We took an emergency trip to the Apple Store to get my friend a new phone after she (entirely sober!) dropped hers in the hot tub last night. But other than that we’ve been snacking on a charcuterie board her fam sent, and hanging out by the pool. Now she’s puzzling, the rest of us are reading, and we are going to get ice cream and drive to a Christmas lights neighborhood later. Maybe watch some “Finding Mr Christmas”, an amazing hallmark reality competition to find a new leading man (the winner was awful and his movie terrible, but we liked the show and want to share with the friends who got here after we watched it!)

a link

msbelle, I highly recommend this gizmo for Mac and his boot.

the boot makes your leg longer than ever, and unless you have a shoe that can already match the height. So, you have an imbalance that can be awkward and painful.

This gizmo was a game changer for me.

The sugared cranberries went over ok with the larger crowd. But my great nephew loooooved them! His parents ended up doing the “two bites more of your chicken, and you can have another cranberry” thing, which is as flattering a review as any of my creations has ever received. So that’s in the holiday rotation going forward.

Ooh. I had meant to try sugared cranberries this year but made so many other sweet things I didn’t get around to it. Maybe next year.

We are having Christmas tacos today (is our plan). Just cooked up some potatoes and pickled an onion and we will have eggs and such for breakfast tacos, then later we have some ground beef and will make dinner tacos. It’s a California Christmas (which is a song we have adopted as our theme song and play and sing frequently these past few years that we’ve been doing this)

Merry merry to all who celebrate.

This fourth day of Yule I have opened presents, only a few, we don’t do gifts anymore.

My boss gave me an Amazon gift card and I have not bought anything off Amazon since 2021. I thought I’d get the audiobook for my bookclub current book since the library does not have it, but since I am not audible member they have it to me friend with a 30 day trial, so maybe I’ll spend the day looking for inexpensive things to get.

Now to knit and watch the Ravens later.

I walked the dog and ate a mini fruitcake and started laundry. Gotta get dressed and brave Safeway: I need an extra couple zucchini for the lasagna today.

Seasonally appropriate greetings and much love to all of you. It's a quiet one here, and I'm definitely ok with that.

Thanks to everyone who helped me get through this year. Take care of each other when you can, folks.

Everybody has cleared out except Matilda and the air mattress was just deflated and rolled up. I loaded the dishwasher, and it's sloshing away with a comforting sound.

Xmas Eve Dinner was a big success. EM has been very stressed out with her long path trying to get a diagnosis on the neuropathy in her hands and wobbly gait, so she imbibed a bit more than usual champagne and got emotional a few times. But that was all wrapped in and around gales of laughter and a simple, but perfectly executed meal.

EM made a full tenderloin with a horseradish sauce, and a very rich pot of creamed spinach and I made Au Gratin potatoes (Comte, Sharp Cheddar and Gruyere). Best Au Gratin potatoes I ever made.

Then I successfully recreated a dessert that Emmett and I used to love locally, Park Chow's warm gingerbread cake with pumpkin ice cream and caramel sauce. I had to look all over to find a ginger cake (not gingerbread) and had saved the pumpkin ice cream from Halloween, and very nearly the real thing with the warm caramel sauce. (The flavors were spot on, but the original gingercake was moister and airier.)

In the morning I was the short order cook as I made a different breakfast for everyone (mostly variations on steak and eggs, though Emily had fried eggs with caviar). Coffee and tea were consumed and we got down to the business of stockings and presents. Matilda was the champ gift giver this year with something perfect for everybody. For Emmett, she had thrifted a SF Giants jacket with the 2012 championship patch on back, and it fit perfectly.

In sum: lots of laughter, great food, love and affection, thoughtful presents.

Happy Holidays to all, for whatever day you celebrate, and especially Happy Hanukkah to Shir and Nilly. May the new year bring light and peace.

The Math Greek is driving up from L.A. after work today (he wasn't even sure he would make it up tomorrow) and I am trying to stay up after spending the afternoon and early evening at Juliana's and some of you know how difficult that is.

In short, Merry Christmas to those that celebrate and happy holidays to all!