Christmas Plans...

I like to be relatively organised at Christmas.  And this year I am more than usually so. Being at the parents, Mum being pretty shaky, family and friends of family here for Xmas day.  We have decided to do things slightly differently this year and I have drawn up a somewhat structured order of proceedings for the 25th - as follows...

6am     Wake up.  Go back to sleep again.

6.15     Ditto.

6.30     Ditto.

6.45     Ditto. Oh, what the hell, I may as well get up....

6.55     Run into dad making the morning coffee in the kitchen. Roll my eyes as he snorts and tells me I'm in the way.

7am     Use my parents bathroom. Run the gauntlet of geriatric aids including shower chairs, handrails etc. Must get onto dad about the leaky tap...

7.30     Prepare for breakfast. Cut up fresh peaches, apricots and cherries and roast for serving with honey vanilla yoghurt.  Put (frozen, homebake) croissants in the oven.

8.30     Breakfast, with lashings of champagne and cassis...

9.30     Presents!  Santa! More champagne! Chocolates (God, I feel sick...)

10.30   Start assembling seafood platter 'starter'.  Fresh oysters with Bloody Mary sauce. More Bloody Mary for the cook. Retro prawn cocktail. Smoked salmon terrine.  My home made flatbread and rye toast. And another Bloody Mary....

11am   Eat.  Again.

12.30   Main course time. Fire up the barbie for the stuffed, rolled pork loin. To be served with bacon wrapped sausages, baby new potatoes and pumpkin roasted in garlic olive oil and rosemary, my brothers freshly dug new potatoes steamed with mint and butter, balsamic roasted red onions, spinach out of the garden and pea/avocado/salad leaves salad (from Nigella).

3pm     Eat. Again.

pm       Flake out for a while. Argue with someone. Attempt to go for a walk up the hill. Give in to inertia.

7.30     Time for more food - Afters.  A cheese board. Creamy lemon posset served with fresh cherry and berry compote. Meringues and cream. Xmas pudding with apricot and brandy custard (for the diehards).

8pm     Go into a diabetic coma....

Wishing all my friends a happy Christmas for 2011! With a mention to my dear friends in Christchurch, who are once again experiencing a spate of sizable earthquakes, I am crossing everything (fingers, legs, eyes) in the hope of a more settled Christmas for you...