Oh, I'm so sick. Still, can probably handle latkes. Which is good, 'cos there are people coming over to make them with us.

It's a longstanding Jamaican tradition. It was called egg cup, and people would travel from house to house getting served egg cup at each one, and they'd pour out a libation for departed ancestors.

That's a great tradition. Clearly I'm wrong about the American thing. Wikipedia thinks it began in eastern England, but I have no idea how reliable that is. [link]

I'd always thought of eggnog as a British thing -- it just seemed like what they'd be drinking at Mr. Fezziwig's party -- but I don't know why I thought that.

I just went to 7-11 to get some frozen burritos and a bag of potato chips, and they had a display of vegan cookies from a local bakery right at the front. I'm both impressed and confused. Local bakery selling stuff at 7-11?

I like Silk Nog quite a bit, though.

Mmmm. Silk Nog. I might need to get some today. Or just make eggnog.

I do love the nog.

I don't approve of sheets under 400 thread count.

I've read a few articles that say that manufacturers who claim their sheets' thread count is above 400 are just engaging in deceptive wording: [link] .

it just seemed like what they'd be drinking at Mr. Fezziwig's party

That sounds about right actually. You just don't encounter it much now. First time I got to try it (this was a mistake) was in the US.

The Girl is annoyed that she can't find Baldrick's drum song, from Blackadder, on youtube. So she's looking through an entire season of episodes on DVD for it. Now that's dedication to the cause.

Thanks, Anne. I have been wanting to try this brownie recipe, but I think I am going to stick with bark and cookies for shipping and make the brownies to bring with us on Christmas day.

Random question, based on a few letters to advice columns I've seen recently: If you host a holiday dinner, like invite a bunch of relatives over for Thanksgiving or whatever, do you give each guest some leftovers to take home?

I usually at least offer. But I'm not fancy.

Mmmm I do like the nog.

With brownies, the big problem is that they'll get hard.

Huh, they never last long enough here for that to happen.

Hil, we have always ended up sending food home with people, but I never thought it was expected or traditional. More a function of cleaning up after the meal.

If you host a holiday dinner, like invite a bunch of relatives over for Thanksgiving or whatever, do you give each guest some leftovers to take home?

I think a lot of people DO. So often there is an overwhelming amount of food left, that it is a sane way to deal. And if everyone, or most every one, was asked to bring a dish, why then it would only be fair to package up some of the leftovers and send some home with everyone. But if you plan carefully the amount of food you need for all your guests, and they bring things like wine and flowers, and/or you just feel wiped out at the end, I don't think you have to send stuff home with people. I'm not an expert. As a guest, I happily accept (possibly even going so far as to look forward to), but do not expect, leftovers.