Christmas Challenge 2012 -- Day 25

Day 25 -- Does your family have a Christmas breakfast or dinner?

Back when both sets of grandparents were alive we had two days of feasting.  On Christmas Eve we always went to my mom's parents' house and had dinner and opened presents.  We always had hog maw because it was my dad's favorite.  He also loved my mother's mom's cole slaw so she always made that.  And he really liked her homemade apple dumplings.  So she always made that.  Of course we had other stuff like mashed potatoes and what not, but those three things were always on the table for all the years of my childhood up until my grandmother got breast cancer and could no longer cook.

Then on Christmas Day we always went to my dad's parents' house for Christmas morning brunch.  The last few years my dad's mom made a really good breakfast casserole among many other things.  And for me she always made homemade egg nog.  I looooved her egg nog.  After brunch we would open presents.  We went back for dinner.  There was no particular set menu for dinner.  Some years it was roast or ham.  Some years it was turkey.  One year my uncle hosted dinner at his house and we had duck and goose.  But that was only one year.  After dinner we always played this game.  It would take much too long to explain.  Suffice to say it was just a silly game that we call complained about but secretly loved.

Now?  Well my grandparents are gone.  And of the four boys, only my dad and his younger brother keep in touch.  And neither of them are especially big on holidays.  Their eldest brother hasn't been part of the family for decades now and Ric, the second to the youngest, has been dead well over ten years.  My parents typically work, so we don't really do much of anything for Christmas.  Sometimes if my son wants me to I go ahead and cook, but typically Christmas pretty much passes as any weekend day would.

Christmas Challenge 2012 -- Day 21 - 23

I've been really sick and this is the first day I've had enough energy to work on this, so I'm going to catch up all in one post.

Day 21 -- What kind of tree you have: fake or real? If real, what type?

We haven't put up a tree in several years.  But when we do put up a tree it's a real one.  I don't know the type of tree we normally get, but it's the one that has the long needles.  I don't like the short needled trees because they poke you and hurt.

Day 22 -- Do you have a wreath up?

No.  I rarely hang a wreath.

Day 23 -- Ham or Turkey?

Actually we usually have hog maw.  But if for some reason we don't have hog maw, then always ham.  None of us care for turkey.

Christmas Challenge 2012 -- Day 8

Day 8 -- What is your favorite food at Christmas time?

With the way this season has been going, I think a better question would be what is your favorite drink.  In which case, the answer is easy:  any hard liquor I can get my hands on!  However, the question applies to food....  A thing I try to avoid!  But really I guess the answer is pretty easy.  Hog maw.  Hog maw is the favored Christmas food....along with a shot or ten of Grey Goose.....