December 2, 2023

WEEKLY MENU 12.03.23

It’s all about trees during the Weekly Menu 12.03.23~

We’re thinking about trees during the Weekly Menu 12.03.23. I’m not going to lie, dear reader, we have already put ours up, mostly because they’re plastic and will last the season. Years ago, when we still had fresh trees, the family room tree got so dry that it looked like an umbrella that had been shut. Ornaments kept falling off, and I just knew that a single spark would be able to set that thing ablaze.

Bert tossed it to the curb on the 26th of December, allowing me to breathe easy for the first time all December. From then on, we have had the “pre-lit”, non dropping needle, glorious plastic trees. The pre-lit part of it is total bunk, of course, because it seems like the lights work the first time out of the box only. The second year some of the lights work, with less on the third year.

This year no lights lit. On either tree.

We (and by that I mean Bert – he is in charge of all things lighted) had to re-string the family room tree and my cute little living room tree.

About two in five (39%) U.S. adults say they prefer to get a fresh tree. Slightly more adults (45%) prefer the experience of a reusable, artificial tree, which is also perceived as better for the environment and more affordable by more Americans than say either thing about real trees.
Yougov.com

A rite of passage in grade school was the “Christmas Book”. Each one of the boys worked on them in third grade, and they were a PROJECT with a capital “P”. Art was never our thing, but the boys were (and are) plenty creative. They had to write a story about Christmas and what it meant to them. Then they had to illustrate it. Eventually they transcribed the entire thing into a very official looking, bound book.

Then they had to trace each line.

And color in each illustration. It was a labor, mostly of love, with a bit of anxiety mixed in. It was especially tense once they started working inside the actual book. This was a real permanent record. But they were glorious when they were done.

D, our Betwixt and Between Baby Boy (I really hate calling him the middle child) started out his book with something that made me guffaw when I saw it, and I still don’t know why I thought it was so funny.

Christmas Book for the Weekly Menu 11.28.21

We haul the trees out of storage – as discussed, no Christmas Tree Farm (or fresh trees) for our family. And how about those stairs? Bert is taking his life in his hands bringing up those babies, and there are two of them. The Family Room tree is our main tree, and it is liberally covered with all the ornaments that we’ve been collecting over the years. The boys decorate this one. There’s always a little jockeying for placement with the grade school picture ornaments and the college ornaments. But it’s all in good fun. Mostly.

The living room tree is easier – we set it up in front of the window at the front of the house so you can see the lights from the street. I decorate this one simply, and usually go with a color theme. I buy the industrial size balls of a single color. (Affiliate links precede and follow. See Disclaimer Page for deets.) Last year I did a rainbow one – we started with gold at the top and worked our way down to purple. Super cute!

I use tablecloths as tree skirts. They look great, and I can toss them in the washer after the season is over. Plus I can use them all year long, unlike the single use tree skirt. I hadn’t put it on yet in this picture, but I used a purple tablecloth. Kept the theme going!

A nice creamy eggnog with a little Jameson helps with decorating. Just saying.

Weekly Menu 12.03.23

We’re having an easy Italian meal to start the Weekly Menu 12.03.23. Lazy Lasagna is a casserole layered with cheese ravs, marinara sauce and more cheese. Plenty of cheese. I’ll set up a mini antipasto platter/charcuterie board to start. Olives are a part of it, but I’m the only one that eats them. People seem to either love them or hate them. I’m a lover. The rest of the famile? Not so much.

The Steak Salad is on the menu again this week, because we got a better offer last Thursday, and went out for burgers. Taco Tuesday’s Chicken Tacos are a super simple family favorite. We’re usually a soft taco group, but last week I found these Spicy Jalapeno Cheddar Flavored Taco Shells, and we’re hooked.