The Christmas Rush

I totally have not had time to blog this week, as you may have noticed. I stopped long enough to post something about beer, but that was important -- it was BEER. At school, this is our last actual week of classes; when we return from Christmas break it's time for finals, and so we have been finishing up Julius Caesar and will wrap that up on Friday. I've finally finished grading all my research papers and all my other class papers. We got interrupted for EOC tests this week and I lost two days. But what can you do.

The family gathering is this weekend and will be the first time we've all actually been together at Christmas in - gosh, years. Maybe 8? Six at the very least. Anyway, I spent the first couple of weeks of December working on my tree and unpacking Christmas decorations, and I've been baking since Thanksgiving (I made a fruitcake which I have not yet had the nerve to test - I've never made one, preferring fruitcake cookies instead.) I've done almost all the sweet stuff; still have the rum cake to do tomorrow, and the pralines. I'll get the turkey in the brine on Friday and polish the silver.

At this point, the turkey and the ham are both in the fridge quietly thawing. The cornbread for the dressing is in the oven. The eggs for the asparagus casserole are boiling. I've already made the sand tarts, the Martha Washington candy, two batches of fudge, the proverbial fruitcake, one batch of fruitcake cookies (which I have eaten almost all of), two batches of Chex mix, one batch of sweet Chex mix, and one batch of Ranch Flavored oyster crackers.

I'll get on that housecleaning thing in a day or two. Bleh.

It's my goal to get as much as possible done before Saturday so I can spend the day with my family and not in the kitchen! All I should have to do at that point will be cook the turkey and the ham and warm up the Pere's potatoes, the asparagus, and cook the dressing.

My niece wrote and asked what she could bring to help. My answer - Alcohol. I figure I'll need it by then!