The holidays are all about memories. Gary has been thinking about his father, who died over a year ago. Dwight made a fabulous meatloaf and Gary wanted it for our meal tonight. The problem was that Dwight never wrote the recipe down. We queried his relatives and came up with a list of ingredients which may or may not be complete and no instructions on how to put them together. I found a similar recipe on the internet and adjusted it with the list of ingredients.
Gary decreed that it would only be his father's meatloaf if it were mixed up in his father's "meatloaf bowl". He began to a frantic search for the bowl in the house and a storage unit. Nothing else would do. When he finally found it, I began to laugh. It's a cheap little blue plastic bowl, the color pretty much bleached out. But it's tradition so I will use it this evening. I hope it turns out well.
My son Chris, his wife Tisha, and the best grandson in the world, five year old Evan, are coming over around 3:00 pm. Tisha never had time to make cookies this year, so Grandma came to the rescue. I made the cookies yesterday and this afternoon, Evan and I will decorate them. Then he'll help me put battery operated tea light candles in holders all over the house and turn on the tree holiday decorations, as we do every year. I'll tell him about the ornaments on the tree and he'll look for the Twelve Days of Christmas. After opening presents and eating our meatloaf, we'll pile into the car to drive around looking at the lights throughout this little town. We'll wind up at the cemetery where we place a candle on my parents' grave to burn the night through. One year there was a snowstorm with high drifts. I thought, no candle this year, but Chris drove through the blizzard and bless her heart, Tisha leaped over the drifts and dug a spot for the candle out of the wind. It was still glowing the next day.
Finally, church services where I will direct the chancel choir through our favorite anthems and hymns.
I do love Christmas!
May all find their own traditions this season of joy.
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