I realize perhaps that in my previous holiday-themed postings, you in the Internet might have gotten the impression that things did not go well at our house for Christmas. I can't just leave you with that impression. Because despite the expensive, non-starter prime rib and the Christmas Eve with the radiologist, we had a great time.
It was the first year that we have hosted my parents for Christmas Day, as before that we've always either been 17,000 miles away or gone to one of our parents' houses for Christmas. Since we had gone to Great Falls for Thanksgiving and will be going again in January for Alex's wedding--oh, and don't forget that in work-fascist America, we only get the one day off, because God forbid we should have an extra day or two to spend with family--we decided to see what we could come up with at our house.
We decided to do Czech Christmas Eve, minus the carp, because, ew. Instead we made smazeny kureci rizek (chicken schnitzel), which I have on good authority is often served to the carp-reluctant, and potato salad and sweet and sour red cabbage. The cabbage we improvised on because we couldn't think of any other Czech vegetable option that didn't involve deep frying or soup. The whole enterprise was not a particular hit with Connery, but we thought it was marvelous and will probably keep it as a tradition for future years. Maybe with some Czech Christmas music next time.
Connery is now the proud owner of two pirate ships, enough to have his own tiny armada, and I will be able to have a spa afternoon one of these dark and dreary winter days. We also got new flatware and a griddle to replace the one that died (and is currently, if you care, running at one of five stars at Target.com in customer reviews due to its pesky tendency to burst into flames).
Christmas Day was spent entirely in pajamas, which should really be done with more frequency, and the dinner (turkey, as predicted) turned out very well. Overall, it was quite relaxing and all the more enjoyable for the drama leading up to it. And there's the impression I want to leave you with, Internet.