It's Christmas Eve! I hope everyone is off having a great time with family today and tonight:) I've been baking, wrapping and watching Elf all afternoon so far. Today I want to talk about traditions and how much they impact our lives and the lives of those around us.
For as long as I can remember, my family has done a huge fish fry for Christmas Eve dinner. Apparently in Italian-American tradition, the
Festa dei sette pesci, or the Feast of Seven Fishes, is customary Christmas Eve dinner and includes the consumption of at least seven different types of seafood. This tradition originated with the Roman Catholics, who refrained from eating meat or dairy for Lent and instead fried fish in oil.
For my family, we usually have calamari, which is raw or fried squid, fried shrimp and haddock, shrimp scampi, something we call "pizza fish," and chicken nuggets with french fries...for the kids, (although I've been known to sneak a plate full...no judgment). "Pizza fish" is simply a white fish with bread crumbs, tomato sauce and parmesan cheese placed on a baking sheet and cooked in the oven. It is to die for! I love everything about this meal and it's something I've looked forward to every year for Christmas since I was little. Getting together with my Italian family makes my heart soar:)
Since getting married, I have had to alter my traditions ever so slightly to accommodate my husband, who also has a family, (I know, right?). This year is his year, so we will be going to his aunt and uncle's house for chop suey and a movie-themed Yankee Swap. I had never done a Yankee Swap before I met my husband, so the concept is still a little new to me. I guess usually the hosts of the party pick a theme, (Alphabet, color, etc.), and each guest has a price limit to spend on a gift for the swap. Once the swap has started, each person draws a number and they pick presents at random in the number order. Depending on where each person falls on the number line, whenever they pick up a gift they have the opportunity to swap with another person who has already gone. The person who has picked the number one spot has his or her choice of any of the presents.
We had a tough enough time last time we went thinking of a gift with a movie theme...so this year was just as difficult. Luckily we found something perfect! We have only been to his family's gathering a couple of times since being together, but it's always fun to see everyone and it's so warm and inviting. I'm still getting used to not being with my family every year, but it's been a lot easier this year and I haven't cried yet! So I'm keeping my spirits high and looking forward to eating and spending time with the Lapierre clan:)
Another thing about tonight is that we have to bring a dessert or an appetizer. I probably should have gone with an appetizer, because the brownies I made look less than satisfactory... I tried a new recipe, without testing it first, and doubled the ingredients so it would feed everyone at least once. Unfortunately I think my plan backfired because I definitely used too much of something, (I'm guessing brown sugar, since that's basically all it is at this point). I'm hoping they still taste good, but I'll have to cut them up and taste test before packaging them up for tonight.
That's all I have for today! I have to get back to wrapping, but if you have a cool family tradition for Christmas Eve or for Christmas day, let me know in the comments! I can't wait for tomorrow, I am so excited!! All the joy and happiness makes me feel great and it's what Christmas should be about. The real spirit of Christmas is alive and well inside of me, so I hope my good vibes rub off on you today! Enjoy your family, enjoy the food and enjoy Christmas! I'll be back Thursday for the woes of after-Christmas retail returns and tips to survive the after-holiday blues. Until next time, I remain your faithful correspondent.
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
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