Christmas Eve Menu & Wish List

I'm hosting a Christmas Eve Open House.  I love planning what I am going to make for a party. To one friend who asked what I was serving, I said, "the menu looks a lot like my life overall. Plenty of old traditional favorites and a few new food forays."

I  decided to make a large pot of  Chicken Noodle and Thyme Soup to have warm on the stove and a  crock-pot of meatballs and hot sausage. I'm serving a Green leaf Salad with fresh red berries. a baked brie with fig jam and chopped pecans wrapped in pastry dough. For something new, I'm making Lobster Cakes and roasted red pepper mini quiche.

For dessert, we're baking "Nana's no Fail Sugar Cookies", a blueberry pie and Double Chocolate Brownies. To add to what we traditionally serve, I also baked Italian Wedding Cookies and a Gingerbread Cake with a spiced glaze.

Among my guests, I invited a wonderful new friend I met at the writing group I attend and her husband. I  even invited my ex-husband's new girlfriend and her son. A friend told me, "wow, that takes a lot of courage." To be honest, I can't disagree with her on that. I'll always care about my family and my ex-husband is very much a part of that.

Besides, life is short (preciously so at times) and far too often we lose people we love or care about deeply because we don't have the courage it takes to hold a space for what we really want for ourselves or for them or even what they want for themselves.  At the end of the day, I want the people I care about to be happy above all else.

What do I want for Christmas?  I honestly can't say there is a single material thing I need or want. Last night my daughters and I had a dance party in our kitchen and after we laughed over a game of  "Catch Phrase" --I've decided all I want for Christmas is much more of that-laughter and dancing with my daughters.

Whatever you are hoping for this Christmas, my wish is that you receive it. Dream big and remember the best gifts are the unexpected ones!