Christmas Eve day, we went fishing at the pond for our traditional Christmas Eve fish chowder.
The view was lovely.
Unfortunately, the fishing was not. The pond was not frozen enough for ice fishing but too frozen for normal fishing. You can see my (Sarah's) bobber in the foreground in a little spot of water that Mick created with a stick. I even tried singing to the fish, to no avail. The large spot of water in the background is where Mick debuted Cringle-fishing (in laymen's terms, casting a jig with a weight and hoping the weight breaks through the ice and the ice doesn't freeze back around the line). It was a good time! though we were disappointed to be skunked.
Back at the cabin, we toasted ham and cheese sandwiches for lunch.
Christmas records kept the turntable spinning all afternoon...
...and into the evening.
Mick's onion chowder, though devoid of fish, made a delicious supper.
We (= Mick) cut our Christmas tree from along the driveway, one of the last Christmas tree-sized trees we are aware of on the property (so we may have to be creative for the next several years). Unlike more adventurous cats that I have heard of, Gerard doesn't pay much attention to the Christmas tree, unless he's draining it of water for a drink. Otherwise, he spends most of his time in one of the rocking chairs.
Our Christmas Eve celebration included Mick's delicious eggnog! I danced to Christmas music while he mixed. :)
Mick read the Christmas story, and we sang some Christmas carols before heading to bed.
Christmas morning started bright and early with a hot breakfast.
After breakfast, we opened our stockings and exchanged gifts.
Mick woodburned a tissue box. We have adopted the fir tree as our sigil.
Mick, in his new pajamas, read the book we received from Jeff and Joey -- a retelling of the Christmas story with beautiful illustrations.
Gerard loved his treats from John and Judy! (If you don't know Gerard, this is incredibly active for him. It's embarrassing, really.)
The tree of life now hangs in our south window. Mick finds the most exquisitely beautiful gifts.
From the exquisite to the inane, Gerard loved his catnip treat from Grandma Wint.
Such a life!
Mick, sporting his new suspenders, hunted for a drink recipe that would utilize our new fir tree swizzle sticks, assisted by Gerard.
While Mick mixed drinks, Gerard kept a watchful eye on the fish, snails, and crayfish.
We snacked on Italian salami, onions, cheese, and our favorite Triscuits (rye with caraway seed).
Then we turned our attention to Christmas dinner. We have been goose-owners for three Christmases now, but this year we finally fulfilled our dream of having a Christmas goose!
We LOVE our Esse cookstove!!!
While dinner cooked, we enjoyed some Moscato.
Dinner! Roast goose with bread sauce, mashed turnips, steamed Brussels sprouts, and cranberry-orange-applesauce.
The proud chef! :)
Carving the goose (which, along with the rest of the meal, was out-of-this-world amazing!).
Dessert was a flaming pudding, which Mickey made and steamed on Christmas Eve, then resteamed on Christmas Day.
Merry Christmas from the Cringles!
