Happy Friday everyone! I hope your day is going well! I’m excited for the weekend! I have a three-day weekend to look forward to! Today is Day 9 of the Christmas Challenge for me. Only three more days left! I might participate in two or three more Christmas challenges…or not! Today, the challenge asks who I’ll be sitting with for Christmas dinner.
Christmas in my world means two days of celebrating. We have dinner on Christmas Eve with Andre’s mom, sister and two nieces. The dinner is similar to Thanksgiving, meaning there’s turkey or ham with all of the trimmings/fixings. We also exchange gifts.
We have Christmas lunch/dinner with my family. As I mentioned before, me, my mom and grandma get together a few days before Christmas to make tamales. We’re making 20 pounds of tamales tomorrow. You can check out our tamale-making tradition on a previous post I did. Here is the link: https://lifeofanelpasowoman.com/2015/12/10/twelve-days-of-christmas-challenge-day-2/
This year, I’ll have Christmas dinner with: Andre (for those who don’t know Andre is my boyfriend of almost three years), my son, my grandparents (my mom’s parents), my parents, my two uncles and their families (one uncle’s wife, two daughters and my other uncle’s girlfriend), a family friend and her husband and daughter and my sister and brother-in-law. My sister lives in Houston but she’ll be visiting us for a few days.
For the past few years, some of my family gets together a few days after Thanksgiving to draw names for our Christmas gift exchange. After dinner, the family exchanges gifts. I asked my grandma if we could wear ugly sweaters on Christmas. She said she’d get back to me. We had ugly sweater day at work yesterday and it was a lot of fun!
How about you, what is your Christmas Day/ dinner like?
Some of it yes. My sons partner is a first generation Mexican American and the bean and jalapeno recipes are his Mothers. So he helps.
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Yum! That all sounds very good! I love stuffed jalapenos with bacon, cheese/cream cheese. Do you do the cooking?
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We like doing something different every year. We are having Mexican this year. We are doing Tacos and wonderful stuffed Jalapenos and Baracha beans. Im excited!
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That’s great! I love how a fresh tree smells! We’re watching Star Wars on Sunday. I really hope to be finished on Monday. I’m thinking of baking too.
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We are ready Lisa! Outdoor decorations are up, fresh tree is up and decorated, cards are mailed, food bought…gotta just get into the cookie making mode and we’re good to go! Saw the movie Sisters today and headed for Star Wars next week. We like to see lots of films this time of year. Enjoy that Monday off and I trust you’ll be almost ready for Christmas at that point?
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The best to you, my friend.
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Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones, Robert! I hope you enjoy the day.
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Thank you Lisa 🙂
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Thank you Irene! Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!
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Merry Christmas to you and to the wonderful town of El Paso.
I intend to spend the day with my partner. It’s a day when I make calls to old friends and to my sister. My friends are scattered all over the world.. As I get older I find that the magic of the holiday has returned for me. I recall that as a child It was full of light and good will. As I got older life got dark and the light went out of Christmas for me. But this year I find the holiday humanizing.
The holiday itself gifts me with the time to reflect on the people I love and my good fortune to know them.
Happy holidays to you.
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Your Christmas sounds very good. Wish you all the best 🙂
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Thank you! 🙂
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thanks so much!
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Hi Lynn! I’ll do my best on photos! I need to invest in a better camera.
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Thank you, Lisa! 🙂
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Thanks Erika! 🙂 Likewise!
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That’s quite a party for your Christmas dinner. But it sounds like a wonderful circle. I wish you a wonderful Christmas dinner, Lisa!
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That sounds great, Bruce! I love 70-degree weather! It’s been cold over here. This morning it was 30. I know I know that may not be that cold in PA but it’s cold for me! That’s strange weather for your side of the country, especially this time of the year! It’s going to be a busy weekend but I’m glad I’m off on Monday! Are you and your wife ready for Christmas?
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That’s nice!
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Oh just around the table and stuff 🙂
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Lisa, it sounds like you have a big, loving family and are blessed in that regard. It’s pretty much just the wife and I (no children and a small family) but after 32 years of marriage we still both look forward to the Holidays so much and enjoy a Turkey dinner with ALL the side dishes possible…and then enjoy the leftovers thereafter just as much. It’s been an odd season here in SE PA with temperatures around 70 but we’re all still filled with the spirit of the season. It actually makes it easier to get around without the snow, ice, etc. and I think a lot of folks are definitely enjoying the fact their travels over Christmas should be safer as a result also. Have a wonderful weekend!
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Wow that sounds so festive and like a wonderful time! I am impressed that you go to Andre’s family for their special time and then your family! That is a very important thing to me!! The tamales and the 20 pounds of tamales sound amazing! Can we get pictures of you putting them together, sorry just had to ask! Wonderful post and have a happy three day weekend!
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That sounds good! Mmm what kind of shot? Yes, it’s next Friday already!
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For us we usually have our turkey, marshmallow and yam with a side of of course mash and gravy with family. Oh, Followed by a family shot of course. Crazy how it’s next week! 🙂
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