The Green Man
When Big was little, I hated having to spend most of Christmas day in the kitchen. He was miserable as he was on his own and I was fed up as I missed so much of the day with him. I then decided to have our "Christmas" dinner on the Solstice instead so we could spend Christmas day together. Not only did this mean there was less stress on the day but cooking a roast dinner was much more enjoyable. We also got invited for dinner with the family so we ended up having two big dinners - Perfect!!
As our family has grown we have continued having a roast dinner on the 21st and this year will be no different.
I would really like to pretty our table up a little bit for our meal but I'm not sure I feel brave enough with the babies at the table. I can imagine Chaos pulling off a table cloth and everything on it! I think I with try to find or make a Christmas center piece that he cant reach.
On the menu this year will be:
Roast Lamb (my favourite)Roast Potatoes
Yorkshire PuddingsCabbage, Peas and Carrots
Lashings of Gravy
With
Cheesecake
Chocolate Sponge with Chocolate Sauce
We will also exchange one present each. The twist is, these presents are handmade for each other. I feel something made specifically with someone in mind has more sentiment attached to it.
I know what I am making the others. I just need to find the time to make them now. I shall take photos to share afterwards.
I have come to love celebrating this day. I realise it means more to me than other members of the family but I don't mind. I love having us all together for a special meal that we all enjoy.
For me, this day marks the turning of the year. The days start to get longer again which means the sun will be on its way. The flowers will start to bloom again and the spring will chase off the winter blues. I always feel like I hibernate a bit in winter. I enjoy being at home in the warm leaving the cold wind and rain outside. I make plans for the coming year, most of which never come to fruition! I have started making a list for next year already and can't wait to get going. I am hoping next year will be different.
Aha, I thought we were the only ones who celebrated the Winter Solstice. We are not christians, so christmas itself means nothing to us, but as the rest of the world celebrates on 25th december, so we celebrate what we call our post-midwinter solstice day. We decided many years ago that as present buying was too expensive, time consuming and wasteful, we would only buy presents for the children of the family, so present swapping for adults is off the schedule. Happy mid-winter solstice to you and your family xx
ReplyDeleteThis is a link to my blog last year http://joyknitt.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/our-christmas.html
ReplyDeleteI like this idea, the solstice is worthy of celebration! X
ReplyDeleteI never knew that the Winter Solstice was on this date. It's the date of my wedding anniversary! Now I know it's an even more special day for us to have gotten married on. :-)
ReplyDelete