christmas eve

We went to our traditional Christmas Eve seafood feast this year. It's a tradition that started some 50 years ago in our family. For me its really nice chance to connect with extended family who I only see once or twice a year. The kids get to play with second cousins and the older crowd get to marvel at how much the children have grown. For everyone it's a chance to eat some wonderful seafood and all the special dishes we eat only at this time of year.  Each year the same food is on the menu: prawns, squid, cod (this year it was cod cakes) kale and potatoes, cheesy wild rice casserole, Mari's cheesy potatoes, Nana's fritole and galani Christmas cookies. The seafood is generally cooked by the men in the family, the veggies, casserole and desserts by the women. On the years we are in Michigan for Christmas we miss this event, but I love being able to call home on Christmas Eve afternoon and hear how the preparations for the party are going. Each year it is basically the same and on the phone I can imagine exactly how the food tastes and remember all the gatherings of years past, savoring the memories and anticipate the time when we get to be there again. So this year we were there and it proved to be just as fun and delicious as always.