"Real" Christmas Day found us saying goodbye to the kids and hello to our friends! Inside it was cozy and warm. Outside it was like this.
You could hardly see across the street and from my FB friends I noticed many didn't travel, even short distances. The frost was definitely on the window!
I couldn't get great shots but if you want to see some of the most amazing ice crystal photos, check out Tammie's blog and scroll down her posts -- one amazing photographer who has maxed out ice shots! Meanwhile -- mine pale in comparison!
We had six for dinner. As always, the Spode Christmas china that was my mom's and her crystal and silver.
I made the place cards and menu cards from some of my art. And I took my Southern Exposure visits to heart with the chair covers and little stockings for tucking the napkins!
Being surrounded by friends is indeed a wonderful feeling, especially on a day like Christmas.
Our dinner included ham, mom's scalloped potatoes and my cousin Bonnie's corn casserole. Wally had brought cheese for before to enjoy with Rick's baguettes and jalapeno/cheese bread; Kate made an amazing salad and Byron's cranberries had a terrific surprise ingredient -- maraschino cherries! Yum!
Later, our friends Richard and Elaine joined us for dessert and when everyone was gone, we tumbled into bed! Super-tired but with visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads!
The next day brought more company, my friend Jerry who came from Paris. It was a short visit but filled with joy and wonderful conversation.
And really, that's what this part of Christmas is all about. Spending time with family and friends, catching up, enjoying good food and sharing wonderful fellowship.
We'll just skip the part about doing the dishes!
34 comments:
Jeanie, sounds like such wonderful times. I'm glad you are having a great holiday and I'm also glad I don't live where it's that cold. :)
Lots and lots of fun from what I can see. You had a wonderful time with family and friends.
WOW, you really DID celebrate. I loved all the photos and enjoyed the meal photos, too. You certainly know how to celebrate. Sadly, I ate soup on Christmas, but it was hot and made me feel good, since I had my "boys" with me. Thanks for sharing your Christmas day and meal, and of course, the day after, too. Although I don't want the cold, I wish we had some of your moisture!
Sounds like you had a great time, good food and lots of fun. I like the sound of your meal, too, yummy! The frosty windows looks great but soooooooooo cold!
Hugs, Valerie
It sounds like a perfect Christmas dear Jeanie, and your home looks cosy and warm even though it is so cold outside.
JEANIE! That snow scene from the window, it's magic! Yeah, it snowed here yesterday, and it was beautiful, even if I had to shovel.
I love that everyone is wearing a crown, as they do in England!
Keep the magic my friend. Like C.S. Lewis said, "...it never ends."
Looks like such a fun dinner. Enjoyed all your photos over Christmas and of course seeing Lizzy with her 'could care less' looks. lol
Oh, Jeanie, I WISH I could just skip the part of doing the dishes! After having 32 of my immediate siblings and their families for Christmas Eve dinner, I was up until 3am Christmas morning doing dishes, then again at 7am doing the same. I am just now soaking linens this morning. The house did get cleaned though, and now I am slowly undecorating, but still enjoying the vibe. It is bitterly cold here, but no snow, just a slight dusting on Christmas morn. Cheers to friends, neighbors and family!
How fun for you all:)You were a busy entertainer..love that you gleaned great deas from your fave spot and love the snowmen in your life..Bonne Année!
Hello, it does look cold outside your windows. Love the frosty images and your cute decorations. The food sounds yummy, good time with friends. I wish you all the best in 2018, a Happy, Healthy New Year to you and your family! Have a great weekend.
Love the snowman! And the shots of the ice / snow on the window. Beautiful! Everything looks so amazing. Wishing you a great start to the New Year.
Sounds wonderful!
Well, until the dishes had to be washed... That's always the part I hate too.
Sounds like a wonderful celebration with friends. All the food sounds wonderful! We had a pretty quiet Christmas day at my MIL's - at least compared to the chaos that I'm used to at my parents. ;) I came down with a bad chest cold over the weekend and my MIL had a cold so neither of us was feeling super festive. But we did our best to have a fun day. This stupid chest cold has kind of leveled me, though, so we had to cancel our trip to visit my parents this weekend as I just don't feel well enough. :( But I guess it's a good time of year to hunker down and cuddle up on the couch as it's bitterly cold here - highs in the negatives for the weekend. I just wish kitty was here with me! We left her at Joan's for the week as we thought we'd be out of town. But we'll get her back this weekend.
Your Christmas table was so pretty. I love that you use your Mom's dishes. I've had family and friends around and it's been a lovely Christmas. I'm spending New Year's with my best friend and her husband and really looking forward to it! Stay Warm!
My computer seems to have righted itself after the shock of not working. All down to the weather, apparently, but what a nuisance when there are people to contact!
I love your Christmas table, - so jolly and, of course, christmassy. Hoping you have an equally good New Year.
The pictures are stunning and the table enticing. What a fun time.
What a delightful and festive holiday you enjoyed! Love the way your table was set - and everybody looked so cheerful wearing their Christmas cracker crowns!
I'm in total lust with your glass snowman ornament! - and your tree looks lovely!
Best wishes for a most splendid new year!
Christmas crackers! We did this for the first time last Christmas and enjoyed it so much we did it again this year. I wish they made birthday crackers!
Well anyway it looks like you all had a fun time. Happy New Year!
Awwwww...I love looking at Lizette's sweet face. Your home looks ideally cozy and bright for a frosty Winter's gathering and I'm sure it was a fantastic way to usher out the old year and pave way for a wonderful new year of art, adventure, and achievement.
brrr that does look cold outside but everything inside looks so warm and cosy, and your table looks lovely. Can I put in an early request for an invitation for next year please? :-) Your frosty windows look beautiful x
Jeanie, those ice crystals are something else...so beautiful. I think I would be taking many pics of them, as I don't get to see them much. The ham and scalloped potatoes sound delicious. Love the little snowman ornament on here. It's so nice to visit with family and friends. I always have a full house this time of year too. And there's nothing like it.
Happy New Year, Jeanie. I hope yours is filled with much peace and joy. And I look forward to seeing more of your delightful posts, which often leave me smiling. : )
~Sheri
You must have had crackers by the hats you all wore. How fun. And I like those ice crystal photos you took. They show the actual crystals. I am surprised with this bitter cold we don't have any on our windows. It looks like a fun way to spend a holiday. And full of joy. Glad you shared. Hugs-Erika
looks like a perfect day! And I'm all about the cherries!
I love you more now that I noticed the pile of books behind Rick in the Christmas dinner photo. It's just like my house! After our tropical fish died, the tank became a repository for my overflow of books. I love books! My husband asks when we are going to get rid of the tank of books, but he should just be glad they are "contained" and won't fall on him. LOL!
Jeannie, Merry Christmas! Your celebration looks delightful. I especially love seeing the Christmas China and decorations, having gotten rid of all of my belongings. Glad you were surrounded by people you love.
Thanks for continuing to visit and comment on my blog. Happy New Year!
I've so enjoyed looking at all the fun pictures from the past few posts, Jeanie! i love the picture of the orange juices!! LOL---and wow, those icy windows are so cold and frosty looking, and still so pretty! Love seeing all the snow, wow, the flakes in that one picture look so big and fluffy. Looks like a wonderful Christmas day, so glad you had friends over and all the food sounds so good. Loved the pictures of that sweet baby boy as well, especially with the jingle bell wreath thing, so cute! and there is a brand new baby grand on the way too!?--happy happy news!
No matter how cold outside, most important is warm and cozy inside. Your Christmas weather is like what we're having in Toronto now. Drawing close to the year end and I must send New Year's Wishes to you and yours, Jeanie, for a cozy and warm 2018!
Your Christmas sounds oh so special. From the Spode dishes to the crowns and that snowman in the first picture, oh and the ice crystals too - I love it all. Thanks for sharing the Joy with us.
A part of the Christmas holidays are post Christmas and the cozy warm at home days enjoying the home decked out in glorious ways of praising our Lord. It's unusually cold here and even will be colder for NYE and day which enhances the cozy feeling. Happy for the cold and happy to not have ice and snow since in south we just can not drive in it! Love your post sharing your beautiful home and friends. Wishing you a most wonderful and healthy Happy New Year.......Sorry, I've been missing but have had a house full and doing a little traveling.........Hugs.
Christmas is such a great time to indulge your creativity and hospitality! I love it for the same reason, though we are simplifying a little more each year. Your home looks like a warm and lovely place created specially for the holidays. Enjoy!
You are the Hostess with the mostest, Jeanie! Your table setting is exquisite. Your Mother would be proud. Tomorrow night I'm making scalloped potatoes for New Year's Eve dinner and a corn casserole for New Year's Day - both are veggies my Grands love. That frost on the window is pretty. It looks nice and cozy inside. Happy 2018, Jeanie!
Jeanie, your Christmas spent with family and then friends is just perfect! We had out of town friends for a couple of days and it was so much fun. But, after removing most of the Christmas decor today, I am exhausted! I still have to take down the tree! The holidays are such joy, but they can be tiring! Blessings for a Happy New Year!
Happy Jeanie . . . Happy Life . . .
It looks WHITE like that around here too . . .
17 inches one day, 14 the next . . . or something like that.
Whew . . . happy I can pull things from the freezer, not much traveling going on around here
after learning of the 40 car pile up almost at our doorstep . . .
(Well not quite, but close.)
Love a set table with some Spode and crystal.
I have some gorgeous green depression like crystal goblets . . .
Fostorus maybe . . . have to be a hundred plus years old.
Maybe we will have a sip from them tonight . . .
Happy New Year Dear Girl . . .
Oops . . .
Fostorio . . .
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