Christmas Dinner

Growing up with a chef as a dad, my family pretty much revolves around meals and food. So when it came to holidays, the food was just about the most important part of the celebration. When I think of the best times with all my family, Christmas stands out in my mind. Christmas was always a time to come together with our cousins and grandparents, everyone in one house, laughing and reconnecting. On Christmas Eve we always have a big turkey dinner. My dad would slave all day in the kitchen to make everything from scratch. At about 10 am he bastes the turkey, puts homemade bread stuffing inside and puts it in the oven to cook all day. When I was younger, my dad would tape the oven shut just to make sure one of us didn’t sneak a peek at the slow-cooking turkey. While the turkey cooks, there is always four or five people running around the kitchen putting together a variety of side dishes. My mom usually announces that everyone should get excited for her cranberry sauce, which she thinks is a great accomplishment, but really only takes 5 minutes in a blender. My grandmother makes a cream spinach dish, which looks like something someone puked up, but actually tastes amazing. My sister usually works on the mashed potatoes or the carrots. Most of the time I pretend like I’m do something when really I just bother people that are actually cooking. But when it’s all finished, no one can believe how extraordinary the meal turns out. We all sit around a huge table, talking and laughing and enjoying the food.