December 25, 2006

Next year we will be open for all the holidays. Here’s what you’re missing.

On Christmas Eve, we decorate our tree. To do this, I make eggnog and usually something else.

This year, I made pastries, dartois with frangipane filling.

Going…

Going…
Gone.

But before decorating the tree, we had our traditional late lunch. I made raclette sandwiches with potato bread.

Usually, one puts raclette over potatoes. In Vienna, we had sandwiches. So, I made potato bread sandwiches which you see here. I included traditional Holland style onions with Italian capers, sweet gherkins and white asparagus and a great eggplant rollade.

Kim likes open face sandwiches, et voila.

All this next to an open fire.

Then with nog in hand, we decorate.

Then we put the presents under the tree. We got a lot from everyone. Notice that nice big ornament from Monica? Beautiful.

Hudson made out like a bandit. He loved the candy canes Monica sent. Thanks. And we got him a dog bed. Luxury. Adina got him a squirrel flier, or frisbee-eque chew toy.

Christmas day is when we then open our gifts and presents.

Kim’s loot!

My loot!

And finally, the mess!

Kim and I then had a jacuzzi, it’s great owning a resort, and we broke out the cha-cha DVD and practice our cha-cha. Kim got me cha-cha lessons from the great Ron Montez from whom we used to take lessons. Our main instructor was Sherry Wu.

Oh, and last year we spent Christmas in Vienna at the Grand Hotel Wien. You missed that one, too. The year before we were in Virginia at my Mom’s house.

We ate at Le Ciel

And the Grand Cafe

There are pictures of our room somewhere on the blog.