Boxing Day: The First Day of Christmas

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Boxing Day.  It's all gone quiet here which is great.  I love peace and quiet - maybe it comes from teaching little ones all my adult life!!!

For various reason, Christmas was different this year, with some family not able to come to over, no-one staying here and a lot of old traditions gone.  However, in some ways, I felt a sense of freedom to do what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it, how I wanted to do it.  I found that a lot stayed the same but the pressure was off to get it 'right' (a self imposed pressure, I hasten to add).

The day started early, as usual.  I made my lists before starting to work through them and took great delight in crossing things off as they were done.  Because I have no guests, I didn't have to worry about a formal breakfast, so got the table laid early.  Because it's a Kellybronze, the turkey took very little preparation.  Because I'd made a lot in advance, the pace was slower.  All nice.

There's not an awful lot left of the vegetables which all disappeared surprisingly quickly.  We all love out veg in my family and, although I had roasties, carrots, parsnips, sprouts and mixed peas and corn, there's only a bit of the last two for today and I'm right out of carrots.  Oh, well, never mind.

After the main course and dessert (Christmas pud, mince pies and a very nice fruit salad), no-one had room for the cheese so I left that out with the Christmas cake and that morphed into tea/supper so I had no more work to do.  It was lovely and casual.  The 'youngsters' played a board game Dave and Anna had brought round which seemed to create great mirth at times while, for the first time ever, I watched Doctor Who and the Christmas Strictly at the right time.  Most enjoyable.

As I don't get the decorations up until as close to Christmas as possible, I do the traditional thing and keep everything up/out until Twelfth Night, that's Jan 6th.  This year I have decided to make a new tradition for myself and each of the twelve days of Christmas will be marked by doing something Christmassy.  I might always do it anyway but this year I will identify it as celebratory.  It won't have to be fancy, big, important stuff, in fact I doubt if any of it will be really, but it will be my contribution towards keeping the old tradition going.
I'd love to make each one spell out the letters of twelfth night: for example, today could be T for turkey, but I bet I can't!

So today, no partridge in a pear tree, just a great old turkey carcass to strip and boil up.  No throwing out if I can help it; I will continue to enjoy the feast either by using myself or by gifting on.   I'll reduce some of the resulting stock right down, freeze it and use it in next year's gravy - this is what I did last year and this year's gravy was to die for, even though it was so simple to make.

But first, I was given a wonderful gift of a box containing a small cafetiere, some coffee and some nibbly things.  I will 'christen' the cafetiere and coffee this morning, right now!  Then the kitchen needs just a bit of sorting out and there's a dishwasher to empty so better get going!

Happy Boxing Day to you all!