"Christmask" 2020

The strange Christmas of 2020 has come and gone. Despite everything, it was a good one.

Ever since Hubby Tony and I got married Christmas has been our holiday to host the extended family. Over the years the group grew from a half dozen to almost two dozen people. Even after the kids grew up and started moving away they'd still travel home. On Christmas Eve all four bedrooms would be filled, and the day itself was a whirlwind of celebrating, present opening, and cooking. 

This year when we woke up there was just two of us. We ate breakfast  (much more extravagant than our normal fare...muffin-sized stratas, fruit and yogurt parfait, and baked jicama tossed with sweet spices that tasted like apples). After lingering for a long time over our coffee, we bundled up for a walk through the neighborhood. The thermometer said it was about 20 degrees, and halfway through we decided we were cold and headed home.

This was our first holiday living in a condo, and I'm embarrassed to say I didn't think about how we might receive presents from our neighbors. We did indeed get a small bag of cookies from one and a card from another. Tony and I decided we would reciprocate, and 'just because' we included the other neighbors too. We made a batch of cookies, bagged them up, and taped this note to the bag:
 

While the cookies were cooling Tony helped me prepare a hearty Chinese-inspired soup. After lunch was made and cleaned up we bundled up again for the second half of the walk. This time it was warmer, but halfway through we received a text from Son Donald letting us know he was taking us up on our last minute invitation and leaving his house so we cut the walk short to head back. 

The rest of the day passed in a blur. We had a family Zoom call, then Donald helped us put together dinner. I dressed the table with a Christmas tablecloth and napkins, but passed on the traditional china and real silverware. Both the salmon cakes (on a bed of mixed greens and quinoa tossed with an orange vinaigrette) and the blended vegetable soup were quite tasty. The Seven Layer bars might have been purchased from the store, but they tasted homemade.

All in all, it was a day of memories made.