We are leaving BRIGHT and early tomorrow morning for Winthrop, Wa. Where it is a guaranteed white Christmas!! My husband, son, the dog and the cat all load up and drive over to stay in our friend’s cabin on the river. Family stress got to be a big nasty nightmare a few years ago with arguments about where we ‘HAD’ to be, so we dumped the whole mess and made our own tradition.

We will be eating a prime rib roast, garlic mashed potatoes, salad and corn.

Have a wonderful holiday John, Linda, Riley and little brother!!

I love your Christmas card! As for me, I’ll be going nowhere because I am also experiencing the third trimester girth and accompanying malaise. I, um, also just developed gestational diabetes so I’ll be eating oodles of HEALTHY stuff and missing out on all the delicious yumminess of the season. But, so what? I still get to open presents and watch a three-year-old’s tiny mind be blown on a daily basis by the simplest of Christmas joys.

Merry Christmas to you and your family. Hope Macworld goes off without a hitch.

We’re having a Very Jewish Christmas this year. We’ve done waaaaay too much traveling recently, so we decided to stay home, which is nowhere near either of our families. On Christmas morning, we’ll get up, open presents, then go out to the theater and watch movies all day, following up with a hearty meal of Chow Mein and Lo Mein and that sort of thing. Fa ra ra ra ra, etc.

For the first time I will be hosting Christmas Eve dinner. My menu sounds a lot like yours! Baked ham, the yummiest cheesy scalloped potatoes, steamed broccoli, rolls. Oh! And peppermint ice cream with chocolate wafer cookies for dessert. On Christmas morning we will go to my parents’ house, open presents, rush home to make a broccoli casserole and the go back to enjoy a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings. It is a very bittersweet holiday season this year as my MIL died a month ago.

I’m spending a year in Shanghai, so this Christmas will be our first spent without either of our family units. I know I’ll miss home aplenty, but as it’s also our first as a married couple, it’s a bit fitting.

It’ll be weird to celebrate all day knowing that the world outside our apartment is going about things as they would any other Tuesday.

Merry Christmas!

We are spending Christmas Eve with my family, and we are eating lots of home-made Mexican goodies: enchiladas, quesadillas, guacamole, whatever else our hearts fancy. We will watch ‘Nat’l Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’ and possibly ‘The Ref’ as well.

Christmas Day we are spending with my husband’s family. I’m sure there will be lots of good food, but I’m not exactly sure what. My husband will play video games with his brothers, and I’ll sit and dish with my sisters-in-law.

I hope you all have a lovely holiday. Thanks for sharing your website with us. You always make me laugh, and more than once, you’ve posted about something that’s on my mind too. It really is so nice to know you’re not alone.

am already home with the family in washington- we’re opening presents tomorrow, and then i take off for the real holiday: a week by myself on the oregon coast. this is my ‘i can’t wait!’ voice.

food in oregon will be red wine and mexican takeout. maybe peanut butter cookies too.

(very merry to you!)

Christmas eve at the in-laws. Dinner will be Prime Rib, Mashed Potatos, Gravy, Pineapple Casserole, Broccoli Casserole, Salad, Rolls and possibly Lumpia (my sis-in-law is philipino).

Christmas day is at my parents. I have no idea what is for dinner this year. Probably the same as what we are having at my in-laws.

Merry Christmas to your family from mine.

I also love that Christmas card. If I can get it together next year I will probably do something similar. However, this is the third year in a row I have said the same thing. So I should probably wish myself a hearty “Good luck with that!” right about now.

In a more festive holiday arena, my sweetie and I get to spend Christmas Eve night all to ourselves, so we will probably splurge on steaks, perhaps some garlic mashed red potatoes, and whatever other vegetable/salad ingredients look promising at PCC tomorrow.

And finally, I am tempted to make one last trip to the mall tomorrow morning. Bellevue Square, no less. Somebody talk some sense in to me, I am obviously not well.

Also, leenie’s holiday at the coast sounds divine!

We are having a mess of people over on Christmas eve for a bon fire and to exchange gifts. Then on Christmas day we are having a large amount of family to our house for dinner and more gifts! Our dinner menu is Deep fried turkey (trust me it’s delicious), scalloped potato’s (not my choice), green beans, rolls, cranberry sauce, Squash, and for dessert there will be many baked goods! The appetizer is port wine cheese on ritz and Shrimp cocktails. Have a great Christmas.

Happy Holidays to you as well! Thanks for your funny and insightful writing all year long! I will be having the traditional German Christmas! Church, presents and lots of food on CHristmas Eve. More food and quick getaway to Austria on Christmas day. Yay for snow and the Alpes, that are quite close! Skiing is the best Christmas tradition we have in our family.

You didn’t mention the dessert that will follow your delicious-sounding holiday meal… or is that what the olives are for?

We’re heading down to my stepsister’s in Edmonds, where she will be serving her trademark king crab legs, prime rib, and a million creative side dishes. I don’t know how she puts on such an excellent spread every year, but I’m grateful to be invited.

Enjoy your week and I hope you get that deserved chill-out time.

We’re having a very traditional Swedish christmas, my parents and sister will come for dinner on Christmas Eve (the day for big Christmas celebrations in Sweden), and we will have the usual Christmas smorgasbord. Ham, several sorts of herring, salmon, sausages, meatballs, beet salad, eggs, cabbage, cheese and whatnots.

New Year’s Eve will be spent at my sister’s place with lots of sparkling drinks I hope.

The rest of the next two weeks we will start the big packing fest 2007/2008, since we’re moving to our new house in the middle of January.

My best wishes to you and your family!

I’m spending it with about twelve Irish people, who are making “roast dinner.” My contribution will be the cheese plate and the dips and the sundried tomatoes and the gherkins and the olives. Oh, and the tiramisu. We’ll have a little barbecue as well and probably go down to the beach in the late afternoon.

We just celebrated Christmas with my side of the family on Sat., so Christmas day it will just be me, my hubby and our 2 kids. Our traditional meal is homemade lasagna (even make my own sauce!) with garlic bread and salad. It nice to take a break from the meat and potatoes type dinner. For dessert, we will have peppermint ice cream with our cut-out cookies and homemade fudge. Yum! Please keep in mind that this is the only time of year that I cook like this. The rest of the time it is quick, heat-n-eat type meals :)

Christmas plans for me this year are pretty low-key; no family coming here, I’m not going there, no exchanging of gifts– so my only preperation is to take a shower. And, frankly, when you are alone that is rather optional :-D

I have decorated my flat and the lovely wee tree, and a friend will be coming over in the afternoon to enjoy some nibbles and watch a flick (The Holiday), and then for Boxing Day we are going to climb Ben Lomond.

Happy Holiday to you too Linda!

DOING: Celebrating Christmas (despite my husband the Grinch’s plans) although working on the 27th and 28th.

GOING: To my parents house for about 36 hours (yes, I count…see aforementionned comment about husband)

EATING: EVERYTHING. I just got back my maternal glucose test and I am GOOD TO GO! If I have to co-habitate for another 9 weeks with this fetus, I might as well show him a good time!

Our holidays got somewhat simpler when my mother got together with my husband’s father (his mother passed away a few years ago and my mom’s been divorced for years). Now we do 2 meals – one at my dad’s and one at my mom’s/father in-law’s, and they’re each within a 1/2 hour drive of our place, though in different directions. We alternate Christmas Eve/Christmas Night between the two.

We’ve also got siblings coming into town at different times this week and will be hosting them at our place, so general cleaning up and stocking the fridge is on the to-do list as well.

We are spending Christmas Eve at my brothers where we will enjoy homemade Italian mostaccoli, pizza and sausage. It’s our family tradition. Then Christmas morning the kids come over to open gifts and enjoy a Mushroom Sausage Strata that I make. Then on the the nursing home in the afternoon to visit MIL. Busy two days and 10 pounds later!

Very low-key for me. My BF has gone to spend Christmas with his family, I declined to go because I didn’t want to ride 5 hours in the 60 degree weather on the motorcycle. I’m just grateful to have a day off work and I’ll probably spend it organizing the bazillion pictures I took this year and backing them up to CDs. I may pop over to my sis-in-law’s for dinner, provided her monster-in-law isn’t there. As for food… I’ve already eaten enough at the various Christmas parties to pack on a few pounds of winter insulation, so no more heaping plates of goodies for me thanks.

We are staying in Knoxville, hubby’s dad will be showing up for an indeterminable amount of time. One to three days…hmmm. After that we are off to Lexington, KY to celebrate New Years and my grandparents 54th wedding anniversary. I’ve been majorly Bah Humbug/Grinchy so I’m working on getting out of that. We’ve made cookies, and I’ve made buckeye peanut butter balls and chex mix. Tonight I’m making cheesecake. Cheers to you all. Happy Holidays.

My parents are here in New York with us now, and we’re doing lots of Christmas-y things like The Nutcracker and similar. We’ll open presents with them on Christmas Eve, and then they’ll fly out to your neck of the woods to be with my brother and his family for Christmas Day. So my husband and I will lounge about in our PJs, maybe open a few more presents, and watch movies and play games and snuggle with the dog on C-Day. Then I’ll make a birthday dinner for my Christmas-born husband, he’ll open STILL MORE gifts, and we’ll ponder the fact that, unless something very madcap happens with Vietnam adoptions, this will be the last Christmas before our daughter comes home.

I love your card soooooo much. It looks professional-in-a-good-way. I always admire your style.

We’re going to my parents’ house. We’re eating anything that isn’t nailed down. And we’re trying not to drown in the roiling mass of children.

I’m having dinner at my parents’ house on Christmas Eve. I am SO EXCITED because my brother and SIL will be here and I haven’t seen them in nearly 2 years. I am also SO NERVOUS because the family will be meeting my new boyfriend, the first guy I’ve dated since my divorce. I know they’ll love him, but that first hour of everyone getting warmed up to one another is going to be a little nervewracking. Thank god for wine!

Christmas Day will be spent back at my parents’ opening gifts, eating leftovers, playing the Xbox my bro is getting from Santa (sshhh…) and just enjoying family time. I am really looking forward to it.

I hope you and your family have a great Christmas! I have been a reader for several years and always enjoy your writing. :)

Glad to hear you’re back in the holiday spirit! I’m almost there.

We have to go to the In-laws for X-mas eve and then again for X-mas day where my parents will also meet up with us there. One year I would really like to just stay home for a change.

We visited with one side of my inlaws yesterday (the fun side), we’ll be with the other side (the not-so-fun-but-very-nice side) today AND Tuesday, and in our alone time are going to see Walk Hard. From Wednesday through Sunday I’m driving 7 hours to visit my family and friends in Florida, and then on New Year’s Eve, we’re staying home because I guess we’ve gotten old. I’m trying to put away the stress and just enjoy this week, because it’ll be over with quickly and then I’ll miss it.

I really like your christmas card. Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays! I had to answer the food prompt. Going home to Buffalo, NY to feast on my mom’s fabulous once-a-year Chicken Balls. Heh, sounds gross, but is amazing. Meatballs of ground chicken, dill, sauted onion, etc., simmered in an homeade avgolemono sauce. Served over rice with veggies…fresh-tasting and way decadent all at once :)

I’ll be roasting a prime rib in my pajamas on Christmas day. And untying about a million stupid twisty ties while attempting not to swear under my breath.

Just think – by this time next year you’ll get to enjoy seeing TWO boys open their presents AND you’ll be wearing much smaller pants!

I found out on Saturday that I am having about 30 friends and family to my house from Christmas Eve at 1 in the afternoon. My brother was suppose to have it but something came up and I have to do it. Nothing like last minute huh? I am not making a dinner it will be all finger foods, sweets, finger sandwhiches and a freesh friut tray I think will do. Then christmas day I will make the turkey dinner for my husband and daughter. Too bad the turkey I have it too small for the rest of them too.
After all this I will rest I hope.

Merry Christmas! We are having a French Canadian Christmas – Pea Soup, Tortiere, mashed carrots and turnips, and yule log.

We had the friend gang over last night after everyone was out of work (so, 10ish) to eat cookies, stare at the fire, drink eggnog & mimosas and open presents. Footie pjs for adults was probably one of the biggest hits so far.
Christmas Eve will have my in-laws arriving from two hours away, with RV, to spend dinner and Christmas brunch before MIL goes to see SIL in Chicago. We’re keeping FIL for beer, cookies, and video games.
February will be Christmas with my family. We shipped presents for Tuesday opening, but we’ll be seeing them then for dinner and fun. The joys of living far away from family when you have a hubby in retail and you close books at work in December

i’m in pennsylvania with my family and NINE ANIMALS under one roof (four dogs, three cats and two guinea pigs. oh, and five people). yeah. fun times, though!

have a lovely holiday!

Yeah, so my sister in law decided she wanted to invite both her family and mine over for dinner since this is their first Christmas in their first house. It’s always been apartments and spare rooms before they bought this place. And our families get along alright, but not awesome. Her parents don’t really care for me ever since I pulled a shotgun on their other daughter. (long story, it’s not as bad as it sounds) And I happen to live with my brother and sister in law, so there’s really no escaping this one. I’m in it to win it.

So we have to stuff two good sized families into a kitchen that comfortably seats four, as well as cook most of the food. Fortunately, one of our good friends gets really expensive hams that he’s supposed to give to his valued customers, but instead steals and gives to his friends, so we’ve got a fifteen pound ham sitting in the freezer. Also, I think I’m gonna try and make some olive cheese bread which I found over at pioneer womans blog. Damn that woman can cook! I mean, holy shit, that’s some good lookin stuff. My mom should bust out her famous banana nut bread and sausage balls. And I don’t know what sort of christmas food Sami’s family will bring. Her mom doesn’t cook much that you can’t pop in the microwave or order through a drive through. I’d imagine she’ll just bring some booze. Also, we’re somehow still having like four or five different Christmas celebrations, despite consolidating both families into one dinner. I’ll just be glad when it’s all over.

I’m hoping the spirit of Christmas gets here quick as I am not so much into to it this year. It’s been a very difficult year and I’m just trying to get through it without crashing and burning. Hubby will do most of the cooking (turkey and ham, noodles, homemade rolls and chocolate/caramel cheesecake) with adult kids and my elderly mother here. Should be ok but it’s just not the same as having little ones around!

I do thank you for sharing your life with us. I enjoy reading about it and hope you and yours have a truly lovely holiday season.

This is the first time in 13 years that I get to stay in my own house for the entire holiday. I cannot begin to explain how excited I am about this. Christmas will be with my mom, brother, and husband. We are eating cornish game hens, stuffing, gorgonzola and artichoke heart salad, cranberries, and princess cake. If you have never had princess cake, you really haven’t fully lived. I too would like to say a big thank you for sharing your life, the good, the bad, and the funny. You are a very generous person. Happy Christmas!

We’ll be having Christmas eve at my uncles with classic horror movies, steak, and crafts. Scary crafts using my nemesis: hot glue.
Christmas Day I will head back to my uncle’s for sausage souffle and coffee cake and, of course, presents.
After that we will head out to Ye Olde Schnauzer Ranch for ham & torture… I mean family fun in the form of sitting in separate rooms watching tv, playing video games, or reading. Good times.

Christmas morning is, of course, at home with my kids around the tree. I will make our traditional orange cinnamon rolls (thank you, Pillsbury), link sausages and my famous homemade hot chocolate. Then for lunch we head to my parents’ house for more presents and a complete surprise meal. They won’t even give the smallest hint as to what they are making and have given strict instructions that NO ONE is to arrive before 11:45 so as not to ruin the surprise. Dinner is with my in-laws (even more presents) and, well, I really don’t know what we’re having there either, because, after all of that, I likely won’t care. :)
I am so excited about Christmas this year! I cannot wait for the kids to open their presents and I got my big present early: a new digital camera, because mine went splat a couple of weeks ago. Yay!
I love your Christmas card. It is just lovely. I miss you on Weetabix’s card exchange.

Hey Linda,
Where did you get your card template?
I like it, I like it a lot.

Are you going to MacWorld this year? I didn’t figure you would be since Smalltopus is in the works.

We have some family coming in, but since our addition/renovation (you feel my pain, don’t you?) isn’t done yet, we aren’t having anything in our house (nothing says “Christmas” like “plaster dust”, right?)

And I’m also making one of Ree’s recipes – they are so good!

BLACK OLIVES – of course – 10 at a time.

My sister is serving steak this year which while unusual – I think will still be enjoyed.

I too am making two PW dishes – olive bread and bacon wrapped jalopenos! MMMMM

I’ll be over at my Mum and Dad’s with the rest of the family and on Christmas Eve, my sister in law will make us her homemade perogies. On Christmas day we’ll open pressies and eat turkey and nap!
Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!
Love and hugs,
Victoria

We’re doing the four-days of toddler-ramping Holiday Insanity. This includes the just-concluded 4 hour jaunt to the in-laws, which a full day with my family tomorrow and half a day with my extended family Tuesday. We’ll be eating Vegan, so a Tofurkey Feast with cranberry dumplings, mushroom gray and baked veggies. And horseradish mashed-potatoes.

Sappy moment as well: I started reading your blog before my now-two year old was born. You’ve been funny and honest, and those are two things I really admire in people. Plus, you rock with a camera. Thanks for sharing, and I hope your holidays are filling, relaxing and wonderful.

We just got back from spending a week in Hawaii which was filled with jet lag and toddler stomach flu so now that we are back in Japan we are looking forward to a relaxing Christmas with just the three of us.

Since we were gone I wasn’t able to do our grocery shopping until this morning (Christmas Eve) and when you are stationed overseas things sell out early. So we are having a semi-random assortment of dishes that I put together with what was left at the commissary.

Have a Merry Christmas and I hope Santa brings you all lots of good stuff!

Heh, olives are my favorite part of holiday meals, too.

Our Christmas consists of spending a lot of time in the car. We will be visiting my husband’s family tomorrow, which I’m only vaguely looking forward to. I love my in-laws, though, so I’m very excited to see them again.

On Christmas Day, we’ll be visiting my parents, who will have cooked way too much food for the expected 8 people. I just baked a bunch of cookies to take with us: Rugelach, Coconut Macaroons, Blackberry-Sage Thumbprints, and White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread. So, yeah, I’ll mostly be gorging myself on olives, stuffing, and cookies.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

We’re packing up Owen and heading to my in-laws house for the next two days. Usually we do a big dinner on Christmas Eve and open presents together and then each sibling and their own family do the Christmas Day thing together, but this year we changed it around. Should be fun as there is always tons of good food to graze on.

Is it wrong that I’m just so excited at the possibility of being able to sit on the couch and knit without someone needing my attention every 3rd minute?