Happy holiday

[cjsmith]

The other day I mumbled about holiday traditions, saying at the end that I was going to do three things to make my holiday fun this year.

1. Hide Rob's presents. This turned out very well. He found half or so on his own, then most of the rest with the aid of "warmer, colder", and I practically had to show him the one wedged protectively in between the wall of the wastebasket and the trash bag. Hee! Fun. :-)

2. Bake. I did only about half the baking I intended to do, and that's REALLY GOOD because now we have way the @#$! too much brownie and sugar cookie and suchlike hanging around here. Plus my sister-in-law sent handmade caramels and my dad sent fudge and my mom gave me a box of Godiva truffles (mmmmmm!) and we leave in, now, less than a week... into the freezer go the goodies!

3. Make pancakes. I must stoutly confess that I suck at this. I learned NOT to fry them in margarine, much as I like the taste, because margarine burns awfully quickly. I learned NOT to have the pan nearly as hot as it said to, because that leads to charring on the outside and rawness on the inside. By the end of my batch they were coming out okay. Better luck next year. Dad will be doing them!

Another tradition was upheld through no doing of mine. Our family always has stockings filled with practical little thingamajigs. For about five years running everybody got a pair of scissors each year. There was often Scotch tape. After the scissors came the Battery Period, then the Nail Clipper Era. There's always a bit of candy and a pocket pack of Kleenex. Well... this year my dad MAILED Rob and me a pair of stockings containing nail clippers, Life Savers, Scotch tape, and kleenex! :-)

I played all the familiar albums, too, from the religious cheer of Amy Grant to the CD of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I'm content.

Comments

[fuzzygruf.livejournal.com]

Instead of the warmer/colder thing, maybe you coulda done some half circulates, zigs, and u-turn backs. :-)

(It's been a week. Obviously my square dance withdrawals have started to kick in...)

Merry Christmas!!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I suppose I could have, although it was more fun to be *less* specific. ;-)

Better get a fix soon, before the withdrawal gets worse!

Merry Christmas!

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

I think I know of at least one other thing you got...

;-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Indeed you do! Yay! Rob says he told you to deny any other orders for my address. :-)

When I put it on my wish list I was thinking of hanging it in my cube. I was a little surprised to realize it doesn't already have a hole for that!

[quasigeostrophy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sorry about the missing hangup hole. For next year, I'm switching to a printer who does that on calendars. What a concept. :-)

Hope you liked the pics, anyway.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yes, thank you! Heh, I can't believe they didn't at least offer you the option or something. Oh well: they lose your business!

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

hooray for stockings from home! how very cool. glad you had a good holiday!

*stealthily relieves you of some of those baked goods*

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Mmm, you can sneak in here and filch goodies any time you like. Hey, do you have a sensitivity to wheat? I seem to recall something like that. Just about everything I bake has wheat, sadly.

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

no sensitivity to wheat that i'm aware of. a friend suggested i investigate it, but so far, i'm not ready to go there. too many goodies would have to be given up!!!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I can certainly understand that. Wheat is in a LOT of stuff. (The only thing more pervasive I can think of is corn -- I once knew a guy who was severely allergic to corn, so no sodas (corn syrup) or most pastas (cornstarch) or... I was amazed when I started reading ingredients lists!)

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Casey's mom did stockings this year, including one for DJ. Mine contains mostly girly stuff, partially because the other women there like girly stuff and she gave us all the same things, just different colors/styles . . . but I'm not sure what to do with lavender nail polish. :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Clearly it's there so that you can trade it with someone who has extra chocolate she doesn't want. :)

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

It includes a huge plastic-and-clear-rhinestones ring with a flamboyant script M on it. Pity you've got a C, or I'd swap you that for chocolate. ;)

*running away*

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

:-)

If we happened to be in the same place, you could share some of this chocolate for *free*. (O'course, the main reason I say that is that you're a friend, and the fact that I don't know what to do with lavender nail polish either is only a minor reason.)

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

As far as the pancake thing.... I use and electric griddle, and that works well. Otherwise, I have a cast iron griddle -- and the trick I find is to set the heat on the stovetop lower and take a little longer to cook them, especially on the first side.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was foolish enough to believe instructions that said "when a water droplet vanishes almost immediately". That is way too danged hot. I'll know better next time. (That is, I'll eat my Dad's pancakes!)

[redgrrl.livejournal.com]

I always do the stocking-filled-with-practical-things, too! Everyone always gets a toothbrush and packet of kleenex. The girls all got hair scrunchies and Mike got socks. I also always include a magazine -- something fun or different that they wouldn't normally buy for themselves...