Recapping Christmas-Lots of yummy fun!

Hello friends!  A little late on my Christmas recap over here, but voila!  We have been putting so much work into the other half of my duplex and still don't have a tenant, but it is the holidays!  I managed to squeeze in a lot of fun during the holidays. Hope you did too!

The Friday before Christmas, my Delta Gamma pledge sisters and I did our usual pink poinsettia lunch at Brennan's.  We all Covid tested and/or quarantined beforehand so we could enjoy each other's company in the indoors.  It was a great time, as usual, and a lot less crowded.  We still managed to be festive!

Sisters since 1997! And lunching since 2015!

On Saturday, I tried my best to win the ugly sweater contest at Pure Barre.  I did not win :(

I thought the birds would be enough!

Last year, my sisters and I started the tradition of going to a nice dinner with our significant others instead of giving gifts.  Presence over presents, if you will.  This year, we went to the hip and new The Bower.  It was pretty yummy, but the company was even better.  We ate outside under a tent with heaters.  And forgot to take a group photo!

We all split a charcuterie board. It was so good!

I took a photo of Kevin's pasta instead of my short ribs. As usual, he ordered better!

I braved Costco to get some prime rib for Christmas Eve.  I totally missed that sell by date on it!  I hoped I wasn't going to poison my family, but it is just a suggestion, right?

That's a high cost, but it was feeding 10!

I gave blood at Children's Hospital too, they needed it!

We made the trip to Lafayette to visit Kevin's family for Christmas eve eve.  They cooked up some yummy food and we all hung out on the back porch.  We were lucky the cold front that was expected slowed down!  It was so good to see all of them, I hadn't seen a few of them since we got back together!

Dumplings and gravy.  Man was this good!

I got in some good qt with his nieces.  I got them all a little gift and they immediately went into play mode, creating a fake restaurant and then jewelry making!

Missing one of the cuties.  How fun are the play doh earrings?!

We went to my parents' house for Christmas eve.  The cold front rolled in, so we decided to carefully do festivities inside.  We feasted on the prime rib and a make your own baked potato bar.  It was delicious!

These little monsters all got goggles for the pool!

I was so impressed with how it came out!

Kevin and I had no plans for Christmas Day.  We slept in, had coffee and spent the whole day on the couch.  This is the life when you don't have kids!  We decided to just give each other stocking stuffers this year.  We want to go on another big trip in 2021 and once we can do that, it will be our gift to each other. 

My haul.  Momofuku seasoned salts, some rubs for porch gate and my fave road trip treat!

As the Saints were playing, it was mimosa time!

The next day, Kevin headed to Texas as they are back to work and I went to see my grandparents.  We were all taking shifts to see them over the holiday.  It was a little too cold to go outside so we masked at all times...except at lunch time! My grandmother made gumbo and hibiscus tea for lunch, my favorites!  I felt like the queen of England with our seating arrangements!  And how cute are they...96 and 90!

I love that she lit candles!

My grandmother decided to give all of her grandchildren something she got when she was first married that we could keep forever.  I got some gorgeous vintage place mats. I love that they are white so I can bleach them, I am a messy eater, lol!

I need to iron them!

I made some leftover prime rib tacos for dinner.  So yummy!

My sister has taken up painting as a quarantine hobby and she gave all of us some of her art for Christmas.  Look how beautiful this piece she made for me is!  It reminds me of the beach!

She meant for it to be vertical, but it spoke to me horizontally.

On Sunday, some of my Chipmunk high school lunch table and one Cub crasher went to brunch and had Sunday Funday.  The place we went to was out of champagne.  WTF?!  It is brunch, how do you run out of champagne...at noon?  We made the most of it anyway, as usual!  I left at 5 to go home and get ready for a week on-duty and in-person at work and they partied into the night. 

Don't we look like we are still in high school, lol!

I was so happy to see so may people and have the holiday feel as normal as it could.  I debated whether or not to make this post. I treat the non food posts on here like a digital scrapbook that I cherish looking back upon. I feel like I had a bit more of a social holiday than most and it may look irresponsible to some.  But, I promise, there were so many negative covid tests between all of us and mask wearing when not eating, drinking or being outside and spaced out (except for that last picture, oops). This new normal still feels so weird after all this time!  We all can only do what makes us comfortable and feels like the least risky path.  I did my best to navigate that and have the best time I could.

And on that note, please keep my friend Julia in your thoughts, her husband passed because of Covid yesterday  He was 41 and had such a bright future.  She lived in my little lucky purple house just before I did.  We called it that because we kept it in the friend group and everyone who lived there moved out of it to get married. She has two kids under the age of 4. I feel so bad for her!

What about you?  How was your holiday different?  What is your favorite new memory you made?  Mine was definitely the alone time with my grandparents!

I hope you have a Happy New Year and may 2021 be a little more normal for all of us!  Thanks for reading!

Happy Cooking!

Missy