I love the month of December. It has always been a big month in my family. Besides my birthday and my brother’s birthday, we have a slew of family birthdays, events, and then of course there is Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2013/01/for-most-wonderful-time-of-year.html). Those are two separate celebrations for us including different foods and sides of the family. One of the great things about this time of year is that most of what we do and how we do it falls back on our traditions. There is something so comforting, complex, and celebratory about that.
As we get older and busier
the time seems to fly by. I hate when I feel like Thanksgiving sneaks up on us
and then we are rushed into the holiday season. I hate it because I know before
we are ready to prepare for it, it will be here, and will pass before we even get
to enjoy it. The more responsibilities we have and the more we have to do for
the holidays makes the time go even faster. But I want to always make sure that
the parts I hold near and dear to my heart never fade away as I work hard to
include new traditions each year. Even as I curse and complain and walk around
sleep deprived and migraine ridden, when I look back I know I will be happy and
satisfied that my loved ones had a merry and a bright Christmas.
So what is it that we do
that I love so much? Well for starters there is Christmas Eve. As
Italian-Americans this is almost the more important day. I know when my mother
was small her mother and aunts were making pasta from scratch and serving the
traditional “seven fishes” meals. Then it was off to midnight mass and then
back to open presents. Cousins and siblings alike all spend the night together
in the same house making it a big affair and one that sounds like a magical
time for any child.
During my childhood
Christmas Eve was always a holiday we spend at home in Brooklyn. It is the day
when everyone saw their in-laws so that one whole side of the family (in my
case my mother’s) could gather the next day. I grew up with my mother and
grandmother cooking and frying fish and my house and it smelled for days. But
there is something about eating the same food on the same day with the same
people that creates a special memory. For as long as I can remember I spend
this very Italian meal with my Irish cousins as it is my favorite Godfather’s
birthday as well. We have songs we love to hear and wait all year long to
celebrate together.
My favorite Christmas
song is by Brenda Lee from 1958, and was featured in the original Home Alone
movie:
Another standard in my
house is:
Now that we are older we
are varying what and where we eat but who we eat with will never change. We are
the Christmas Eve crew. It makes me smile every time I think of it, that even
though the “kids” are now in their twenties and thirties we still look forward
to this day and making it a priority to be together.
As Christmas Eve draws to a
close and the clean up begins, we wait until midnight but it is usually later,
and then we exchange presents just the four of us: my mother, father, brother,
and I. It is by far my most favorite part. I work so hard on finding the most
creative gift ideas and how to present them (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2013/01/for-generous-and-great-gift-giving-ideas.html) and I love to see the look
on everyone’s face as they open them. I watch carefully to see if they have
figured it out yet, and with camera in hand, I look through the lens to watch
the tears, screams, and laughter. Those moments are priceless.
By the time we wrap things
up it is already well into the wee hours of Christmas Day, luckily with no
small children to wake for I can sleep in a bit. I usually don’t get to make
the fancy breakfast I always envision and by the time I am ready I am out the
door to Long Island. On this day we are eating all day long and it starting
early!
It has become increasingly
important to me to cook around the holidays. My Thanksgivings are becoming more
and more out of control. I love to make a meal of many courses with everything
starting from scratch. It is another way of showing love to your family. It is
also a great sense of pride. Around Christmas I have less time to cook but I
always make sure to bake my now standard butterscotch gingerbread cookies. This
year I tried popcorn cookies and they were a hit. I guess those are going in my
repertoire too. Sometimes you need something simple and that’s when I break out
the pumpkin pie although I have to admit I didn’t make the crust this time. In
terms of the main meal I made Alton Brown’s macaroni and cheese, which I am
really enjoying lately. I had only first tried it this past Thanksgiving. It
never hurts to have more than one mac and cheese recipe on hand. When I cook
for myself I make a mean mac and cheese with brie and whole wheat pasta.
Now that the holidays are
coming to a close with the New Year celebration this past week, I would like to
cook more, try new recipes out, and share them with friends and family who are
visiting. It feels like this is the time of year for it, which, is the best
reason for a holiday that I can think of.
Very nicely done as usual.. xoxo
ReplyDelete