We are a week away from Christmas and if you are scrambling for last-minute holiday gifts why not give a friend a year subscription to The Kitchen Club?! That’s a gift that will actually get used! Recipients will have access to the entire archive of recipes, 52 new recipes over the next year, and you don’t have to worry about shipping and delivery.
🎁 Annual subscriptions to The Kitchen Club are 20% off all week long! 🎁
When we hear about a Christmas experience of a child of divorced parents there is usually some sad element to it. One parent is alone, kids alternating between parents each year, a parent visiting for a few hours and then eventually having to leave, etc. I am a child of divorced parents and I didn’t have that experience at all. My Christmas experience rocked! Early on my mom decided Santa would come twice. I spent the 23rd with my dad and opened presents in the morning with him. Then I went back to my mom’s on Christmas eve and opened more presents from Santa Christmas day. This was a double jackpot as a kid growing up and looking back it probably altered my expectations about how many gifts a person should receive. AKA they spoiled me rotten and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Eventually, Santa stopped coming twice and our routine shifted. My mom and I started spending Christmas Eve with a group of family friends. After we opened presents on Christmas day we would go for a family run (yes, we are those people) and she would host brunch with my grandparents and any friends that didn’t have their families close by. The one tradition at brunch was always bacon. Loads and loads of bacon were prepared along with pancakes, eggs, and fruit to keep it “healthy.” Sometime in the afternoon I would migrate to my dad’s house and spend the rest of the day with him, my stepmom, and my sisters.
Double Santa aside, I was very lucky to spend Christmas with all of my family, and friends that we consider family, year after year.
Last year was the first year I was physically separated from everyone in California and it was depressing. Christmas was Christmas but there was a looming sadness around everyone. Facetiming everyone one by one isn’t the same as being able to hug them one by one.
In an effort to make it special, Marco and I went all out. I roasted a duck that was comically referred to as Denise Shannon when the butcher sold me a duck that was reserved for someone named Denise Shannon. We taught ourselves how to shuck oysters with youtube videos. I made us a big cheese board that we grazed on throughout the day. We decided to test out our fireplace for the first time and we sat by it doing puzzles and watching The Crown for a few days. Christmas day we feasted again on leftovers that I turned into spectacular duck ramen. Missing family aside it was a really special few days.
Next week my mom and stepdad are traveling to stay with us for Christmas and the topic of traditions has been on my mind a lot. What can I, as an adult now hosting my parents in my own home, bring from the past and what new traditions can I create.
Food is always the first thing on my mind. Christmas duck is off the table because my parents are not into duck. Marco is allergic to beef so there goes prime rib, meatballs, steaks, etc. I have always wanted to do a “Feast of Seven Fishes.” An Italian tradition where we would enjoy seven different seafood dishes but access to seafood in Missouri is not the best. I was pretty stumped on something special to make for Christmas eve when I finally landed on Indian food.
Learning how to make traditional Indian dishes, with help from two girlfriends from Chennai, was one of the highlights of my year. I have always loved Indian food but learning about the ingredients and techniques with firsthand help was a really special experience. I’ll be making Ajoy Joshi’s Chicken Biryani, Priya Krishna’s Saag Paneer But With Feta, some dal, raitas, and a few other dishes. It should be a fun meal and I’m looking forward to sharing what I have learned this year.
Our fireplace won’t be roaring. After last Christmas, we had an inspection which informed us it was in “hazardous condition” and the chimney was falling apart inside. We are just grateful we didn’t burn our house down. Cheese and oysters are coming back for grazing during the day. As well as the Christmas puzzle which will occupy the living room coffee table and we can all work on it together. After we facetime the family that can’t be here with us, we will brunch with lots and lots of bacon.
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas with family, friends, traditions old and new, and lots of food. Xx
Ruth Reichel is writing a daily newsletter during the month of December. They are short reads with lots of food gems inside.
So, you want to build a gingerbread house. . . *tips + recipe
Why Eating Chinese Food on Christmas Is a Sacred Tradition for American Jews
Little Marvels *From Dorie Greenspan’s new book!!
We popped into one of the holiday Miracle Bar pop-ups. It’s a fun Christmas experience but the drinks are atrocious.
Diamond cookie cutters for next week’s Kitchen Club cookie recipe! Not mandatory but super cute.
I asked people on Instagram to share their holiday traditions and the meals they eat on Christmas eve and Christmas day every year. I loved reading the responses and want to ask here as well…
What do you eat on Christmas? What are your traditions?
See you next week, M!
Peach flip (unfortunately because GF just doesn't cut it) +bacon + eggs + fruit. Enjoy the time with your mom and Bobby!