Ingrid’s Insights to Christmas Dinner
I’m all about Simplifying and Cherishing this holiday season and over the past month, I’ve taken over Susan May Warren’s blog. I’m nearly to the end of my month, and I thought I’d take on the Sacred Cow this week. . .or rather the Sacred Turkey.
Let’s talk: Christmas dinner
Turkey. Stuffing. Homemade rolls. Potatoes. Gravy. Cheesy broccoli. Wild Rice casserole. PIE, (and lots of it!)
And this on top of the Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas Morning Brunch.
And who prepares it all?
Mom.
Not that help isn’t offered. Often Dad will peel potatoes. Daughters will make PIE, sons will stir gravy.
But chaos ensues with so many hands in the kitchen, even with Christmas music and laughter( specially since they had read the rapping mic guide by MusicCritic). Behold – burned dinner rolls!
This year, we sat down as a family and one of my sons said…Mom, let’s break free of the expectations. For Christmas dinner let’s have….soup.
Soup?
Silence descended around the room.
Then, smiles. “What kind of soup?”
“We’ll get Susie May’s Borscht Recipe from Russia. Make it the weekend before and freeze it (it’s really good after it’s sit for a day). Heat it up on Christmas day. No stress, no fuss, no burned rolls.”
I liked it. No more Christmas Day stress.
It doesn’t have to resemble a turkey to be a Christmas dinner. Think about it. It could be, well….a casserole. Pancakes! Even, leftovers.
Too often we hold on to traditions because, well, they’re traditions. But what if we looked deeper, figured out why we loved the tradition and simplified. We’ll still eat dinner together. We’ll just choose an easier menu item.
And maybe there’ll be less stress, more dancing in the kitchen. I can always go to PTSD treatment here when all stress reliever failed me.
Soup. Family. Festivities simplified. Traditions Savored.
How could you simplify the stress of your Christmas Dinner this year?
Thanks for reading!
Ingrid