Holidaze

We had a successful "gingerbread decorating" party last Saturday. What a treat! My DH went above-and-beyond baking and assembling 11 houses so the kids could get right to the fun part of decorating them and making them their own. He also made cookies for smaller "landscapes" and it was all good -- too good! Oy, the eating! Still, it was so good to have time with friends. That, after all, is the heart of the holiday - but food is a close second!

We celebrate both Xmas and Hanukkah, so we have twice the eating opportunities. This weekend is brisket and latkes, and Xmas Eve is shrimp creole by the fire. Xmas morning, Santa brings bagels and lox (with lots of capers and onions) as well as presents. Then NYE means braised lamb and a midnight dessert buffet at the Seattle Rep, where we're going to see You Can't Take It With You, and then dance and munch until the fireworks there at the Seattle Center. Then it's back to "real life" and sensible eating as we start the new year...

One thing that's been tough this holiday season is that we usually give a lot to charity at this time of year. The Seattle Center has a giving tree, and we used to select a couple of the elderly and a couple of kids and buy presents for them. We just couldn't do it this year. No extravagant gifts for ourselves, of course, but no big donations to our favorite charities, either. Here's hoping that next year puts us in a better position to give to the organizations who are doing such good work.

One organization in particular is FareStart. They train homeless people to work in the food industry so that they can get jobs and change their lives. They are a great group doing important grass-roots work to change lives in a positive way - good for people/good for Seattle. I love these guys. YouTube has a number of videos of FareStart success stories. This one came in this month's newsletter, and I think it's worth sharing.

If I don't get back to blogging before the new year, happy holidays to one and all!

FareStart: