christmas 2012

Christmas morning began with church, then continued with bacon and eggs fried in bacon fat. Because that is how you celebrate. Bacon.

 

My main cause for celebration were these FIERCE boots my awesome mom gave me for Christmas. I only hope to live up to the kind of image these boots portray.

Christmas in my family (both immediate and extended) is nice because we are really relaxed about… stuff. Like, we didn’t buy a tree til at least the 20th (in our defense, we have an annual post-Christmas party that we want the tree to still be nice- and not a fire hazard- for). And then we didn’t actually decorate it til the 23rd (it stayed in a bucket in our garage) because we were busy… or just tired.

We got out all the decorating supplies and Sheila had a ball with the boxes and tissue paper.

 

And then we got out the Nativity creche and realized we’d lost the baby Jesus. Oh dear.

Continuing in the casual vein, we headed to my aunt and uncle’s for Christmas brunch where my cousin Chris promptly welcomed me with some moonshine.

 

We’d somehow ended up talking about it on Christmas Eve, and Chris was talking about apple pie moonshine, and I was becoming hysterical at the thought of someone leaving an apple pie in a bathtub, my idea of how one makes moonshine.

Anyway, it was yummy. Smells like nail polish remover, but tastes like something you’d never imagine to contain as much alcohol as it does. Annnnd… I am a lightweight so I stopped at a sip oh and two mimosas.

Being the predictable creature that I am, I did indeed give all of my family members my homemade pretzels, as promised.

Bags were once again from the dollar store. God bless you dollar store, for selling Christmasy cellophane bags for $1.25, what they SHOULD cost.

   

My aunt Kathy had, as usual, prepared a FEAST.

These muffins were Trisha Yearwood’s recipe. I really have not watched TV in years (except my Once Upon a Time addiction, via Netflix) and am just totally out of the loop who is on the Food Network.

A really great breakfast casserole with bread and eggs and sun dried tomato and things and the casserole was made EXTRA really great with the addition of Swiss chard that Tom grew himself. His garden is so prodigious! They’ve got gorgeous produce a step out their back door year round! So nice!

This spanikopita-inspired breakfast casserole (spinach, dill, feta, etc.) was new and FAB. So much flavor!

 

And then continuing evidence that celebration means bacon, people brought grits with greens and cheese and bacon on top. Yum yum yum.

 

Christmas crackers were fun.

But actually our MAIN form of entertainment was throwing things at my 12-year-old cousin. Don’t know why. Don’t need to know why. It was just fun.

  

(Please note the enchanting Santa socks that I put in my sister’s Christmas stocking, in the left of the picture).

Fortunately my uncle (who also joined in the throwing, because he is also fun) got a small pig that shot balls out of its mouth (I wish I had a more eloquent way to say that but see the picture below) and Kayla was thus armed. FUN!

My poor aunt Dena is a very very good photographer but when she tries to take pictures everyone in the family makes faces. It’s our job. And Kayla is growing in age and wisdom and is proving to be just like the rest of us :)

The day after Christmas it snowed! Very very briefly. I took a picture so it counted.