Christmas at my folks' house

Well, I told you about this dinner in the post with Pam's Fun Christmas Questions - but here it is...and it looks as good as I've ever seen it! Bravo, Mom, Dad, and Armour!



Dosie "helping" Mom...

Arms with his loot John and I sent him from Afghanistan...if he grew a beard, he'd pass as a northern Afghan...

This is quite simply: Dad's job - he always carves. We don't. (We just eat it!)

Tucker in her Christmas Collar...

Uh-Oh - who came to live with my parents when I went to Korea 6 years ago - and never left...

My Poor Old Man - relegated to the glassed-in porch because he's a tough guy who can't play nice with the others. Poor Baby...

I'm not sure why Dosie is stuck in there - SHE gets along with EVERYONE...

Fun Questions from Pam

So I got these questions in an email from Pam, and I kept her answers because she had some great suggestions! (I had forgotten that there was such a thing as Swedish Apple Pie, and I loved her ideas on Christmas Songs...and figured other readers would too, especially my mom.)

So my answers, if they differ from Pam's, are in Turquoise because it's my favorite color!

Here we go - and would love to hear your answers, as well!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Mostly wrapping paper.

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial. Real (love the smell!)

3. When do you put up the tree? Ideally the day after Thanksgiving, but that hasn't happened since 2003. (First, I just have to say that I think this is a hilarious answer. ) Break/Break: I am DEFINITELY not organized enough to have a set day every year. The sooner the better as soon as it turns into December.

4. When do you take the tree down? Soon after New Year's.

5. Do you like eggnog? No, but MacKenzie and Benjamin are nog-aholics, so I have it in the house for them. Sure! The Grown-up kind with a little dividend of Brandy in it. :)

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Probably my first bicycle without training wheels in 1st grade. Two, actually. Guitar and my very own diary.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. Ours is quite frankly the most beautiful one I've ever seen, or my mom has ever seen. The figures were carved in the Italian Alps; the set was a gift from John's parents.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Brother. MY DAD! But John and Armour and I have a good one (we think) for him this year!

9. Easiest person to buy for? Mom, kids. Oh definitely my Mom! We always like the same things!

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can't think of anything other than a blue pleated skirt that I opened Christmas Eve one year (elementary age). I thought it was going to be something awesome since it was wrapped in a tube instead of a traditional clothes-size box, and was disappointed that I opened up clothes for my one Christmas Eve gift. Not really a "bad" gift though. Lanz nightgowns. Of course, I LOVE them now - but as a kid, getting clothes was icky.

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. Last year, some of you got Christmas-on-Labor-Day cards. {Sigh}

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (original cartoon version), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (the cartoon version with the mouse family…haven't seen this one in years!). Diehard. (It's a Craig Family Tradition...)

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? In earnest sometime in November, although this year I started picking up items last December, more in June (supposed to have been Benjamin's b-day gifts to take back to the states over his b-day but I forgot them--so I re-shopped for his b-day and saved those for Christmas), and more in August and September. Most of my extremely early shopping is done when traveling--unique items from other countries...I even have a few things set aside for next Christmas. I shop all year!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No. I shall never tell...

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Fudge, homemade Christmas cookies, Swedish Apple Pie (especially leftover for breakfast). Ok, I'm a foodie - so here's a list...and it never changes - this is what we do if we're with the Craigs:

While we're opening presents - Aunt Nan's fruitcake and coffee (Dad & John) or Champagne (the rest of us!)

Throughout the day - Stilton cheese with warm crusty bread and other snacks

Supper - Prime Rib roasted in the oven with carrots, potatoes and onions around it, Yorkshire pudding, broccoli with hollandaise sauce. It is the best ever!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Mini white. Colored! As a kid we had big huge ones. I wish I could find those again.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Religious: Silent Night (by candlelight at Christmas Eve service), Mary Did you Know? (by Reba McEntire). Secular: I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (by Gayla Peevey: sample at http://hippochristmas.ytmnd.com), Santa Baby (by Madonna), non-traditional and updated versions of classical songs such as on Reba's "Secret of Giving" album, "Our Favorite Things" by Tony Bennett, Charlotte Church, Placido Domingo & Vanessa Williams, Boney M's "The 20 Greatest Christmas Songs" album…and too many others to list (I have dozens and dozens of Christmas CD's, we literally have to start listening to them before Thanksgiving to get through them all by Christmas). The one about the little Drummer Boy, and "My Grown-up Christmas List" by Natalie Cole.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay at home, usually…although Christmas in Rome last year was nice (Christmas Eve midnight mass with the Pope and Christmas day papal blessing!). John and I always travel to be with family

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? YES! If I sing the song where they're all named I can.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel. Star!

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One family gift on Christmas Eve, stockings before breakfast Christmas morning, gifts after breakfast. (We do this exACTLY the same way! I think that's amazing!)

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Stores decorating for Christmas before Halloween is over! Long lines at stores...

23. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme? Tons of white lights, all glass/crystal ornaments. Nope - completely eclectic - though if I had tons of money, I'd have a bunch of themed trees - I like that idea. I'd ask my "sister" Stephanie to help me since she's got great taste in decorating.

Last Minute Christmas Shopping

Two weekends ago, we went to Rothenburg and Ulm to see the Christmas markets and to get some last minute Christmas shopping done. Rothenburg is one of everyone's favorite cities, having been spared the bombing during WWII. It still has the city wall around it, and the buildings are just beautiful. The shopping is great too. We got some goodies for my three favorite little boys - The Bartolero Bandits...

Here's the obligatory Holly & Horses photo...I can't resist these big Coldbloods. I'll have a whole bunch some day - just to look at. These are Percherons, I think. Love their "hairnets."

John and I ate the Christmas Market crepes...filled with sugar and butter and other low-fat things...what you don't see in this picture is Spectre's drool pool on the steps.

Here's the FurChild on one of the medieval walls on the south side. John took this while I was in the Kaethe Wolfart line (90 minutes-worth) to buy ornaments, etc. After that experience, we went straight to the gluhwein line. Ugh. Rothenburg is one of the only cities that serves weiss gluhwein, made with white wine. We personally don't like the red (normal) gluhwein - it tastes too much like Nyquil.



In Ulm, we stayed at a vine-covered little Gasthaus that had a cute little kid running around (see picture) and amazing food. The portions were teeny-tiny but there were a lot of courses and we really enjoyed it. It's a place we'll take future houseguests just for dinner. Obviously, Spectre was more interested in the little girl than posing for the picture.

The only bad part of the Ulm Gasthaus was their horrid choice of curtains for the washroom.

"How Now, Brown Towel?"

On our way home, we stopped at the Blautopf in Blaubeuren (this cool town cut out of the "Blue" rocks.) It was so clear and deep - really gorgeous. You couldn't see all the way to the bottom, but that's just because the light wouldn't reach that far - the water was crystal clear. Here are the boys in front of it...

The next Monday night, we got NOTHING done, as we were exhausted and had housecleaning to do that we didn't do over the weekend (note the state of the kitchen counter behind me...) I was standing in the kitchen after work, wondering which can of soup to heat up (wife of the year, huh?), and Spectre came up behind me and sat down on my feet. He's always good for a laugh...

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