A Covid Christmas

[Just Cooking]

Wondering what changes are being implemented this Holiday Season?

Because of Covid, our Christmas dinner will be enjoyed with just daughter and son-in-law, on Christmas Eve. Our gift exchange will be before dinner and our gifts for grands and great grands will be sent to them via D&SIL.

Christmas day will be just Jeannie and me. I will make wings, dips and a salami/cheese plate so we can graze throughout the day.

A far cry from our usual Christmas enjoyment but, a necessary change.

How have your plans changed?

Ross

 

[Rocklobster]

It will be a small one here, too. My kids live in the city and they are cautious about coming to see me and that is fine....Usually we have 8-12 people here for dinner on Boxing Day, but not this year..Probably just two or three of us..that's the way she goes..

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Just me, my daughter who I'm living with, and SIL. We'll be making a beef rouladen, , and maybe some smashed spuds, and a Caesar's salad. I'll be making Hamantaschen, with poppy seed, apricot, and prune fillings, and if we can find dates, my Mother's favorite date-filled cookies, to remember her by.

For 30+ years, we've been sharing a delectable New Year's Eve. meal with friends in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont We'd have their samosas, fruit cake, lychee fruit, shrimp ring with cocktail sauce, and Nanaimo bars. I'd make my egg rolls, with pineapple sweet & sour sauce, gently sauteed scallops, tempura shrimp, and chicken liver pate. The lady of the house loves my pate. So this year, as I'm living in Colorado, we'll be honoring the tradition by making the egg rolls and tempura shrimp, maybe with some lychee fruit for desert.

There are so many great things I Could make, but without my kitchen, and my big, butcher block table, and cooking tools, just about every pan, wok, whisk, and numerous cooking/baking vessels to make virtually anything I could dream up, it's just not to be. That's covid, and a wife I can no longer live with. This will be the first Christmas in my lifetime where there was no tree in where I am living.

I will skype with all of my own children, and grand children, and with my sisters. It's not everyone sitting around the table, or watching the children gleefully opening their presents, but we will still connect.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Andy M.]

Definitely a different celebration this year.

I will not be sharing my day with my children/family this year because of the virus. My older daughter dropped by Saturday with my grandson to give me some Christmas cookies. I gave them a bag of gifts. They are celebrating at home.

SO is in Florida helping to care for her sister. So I'll be home alone. (Maybe I should watch that movie!).

The house is decorated. SO took care of that before she left.

I'm planning a rack of lamb for Christmas dinner with asparagus and another side I have not yet chosen. I have a nice bottle of red wine to help with the lamb. I may make a pie for dessert.

 

[msmofet]

It's usually just the 4 (DD's live with us) of us on the holidays. Most of my family is gone or moved to far away years ago. So COVID-19 won't impact us.
The Menu is usually the same. I make small amounts of each dish. Except this year I'm not doing charcuterie. There isn't many leftovers (none on Christmas Eve). Any leftover Christmas dinner meat and gravy go into beef soup and/or hash the next day or so.

Christmas Eve Menu:

Clams Casino
Shrimp Cocktail and Cocktail Sauce
Linguine with White (Cockles or Littleneck) Clam Sauce
Pan-Fried Shrimp
Caesar Salad with homemade Garlic Croutons
Garlic Bread

Christmas Day Menu:

Appy/Lunch

Stuffed Mushrooms
Marinated Mushrooms
Black & Green Olives

Dinner

Eye round roast
Burgundy gravy
Steamed Baby spinach
Glazed Carrots
Mashed (potato & turnip) OR Baked Potatoes - TBDL
(Mini) Yorkshire Pudding

Dessert

Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
Whipped Cream
Christmas Cookie Plate

Beverage

Sparkling Cider
Soda
Egg Nog

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

My Mother lives in California in a county that is in total lockdown.
She is not allowed any overnight visitors, so it'll be DH and I at home.
I'll be making my Hawaii-Style Seven Fishes for Christmas Eve.
We have been invited to the neighbor's (whom also has been quite careful about where and who they have been around) for dinner and I'll be
contributing my version of my Grandmother's Linguica Sausage
Dressing Casserole and a copycat Ted' Bakery Chocolate Haupia Pie.

 

[bethzaring]

Mine will be similar to Thanksging; just the two of us, but less food/dishes. The day before Thanksgiving, DH came home with a 23 pound frozen turkey from the family he works for.
They don't understand turkey which I find amusing because they are from Turkey. So the turkey went into the freezer and came out this past Saturday. I can't muscle around a 23 pound turkey, so Dh will be on duty on Christmas Day. I can't brine a bird that size so I will apply butter saturated cheesecloth and roast it. The go-withs will be mashed potato, green chile, cheddar cheese casserole, green beans, stuffing, gravy, Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, tortillas and chocolate pie.

Our town/state is experiencing an increase in positive cases, so I stay home as much as possible.

 

[taxlady]

The Montreal region is a red zone and the idiots are making the virus surge. We are staying home. We usually visit my m-i-l and b-i-l for Xmas. They live 100 km from us. We'll be having something special for Solstice supper tonight. There will be leftover goodies or something special for Xmas, which we don't really celebrate.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

This is the first time in over a decade we are not in OH for the holidays - including our kids' birthday on December 29th. Since we usually aren't here in MA for much of the holiday season, the house gets decorated just enough to make it look pretty from the outside. This year I've pulled out every one of my decorations, loaded up two small trees with every ornament in the box, and have made the entire house look like a Higbee's display window. All this after weeding through my Christmas decorations over the last half-dozen years and parting with about half of my original inventory!

I've been waffling over what we'll be having for Christmas dinner. I've made lasagna a few times over the years, so I though I might make that. Then again, with just two of us a prime rib roast wouldn't break the bank like it would if I was feeding our kids, too. Or I could take the Snoopy route and serve up popcorn and dry toast.


As an aside, a friend of mine who lives in the same town (and whose parents also live in town - I know the Mom from when I belonged to the Woman's Club) said that her parents' neighbors got together with their extended family on Thanksgiving, virus be damned. The matriarch of that family is now a widow, her husband dying a few weeks after that Thanksgiving dinner. Until Covid, he was a pretty healthy guy.

Stay safe, everyone.

 

[taxlady]

That's really sad to hear about the widow, CG. I hope the lot of them learned something from the tragedy.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I looked back at a few old Christmas threads and not much has changed for me.

I did get to see some posts from wonderful DC members that are no longer with us.

Christmas dinner will be kielbasa, ham steak, cauliflower gratin, and cabbage salad.

I also have the fixin's for eggnog and a small package of cookies.

Have yourselves a merry little Christmas!

 

[FrankZ]

We are not sure what's going to happen with Christmas (other than us being here alone) with the kitchen on pause.

I wish the final parts would come in....

 

[Silversage]

It will be just the 2 of us here. My company sent me a gift box that included a 7 pound ham, and I have no room In the freezer for it. So I'll heat that up on Christmas eve, and make eggs Benedict for Christmas breakfast. Hopefully, I can find creative ways to use the leftovers before I get sick of ham.

My family is planning a big zoom call on Christmas day, I have 3 living brothers, 10 nieces and nephews, all their spouses and kids, so it will be a big call! We are spread all across the country, with only a couple within driving distance of each other. Zoom is the way to go this year.

 

[GotGarlic]

Just DH and I for Christmas, too. He wants rockfish for Christmas Eve dinner, so we'll have that with herbed pasta and asparagus. I'm going to make a German pancake with fried chicken apples and sausage for Christmas breakfast a small rib roast for Christmas Day. I'll serve that with roasted fingerling potatoes and a salad. Still thinking about what to make for dessert.

 

[FrankZ]

It will be just the 2 of us here. My company sent me a gift box that included a 7 pound ham, and I have no room In the freezer for it. So I'll heat that up on Christmas eve, and make eggs Benedict for Christmas breakfast. Hopefully, I can find creative ways to use the leftovers before I get sick of ham.

My family is planning a big zoom call on Christmas day, I have 3 living brothers, 10 nieces and nephews, all their spouses and kids, so it will be a big call! We are spread all across the country, with only a couple within driving distance of each other. Zoom is the way to go this year.

It has been said before but I will repeat it, the definition of eternity is 2 people and a ham.

 

[TATTRAT]

Flying solo. Have been since March, so basically just another day. Going to get take-out from my local fave, Mama Chang, a Peter Chang place. Wee.

 

[GotGarlic]

Just DH and I for Christmas, too. He wants rockfish for Christmas Eve dinner, so we'll have that with herbed pasta and asparagus. I'm going to make a German pancake with fried chicken apples and sausage for Christmas breakfast a small rib roast for Christmas Day. I'll serve that with roasted fingerling potatoes and a salad. Still thinking about what to make for dessert.

Wow, this was a mess!

- Christmas morning: German pancake with chicken apples and sausage
- Christmas dinner: small rib roast with roasted fingerling potatoes and a salad

We have lots of cookies, so maybe just those for dessert.

 

[Janet H]

It has been said before but I will repeat it, the definition of eternity is 2 people and a ham.

Funny you should mention this... someone sent us a very large and lovely ham for the holidays. There is exactly one meat eater at my house

 

[Katie H]

Not sure. Haven't decided. Too old and tired to come up with with anything. Perhaps some leftover chicken soup.

Will go to Glenn's son's house for our Christmas meal. We'll be bringing cookies.

 

[msmofet]

Well Christmas is going to suck! My husband just had to turn our hot water heater off because a line is shooting water out. No hot water till no clue when a plumber will come.