Happy New Year 2009

We took down the Christmas fluffery today. We were both a little quivery about the whole thing, so we left the candlelabra in the windows, to shed a soft light onto the harsh leafless January landscape. But the deer and wreaths and red bows are gone from the front lawn and the little Charlie Brown tree is at the curb. Another Christmas gone.

New Year's Day has come and gone, too. We went out New Year's Eve, just to get a filet at Liberty steakhouse and drink a glass of blackberry wheat microbrew. Our first dinner of 2009 was blackeyed peas, rice, cornbread, and collards, so my cullinary arts continue to be schizoid in origin. The peas were the best I have done in years, mainly because I couldn't find any of the deep south flavoring meats at Harris Teeter, so I threw a couple of country style pork ribs in, along with blackening spice, chili powder, red pepper flakes, an onion, salt and pepper. I had thrown a small bunch of fresh collards in the grocery buggy, but decided to go with a can of Glory brand greens which are seasoned perfectly. With Frank's hot sauce and Texas Pete pepper sauce(vinegar), and the Jiffy cornbread, we ate our good luck food for the year.

So we have settled in for the final overdose of football, the bowl games, the NFL playoffs, college championship, the Superbowl. We will be flying our Gator flag again and screaming for Jake Delhomme and the Panthers. Then my husband will go in to mourning, and I will find something more productive to do with my time. I am planning on getting a new, simple sewing machine and taking up again the only craft- type hobby I enjoy. Maybe I will start making reindeers similar to the ones my mother made, only perhaps a little fancier. Maybe I will make fairies like Mark Roberts. Or maybe I will just make clothes.

Devon and Ray are busy renovating their new townhouse, and we are planning to go up and help the next weekend. They have designed a really cool kitchen, with Ikea cabinets and a diner theme. Ray will be putting down hardwood floors throughout. I am so happy that they have a place of their own at last. And a fireplace, so they won't have to hang their stockings by the wormfarm. Of course, they will have to put up a mantle or a mantle shelf.

Kris and Brett are proud new parents of a flat screen TV. And perhaps a computer, haven't heard. heh. Brett dressed up as James Bond on New Year's Eve but I haven't seen them replace the Honda with an Aston Martin.

Hope 2009 brings everyone health, happiness, peace and a few wishes-come-true.

More Random Christmas Pictures

Reindeer reflections

Christmas opals from Dad

Katie has eaten too much turkey

Joey, regifted

Scottie jams!!!

Edible Christmas

Christmas hard candy

Wine, fine

Christmas dinner, simple, yummy

Lovely simmering cider

Since I had to work yesterday, today to me is like that lovely relaxed lazy day after Christmas, the day when in years past the kids would spend the day playing with new toys, the dinner would already be cooked, and at last, the mom, the great creator of Christmas, could enjoy the holiday. Of couse those crazy days are gone, but I still love the post Christmas days between Christmas and New Years. I am still enough of a Canadian to NOT end the holiday the day after, when a shocking number of Southerners take down all the lights and Christmas finery, put away the grog and the nog and return to doldrums of winter. In Toronto in the 80s you could still find houses lit at the end of January. In my own childhood in Florida, my mother NEVER spent New Year's Day taking down her decorations. New Year's Day was big deal to her, when she prepared yet another special meal with duck or goose or roast beef, and always invited friends and family. I think this was a holdover from her Scottish heritage, when those stern Presbyterians celebrated Christmas as a solemn holy day, but New Year's Day was a jolly celebration. Of course her immediate ancestors in Ottawa celebrated both with enthusiasm, as well as New Year's Eve.

Well, we never go out on New Year's Eve anymore, and I usually throw some black eyed peas and rice and hot sauce together for New Year's, but we celebrate Christmas for a week. And this Christmas, we have been celebrating since Thanksgiving, in the form of hot mulled cider. This cider has become a sort of continuous story, constantly bubbling in the crock pot, although I have drained the final 12 ounces or so, thick with sediment, into a refrigerated jar until I fell the need, maybe two days later, to take what I lovingly refer to as "the mother" out of the fridge and add fresh cider, oranges, cloves, cinnamon sticks, allspice, cardamom, and brown sugar to the starter and bring the whole thing to a soul-warming simmer again. When it is beautifully steeped and ready to drink, I ladle it into gold rimmed glass mugs with a generous dollop of Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. Ahh, the smell, the taste, the heat of mulled cider. I owe part of this recipe to Nigella Lawson, whom I discovered first, briefly, on NPR, and then when I TiVO'd Christmas shows and was blessed with TWO Nigella specials. I immediately recognized a soul mate when she spoke of the scents of Christmas, which for her included oranges, cinnamon, cloves.....all the things that say Christmas to me. And then she described her CHRISTMAS CAKE, as we always called it in my Canadian early years, and her desire to have it as dark as possible, a goal that my mother and I had for years, but never achieved. Well Mom, wherever you are, I did it!! I made a dark, almost black, rich, moist Christmas cake that you would have loved. We are still enjoying it, thanks to the lovely Nigella, and I plan on making it for years to come. I remain an unabashed anglophile, listening to the King's College Boy's Choir singing Once in Royal David's City in pure high voice for a month leading up to Christmas Eve, but actually I think it is just attachment to English Canada that makes me so, well, not Southern, at least in December.

More Christmas pictures

Nigella Lawson cookbooks! Yay!!












Christmas portrait

Our autistic Scottie and his antlers

The best book EVER

Dad and his Heinekin Hoodie

Christmas passed

Look, a penguin in my stocking!

The Village in the "blue" room
Claire loves her antlers

Fairies in the air...

Christmas approached with increasing speed and then was gone in a flash. The presents are opened, the cider is finished, the dinner is completed. We started Christmas eve by deciding to fill stockings this year, since we were alone. We thought this might add a little excitement to Christmas morning, and it did. We started off with one rule:EVERYTHING had to be purchased at Walgreens. I went off first, dressed in red blazer with red plaid scarf. I stopped at a Marathon station to fill the car up, such a pleasant experience, now that prices have dropped drastically. As I was walking back to the car from the convenience store, a pickup pulled up and a young man yelled, Maam! Maam! I went over to the passenger side and the driver said"Maam, you look like a Christmas present! God bless you!" Needless to say, this random comment made my day. Next, I headed to the Honeybaked Ham company and queued up with the masses buying the world's best ham. Finally, I ended up at Walgreen's and loaded up on necessary and not so necessary stocking stuffers, which was a lot of fun. Next, D. headed out and was back shortly with Walgreens items and two pounds of Starbuck's Christmas blend, yum. After a dinner of wild caught salmon and asparagus, we drove through the drizzle to look at Christmas lights, but although there were many lovely houses tastefully lit, we were disappointed at the lack of Jax Beach tacky, giant inflatables, cheap icicle lights hanging off the roof, strange combinations of lights, a few strands thrown on to a bush or two. So when it started to pour, we headed home, done with tasteful lighting displays. Later, we went out into the drenching rain to 11 pm church services at the Main St. Presbyterian Church, a lovely candlelight communion service with beautiful music and gorgeous decor. We left feeling like it was Christmas Eve indeed. After filling stockings we went to bed with the knowledge we DID NOT have to get up early.

Christmas is coming...

All of the wreathes are fresh from the Farmer's Market. Dennis did a great job in the freezing cold.

Christmas in North Carolina

Pretty little tree

Thank God for homemade soup

Apres tree


the cold was Toronto in January...freakin freezin. We picked the first cheapo Charlie Brown tree we found.