To me as I’m sure it is to many of you, the Art of making Christmas is all about being thankful, family, tradition, oh and also about food!

We didn’t have a specific Christmas dinner menu while I was growing up; sometimes it would be turkey, sometimes ham, or maybe even a roast, what was important was that we’d get together with the family and wherever that was, we knew there’d be good food and lots of family fun! It didn’t even matter if it was on Christmas, it was whenever around that time that we could all be together.

This year we ended up going to a restaurant to make things easier for my mom, as we just lost my step dad last month. Was this different? Yes. Did we have fun? Yes! All that mattered was that we all got together.

This photo opp may well not have been as my son was deployed over last Christmas and my dad was facing a very difficult surgery and his 3rd battle with cancer. I get tears of thankfulness just looking at this picture.

To see my dad like this today, after what he went through this past year, is nothing short of a miracle that we thank God for.

and to the same God we send prayers of comfort for my mom and her recent loss.

One thing about the holidays that we all experience to some extent is the hustle and bustle of preparations.

My husband’s side of the family observes a very strict adherence to a traditional Christmas Dinner. The recipes have been handed down and even though I’m not Italian, I do love to cook so I enjoy the process of creating the family dinner.

It starts days before Christmas with my own addition of Tiramisu being our desert of choice.

Then the making of raviolis

Followed by the making of the ‘Gravy’ as they call it. It is is pasta sauce that has 4 kinds of meat, pork, Italian sausage, Bracciola (thin sliced steak rolled up with garlic, Italian cheese and parsley) and meat balls simmering in it all day. I wish I could send the smell of it in this post!

Bracciola ready to be cooked!

So for us Christmas dinner (and a host of other cookie and candy making) is all done and ready to be enjoyed tomorrow. We are staying home this year and very much looking forward to a Merry Little Christmas with our family.

PS Sometimes you need a little shot of Starbucks to get you through that hustle and bustle;-)

Merry Christmas to you all and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your encouragement this past year!

xoxo

Pam