Ingredients for Christmas

Between having Brian gone the last week, preparing for Christmas and coming down with the stomach flu, there hasn’t been much chance to update the blog. Although I had a slow start getting into the Christmas spirit, we are in full swing and anticipating the arrival of my sister Jen and her family and my brother Drew next week.

Here is a glimpse of some of the usual Bowcut preparations:

THE TREE.
We drove to an orchard north of us to cut ours down. Selecting the perfect tree is no easy feat.

Brian and Samantha on the lookout: (I had to laugh as I saw Sam’s little head move along the trees.)

If you look closely, you'll see Brian's “WILL YOU STOP TAKING PICTURES AND START LOOKING FOR A TREE?” look:

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.

One of the unexpected things that has emerged in my spouse over our 8 years of marriage, is Brian’s passion for hanging lights. And I’m glad. I enjoy them, but have never wanted to exert the effort or time it takes in hanging them. And it suits Brian’s competitive and perfectionist sides well. While Brian had to work hard to “keep up” in our prior neighborhood, we have found we don’t have a whole lot of competition in our new one. Although not comical at the time, Brian worked for a couple of hours to hang the strand going along the top of our house—it was bitterly cold and involved the use of the extension ladder. He climbed down, plugged them in and this was the result (even though he had tested them before).

Even the neighbors felt bad for him. However, he persisted and our house looks great—the neighbors keep commenting how we’ve raised the bar for festiveness in the neighborhood. Brian is already talking about how he can expand next year’s display.

CHOCOLATES.

This has become a family art, which is taken with a great deal of seriousness. Seriously. It generally involves 1-2 weekends of sheer dedication, women in the family often fly in for the occasion, and we work tirelessly to produce about 30 pounds of chocolates. It also requires the use of “The Machine” which tempers the chocolate and keeps it at perfect dipping temperature so that your chocolates don’t turn white. (We’ve tried to do it without the machine in the past, and it is almost impossible.) And although it doesn't do much good for our hips (or anyone else's), I love that this tradition now transcends four generations. Assuming I inherit "the machine" I plan to do this with my daughters and their daugthers.

This year, was a little interesting. My sister-in-law Janene flew in from Atlanta to join me, my Mom and Grandma for a chocolate making weekend. However, the morning we were to begin dipping, it was apparent my Grandma needed to go to the hospital for her breathing. So while my Mom and Grandma spent the day at the hospital, Janene and I did most of the dipping (my Mom hit some at the end). And believe me. It was stressful. Not only did we have a lot to do, but we knew my mother, our biggest critic, would inspect each one. Each chocolate must be evenly coated, and no skirts (extra chocolate that collects along the base).

We succeeded, and my Grandma who is the original chocolate maker, said that our chocolates “look professional”. Flavors this year included: pecan turtles, double-dipped mints, dipped toffee, fudge, caramels and nuts, and chocolate creams. I think they look beautiful. My mother, on the other hand, is conjuring up ways to make them look more uniform next year.

BAKING.

With all those chocolates, you’d think we’d have no need for baking. I still have more to do, but Ella (and friends) and I spent the week chipping away at it. I only wish I had a bigger freezer.

WARD CHRISTMAS PARTY.
The girls and I ventured over to the Christmas dinner/party on our own. Although it was very nicely done, it didn't prove to be terribly kid-friendly, except for Santa at the end. This was by far the highlight of the day for Ella, while Samantha had a violent reaction to him. Still, every kid needs a screaming picture with Santa in their childhood photo library, right?

FRIENDS.

Living in DC often brings friends to town for the holidays. Tuesday, I had an Obie day where my best-friend from college, Sara came by for a visit with her son, Mason. (He is darling and truly a Filipino version of her husband, Grant.) Sara, originally from Baltimore, is currently living in South Bend, Indiana where her husband is completing law school. She coaches high school lacrosse and watches after Mason. I keep hoping they'll move back to Maryland after school, but having married a mid-western guy, I'm afraid his roots will keep them there.

And then that evening Pam, who actually doesn't live out of town, but whom I see so rarely, came by to hang out. She brought me yummy treats and handmade earrings. I spared her from having a picture taken.

With all there is to do before Christmas, it's a wonder we have any energy left for the day itself.