Christmas Eve's Eve

In keeping with this year's theme of "sequester the Grinch" I offered (with B's suggestion) to host Christmas with my dad. The two youngest brothers, Nik and Alix, have been working out of state/town and miraculously they were both home on the eve of Christmas Eve.

Pulling from the decorations already placed around the house and a great clearance table cloth from Target, I very inexpensively created a festive table. Madison cut snowflakes and made place cards with them.

For dinner I made pork loin which was brined over night then stuffed and rubbed with a garlic rosemary paste and baked in a bath of white wine. It turned out devine! For sides we had sage sweet potatoes and pan roasted Brussels with bacon and pine nuts, and rolls. I had made the sauce for my favorite green beans the night before and completely forgot about that dish. For dessert we had applesauce spice cake and cheese cake. I think it is safe to say no one left hungry.

After waiting very patiently through dinner and the after dinner conversation Maddox prompted us to move on to gifts. Machelle gave Madison a plethora of scarves- which she loved! Maddox got a razor 360 bike that he had been asking for, and Megan and Nik got the kids this great puzzle game that we have been playing with all night and this morning.

We all enjoyed watching Maddox ride his new bike in the frigid night just to show off the sparks it emits when he pulled the emergency brake.

Alix and his wife ended up not coming- revealing I have a double standard, and causing me to reevaluate my own attitude of Christmas and the "required" visits. Giving me all the more reason to continue my quest to "sequester the Grinch".

So here's to the beginning of a very merry Christmas- spent with FAMILY.