Merry Christmas to all!

It is pouring, has been raining all night, sometimes gusty, sometimes steady, but hardest of all since 6 am. Poor Santa and the reindeer--I hope they made it home to a dry bed! I am thinking of friends and relatives all over the country--Massachusetts, Seattle, Santa Fe--and all over the world--Japan, France, India--and hoping they are happy and healthy and safely arrived.

Yesterday, most of us didn't get up until about 8. Molli and Amelia went running--Ray and I and my mother walked. It was a pretty sunny day and stayed very warm in our house. I started making rolls. Then Molli and I went shopping. We went to EarthFare and bought some scallops and trout--and even a dozen oysters. We popped across the street to HomePlace and I bought something for my Mom--I had really nothing for her. I hope it fits and she likes it, because it was on sale and can't be returned. We went on to Kroger and got some other groceries, as well as picking up the roast beef for today's dinner. We were home by 12:30 and ate a little lunch before the cooking began. Ray's assignment for the day was to get the old refrigerator in the garage cleaned out and plugged in, since it was going to be impossible to get everything in. We had some cold beverages we wanted to chill as well.

Molli made meringues--3 flavors: chocolate, orange and plain. Vanessa cooked the shrimp and made the cocktail sauce. I made zabaglione (uses egg yolks), a request of the Captain's. Vanessa and the Captain were peeling the shrimp, Amelia was ready to start the risotto, about on schedule, but she had to wait for the Captain to harvest the leeks and fresh thyme for it. I stepped in on the shrimp, while he went out and did that. Ray washed the lettuce and other garden items for a salad. Meanwhile, several people were bathing and Amelia and Ray and I were clearing the wrapping and tree trimming items and getting set up for company. The risotto ran longer than its allotted time and Molli still had to make the scallops and trout. The first car arrived at 4:12--Bertha, Dani, Francesca and Mark. The Captain started shucking the oysters, occasioning some blood and lots of mess (he did it outside). Ray was finsihing the salad outside too--it was cooler and there was more room. Vanessa made old fashioneds for those who wanted. Molli and Amelia continued to cook. The rolls went in last. The Captain got the secret of shucking the oysters, which involved me holding them firmly, while he pounded on the pirate knife, whose point was on the right spot, with a hammer. It seemed dangerous, but no more blood ensued. Some brave souls ate a raw oyster or two, but he seemed to like them best (with lemon and Tabasco). We also served humus with pita and carrots and peppers, as well as the shrimp cocktail. The tree was properly appreciated, complete with inflatable stegosaurus. About 5, Janna and Ron arrived, having promised they would be there at 4 on time. Not a problem. At 5:30, we had two tables set for 6, with Christmas dishes and glasses. We ate risotto, scallops with mushrooms, rolls, trout with lemon, and drank white and red wine and something bubbly. It was all very good and much enjoyed. Then we had zabaglione and meringues, as well as Amelia's special chocolate chip cookies, which she had baked in the morning, while Molli and I were out. Lots of wrapping was going on all day too. At 6:30 they had to leave to get to church by 7--I hope they made it. We were exhausted. It felt like the middle of the night. We had a lot of cleaning up to do--Ray ran the first load of dishes.
Molli and Amelia and I went upstairs to do the bulk of the wrapping. About 9:30, we read the Bible, Nellie's Christmas Eve and hung the stockings. We each picked our favorite carol and sang them all. A little more wrapping, and filling of stockings, and I was in bed by 11, although it took me a while to fall asleep and I kept waking up through the night. At one point, I got up to take the pie crust out of the freezer, because we have another big meal today, although it should be much easier. Amelia was still awake, knitting a hat for my mother. She had made one, a beautiful tam with a complex pattern, but we agreed it was too small, so she was knitting another. I assured her that she was allowed to put unfinished knitting projects under the tree, but she was determined. Now it's almost 7 and no one is awake on Christmas morning, maybe the latest ever. Merry Christmas to all! As Molli has been saying over and over, "Aren't we just the luckiest family alive?" I don't know about that, but we are certainly better off than many.