I don’t know about you, but with all of the stuff happening with the election and with the business of life, Christmas came and went FAST this year.
Nevertheless, I was able to pause for a minute and enjoy being around family. This year was the first year where I was the only sibling in attendance. This may not seem like much to the only child folks; but, as the middle child, this was a whole new experience . I was given the opportunity to be the only child for one holiday and it was fantastic! Don’t get me wrong- my sibling are amazing and I can’t imagine life without them- but for a holiday I was able to talk as much as I wanted, I could learn new cooking techniques without distraction, and I got SO MANY AWESOME PRESENTS!
This year we kept it pretty low-key. On Christmas eve we met my Aunt for a candlelight service at her church, followed by a lovely dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. On Christmas, we opened presents and Facetimed my out-of-state siblings. The featured image shows the service, which reminded me to let my light shine (left) and, at my mom’s request, I took a photo of our awesomely decorated Christmas tree at home (right).
What’s a holiday at my parent’s house without a good meal? Why, it’s no holiday at all! Boy I tell ya, they really showed up and showed out for dinner. As the entree, we stuffed ourselves on a rosemary and garlic infused beef roast topped with a homemade wine/mushroom/butter sauce…
…followed by sides of roasted brussel, mashed potatoes with gravy, and roasted potatoes…
…and let’s not forget a German chocolate cake to sweeten the deal. I know what’s you’re thinking about the meal, “this would be perfect except brussel sprouts are disgusting!” Heck, I’ve said it a million times and so did my aunt, but my dad really changed our minds with his version of the roasted dish.
All in all, spending time with my family as the only child was magical and dinner was something to remember. To sweeten the deal even more, just before Christmas I was surprised by a gift from someone who is turning out to be pretty special ;o)
Have a Merry Christmas!!
– F&C
