New Version of Christmas

Brian and I have this conundrum of both being part of families where Christmas is *the* holiday. I'm sure it's a common problem, but my being an only child, and his being a member of a 39-member-or-so family with 98% attendance every year puts a twist on it. Until this year, we each went our own ways, but now I'm making the trek to Memphis for the 25th. My parents and godmother came over this past Saturday for Christmas at our place, and Brian cooked. I felt so adult -- this is the first time I've had family over instead of my mom or aunts cooking -- and Brian acted like the adult, preparing this huge meal basically all by himself.

I contributed goat cheese brie and truffle mousse (BUY SOME -- AMAZING) for appetizers and supplied a fruit torte and mini desserts. The big show was our dinner:

Seared rack of lamb atop a cannelloni bean shmear with pureed parsnips; roasted turnips and carrots; and seasoned bok choy.That's not blood underneath, btw, it's a something-fancy reduction. I put together the mini calla lilies.

I was happy to have my parents relax. They're bodies are both taxed, and their health makes small things like unloading groceries difficult. Honestly, I was afraid that my mom wouldn't be able to make the climb to the third floor but knew she'd come through at least this one time more. I have a feeling my mom's dream would be for me to host Christmas instead of her, but that's a long way off. Until then, this could make for a nice tradition -- as long as Brian's doing the cooking (haha).

By the way, these will be the last fuzzy camera shots ever (hopefully), because Brian got me a new camera for Christmas. I hate my camera. I generally have to take photos five times to get something exposed correctly or clear. And yes, I do play around with the settings and even read the manual. Not that it hasn't taken some great shots -- I just need the perfect lighting for it to happen.