Christmas Season 2025/2026 -The Fourth Day of Christmas: Pumpkin Pie

 Sunday, December 28, 2025

Not feeling well at all today. I've got a cold or the flu and I'm worried about Mom. 

Dale made me dinner and brought me some pumpkin pie. 

Pre-Holiday Season 2024 - Warren

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Dale and I made our post-Thanksgiving pot pie and had Warren over to share it with us. We watched Holiday Affair. It's not my most favorite of Christmas movies but it's not bad and highly watchable.

                      

Released in 1949 it was one of Janet Leigh's earlier pictures and Robert Mitchum was cast, in part, to help rehabilitate his image after a marijuana bust. Warren and Dale had never seen it before. I've seen it once, maybe twice. 

Warren brought a Mexican salad he made himself and it was quite delicious. Pumpkin pie for dessert. 

Listened to Michael Feinstein during cocktail hour and appetizers. 

Thanksgiving 2024

Thursday, November 28,  2024

Made a Bloody Mary...

...and turned on the parade at 8:30.

Sylvester burrowed into a pile of pillows making a little fort for himself.

He came out eventually and made himself comforatable on whichever of our laps was available.

Dale supervised the making of the feast but I helped quite a bit. 

Mom came over around 2 pm and we ate at 3:00. All in all it turned out great. 

Dale seems to think I do a great job carving the turkey. I feel like I'm hacking away with an ax to the carcass but I guess I do okay since there's barely any meat on it when I'm finished. There's gotta be a youTube video out there that shows the most efficient and perfect way to cut it up. Maybe I'll look for that sometime. 

Mom brought over a pumpkin pie that some friends from church had made. She said they usually make about 100 pies every year to sell to people for Thanksgiving. It was delicious and one of the better pumpkin pies I've ever had. That's sayin' something cuz I LOVE pumpkin pie. 

She also brought over some port wine. Dale didn't think he'd ever had any before. I poured some for us after the pie. Mom and Dale didn't like it. They said the alcohol level was too hight (turned out it was 20%) and they just didn't like the taste. I thought it was fine but what do I know. 

Christmas Season 2023/2024 - 7th Day of Christmas Part 3: New Year's Eve

 Sunday, December 31, 2023

The 7th Day of Christmas

After cocktails Dale and I ate dinner. We had baked chicken breast with roasted broccoli and buttered spaghetti noodles. 

We watched When Harry Met Sally which culminates in a scene taking place on NYE. Dale's never really liked this movie before but this time he said he actually enjoyed it. He stayed awake for the whole thing this time so that probably helped. 

     

Leftover pumpkin pie from Christmas for dessert. 

I changed into my robe. Sylvester climbed up on my lap.

Had we gone out I'd like to think this would have been my outfit. 

However, going out was not how it unfolded this year. It was a quiet and laid back New Year's Eve at home and we were in bed my 10:00. Who knows what 2024 will bring. The 2020s have so far turned out to be a turbulent decade. A couple years ago I gave up saying the new year couldn't be any worse than the previous. I guess one can only plan for tomorrow but live for today. I've tried to live by that little nugget of wisdom in the past but going forward I'm going to really try to put even more of the emphasis on the live for today part. 

Christmas Season 2023/2024 - 3rd Day of Christmas: A Charlie Brown Christmas

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

The third day of Christmas.

After my cigar I came inside and made an Old Fashioned. We had left over beef bourguignon for dinner.

        

And pumpkin pie for dessert. 

We watched A Charlie Brown Christmas.

This special is one of my favorites. Dale mentioned that it was his favorite as a kid. I appreciate it for two very specific reasons both of which are things other children's holiday programs won't often touch. One, it acknowledges the angst which can often accompany Christmas. Two, it acknowledges the religious aspect of the holiday. 

Christmas Season 2023/2024 - 1st Day of Christmas: Quiet Christmas Morning

 Monday, December 25, 2023

Yesterday we picked up a pumpkin pie for today and I didn't get it into the fridge as quickly as I should have.  Dale seemed more worried about it than me so I sampled a piece this morning just to make sure it's okay. It was delicious. 

Christmas Season 2022/2023 - The 1st Day of Christmas: Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 25, 2022

Woke up this morning at 7:00 which is the latest I've slept in a long time. It was a lovely quiet Christmas morning. We transferred the stroganoff to the crock pot at 7:30 so it would be ready this afternoon around 4:00/4:30. 

Noel was going to join us for dinner today but she messaged me to let me know that she's having a hard time dealing with the death of her brother Patrick a couple months ago and that she felt it was best to stay home. Of course I understood.

Mom and Warren came over around 3:30. Warren brought a nice cheese tray which we had with cocktails. He also brought over a delicious cheese and broccoli soup which we had as a first course before the beef stroganoff. Pumpkin pie for dessert. Mom gave me the sweet holy family figurine which is pictured above. I love it however I've had to hide it since Sylvester keeps trying to bite Joseph's head off!

Thanksgiving 2022 - The Dinner

 Thursday, December 24, 2022

We had Noel and Mom over for dinner. 

Mom brought and apple pie and Noel brought over a pumpkin pie. 

Christmastide 2020: Christmas Day - The First Day of Christmas: Pumpkin Pie

Friday, December 25, 2020

Mom wasn't up for dessert. Dale and I indulged after she left. Pumpkin. Pie.

Holiday Season 2020 - First Day of Christmas Vacation: In the Good Old Summertime

Saturday, December 19, 2020

This is gonna be a much less busy holiday season than usual. That's not necessarily a bad thing although I am missing getting together with folks. With the slower pace and extra time I may try to get watch more Christmas movies and specials this year. I never seem to get through all the ones I'd like to. 

Tonight we made a quiche for dinner and watched In the Good Old Summertime with Judy Garland and Van Johnson. I love it an haven't seen it for a few years although sadly I fell asleep about halfway through. The same thing happened with Christmas in Connecticut last weekend.  Oh well, no big deal. I've got time on my hands so rewatching won't be a problem. 

Despite falling asleep I woke up at a couple of my favorite spots. The first being when Judy sings Merry Christmas in Mr. Oberkugen's shop. It's a song you actually don't hear too often during the holidays although Bette Midler has a lovely version of it on her Christmas album. I also woke up at the end just in time for little Liza's cameo. 

Bloody Mary for cocktail hour (see above top). Made sure I had lots of stuff for the garnish: gherkins, pickled pear onions, cheese and olives (not pictured). 

My serving of pumpkin pie for dessert which begs the question:

I'd say I'm at a 3. 

Music and a Mixer

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Growing up we listened to The Wonderful Songs of Christmas by The Harry Simeone Chorale every year. It's one of my most favorite Christmas Albums. Over the last 30 years I've looked for it on CD and then eventually digital download but to no avail. Until today. I did a search for it on Apple Music on a lark this afternoon and it turned up. I had read a number of years ago that it never made it to CD due to licensing issues. Well, that must have all been worked out. I downloaded it immediately. Track 1 is Pat-a-Pan and I have vivid memories of Sam as a three year old jumping up when the whistling interlude came on and running circles around the living room. Not sure why he felt the need to do that but it sure was funny and awfully  endearing. 

In other news: Ok, so, Dale and I are pretty easily amused. We’ve had a clunky manual hand mixer for 25+ years. It takes forEVER to whip cream. After all this time we finally got an electric mixer and after one use our elation was so great you’d think we’d just purchased a castle in the Alps. 

The Seventh Day of Christmas Part 2 - New Year's Eve

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Laid back day. Dale and I got some cleaning done, a trip to Kowalski's,  and some nice walks in. Again, it is so good to see the sun. 

For cocktail hour we listened to some Christmas music from Bing Crosby, Donna Summer, and the Ultra Lounge.

I had a martini and Dale had wine. 

For dinner we had steak, Brussels sprouts, and a pasta salad.

And for dessert we had pumpkin pie. 

During dinner and dessert we watched The Bishop's Wife - one of our favorites.

I find New Year's Eve to be a kilt-worthy holiday. Note: Dry January starts tomorrow. 

Tonight turned out to be a wonderfully quiet night in. We were in bed by 9:30 p.m. Looking forward to 2020.