Last year, Tyler and I decided to stay home for Christmas and we loved it, so we decided to do it again this year. You know how much we love to enjoy delicious flavors and make nice little meals for ourselves too, so I always like to do it up with the menu and create something special. So this year, we began our morning with brunch… I came downstairs to see my adorable husband all festive in his reindeer antlers, which cracked me up because he’s usually not that into wearing things like that, so I knew it was a clue that he was hyped and ready for the happenings of the day… So cute lol.
What made the morning magical was the flurries falling outside! While we were getting things together to eat, we looked outside to see it snowing and were so happy it just added to the wonder of the morning. We felt like we were in a tiny little snow globe. And it didn’t end up stopping till the early afternoon once we were finished opening gifts!
We took it easy and just leisurely got ready for brunch. I made a Spinach, Tomato, and Goat Cheese Frittata with Bacon, Sausage, and Popovers (with our pan gifted to us by Charles, our Innkeeper from when we stayed in Martha’s Vineyard), with a side of Fig Jam, Grapefruit Mimosas, and nice hot Coffee. Every bite was so yummy and good… We took our time and just enjoyed the laziness of the morning. At the end of brunch, we looked out our dining room window to see the most beautiful cardinal sitting in the tree.
The house was cozy and all decorated for Christmas of course… I love my little felt nativity scene from the local international gift shop we have here in town. My parents would always hide our gifts until Christmas morning, and set them up in our spots on the sofa, all spread out on display, so that’s what I’ve always done for Tyler, hehe. Baxie had his own little pile this year too…
Bax was so excited and interested in what was inside the wrapped packages… Tyler got him some treats and a Moose, and I got him a Squirrel. He played with them instantly, running around the room and throwing them to himself, before he grabbed them both, stacking them in a pile and snuggling with them for the rest of the afternoon… I got Tyler a new stand for one of his Ukuleles, a photo album of our MV trip, and a few other little goodies.
For dinner, I prepared Braised Beef Ribs over Creamy Polenta, and made some Spanakopita for an appetizer… It turned out pretty well, but I need a new cast iron because the seal wasn’t too good on this one anymore, so I lost a lot of moisture over the cooking time, so it burned a little bit. But it was still yummy and comforting to eat!
Our evening continued on with falling asleep watching The Man Who Invented Christmas on the sofa, and heading up to bed early, so we could wake up at a decent hour to prepare for his family to come the next day.
It was such a sweet, low-key, cozy day… and we love our new tradition of staying home. It’s what our hearts needed and we are so grateful for the time together.