Christmas Season 2025/2026 -The Seventh Day of Christmas: New Year's Eve

 Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Mom's doing marginally better. Her spirits are up. I'm hoping I'll be well enough in a couple day to visit her. Listened to the Carpenter's today. Comforting, nostalgic, familiar. Exactly what I need. 

Speaking of comforting. 

Since I'm sick I've been in my robe since Sunday afternoon. Actually got dressed today and put on my boots to be extra dressy for New Year's Eve. 

Quiche for dinner. This is the most low key NYE we've ever had. I'm exhausted from being sick and we've both been dealing with Mom being in the hospital. Today Dale visited her on his own due to my illness. She's maintaining and making respiratory progress slowly and steadily. PT came to visit her today and gingerly had her sit up and slide her legs off the side of the bed. It was taxing for her and she ended up nauseated and her blood pressure dropped so that's as much as she could do today. She was very upset that she could not do more, recognizing that progress is going to be slow and incremental. Otherwise once she got comfortable again, Dale had a nice conversation with her and her spirits perked up a bit - even got her to laugh a little. 

We were planning to spend tonight with Mike and Charisse and couldn't cuz, well, I'm sick. This was 2015.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Season 2024/2025: The Seventh Day of Christmas - New Year's Eve

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Time to wrap this year up. Dale and I went to the downtown Lifetime this morning to do weights. This is something I’d like to be better about in the New Year. 

Went to The Howe for lunch. I had an Old Fashioned. Hoping to cut down on calories and booze in the New Year. I haven’t been bad about those things this year but I could be better. 

After lunch we stopped at Lund's to pick up makings for dinner. We’re having Mike and Charisse over tonight and Dale wants to make his awesome oven baked spaghetti. 

Mike and Charisse arrived at about 5:45. They each brought some house shoes to wear inside instead of their boots. Mike showed us some slip-on lace-less sneakers he got as an assignment from a student years ago. The assignment was to make a craft related to a piece of literature and this particular student painted a different character from the story on each shoe along with some quotations from the book. I wasn’t familiar with the story but the shoes sure looked cool. 

                                         

I showed them my craft of Peeps and sugar in a clear jar. I made it last year with the Christmas tree peep and this year I added the gingerbread man peep. This is about as craftsy as I get. 

Mike and I stepped outside to shelter in the garage while we each smoked an Oliva. It was nice to catch up as I haven’t seen him for a couple months. 

After cigars Mike and I joined Dale and Charisse inside for appetizers. Charisse brought some smoked salmon from Ingebretsen’s which we had on crackers. It was delicious. Spaghetti for dinner and chocolate bundt cake and ice cream for dessert. It was nice to just sit around and talk. We didn't make it until midnight but we made it to 10:30. Not bad for people growing older. 

[Added New Year's Day] Dale wrote the following on his blog: "We had one of Joe's high school friends and his wife over for NYE last night.  It's become kind of a tradition to spend New Year's Eve with them and we absolutely enjoy their company. They're the kind of people who make you comfortable just being yourself.  We talk about anything and everything.  Since we hosted this year, I made a Brian Lagerstrom spaghetti dish that was several steps above your standard spaghetti dish and I had to say it was bangin'.  Super deep flavor in the sauce and with a real kick.  We just sat around the table the whole evening and before we knew it it was 10:30 and well past everyone's bed time.  I haven't made it to midnight in several years, but we almost made it to 11:00 (Central time) so actually did make it to the eastern time zone's new years anyway."

Christmas Season 2023/2024 - 6th Day of Christmas: Dinner with Mike and Charisse

Saturday, December 30, 2023

The 6th Day of Christmas

Mike and Charisse invited us over for dinner tonight. 

For the drive over we were getting a little rain that was trying to turn to snow.  Very slippery conditions. 

We brought over a bottle of white wine to share and a nice red velvet roulade from Lunds for dessert. 

We started with cocktails. Mike had martini makings set out for me.

They had quite a lovely smorgasbord set out for dinner with lots of tasty options. We had a good three hours to talk about all our surgeries, troubles at work, looking ahead and preparing for retirement, and of course our funny cats. I think we came to the conclusion that despite the trials that occur at this stage of life we're at least gaining a level of wisdom we didn't have before to help counter it all. 

While getting ready to leave we discovered the rain had indeed turned to snow and that there was a light dusting covering the ground. We said our goodbyes and were careful walking to the car and driving home because the rain had left a thin layer of ice under the snow. I can't remember the last time I had to brush snow off the car. Too bad this all didn't happen a week ago allowing us a bit of a white Christmas. Oh well, no matter. This holiday season has been quite wonderful even without the typical winter optics. 

Christmas Season 2022/2023 - 7th Day of Christmas: NYE with Mike and Charisse

Friday, December 31, 2022

Mike and Charisse had us over for dinner tonight. They served fondue which was a blast since Mom hasn't done it for a couple years now. 

We had cocktails by the fireplace to start. 

Dinner include and oil fondue with shrimp and beef, a cheese fondue with bread and ham, and chocolate fondue with fruit, potato chips, and some pizzelles which we brought over. 

After dinner we moved back to the fireplace and engaged in some more wonderful conversation.

Holiday Season 2021 - Mike & Charisse

Thursday, December 23, 2021

We had Mike and Charisse over for dinner tonight. It was nice to see them and we had a wonderful time. Dale made chili and they brought over some Christmas cookies over that they made for us which we had for dessert. They're the first company we've had since we got Sylvester so I wasn't sure how he'd react. He was very outgoing and as we talked and ate cookies after dinner he jumped up on the couch and sat between them. He rolled over on his back and let them scratch his tummy. I think they really enjoyed his company and were impressed by how relaxed he was with them. 

Dale wrote the following on his blog earlier today:

"Tonight we’re having a high school buddy of Joe’s and his wife over for dinner.  I’ve made my signature chili and we’ve cleaned the house.  Joe is decorating the tree and we’re listening to Donna Summer’s Christmas album.  Sylvester the Cat is cuddled up next to me as I write this, so the scene is quite cozy and domestic.  Joe and I are both missing Athena mightily, but it has been almost two months since we lost her so the sadness has mellowed a bit.  We were so lucky to have had so many years with that wonderful dog."

The Tenth Day of Christmas - Mike and Charisse

Friday, January 3, 2020

Had Mike and Charisse over tonight on this the tenth day of Christmas. Dale hasn't seen them as recently as I have so it was nice to catch up. Dale made an amazing chili with Italian sausage that went over very well. We had cherry pie for dessert and I found out that Mike grew up preferring birthday pies as opposed to cakes just like I did. We're all doing dry January and it's going well for everyone. We're all finding that we're missing the rituals of drinking more so than the drinking itself. 

2,5,6,7,9,10

Second Day of Christmas - Jewish Christmas with Mike & Charisse

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

Mike and Charisse came over for dinner tonight. We ordered Chinese food so we had our own little variation on Jewish Christmas although we didn't watch a movie. We listened to lots of Christmas music and had great conversation the whole evening although I zoned out the last hour or so they were here. Oh well, chalk it up to holiday backlash. I'm exhausted!

I put the expanding cowboy that Charisse got for me in water. We'll see if he expands.

Christmas Eve 2017 - White Christmas

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Just after our church service ended I checked my phone and noticed Mike had texted me the above picture. He's in Arizona visiting Charisse's family and I took it to mean they're watching White Christmas. When Dale and I got home from church we put together a grazing tray of pickled herring, crackers, apples, pears, ham, swiss cheese and French onion dip.  We also put in White Christmas and I texted the following picture to Mike:

I also texted this one:

...with the message "I'll be Danny Kaye to your Bing Crosby." He's such a good sport to put up with me.

Dale and I started falling asleep on the couch before the movie ended (just as Rosie Clooney gets dropped off at the train station by the general after he misunderstanding with Bing). We decided to go to bed but I got a brief second wind and ended up reading The Polar Express before I settled in for my long winter nap. I find the story magical. It's copyrighted 1985 so I didn't grow up with it but I encountered it in the early nineties when I began teaching. It touched me when I first read it as it made me think about what it means to believe. 

Christmas Season 2016/2017 - Mike

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Always good to spend time with Mike and Charisse.

New Year's Day 2016 - Happy New Year!

 Friday, January 1, 2016 
Although Mike and Charisse had to leave around 11:15, Dale and I made it shortly past midnight before heading to bed. 

Looking forward to 2016.

New Year's Eve 2015 - Dale

Thursday, December 31, 2015

I posted the above pictures on Facebook on New Year's Eve. Dale hated the top one. I think he looks like an adorable little kid who gets to stay up until midnight for the first time ever and just can't contain his excitement during the countdown. Anyway, I posted the second picture in hopes he'd like it a little better. 

New Year's Eve 2015 - Mike and Charisse

Thursday, December 31, 2015

What a great evening. It was so nice to spend it with Mike and Charisse and Dale. I've know Mike since 7th grade and graduated from high school with him. Although we  acquaintances in high school, we've become good friends since reconnecting after our 25th high school reunion a few years ago. His wife Charisse is lovely inside and out. Loved spending the holiday with three people I really care about. 

New Year's Eve 2015 - Gingerbread Bread Pudding

Thursday, December 31, 2015

We'll be hosting Mike and Charisse for New Year's Eve. The plan is to have lasagne just like we did on Christmas Day. I made a Betty Crocker gingerbread cake and then hacked it up and dumped a bunch of milk and heavy cream and eggs all over it and then rebaked it to make the pudding. 

Christmas Season 2015/2016 - Christmas Cigar with Mike

Saturday, December 26, 2015

After I got home from shopping with Noel I went over to Mike's house for cocktails and cigars. I had a chance to visit with Charisse and Shayla as well and saw the gingerbread house they had made together. I recounted the story of the gingerbread village I made with my 2nd graders back in the early 1990s. I brought some Oreo Cookies for the family and Mike gave them to Shayla. I found out what a special guy I am to her. 

Mike and I lit up in his garage and listened to a whole selection of jazz. The cigars were LGCs and our cocktails were a variation on the Vesper martini from James Bond. Instead of lemon peel we used blue cheese stuffed olives.