Well, to be quite honest, I thought this Christmas was going to be different. I had high hopes that we would be able to travel to Europe, maybe. And yeah, yeah, we *could* have, technically… but we are still not ready to travel, not with Omicron and all.
So we did what we do best: make Christmas as festive and wonderful at home as possible, even if it’s just the two of us.
I started Christmas Eve morning off with a Holiday ‘swarm ride’ with my Peloton Streakers group. It was awesome to get a workout in first thing in the morning and see so many friends on the leaderboard. It put me in a really good mood!
After a hot shower and some coffee, I briefly spoke to my family in Germany who was on the way to Northern Italy for a skiing vacation. I am glad they were able to go and I know they are navigating everything as safely as possible. I had truly hoped that we could join them for this trip, but that was not in the cards this year.
In the afternoon, I set our table and prepared our dinner. As you know, I always make a point to plan a nice meal, print a menu card, and decorate our table. We’ve come to embrace a quiet and cozy Christmas. It obviously doesn’t make up for the fact that we can’t see family, but putting in a little effort surely helps make the holidays a little bit nicer.
This year, we made pork tenderloin with mushroom gravy, homemade bread dumplings (my Mom’s recipe!), and red cabbage. If that sounds familiar, then you’re not mistaken. We made a very similar meal last year.
For dessert, we opted for our go-to apple cake with whipped cream. It’s quick and easy and just simply delicious.
Stuffed as we were, we retired to the couch and the fake TV fireplace shortly after.
On Christmas Day, I had scheduled a Skype date with a family friend and my aunt, who were both alone at home. It was nice to connect through videocall with them. As I mentioned somewhere before: if we can’t see each other, at least we can “virtually” visit. Much better than nothing.
I only watched ONE Christmas movie (A boy named Christmas) this year (a new one!) and I am trying to be okay with it. I mean, it’s not mandatory to watch Christmas movies and there’s no specific number of movies that you are expected to watch (I know that!)… and I just opted to read (a lot more) this year over the holidays.
A gift I didn’t expect was the Friends – The Apartments Lego Set. If you know me, you know I love Friends and I had so much fun putting together the “Central Perk Coffee Shop” two years ago. Are you jealous? You should be. Turns out, you’re never too old for LEGOs and I can’t wait to start working on this set.
And as always, the holiday cards that I received over the last few weeks put a huge smile on my face. Thanks so much to everyone who sent out cards this year. It’s been so nice to hear from all of you. It truly made the holidays that much brighter.
I hope you had a lovely Christmas and made the best of this year’s ongoing pandemic situation.
How did you celebrate?
Elisabeth
December 31, 2021 at 4:10 amI’m so sorry you weren’t able to see family again this year, but can’t help but smile at how you go the extra mile to make things cozy and festive. Those recipe cards are so genius – and the food all looks delicious!
We had a nice Christmas, though I’ll admit I’m feeling more festive AFTER the actual event is over. I was just so tired in the lead-up to Christmas and with all the different things to manage, it was hard to actually relax and enjoy the main event. But this morning I sat in front of the tree sipping hot Holiday Chai reading a Christmas book and it felt…lovely.
We are a HUGE fan of LEGO in our house and I gift my husband a big set (always Star Wars themed) each Christmas. It’s always his favourite gift of the year.
Anthea Booysen
December 31, 2021 at 5:05 amYour photos are lovely and the the menu cards are such a festive addition to your table.
That Lego set looks awesome – yes I am jealous :) Enjoy!
Nicole MacPherson
December 31, 2021 at 7:07 amI’m so sorry you couldn’t see your family, but it sounds like you made the best of it. Ugh, this pandemic just goes on and on. Enjoy your Lego set! We haven’t done Lego around here in ages, but that made me smile.
Sara
January 1, 2022 at 3:21 amI love that you set the table with fancy napkin designs and menu cards!! It turned out beautifully and the meal looks tasty as well! I’m sorry that you missed out on being with your family for another yet – but hope you will be able to be with them soon. <3
NGS
January 1, 2022 at 8:43 amI AM so jealous of that Lego set. It looks awesome! Your house looks toasty and cozy and I hope that gave you comfort, even as you couldn’t travel to family.
Tobia | craftaliciousme
January 1, 2022 at 1:30 pmI am glad you made the best of Christmas even though you weren’t able to hug family. I love how you always make the table just so festive and special. Overall it looks like you enjoyed your Christmas.
Stephany
January 3, 2022 at 3:10 pmWhat a lovely Christmas! I love that you always put together a fancy dinner with recipe cards, even though it’s just the two of you. What a beautiful tradition. <3
I really hope you get to see your family in 2022!
Lisa of Lisa's Yarns
January 4, 2022 at 6:53 amI spy our holiday card! I am glad you had a nice Christmas, just the two of you, but I hope that you are able to spend it with family next year. This pandemic definitely feels endless and it feels like we’ll just have one variant after another.
We had a pretty nice Christmas. I wasn’t feeling 100% so I sort of limped through the holiday and now Will has a double ear infection. So it feels like this Christmas season we were bogged down by illnesses and waiting for covid tests and such. But overall, Paul had a fun holiday and really enjoyed what he received. But I was glad to see the season come to an end… I struggle with the massive influx of gifts and the resulting clutter! We’ve boxed up things to give to goodwill, which helps but it’s still just so many toys and such.
Jenny
January 6, 2022 at 6:05 amHow did I get so far behind? I love reading about everyone’s Christmases! It sounds like you made it a really nice day. Probably good you didn’t try to travel this time…. hopefully next year.
Legos are the best! My son is 19 and he still gets Legos for Christmas. I suspect i’ll be giving him Legos forever. Hope you’ve finished your Friends Apartments and have it prominently displayed!
Anne
January 13, 2022 at 12:01 pmOh, San. How I wish you could have been on that trip to Northern Italy. I cannot wait – seriously, cannot wait – to hear that you are en route to see your family. And soon. Stupid virus. :P
Also? Totally frivolous concept but in the pic with the LEGOs, what are your jeans? I know it’s a tiny bit of them that we see but they look comfortable. Maybe they’re not but if they are would you mind sharing?
THANKS!