Christmas at Our House

The holidays have come and gone, so quickly, as the anticipation and rush seemed to build up and then dissipate almost instantaneously.  Family and friends, together celebrating the year that was, giving thanks, and looking forward to what the future holds.  A time of resolutions, starting anew, and beginning with a deep inhale/exhale exercise.  Ready.  Set.  Go.

Christmas, unlike most years, was celebrated at our house for the first time.  Generally, we travel around the holidays to visit our respective parents and yoyo between homes.  For a change of pace, and since this is our first year as homeowners, we decided to host the dining festivities at our place.  Needless to say, the first big dinner wasn’t exactly stress free.  So many things to worry about: the food (duh), place settings, tidy house, decorations, timing, entertaining, etc.

I had everything planned out for dinner roughly a week ahead of time.  Armed with my list of ingredients and recipes, I was ready to go.  The preparation started two days before Christmas, getting whatever little things done ahead of time I could for our menu, along with all the fun pre-party things, from ironing and cleaning to making lists and organizing for the big day.  Once Christmas rolled around, we were ready to host our guests, starting with present opening in the living room, hors d’oeuvres, and general relaxing prior to dinner.

While I knew what I was in for, it’s tough getting everything done on your own, nonetheless without a double oven, tons of extra refrigerator storage space, and magical elves.  Thankfully, I had a helpful Dad (it’s a double edge sword, having a former chef in the family – great for help, but always the toughest to please) around, stepping in when needed to make sure our first dinner was a hit.

Once it was done, we sat, Michael said some special words, and we ate.  To my relief, it was smashing — everyone loved it (including myself, and the discerning father chef), and I’m happy to say our first Christmas was great.  While exhausting, a nice change of pace and a chance to give ourselves a pat on the back.

MENU

Starters:

Butternut Squash Soup

Assorted Breads with Garlic Butter and Pesto Butter

Main Course:

Mixed Greens

Pan-seared Beef Tenderloin

Roasted Garlic Pork Loin

Steamed Asparagus

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Sweet Potato Casserole

Dessert:

Buttermilk Spiced Cake

It’s nice to know we’re capable of hosting a real, adult, dinner party!  I look forward to having people over again, and building up my skills as hostess.  Next time, maybe a tea party.  I received this amazing tea set for Christmas (thanks Mom, Dad & Sister!), and can’t wait to use it!