Got to be birds flying higher

It's better to laugh than cry :-D I love the Holderness Family--the dad never outgrew his theatre kid energy :-D

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I didn't do a lot of Christmas cards last year, unfortunately, due to my health challenges, but I did doodle this quickly to give to my budgie helper :-) I'd like to make it into a larger, more polished image someday.

I'm making Christmas dinner for hubs and myself tonight and then tomorrow we're going to my parents. We also have to meet up with my father-in-law and somehow get go out of town to see my mother-in-law. Regardless we're going to be well fed this holiday week!

Tonight I'm making:

turkey breasts with gravy
mashed potatoes
ginger carrots
Craisinberry sauce
homemade bread
vegetable medley
corn (for myself, since hubs does not like corn)
orange Jello

I'm unsure if there will be salad as the romaine lettuce heads I bought were tasting pretty earthy the day I bought them from Safeway. Romaine lettuce is coming from Mexico right now and that is a long way for a lettuce to travel even under the best circumstances.

I'm also going to try making pan-fried stuffing. Mom used to make this all the time and it was so delicious but I don't have the recipe. As you can imagine, it's one of those recipes that evolved over decades with a pinch of this and a bit of that which doesn't translate very well. Should I fail, there's always a back up box of stove top in the cupboard!

I discovered that LJ's community has a back-up community on DW.

I'm going to try and crosspost when I remember.

Now, enjoy a festive ad from defunct Canadian discount retailer Zellers. How wild to think that at one point in time a whole ad would be shot just to advertise glue guns!!

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I started ordering groceries from Save-On Foods because the boutique grocery I normally use doesn't sell cans of bachelor chow Chef Boyardee 2 for $4 :-D We always keep a few cans in the cupboard, just in case.

They also had free-run turkey roasts (essentially a giant turkey breast) for $20 and hubs really wanted turkey instead of beef. We don't have turkey often. For some reason hubs thought I had bought a whole turkey and said that it would get all weird if I used the slow cooker, LOL! I'm not sure what he was thinking since we're just two people, LOL! Granny used to do a whole turkey up until she couldn't lift the roasting pan anymore. I don't know how she did it sometimes!

Anyway, if all works out, here's what we'll be feasting on:

Slow-cooked turkey with gravy
Carrots
Asparagus
Cucumber (regrettably romaine lettuce is $$$ right now)
Mashed potatoes
Mushrooms
Potato bacon soup or borscht
Apple stuffing

And if we don't pick up a pie somewhere between now and then, there's always a box of Jello in the cupboard too, just in case.

Like questions? Head on over to thefridayfive

1. What's the present you gave you're most proud of?

I buy a creative gift every year for a local toy drive in memory of a young friend. She was so artsy and imaginative. Some gifts will only be played with for a while, but for some kids, a drawing or craft kit (and a good one, not a cheapo one) will be a gift that keeps on giving. I really believe in the power of arts and crafts and the pride and confidence that comes with mastering a skill or just expressing oneself. A lot of families don't have money for those kinds of extras.

2. What's the most memorable present you've received?

Oooh, there are a few...a Nintendo Switch Lite would be the most recent. My friends gave it to me and I cried! A large-size slow cooker would be the next best one :-)

3. How many people do you typically buy presents for at once, at the most presents-ish part of the year?

I don't do presents like I used to. Many of our friends have moved away, so gift cards and cash are usually what I buy these days. I would say under a dozen people.

4. What sort of presents do you usually most enjoy receiving?

There's actually a lot of work done on the psychology of giving and receiving gifts. Funnily enough, a handmade item, a card or cash are my favourite gifts to receive. It's fun picking out my own gift and telling the person what I bought. A lot of people feel cash is crass, but I don't need candles, make-up or even art supplies! I love the gift of experience--a play, live music or something else too!

5. How do you wrap presents? Paper or bag? Sellotape or just folding magic? Ribbon? Gift tag? Other?

I use gift bags these days because they are recyclable or reusable. I may even buy a reusable container to put the gift in. It's two gifts in one!

Even a crafty gal like myself keeps store-bought cards on hand for the times when I need a card right now and not six hours and $300 worth of craft supplies later :-D

I made a few handmade cards for the neighbours, but it looks like I will be mostly sending out New Year's cards to US and international folks. I only wrote out cards for Canadian addresses.

I couldn't resist the cute woodland theme of these notecards. Season's Tweetings? Why didn't I think of that all these years? :-D

I had 50+ people on my holiday card list this year and I managed to send everyone a handmade card :-)

I am looking forward to tomorrow’s Christmas dinner, where it will just be hubs and I. Here's the menu:

Turkey breast, cooked in the slow cooker
"Homemade" cranberry sauce from Sunterra
Coleslaw also a la Sunterra
Garden salad
Carrots and/or frozen mixed vegetables
Mashed potatoes
Mango raspberry pie...also from Sunterra
D Dutchmen Dairy eggnog for hubs

Sunterra is a local boutique grocery chain and pork producer that supports local farmers along but also carries a wide selection of "regular" food and staples. I have been ordering groceries weekly since March and my $8 delivery fee feels like a small investment in the local economy, keeping bakers, butchers, delivery drivers and more in business.

Usually we go out with my family for a festive meal at Perkins or my FIL would round up some of the family and we’d have Christmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Years ago we used to do hubs’ family gift war and finger food celebration, which ended when his aunt and uncle moved away. I miss that...it was a good tradition while it lasted! Then invariably we would go out to the farm to see my MIL. I would cram in as many Christmas lunches and coffees with old co-workers and classmates when I worked downtown. Then, we were also invited for a Christmas eve fondue with our friends family.

I'll miss these one on one celebrations, but Christmas was always so biz biz that it’s kind of nice to take a step back and keep it cozy!

My first Christmas card of the season! It's a keeper. I just love how warm and friendly Santa is and of course there's a bird in there too.

Okay, I've done enough chores for today, time to do my own Christmas cards :-)