Holidays? No Problem!

     This week we plan to continue enjoying a fun-filled holiday season even though our family and friends are not with us some of the time.  Steve and I already began celebrating with a lovely dinner out at Lombardi's in Bellingham, followed by a lovely, though less professional, version of The Nutcracker at the Mount Baker Theater.  We try to see A Christmas Carol or the Ballet and try to rotate each year.  We've seen beautiful renditions of both in Houston and Washington, D.C., and are looking forward to the border opening so we can enjoy both in Vancouver eventually.  Jake and his husband, Harald, arrived on the twentieth and just left today.  We miss them already, but by mid-January, will see them in Hawaii.  We had a lovely Christmas together. They spent much of their time skiing, shopping, and running around the area, so entertaining them was easy. They even did much of their eating while they were out and about and I prepared a few meals for all of us. Our son Stevie planned to join us. He lives in Austen, Texas, and works T-Mobile, so he was busy through Christmas eve, and headed to Bellingham on Christmas day. Unfortunately, a big storm hit the state, and his flight was delayed and then canceled for several days, so he gave up and went to El Paso to visit friends instead. We were disappointed, but that's life. Right? He'll come back this summer to fish and crab as usual. Our Christmas meal was traditional. Of course, I enjoyed the ham, turkey, and seven-layer salad, but abstained from the carb-filled items like yams and cornbread dressing. It's getting easier to avoid these foods, and I no longer suffer from carb cravings.  COVID is impacting our traditional New Year celebration again this year, because our usual guests cannot attend.  The border opened between the United States and Canada for a short time, so we hoped our dear friends from White Rock, B.C. might join us for New Year's Eve, as usual. We've not spent New Year's Eve together since COVID struck, and that was two years ago. However, it looks like they are unable to join us again this year because Canada has made crossing an expensive and challenging process since the emergence of the variant.  We're happy that we spent several evenings together before the institution of new rules.  Although we'll likely celebrate alone, we'll still make a special evening of it.  I'm planning to create a New Year's meal that includes traditions from both the East and West Coasts.  I'm having a seafood buffet, including shrimp scampi, baked scallops, crab pasta, and oyster bisque. We'll also have brisket, slaw, potato salad, and black-eyed peas. Hors d'oeuvres include pate, cheeses, and crackers. I'm still pondering deserts and haven't decided what to serve.  We have several items left from Christmas dinner, and maybe I'll use those.  More on that later.  In the meantime, Happy New Year to all and I'm praying for continued health and prosperity in the coming year.