It's Christmas Eve. We're sleeping in, making a final trip to the grocery store for holiday fixings, and ready to start cooking tonight's dinner: mashed potatoes and gravy are a must, plus pumpkin soup, artichokes, and some salmon for Derek. Not the traditional lutefisk, but still a fish. Candles are lit, the oven is warm, candied almonds will hopefully last until after dinner, and presents are being wrapped in red and white paper. It snowed overnight and most of the day, so it looks like we'll have that white Christmas!
We are thinking about traditions and family at home (some of them braving the lutefisk and traveling in the Illinois storms in our absence). We might have mentioned the "make gift" tradition which will be happening tonight in Elburn. It has gotten more interesting for us these past two years with the new "made" constraints of living abroad and shipping our gifts: they must now be small and light-weight -shipping costs- and made with limited supplies and without tools... And the most challenging part- they must be completed and in the mail a full two weeks before Christmas Eve (instead of being finished or made start to finish in the final hours leading up to the family gathering). Unfortunately, the the postal service has been a little behind and our packages have not arrived yet from France, but I'll show you what we made after they have been received. This has become a favorite tradition of mine from my husband's family, along with ice skating and having a real tree. What are your favorite holiday traditions?
