Christmas Season 2014/2015 - Odds and Ends 1

Before making porridge today I made a sidecar. I had wanted to make a brandy alexander but didn't have any cream.

Christmas Season 2014/2015 - Porridge

For the past 2 or 3 years, MLK Day has become something of a catch-up day to get to some of the things I missed over the holiday season.  This year I made porridge.

Christmas Season 2014/2015 - Taking Down the Tree

All of it down by today.

Christmastide 2014/2015 - Summary

January 6, 2015

Christmas really is a most wonderful time of the year. I'm so grateful to have spent this Christmastide with so many wonderful family and friends including Mom, Dale, Noel, Mike, Charisse, Warren, and  Gary. I love experiencing the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and emotions of this fantastic season with them. 

Christmas Season 2014/2015 - Twelfth Night Part 2

From Wikipedia:

"Twelfth Night is a festival, in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany. Different traditions mark the date of Twelfth Night on either 5th January or 6th January; the church of England, Mother Church of the Anglican Communion, celebrates Twelfth Night on the 5th and 'refers to the night before Epiphany, the day when the nativity story tells us that the three wise men visited the infant Jesus'. In Western Church traditions the Twelfth Night concludes the Twelve Days of Christmas, although in others the Twelfth Night can precede the Twelfth day. Bruce Forbes wrote that 'In 567 the Council of Tours proclaimed that the entire period between Christmas and Epiphany should be considered part of the celebration, creating what became known as the twelve days of Christmas, or what the English called Christmastide. On the last of the twelve days, called Twelfth Night, various cultures developed a wide range of additional special festivities. The variation extends even to the issue of how to count the days. If Christmas Day is the first of the twelve days, then Twelfth Night would be on January 5, the eve of Epiphany. If December 26, the day after Christmas, is the first day, then twelfth Night falls on January 6, the evening of Epiphany itself.'"

I say if there is all of this disagreement regarding when Twelfth Night falls, then why not just compromise and celebrate on both evenings!

Today at school, Gina brought a Kings' Cake that had five small Baby Jesus figures baked into it. Gina said that it is a Mexican tradition that if you find the Baby Jesus in your piece of cake you need to bring tamales to share on February 2. February 2nd is the Feast of Candlemas which refers to the presentation of Jesus in the temple. Gina who had shared the cake with a number of people already, said that she found the first Baby Jesus. I asked if that meant that she would bring tamales. She just laughed.

Today, I took down some more Christmas decorations, ate some gingerbread men and spritz cookies, and am having another shot of Jagermeister all while listening to Christmas music as I write this. A small celebration, but a celebration none-the-less. Thus concludes my second Twelfth Night.

Christmas Season 2014/2015 - Dale and Athena

Double sweet.

Christmas Season 2014/2015 - Twelfth Night

We celebrated Twelfth Night tonight. It was quiet and understated.  A shot of Jagermeister, gingerbread men cookies, and some candles (real and electric), helped mark the evening as an end to the Christmas season. Now, for the life of me, I couldn't find the three kings to put with the manger scene. What's with that? I'm sure I'll probably find them this summer...

Christmas Season 2014/2015 - Joe and Dale

Christmas Season 2014/2015 - More Christmas Picture Books

Spent a little time today looking at some Christmas picture books I've encountered over the years. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1957), The Night Before Christmas (1949)and Santa Mouse (1966) were read to Sam, Pete, and me by Mom years ago. The Polar Express (1985) was a books I encountered in my early teaching years. It brought back a lot of nice memories to look through them today. It also helped ease me into accepting the end of a wonderful Christmas vacation. I start back to school tomorrow.

Top left: The Polar Express by Chris van Allsburg

Top right: Santa Mouse by Michael Brown, Illustrated by Elfrieda de Witt

Bottom left: The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, Illustrated by Leonard Weisgard

Bottom Right: How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

Christmas Season 2014/2015 - The Bishop's Wife

We watched The Bishop's Wife tonight. The scene where Dudley decorates the Christmas tree with the wave of his arms is quite impressive considering there were no computer generated special effects back in 1947. 

We had pumpkin pie for dessert tonight, probably the last time for the season. There were only two individual slices left in the dessert case at Kowalski's so we figured it was meant to be. Also, I finished up the last of the pumpkin pie cream liqueur. There was only a splash left.

Christmas Season 2014/2015 - Warren and Gary

Had Warren and Gary over tonight for cocktails and dinner. Warren brought a nice salad and Dale and I ordered over the pizza from Pizza Luce. They introduced us to a Comedy Central show called Drunk History. It was quite entertaining. 

Warren noticed our manger scene and told me that when he was a boy he would swipe the Baby Jesus from his family's manger scene and keep it in his room with him overnight so as to keep the Baby safe. I usually set up the our scene on Christmas Eve day but don't put the Baby in until after the Christmas Eve service.

Gary found the pickle ornament on the Christmas tree. He got the same shot glass Mike got a few nights ago for finding the pickle. Gary told me where he could see the pickle but I told him that wasnt it since it wasn't where I hid it. Upon closer inspection I realized that Gary had indeed found the pickle. Turns out Mike moved the pickle the other night from its original spot unbeknownst to me. Rascal.

Christmas Season 2014/2015 - New Year's Day 2015

Dale and I went to see the movie version of Into the Woods with Mom today. Mom and I saw the stage version with the traveling Broadway cast way back in 1991 or 1992 at the Ordway in St. Paul. 

Christmas Season 2014/2015 - New Year's Eve

Dale and I made it to midnight this year.

Christmas Season 2014/2015 - New Year's Eve

Dale and I went to Julie and Regina's for dinner last night. Phyllis joined us. The gathering was a low-key affair with appetizers and drinks as a start (Julie made me a martini) and chili, which was quite delicious, for dinner.  Jupiter was his usual neurotic self but not nearly as bad as on other visits we've made there. After dinner we watched This Is Where I Leave You starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, and Jane Fonda. Quite good. We had originally planned to watch Houseboat with Cary Grant and Sophia Loren but Julie had a very difficult time getting the movie to load. Dale and I were home by 11 pm and watched what was left of Anderson Cooper and Cathy Griffin on CNN. We actually stayed up until midnight to see the new year. It's been a few years since we've done that.