After a great sleep in our own bed last night, I woke early and refreshed – and ready for Thanksgiving Dinner.  Of course, that meant shopping.  Lancaster County Farmer’s Market, here I come.  It was great getting down there – my schedule pretty much keeps me from being able to shop down there regularly.  I miss not having Wednesday off anymore.  I made up for it, today!

First thing I needed was a turkey.  I got one about 12 1/2 pounds – almost a third of the size I normally get (last year was 33.3 lbs.)  And potatoes, sweet potatoes, fresh peas, rolls, and bread to make my stuffing.  I had cranberries in the freezer.

Now… generally, our tradition is we decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving.  We’ve been doing it for 14 years… But… since we neither cooked Thanksgiving or were home, we had to do both today – cook dinner and decorate.

It went really easily.  First thing was putting on Christmas Music.  I cut up and toasted the bread for the dressing and made the cranberry sauce.  While it was cooking away, we brought up decorations from the basement. And brought up decorations.  And brought up decorations.  We have LOTS of Christmas decorations.

I made a simple sausage stuffing, stuffed the bird, and into the oven it went.

Up went the tree and we started decorating.

And we decorated…

Victor did most of the kitchen…

In between decorating, I’d go back into the kitchen and check on things.  I pulled the turkey out and while it was resting, I made the gravy and left it on a low simmer while I did the sweet potatoes.  I cubed and boiled them, then after draining them, I added butter, brown sugar, ample syrup, and a pinch of mace and cinnamon.  Into the oven they went.  Peas were boiled then drained and reheated with a bit of butter, salt and pepper.  Made simple mashed potatoes.  I almost always leave the skins on the potatoes and mash them up, but Thanksgiving calls for peeled potatoes.  It’s a rule.  And there was only two of us.  Two potatoes.

We have lots of fun Kitchen-type decorations.  We usually do an apple tree every year and we have several Cooking Santa’s…

And then the rest of the house becomes a free-for-all.

I do the dining room.  Another tradition.  And it never is the same year to year.  We’ve been collecting Santa’s for years, but as we were unwrapping stuff today, we realized that somewhere alomng the line, we’ve started collecting Christmas Trees, as well.  No idea how that happened.  After Christmas sales, I guess…  So…  The top of the buffet became a Christmas Tree farm this year.

And there’s still another dozen in different places around the house…

The dining room table and chandelier also get over-the-top treatment.  Nothing is too gaudy for this room.  It’s fun.

The tree is the most fun – and the first thing we actually do.  Almost every ornament has a story.  From family heirlooms to the first ornaments we exchanged, handmade by nieces and nephews, Waterford crystal to paper.  Ecclectic doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Here’s a bit of a closeup…

Here are more Christmas Trees… And Santa’s.  Since there’s no mantle, the stockings get hung with the fireplace poker.  Santa understands…

The whole front window is Santa’s.  Scores of them.  Actually, the entire living room is Santa.  He’s everywhere.We’ve never counted, but we have lots.

Tomorrow we start outside.  And we have a couple of projects we’d like to get to if we have the time and energy. Ya never know.

I boiled the carcass for soup and will make that Monday.  Tomorrow night is going to be Apple and Gorgonzola ravioli I bought at the Farmer’s Market today.  I’m thinking a simple cream sauce.  We shall see…

It’s great to be home!