A Christmas Story

I don’t even know where to begin. I have been caught in the holiday bustle, going, going, going. There is so much I could blab about, as I consumed a bounty of delicious eats this past week, but food was only half the fun of all the festivities. I believe I left off at Christmas Eve…

T’was the Night Before Christmas

…and all through outside the house, I had a great morning run (~55 minutes) with Courtney followed by a our annual gift exchange at Cafe Brio with hot holiday lattes and buttered toast.

The rest of the day was spent in my holly-day apron, preparing the feast for a family dinner.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.

Table for 10, please.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Garlic, Orange & Parsley

Please excuse the lack of foodography. We gobbled up the pomegranate tri-tip (well, chicken for me) and trough of salad lickity split. Really though, there wasn’t a leftover in site!

After dinner, we cleared the table for a game of Banana Gram (new to me) and a gift exchange of locally made items played by White Elephant Exchange rules.

***

Christmas Day 2009

The (handmade) stockings were hung by the chimney with care.

…and Mama made these to munch on, which were just fair ; )

Santa & Mrs. Clause brought lots of goodies (I must have been extra good this year).

Photogenic bowls.

I am rather serious about my chocolate.

Guess what’s inside…

Element Bars! I may have helped Santa with these ; )

The Recipe Book of All Recipe Books

***

After opening Santa’s treasures, we piled in our sleigh and “flew” south to celebrate the holiday with the grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. The feasting did not stop, nor did the fun. Saturday night we enjoyed a gourmet Chinese meal before heading to The City to see Cirque du Soleil: Ovo. What a fantastic show! Words cannot describe the magnificence of this production and the talent and bravery of the troop. Incredible costumes, beautiful live music, tumbling & acrobatics – it’s a must see!

***

On our travel home today, we made a pit stop in the quaint town of Healdsburg to get coffee at the Flying Goat. My mom and I were curious about the coffee Miss Jenna always raves about.  It was fun to see other familiar names she often mentions, such as Cafe Gratitude, Murphy-Goode, and Zin.

We made it home just in time to attend another holiday party that my aunt and uncle host every year while all five of the cousins are home. It always consists of a variety of appetizers, a cold, buffet-style dinner…and chocolate chip bundt cake, of course. Tomorrow morning, another tradition (involving food) is in order. I will leave you in suspense until then.

Phew! I am so happy to have finished this “story”. I cannot tell you how anxious I have been to publish a post, and catch up on reading about your holidays. After tomorrow, life should slow down some.

Hope you are all enjoying the final days of 2009.

Your (always on the run) nutrition nut,

~ Hillary