This was our first real Christmas with Emily, as last year at Christmas, she was barely a week old. So this was the first year with real gifts for Emmy, and real interest in the packages. (Well, the bows, more so than the packages, but interest, never-the-less.)
As usual, we spent Christmas eve with the Smith side of the family (my parents, Patricia, and Grandma Geraldine). Mom made pork roast, green beans, mashed potatoes, and (for me) gluten-free apple crisp. Emmy tried a few bites of several things, though (also as per usual) a lot of it ended up on the floor instead of in her mouth.
At mom's house, we're using my old high chair (which, rumor has it, though it's not solidly confirmed, was also my father's high chair-- and thus, Tom thinks it's a death trap) -- which has no restraint straps. So, after watching her stand up a few times, I borrowed Tom's belt to rig a safety strap of sorts. And though I was torn by feeling like a terrible parent for strapping her down, and feeling smart for ensuring that she wouldn't climb out and bust her noggin, we decided it was an effective tool for keeping her in the chair until we were done with dinner.
After dinner, we proceeded to present opening. After we sorted the presents into piles by recipient, Emmy toddled around yanking bows off of every gift she could reach. Which was so adorable, no one complained. I got lots of video, and several still pictures, and Dad had his camera out taking lots of shots of her as well. We even managed to get some with a big red bow stuck to her head.
My favorite gift for my parents was the Houdini wine bottle opener, though we have yet to see if they like it/use it. I gave Grandma and Mom a photo book of Emmy's first year, and Grandma another photo album (filled halfway up with pictures).
For Mini-weez, we got a couple of tiny journals and an Am-Ex gift card for her traveling in February. Until we know where she is actually headed, it was hard to get a specific travel gift.
Dad got his usual bottle of liquor, this time was a bottle of Prichard's (a distillery in Tennessee). I forgot to tell him, (so I guess it doesn't count) but included with that gift is a promise to visit the distillery with him when it warms up.
I got clothes, a new pair of Clark's shoes, and a big bag of gluten-free flours from Whole Foods. Tom got a shop-vac and several tools (including two saws, and channel locks). We also got money for the treadmill we are planning to buy.
The next morning was Christmas, which we spent at our house with Tom's mom, Susan. After feeding Emmy her breakfast, we began opening gifts (Emmy didn't seem to feel any urgency, as she still doesn't understand what all the piles of wrapped boxes are about).
Emmy loved all of her toys, but it was also fun to watch her react to us when we opened gifts we were excited about. Whenever we squealed, or laughed, or exclaimed about gifts, Emmy would laugh and grin right along with us.
I got the Sims 3 game, and Fable 3, lots of clothes, some kitchen items and a blu-ray of Inception. It also included the shooting script!! Tom splurged on the set because he knew I would love reading the script. Say what you will, but I believe that Inception is quite possibly the best movie I've ever seen.
Tom got a lego AT-AT set, a new watch (to add to his collection), and some great (if I do say so, myself) clever t-shirts.
For dinner, we invited mom and Patricia to join us. (Dad was taking Grandma back to Roanoke). We made beef wellington. We've wanted to try this for a long time, which was put on hold since I can't eat puff pastry. But this year, I found a recipe for gluten-free puff pastry (several actually), and decided to give it a shot. The verdict was that it was tasty, but not really worth all the trouble.
Here's what I mean: the recipe called for tenderloin (i.e. a 2 lb chunk of filet mignon), prosciutto, and a simple mushroom duxelle. (That's an expensive bunch of ingredients.) After tasting the dish, I think we could have used a lesser cut of meat, and I think simple ham or bacon would have worked. All we could taste was the prosciutto.
I was, however, extremely proud of my puff pastry. It wasn't perfect, but for a first effort, I thought it turned out really well. It may not have behaved exactly like real puff pastry, but it didn't have a weird taste, and I certainly don't think it ruined the dish. I may have added too much additional flour during the rolling out portion, which affected its ability to puff. But I hate it when dough sticks to the table or the roller, so c'est la vie.
Since, then, I've been spending at least a couple of hours at night playing the Sims (which is like crack!) and Tom has been enjoying the new Fallout game. We also found time to watch my new favorite movie, Inception.
