Thanks to you people, I now have "Little Drummer Boy" stuck in my head.

I like all the menu planning talk! We're hosting both our families (my parents, my brother, and M's parents, though not his dad's new wife) and haven't really done any menu planning yet, so that needs to happen very soon. I'm thinking french toast and some kind of eggs+veggies dish for xmas morning, maybe a big soup the night before. Lots of nibbles & snacks. That's as far as I've gotten. Ooh, except I really want to make latkes! I made leek fritters a couple weeks back that were really yummy and not too difficult, so now I'm emboldened to make all kinds of delicious fried things. Does anyone have a good latke recipe?

Which, as we learned from Spinal Tap, is a very fine line. [link]

Jess beat me to it.

Are Vietnamese rolls a "thing" or a random name that particular restaurant gave their most disgusting dish? I've never understood "I don't like seafood", but just holding one of those and smelling them, I had a cold, limp, salty, flesh sensation shiver right through me. It was horrible.

We usually do lasagna on Christmas Eve (and New Year's Day) and a turkey dinner on Christmas. Last year I made Hello Kitty waffles and scrambled eggs for Christmas b'fast and will probably continue that this year (we also had Mimosas - sadly I will not be enjoying those this year as I am heavy with child).

Paging Tom Scola! The bankrobbers did make the ropes out of bedsheets. Enough of them that they were able to rappel down 15 or more stories.

And they piled up sheets and clothes in their beds to make it look like they were still there. Exactly the kind of trick that alwayswould never have fooled my mother in the fourth grade.

If Michael Scofield were still alive, he'd be pretty pissed right now.

Are Vietnamese rolls a "thing" or a random name that particular restaurant gave their most disgusting dish? I've never understood "I don't like seafood", but just holding one of those and smelling them, I had a cold, limp, salty, flesh sensation shiver right through me. It was horrible.

I've usually seen Vietnamese rolls to mean rice paper wrapped around some cucumber and carrots and cabbage and either tofu or shrimp, with peanut sauce to dip it in.

My mother usually hosts Christmas eve and makes barbeque beef of some kind. I don't eat beef so can't tell you more except it looks like pulled pork (which I also don't eat) and people pile it on fat sandwich rolls. Also sausage which ends up in rolls. There are also lots of family favorites like deviled eggs, tomato slices and other raw veggies, cottage cheese, lots of other cheeses and crackers, pickles and olives and that kind of thing. Christmas dinner is usually turkey or ham or both depending on the crowd size. Almost always a lasagna in the mix too.

I'm more random and tend to have lots of variety because we have a number of vegan and vegetarian family. Fondue sounds like a really good plan to me! I bet a number of family members have pots too so we could have a variety.

eta: I really suck this year as I still have not even made a list much less done anything further.

I am now debating in my head offering to make Christmas dinner at my mothers, as ours is always weird. My mother a) over cooks things b) makes far to much food for 4 people and c) cannot match foods together to make a coherent meal. If I could get us to eat dinner later than noon, I would be right there.

I am listening to pop culture happy hour obsessively and I think Linda Holmes might be my spirit animal. Who was she at TWop?

Miss Alli.

Ooh, maybe I'll make some devilled eggs.

Also, how on earth is it December 19 already??? I just started to say something about this weekend, and then remembered that this weekend I don't come back to work until next Thursday, which is great, but I definitely feel like I missed a week.

serious question. short of a zombie apocalypse, under what circumstances would you live in a residence in which you had to use a chamber pot - for THREE YEARS?

[link]

this couple wants to live in Park Slope so badly, that they do not have a functional toilet. I am not a wilting flower, I have been camping (though with port a potties). But this is just too much.