Today:

✅ cranberry sauce
✅ gingerbread loaves
- sweet potato casserole

Tomorrow:

- duck
- roasted potatoes
- glazed baby carrots
- sauteed green beans

complicated by 5PM CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE.

just grousing because I love a short candles, carols, and Christmas story service, but I have to decide when we're going to eat. Complicating factors include:

- when the dog normally gets walks
- when the dog normally eats
- the dog normally eats at 5 so ...

... you might be like "Ruth, but Christmas isn't until Weds" and I would remind you I grew up in a family where we traveled to see the rest of my dad's folks on Christmas itself so Christmas Eve is my celebration day.

My Christmas Eve celebration is the "we cut the ends off the roast because that's the only way it fit in the pan" of holidays...

But also it's how I like it PLUS on the years we just do it as the two of us, it's more festive to have a two-day event and there are so many leftovers anyway.

🦆 🦆 🦆 🦆

Just waiting for the last thing to cool off so it can go in the fridge.

Starting off the morning by getting kitchen lined up.

Duck skin slashed, rubbed in salt, clementine (2 halves) and garlic inside, tied up, and in my rigged up roasting pan which has TONS of room for fat to drip without being on the duck itself.

Took gingerbread loaf to my 85+ neighbor who told me she’s really liking M’s sideburns right now. Pictured—gingerbread and boys.

Sat down for a break and now my duck-flipping timer is going off but I’m trapped. Fortunately it’s not make or break timing so I’ll give him a few min.

Selfie, hidden for eye contact. Back in my flannel and fleece from the other night, now with festive Christmas apron.

Finished coffee, now making a decaf coffee. Broke out a less-preferred beer. Gonna make myself a little plate of Christmas cookies too, since I'm now at a point where I'm glazing every 10 min and then every 5 min.

here's to everyone with an intricate, timed checklist today. May your timings all work out smoothly!