Good morning and Merry Christmas [Eve]! 😀
How the heck are you guys?! I missed you this weekend, but the last minute Christmas rush finally caught up with me and I spent all my time either in the kitchen [satisfying my craving for snickerdoodles]…
At the mall, picking up those last minute gifts…
(note: note a picture from this weekend)
Or at home, up to my elbows in wrapping paper….
I was going to post last night, but since I’ve been planning on switching up my posting times, I decided to just wait it out a few more hours and post this morning instead. To be honest, it feels a little strange to be posting at this time, but I think I’m going to like it – I just need a little bit of time to adjust to the new schedule.
So here we are on Christmas Eve, my absolute favorite day of the year. My family celebrates the 24th more than the 25th, so I’m currently gearing up for a night of food, family, and fun. Good times 😀 I’ve still got a few hours to kill, though, so I figured that I’d go ahead and finish up Jenny’s 25 Days of Blogging Christmas challenge. If you missed the previous ones, click here for part 1 and here for part 2.
19. Favorite stocking stuffer. Hmm… this one is kind of tricky because I usually just get small, practical things in my stocking – chocolate, hand cream, notebooks, gift cards, lip balm, random trinkets… OH! Christmas socks 😀 I’ve been getting a pair [or two] of those suckers in my stocking every year for as long as I can remember, and I’ve got a pretty good collection happening now…
20. Favorite Christmas meal. Would it be incredibly cliche of me to say dessert? Because… dessert. As much as I love our Christmas Eve traditions, the actual dinner itself has never been one of my favorites. First of all, it’s meatless and full of fish, which is problematic for those of us who aren’t big fans. Pickled herring, fried fish, cream-baked fish, fish in oil 😯 I get queasy just thinking about it. Thankfully, there are things like beetroot soup, and potato and cheese perogies, so I don’t go hungry… but yeah, the dinner itself has never been something I looked forward to.
21. Do you travel on the holidays? Nope! I’m lucky enough to live just a 20 minute drive from my family, so no airplanes or extended road trips for this girl (thankfully). We’ve always celebrated Christmas at home, which is part of what makes it feel like Christmas, but I’ve always wondered what it would be like to go somewhere else [and maybe get away from some of this cold].
22. Egg nog or hot chocolate? This one is a no brainer – hot chocolate, hands down. To be fair, I’ve only tried egg nog once or twice but I don’t remember being a fan. I should probably give it another chance, seeing as my tastes have changed so much, but I honestly don’t see myself choosing anything over a warm and creamy chocolate drink… especially when mini marshmallows are involved.
23. Your plans for Christmas 2012. To eat my weight in chocolate and cookies 😀 Kidding… sort of. I’ll be heading to my parents’ place tonight to celebrate Wigilia. We start with dinner and go on to open presents when everyone is done eating. Then we relax, sing carols, watch movies, play games, and pick away at food for the rest of the night until it’s time for midnight mass. Christmas Day is usually pretty low key, with some kind of brunch in the morning and dinner in the evening.
24. Favorite Christmas Eve tradition. Midnight mass. We’ve been going every year since I can remember, and that’s the time when the Christmas spirit hits me the hardest. I would fall asleep at church all the time when I was little, but thankfully it doesn’t happen [much] anymore.
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And that’s that. I’m off to finish up a few random things before heading over to my parents’ to help my mom with the cooking, and then it’ll be time to start celebrating 😀 I hope you guys have a wonderful day!
Anyone else celebrating Christmas Eve tonight?
What do you usually get in your stocking?
Awww those socks are adorable! I have a pair of Christmas toe socks from over a decade ago, maybe it’s time I bring them out too. I actually don’t understand the whole idea of Christmas stockings, but I do love how they look in one’s home!
We go to midnight mass for Easter – staying up all night with my friends and family was actually one of my favorite memories as a child. Nowadays, we only stay at Easter mass until the priest blesses our baskets and then head home. No more all-nighters for me 🙁
Oh, here’s another thing that doesn’t exist in Switzerland….stockings. I now will live vigurosly through you if you don’t mind 😉 I love your new posting schedule so I am not always the old last one who reads your post (except this one, haha)…..Merry Christmas to you girl! Your plans sound like so much fun, love and happiness, enjoy it!!
I hope your family celebrations tonight were even *more* wonderful than your descriptions make them sound! I’ve really enjoyed learning about your traditions – especially Wiglia. An evening filled with games, presents, potato and cheese pierogies, and midnight mass sounds like a pretty great way to wrap up the Christmas season. 😀
Cheers to holiday socks! I have a collection as well, and my favorite pairs are definitely those that play Christmas carols. My elementary school teachers weren’t such big fans though; the socks would periodically go off in class, which was an unwelcome distraction – especially during tests. Ooops. 😉
As for the eggnog/hot chocolate debate: I definitely agree with you. No sweet beverage will ever top hot chocolate! BUT, I’m an eggnog devotee as well, and think you should give it another shot. The coconut milk version is the best. 🙂
Merry Christmas! <3
Merry Christmas Eve!! I celebrate for sure!! My family opens one gift on Christmas Eve, but as I have gotten older I like to just save them all for Christmas day. Have a blast with your family, and YUM on those cookies!
btw – Merry Christmas!!
How’s that snickerdoodle recipe? I’m wondering about the level of sweetness – is it just right? More sweet than normal? I just baked Pillsbury’s ready-to-bake sugar cookies and I found them slightly a bit too sweet for me so I’ve been meaning to find a good cookie recipe!
P.S. I just noticed that every time I hover my cursor over your photos, there’s a tiny description about the picture! (E.g. hovering over the picture of christmas socks -> “christmas socks”). I love your attention to detail!
I loved how these turned out. I thought they had just the perfect level of sweetness, and everyone else seemed to as well… I definitely recommend giving them a shot 🙂
And Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas Amanda! Have a fabulous time with your family!
Merry Christmas to you and the family! <3
Merry Christmas friend! I would def fall asleep in midnight mass! We usually celebrate on Christmas Eve with my mom, but this year we celebrated last night instead of tonight. So, tonight we are hanging out with my dad and getting ready for tomorrow’s festivities!
Sounds like a perfect Christmas Eve! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas filled with peace and happiness!!
Christmas Eve has always been a tradition in my family as well- I too will be spending it at my parents with my brother, sister and cousins. Our dinner includes the traditional Italian fish- lobster, shrimp, cod – and thenthe yummy desserts!! I too love Midnight mass. Tomorrow will be low – key as well- opening gifts, morning christmas mass and then Christmas dinner?
Merry Christmas!! 🙂
Merry Christmas Amanda! Hope you have an amazing celebration! Obviously I’ll be celebrating tonight too! Your Christmas sounds like it will be absolutely fantastic! I love learning about others traditions. SO with you on hot chocolate over egg nog! Love the stuff.
Merry Christmas Eve! May it be filled with holiday cheer 🙂
My stocking is usually filled with chocolate, socks, makeup, and other small things.
I’m celebrating for sure 🙂 Merry Christmas Eve, dear Amanda!
It’s been so interesting to learn about your traditions on Xmas Eve – I don’t think I’d do too well with a fish-based dinner either!
Hope you have a great time and a lovely, if more low-key day tomorrow.
Have a very Merry Christmas!! <3 I love that you get socks in your stocking! That's such a cute idea.. I usually get chocolate and some sort of trinket lol my Dad is obsessed with finding funny "trinkets" lol
your snickerdoodles look delicious! So fluffy 🙂
My aunt made these bomb snickerdoodles, no one can recreate them. At all. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season lovely!
Merry Christmas Eve! Isn’t it nice living close to family & not having to travel? So convenient. We are heading to my boyfriends side of the fam tonight & then mine tomorrow. Stocking stuffers are so much fun, my fav thing to get is scratch off lotto tickets (guilty pleasure!). Enjoy your holidays!
Aren’t those snickerdoodles delicious? 😀 I always love her recipes!
Potato and cheese perogies? Yummm! But dessert is always my favourite part too. Pumpkin pie and shortbread cookies are the best! And this year I’m making a gingerbread cake with a dulce de leche frosting, which I’m SO excited about!
Merry Christmas girl! I hope you have a wonderful time with your family. 🙂
Sounds like an awesome few days to me…and those snickerdoodles look amazing 🙂 i hope you have a wonderful celebration with your fam, hun! Merry Christmas Eve!
good call with how sweet eats snickerdoodles! i have her slated dark chocolate truffle cookies in the oven right now and they are AMAZING. happy holidays amanda!
I almost always do my blog posts at night, too. I guess it is just when I have the most time. It certainly makes posting in the morning a very strange feeling!
Tonight my family and I will be sitting down to big bowls of soup, my boyfriend and I are exchanging gifts, and there just might be some games and drinks to round out the night. I hope you have a fabulous Christmas Eve with your family! 🙂
Merry Christmas Eve! Snickerdoodles are the BEST! Chels sent me some and I can’t stop eating them! Also, those socks are the bomb.com
Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies!! So good. I make a snickerdoodle cupcake too, they are a huge hit at work 🙂
I love all your Christmas Eve traditions!! My family does more of a Christmas day lunch or brunch of some sort usually. And I’m totally with you on the hot chocolate vs egg nog. It’s not that I don’t like egg nog, but drinking it straight up is just too rich and creamy for me. Although…now that I think about it, I have no issues with rich and creamy hot chocolate.. Guess I just lovee chocolate!
I hope you and your family have the most wonderful Christmas Eve/Christmas!! Can’t believe it’s finally here! 🙂
I want those Christmas socks. They’re awesome. And some snickerdoodles. (My offer to exchange some homemade bok choy for snickerdoodles is still on the table, even if it’s not a very fair exchange…;) ) I, too, always spend Christmas at home. I wonder if it would still feel like Christmas is I went anywhere else…
I’m the same way as you about Christmas dinner – I don’t love prime rib, which is what we have tomorrow night, but all the sides and dessert more than make up for it! Tonight, for Christmas Eve, we have a crab dinner with one side of my grandparents..it’s way more lowkey than tomorrow night will be and hopefully I can fit in one more cookie baking session. Merry Christmas lovey <3
Even though I have no problem with fish, I could make a meal out of cheese perogies…those things are amazing. Have a great time celebrating tonight love!
We are celebrating tonight by going to my moms house and having dinner and openeing gifts. They also want to watch a movie, but that is still up in the air!! My step dad is making swedish meatballs for dinner and we are doing a chocolate fondue for dessert, so Im pretty excited about it!
Hope you enjoy each and every moment of celebrations, my dear. You deserve all the happiness that will reach you today. Sending love. xo Merry Christmas!!
Merry Christmas to you and your family, Amanda! Sounds like you’re in for a great one! Although I don’t celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense, I might go with some friends to Midnight Mass- first for everything! We have a family lunch tomorrow which will involve turkey and the trimmings. Although mince pies will be served as part of dessert, I have my eyes on the chocolate Yule log :)!