweet for me as that is the day she sunk into a coma while I was cooking the meal. David and Michelle went to pick her up and found her in a very bad state. I left immediately leaving my niece Laura mashing the potatoes. Needless to say, the meal was eaten somberly. 

As is probably the case with anyone reading this, sentimentality drives your thinking during the holidays. Then too, our thoughts turn to those not with us, and in our case it is a whole bunch of absentees whether because of distance, the pandemic, or they have died. Thus, I love using things that remind me of them. A few years ago Matt knitted this little pumpkin for me and because he is in England, not to mention a vegan, this reminder of his presence in our hearts, had to suffice. Who knew that there are a bunch of vegan thanksgiving recipes here? 

As is usually the case, I like to do all of the cooking myself and let others enjoy a day off. This year I made an old Bon Appetit recipe for the turkey which turned out just okay. For whatever reason the cooking was very uneven which led to some waste although, Lord knows, we had plenty as it was. There was turkey and dressing, a batch of homemade cranberry sauce, served in a pretty dish from my childhood.

A super simple recipe that used only fresh cranberries, chunked up in the food processor along with orange zest, sugar and a 1/4 cup of Gran Marnier. I'm thinking I will use the leftovers for a cake in the next day or two. Check back with me on that. 

Another easy dish was this carrot and radish salad with lime zest and a dressing made with olive oil and lime juice. I did the best I could using the tools available to make it look pretty. That said, it was supposed to be more matchstick like!

While certainly not traditional, it actually worked well as a bright note amongst the other goodies. The mashed potatoes turned out really well much to our delight. The corn casserole also turned out to be a nice surprise. 

While I did not make a pumpkin pie, I did make an apple one for Bruce, using a new pastry recipe now that I no longer have access to the lard I grew to love while in Canada.

In a little mix up, I thought Michelle was bringing a pumpkin pie and she thought that I was making it ,but truth be told, it was not missed as we were all pretty darn full. Instead she brought a fragrant candle and these beautiful roses that, if possible, look even prettier today.

According to this post from 2016, I found my current dishes at an amazing estate sale. Actually, re-reading that post, I still wish I'd purchased those hanging lights! Anyway, as noted in that post, it came with all manner of serving dishes which I finally got to use! 

When we downsized I got rid of a lot of dishes, including our wedding china, but the above glasses were saved from the purge. Given to me by my Mother they actually belonged to an uncle of my father. In other words, they are mighty old and one thing Bruce really loves. The candlesticks were also spared, having been given to Bruce when he became a "million miler" on Delta. Actually we got to choose the gift and who doesn't want something made by Tiffany? 

Dave is smiling! Is it the food, or maybe the crazy expensive wine he brought?

While the turkey was cooking, Bruce ran up to the garden center, coming home with some little poinsettias to add some color to the porch. Note the open door behind the screen as it was a very comfortable day.

Not the best photo below, but one that I will look back on with fondness.

That would be Grace, Dave and Michelle's dog who was surprisingly well behaved. One thing we don't have around our table are grandchildren, although one day that may change. In the meantime, we are thankful for what we do have and all of our loved ones both near and far.

Bruce and Fallon went to work cleaning the kitchen,

while Bill and I had our usual Yahtzee tournament. That is if you count two out of three as a tournament! And yes, he did beat me two games to one. I will say that when we did it again a day later, I was the victor so now we are even! He is still a little sore from the accident but nothing that time won't heal. Originally he'd hoped we could play a little pickleball on Thanksgiving, but that plan was thwarted by a driver who ran a red light. 

Mostly everyone was so happy that we could gather unlike last year during the pandemic. With the new variant that has just come to light there is no future guarantee of anything, right?

Sunday, as we were coming in the side door of church, seeing Chris at the organ, it occurred to me that playing the organ might also be something that disappears. How many folks do you think are learning to play it anymore?

And yes, we are still wearing masks at church which is now decorated. The fellow in front spends the entire service knitting most weeks.

On the first Sunday of Advent there were far more empty pews than there has been of late. Perhaps folks were out of town?

Here's something to ponder. When Bruce went to the cardiologist he was put on a statin drug to lower his cholesterol. In spite of trying several ones for a few weeks, they made him feel terrible so he quit taking them. Then, last week his annual bloodwork showed that his cholesterol is perfectly normal. While good news, it sure complicates the strategy going forward. That said, he's feeling just fine as long as he stays away from the statins! 

In a nod to our ever-changing reality, we bought our Christmas tree on the day BEFORE Thanksgiving. An article in today's newspaper highlights how trees are disappearing from lots far faster than is typical. Instead of waiting until the trees were all gone, we went ahead and bought it with Bruce keeping it in a bucket of water until yesterday morning. I spent the better part of the afternoon working on making a tree, like none we've ever had before, look pretty. Remember last years oversize tree? While looking at a few from over the years, this post from 2018 is a sweet one where I declare it is the best tree we ever had. It was also the one that I wrote when B retired. Oh my goodness, three years have passed by in a blink of an eye! Anyway, here is this years edition not entirely done but what I got done yesterday. Note the many needles on the rug underneath. We shall see what I am writing in a few weeks about that!

We are now looking forward to all of our family being together for Christmas for the first time in a while. Could this tree be any more different than last year? You will have to click on the links to see for yourself!

In other good news, yesterday morning as I was switching to my Christmas tablecloth. I spied the SWAN splash down in the lake outside our windows. Woo hoo! All day it swam around peacefully, mingling just fine with the many ducks. As we went to bed I asked B if he thought it would be there in the morning? My goodness it sure was! As the sun rose, with steam rising, rays lit up the lake. Picture perfect.

Unfortunately while I was away earlier it seems to have left for now. Notice my optimism?

I'm also optimistic that Matt, Tom, Alissa and Jonathan will be able to come for Christmas in 2021. Omicron be damned!

your friend,

Gail