Tidings of Comfort & Joy!

A very merry Christmas to all of you out there in cyberspace! 2011 was indeed a very interesting year, I look forward to what 2012 will bring. God bless & keep you.

A New Tradition?

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at my in-laws. Delicious food, great company, good times. But when it came time for desserts my youngest, Sally, asked for pumpkin pie - but sadly there wasn't any.

My in-laws, now in their 70s, were tired of eating the same old thing every Thanksgiving and served pulled-pork sandwiches, baked beans, macaroni salad, scalloped potatoes and for dessert chocolate cake or banana cream pie. As I said, the food was great, I didn't think twice about it until Sally asked for pumpkin pie. And I realized what is routine, and perhaps boring, for us is neither routine nor boring for a six year old. The smell of a roasting turkey is not an ingrained memory for her.

I can't re-do Thanksgiving. Our tradition has always been to spend it at either my parents' or Mr. Bee's parents' homes. My parents are gone too soon, and I enjoy being with my in-laws whatever they decide to serve. We will keep going there.

Christmas is a different story and I have decided to start a new chapter, beginning with Christmas dinner. Turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry relish, pumpkin pie. Digging out the china, white table linen, cloth napkins, crystal candlesticks. What good does all that stuff do tucked away in cupboards? Some of it we received as wedding presents 23+ years ago and have never used!

I've never done the big dinner before. I am excited and a little nervous, but ready to start a new family tradition. I think Sally and the other kids will appreciate it someday. I'm making a memory. A good one, I hope. :-)