One of the things I enjoy most about Christmas is the traditions we have at home. On Christmas Eve, we have cookies from (mostly) Germany. My favorite kind is called Zimtsterne, which contain lots of almonds and cinnamon. I also enjoy Speculaas, which are Dutch spice cookies, sometimes with almonds. They are shaped in wooden molds, traditionally as windmills. Around Christmas, they are often shaped as people.
On Christmas morning, we have Stollen and gourmet cheeses. I don't think that the Stollen that my grandmother brings is "official", but it is a very nice treat. My favorite part is the band of marzipan in the middle.
The rest of our Christmas is pretty typical: we open stockings, which contain small gifts and lots of candy; then, we open presents under the tree; finally, we have a Christmas dinner with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash or sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce. We round out the meal with pumpkin pie and pecan pie.
This year was a little different than most in that I celebrated the marriage of two friends, Alex and Sarah. The ceremony was very nice. The wedding party was pretty big: On the groom's side, there was a ringbearer, four groomsmen, and the best man. On the bride's side, there was a flower girl, four bridesmaids, and the maid of honor.
I was a groomsman, which was fun. I got to wear a tuxedo and escort a bridesmaid to and from the stage (I don't want to call it an altar because the wedding took place in a Unitarian church). I didn't meet the bridesmaid until about 5 minutes before the ceremony, but everything went smoothly.
After the ceremony, there was a big reception with food, wine, dancing, and socializing. We once again proved that I have no business dancing. We also learned that some DJs think Cherry Poppin' Daddies counts as jazz. Heh.
Posted by dwc in Personal at 01:53 PM