Christmas Eve & Christmas Day!

On Christmas Eve, I went into the city centre - I wanted to find where the missionaries were singing carols. I thought it was at Buchanan Galleries (a shopping mall) but they weren't there, so I tried Princes Square (another shopping mall) without luck. So I walked down to St Enoch Centre (a third shopping mall - all within 5 minutes of each other!) and no missionaries! So, I wandered around, did a bit of shopping, and went home.

Once home, I got a bee in my bonnet, and spent hours in the kitchen. I made some lambswool (pressed apple juice, cinnamon sticks, ginger, nutmeg & a dash of brown sugar) *and* I made eggnog! It's my favourite beverage at Christmas time (I dilute mine with milk. Others of my family dilute theirs with ginger ale!) but you can't buy it here. So I followed this recipe: http://256.com/gray/recipes/eggnog/ (only I just used milk instead of alcohol) and it turned out *very* well, if I do say so myself!

I didn't stop there - but made cookies as well (I had some dough I had frozen & thought I should make more Xmas cookies with it). When mother & daddy called me on Skype (I had my laptop in the kitchen with me, as the eggnog recipe was online) I was very surprised that it was 9:30! I'd spent the better part of 5 hours in the kitchen.

Also, for my Christmas dinner, I made Latkes. Yum! So, Christmas Eve was a very busy, exciting day.

latkes with applesauce & sour cream!

My eggnog

Xmas cookies!

Christmas day, on the other hand, was nice and relaxed. No work, for one! I opened some gifts in the morning with my mother - via Skype! That was jolly. I then went to church at noon (we only had sacrament meeting) and then I went home and did some Christmas things - watched "A Child's Christmas in Wales" and other such things. Then at 6:30 Scott Roy (Patsy's husband) and Lydia & Phillipa picked me up to go hang out with them for awhile. It was so lovely, just being with a family! We didn't do much (the elders were over to use their Skype for calling home), just talked and admired the girls' Christmas gifts. It was very nice. At about 10:00 or so, Patsy drove me home. It was quite a  wonderful Christmas Day.

the elf at the top of my Christmas tree.

A real Christmas pudding!!! It was delicious. I found an obliging holly bush on Hillhead Street and cut off a wee sprig.

Some of my Xmas gifts

Every time I walk down Great Western Road (to church, or work, for example) I see this old Santa fellow in the window at the Shelter Charity shop.

This too I see: and I love the creepy look to this Christmas Carol poster!