Christmas Day 2014 added a new dimension to fine dining. My daughter and her husband wanted to host her mother and I for Christmas dinner. Consequently, we spent a relaxing day at their home. Did I mention it was a paradigm shift for me? I hate to admit that I am a creature of habit, but my typical Christmas day routine is to have the Christmas tree undecorated and out of the house before noon. The General (aka – my wife) does an exceptional job of decorating for Christmas. Did I say exceptional? I meant to say excessive. Honestly, no wonder she thinks we need a storage building to store decorations. (BTW – Santa Did Not and Will Not deliver a storage building even though it is on her Christmas list.) I guess you could say the General and I have our assigned tasks related to decorating for Christmas. She decorates and I take it all down. No wonder I have the reputation of being the Grinch who stole Christmas. Strange isn’t it? The General typically has all the characteristics of being OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), but she sets that aside at Christmas. On the other hand, the symptomology gets transferred to me. As soon as the presents are unwrapped, I’m ready to put it all away and restore our home to normalcy. This year, the General put the dismantling of Christmas decorations on hold. Our son and his family are coming in later today. Consequently the stockings will be hung until after they return to their home on Sunday. Having Craig’s family home for Christmas is a new experience for us. Typically, Craig and Becky have lived on one coast or the other for the past twenty years. Consequently, it was easier for Santa to deliver their children’s Christmas presents to their own home rather than twelve hundred miles away. Of course, the most memorable Christmas package my grandchildren ever received was at Christmas 2012. Craig unexpectedly came home early from Afghanistan. Becky, thoughtfully wrapped him in a Christmas package for the kids discovery when she brought them home from school the day of his arrival. Pictures of that experience were chosen to be included in the U.S. Marine Corps National Museum’s “Welcome Home” display in Washington D.C. where they will remain through 2016. Like the General, I am eager for shared time with Craig’s family. Even without the General’s mandate, I would thoughtfully have left the house decorated for Christmas until after their arrival. Did I mention they are coming later today? By this time tomorrow morning, I will be well on my way in putting the decorations away. I anticipate that I will have the capable assistance of both of my grandsons. They good-naturedly welcome the morning. Their older sister will probably opt to delay getting up as long as she can. She, too, is a creature of habit. The Christmas day spent at my daughter’s home was very relaxing. Their home is very contemporary and the architectural style makes incredible use of windows. The floor plan of the home is very open and from the living area you almost have an unimpeded view of the outside from every direction. Of course, during the course of the day, Andrea thought we’d enjoy a Christmas movie. Sure, I remember the 1990 Christmas comedy film entitled Home Alone. It was really funny. Do I want to see it again? Probably not! Fortunately, she had something else in mind. Unfortunately, it was the movie “Elf”. Honestly, it was a bit much! Sorry, I expressed that incorrectly, it wasn’t a bit much. It was not nearly enough. The upside to the movie is that it was eventually over. Of course, the subsequent “must see” on her list of things we had to view was an episode of “Frazier”. It, too, had a Christmas theme. It was really funny. The downside was that the episode didn’t completely download. Consequently, we didn’t get to see the ending. Actually, the totality of the day was delightful. One of the things I noticed at my daughter’s home was something I had given her the week before. When I was in the seventh grade, my elective at school was woodshop. One of the things I crafted that year was a recipe box that I made for my mother. Since the time eventually came that my mother no longer needed it, it has been in my possession. I showed it to Andrea and asked if she’d like to have it. She gladly took it and it is now on her kitchen counter. It made me feel good to see it. A simple wooden recipe box triggered a generational memory for me. It triggered a memory of my mother, my family and my childhood. Strange, but the presence of that simple wooden box, now strategically placed in my daughter’s home somehow links the past to the present. I anticipate the day will eventually come after I am no longer here that my daughter will look at that recipe box. She will look at the recipe box and remember it was made by her dad and had belonged to her grandmother. The thought will put a smile on her face (and maybe a tear in her eye) and she will remember the past as well as the present. It was a wonderful Christmas 2014. The Christmas meal was the best yet. My daughter and her husband are exceptional chefs. Christmas dinner 2014: grilled beef tenderloin, baked mushroom wellington, grilled asparagus, and a pastry dish with tomatoes. Did I mention the chocolate cake that followed was beyond description? Wow! All My Best! Don
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 13:48:59 +0000
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