Maybe a pair of finished socks.

I've been thinking and mulling what to knit next this week because there hasn't been much time for knitting.  I am in full preparation mode for Christmas.

Our family used to get to my husband's family for Christmas Day.  Sometimes the meal was pretty plain.  By the time we got there, even though it was Christmas Day, my poor mother in law may have already been looking at two or three different Christmases.  She often cooked for when her daughter and that whole family made it out the week before Christmas.  And if any two other families were coming though at the same time, she would do a turkey.  But sometimes, Christmas Day was a day between larger gatherings and she was pooped and not up to preparing much. She would have been well into her seventies at the time and my goodness we all popped in at various times with all our expectations.  Not well done of us, now that I am older and think of those days.  She worried that it was only 'leftovers' sometimes.  It was fine though. There was always plenty and topped off with her buns, whatever was there was wonderful.

My mother in law was a very traditional cook though where my own mom was always much more adventurous in her approach.  Christmas could be brunch or supper and it always had interesting tidbits and hors d'oeuvres and whatnots.  That is what I aspire to.

My Ukrainian daughter in law hasn't had a traditional Christmas since she has been here in Canada.  The traditional meal for Christmas Eve was always meatless, though according to my daughter in law, tradition adapted from the set in stone things Canadians of Ukrainian descent serve.       We are going to do stuffed salmon,  perogies, mushrooms with gravy or my version of it, holubtsi, a mashed bean dish that I have not had served the Ukrainian way before, pampushky, a fruit plate, and meatballs. And duck.  It's my daughter in laws favourite Christmas dinner food. I wanted Kutya, but my daughter in law says to save Kutya for later.  For desert we will have Christmas cookies and this really delicious lemon cheesecake pie thing we invented here at Chez Needles.  And Ice cream for those who are small and not into cheesecake lemon pie.

For the next Christmas, we will serve a stuffed pork loin (have you seen the price of turkey) mashed potatoes, gravy, mom's broccoli salad, turnips, creamed corn, meatballs, chicken strips for the kiddos, a noodle casserole, among other things.

So that is kind of what I am working on this week.  Adventurous cooking. I might do a little sock knitting.  I was thinking that finishing a pair of socks for New Years might just be the perfect way to ring it in.