We do traditional American for Thanksgiving and then traditional Puertorican for Navidad. That is: arroz con gandules(spanish rice w/pigeon peas), roast pork, pasteles(the carribean version of tamales---instead of corn, the dough/masa is made out of finely grated Yucca or finely grated green bananas and some other tubers that aren't common here(yautia---aka Malanga, aka Taro root). They are then wrapped in banana leaves after they are filled with a meat mixture(usually pork). You thought tamles were a pain in the butt to make!!! Even with the food processor I spend 4 hours just making the masa---ever peel green bananas??? The other sides are usually potato salad, pan con ajo(garlic bread), and for dessert arroz con dulce (a concoction similar to rice pudding---very sweet and made with coconut cream), and tembleque---a custard made out of coconut milk, sugar, and cornstarch that is cooked on the stove and then poored into a dish to chill and sprinkled w/cinnamon. In Puerto Rico they drink coquito(like egg nog, only has coconut milk in it and usually rum). Yummy---unless you don't care for coconut. It is a lot of fun for my kids to learn about the Christmas traditions there. They get gifts from relatives here on Christmas, and more gifts from relatives in Puerto Rico on January 6th---Three Kings Day. Sorry I wrote a novel about our Christmas traditions. Tyffanie

(Sort of) sorry to add a bit more stress, on you who "work", as in being employed for essential compensation. One more reason to be thankfully retired, not having to juggle the timing of when to celebrate holidays. Could you use a Christmas gift from ole ... (let's call it "old" this time - as it involves suggestions/((advice)) from one who claims to be a senior) ... old joyful/joyfuelled. Sometimes I approach a smoker, usually one standing the required 75 feet or so outside the door of a store or mall and with a smile and a bit of a lilt in my voice, I say that how s/he chooses to live his/her life is their business ... but ... how would s/he like to retire early? As you can imagine, I receive a variety of responses, but try to keep the conversation in a humorous, light-hearted fashion. Perhaps it's substantially curiosity, coupled with their impression that it looks as though this (old) guy isn't about give them a hard time, but quite a few are willing to pursue the conversation. I suggest that they write down the cost of their smoking for at least a month, but I suggest that a quarter or a half or a year may be better ... and give thought to whether they might like to retire early ... and whether transferring a good (and increasing?) portion of that money to investing for an earlier retirement might be a good idea? Plus ... it's been pretty well established that non-smoking may add years, and more than likely healthier years, at that, to one's life. If the conversation is going well I may ask whether they might be interested in using some of their spare time to start a new hobby. As a financial planner for some time, I've suggested to quite a few people that learning how money works can be an interesting hobby - and it pays well! As does learning about taxes! Back to old joyful's gift to you. If you're a smoker - you might like to consider the message so far as part of it. Is it time to have a hard look at the results of Christmas at your home/in your extended family connection, as to whether, in the light of remembering that much of the media advertising related to the season pretty well paints a picture of Christmas as equalling shopping ... ... the gifts that are exchanged really provide sufficient value to the recipients among your family and loved ones to make them worth their cost?? Many families choose to choose names and give to only one adult, and others choose to concentrate on gatherings of loved ones. Some choose also to agree among their connected ones to devote a percentage of their Christmas giving to helping needy fellow humans. For a number, they might be tempted to reconsider the above ... when the credit card statements arrive in the new year. (Anyone up for an addition to the new year's resolution list?). If you don't/aren't able to pay the credit card bill in full each month, if you don't know the rate of interest you're assessed ... in your wise and effective management of your money, it's important that you find out! On many store-issued cards it's often up near 30% annual rate, compounded monthly, and on bank-issued and similar agencies, up just under 20% - but several percentage points higher on cash advances. For those of you with ongoinng balances owing on your credit card(s) ... how faithful are you at fulfilling promises that you make to yourself?? If your record is bad - ignore what I'm about to say - please - please!!! Quite likely your bank/credit union may be willing to lend you money at 5% or less: less if you have collateral or co-singer (who'll have to pay if you default!). Your promise is to buy no more using the card till the loan is paid off ... ... and after that, your iron-clad promise to yourself is that those amounts owing must be paid in full every billing period!! Anyone who fails should have arranged with four friends to give him/(her?) a kick in the rump every month so long as that new credit card balance runs over that month. The lower rate if interest will enable the loan to be paid off much earlier! And don't e.g me started on these horrible pay day loans - $20. fee to borrow $200. for up to two weeeks?!?! Horrible! I hope that you all have a joyful, companionable and blessed Christmas/holiday and a new year that brings the fulfilment of one/some of your dreams ... and the envisioning of some new and worthwhile ones! Remember, please ... learning how money works is an interesting hobby - that pays well. Taxes, too. old joyful (ole joyfuelled)

I don't often do multi course dinners with wine but have done several. What I have learned is: don't use china but white ware dishes Use dishwasher safe wine glasses Then: Salad plates in dishwasher with soup bowls (actually used an extra set of dishes I had for plates under the soup bowls all went into the dishwasher) Salad plates were done and clean in time to be reused for dessert, along with small forks. Have a helper to plate courses so you can load up the next load in the dishwasher *** I am very thankful that my dishwasher is VERY Quiet!*** So, I took care of dishes as we went, did a sample plate for each course as we went. Many of my friends expressed they would like to learn how to manage multi course meals so I felt comfortable pulling a few of them in to assist. You are very right about bone in meats . . I also have developed a dislike to dining with shells on shrimp (even tails in shrimp cocktail, or split lobster; I want to be able to eat anything set on my plate and not need to handle the food to remove or set aside bone or shell). The other thing I learned is not to invite people that didn't appreciate wine or food. Dinners like that take a lot of effort and to see someone push food around a plate because they have never tried it before and are not willing to even try a bite is disheartening. As for wine, if someone downs the glass in 1 long sip . . . they are a nope for the next time! BTW that wasn't a sip it was a guzzle! Also, yes the glass shouldn't be to the brim of the glass! Those friends I invite for potluck or buffet meals

I made our Christmas meal yesterday, since I am stuck at work today. Turkey tenderloins, chicken dressing, cranberry sauce (from the can) Mac and cheese, collard greens. I brought some to work with me to eat later, along with the absolutely sinful dark chocolate dipped pretzel sticks SO gave me for Christmas. I assume he will eat some later if he gets hungry while I am here at work. I made a pan of brownies this morning while I was getting ready in case he wants something sweet afterward. The dogs got the ham hocks from the collard greens for their Christmas present. My sister hosted some of her husbands family for Christmas Eve. A couple of his sisters, that's all. They always have tons of finger food for Christmas Eve and I made some of them for her and delivered them the day before so that I could have Christmas Eve all to myself and SO. Homemade salsa, olive bread thingies and sausage stuffed French bread. She said her kids did NOT want to leave Santa cookies. They left him cheesy olive bread and chip dip. (I guess they wanted to get a leg up on the other kids of the world. To be fair, I would rather have olive bread and chip dip than cookies any day)