All of the shopping, all of the anticipation, the frantic cleaning...it's all over, and passed so quickly as to be nearly unbelievable.

It was a quiet Christmas, which I think is a good thing. We spent Christmas Eve at the Holloway compound along with my parents. John, Andrea and the twins weren't there so it really was quiet, but everyone else was there and we had a lovely dinner of Christmas Roast Beast. Jim and I purchased some holiday crackers and forced everyone to wear the little paper crowns that exploded out of the crackers when you popped them.

We came back home and began preparations for the next day which was to be a four-course meal for both sets of parents.

That's right - we are completely insane.

Back over to Williamsburg for Christmas morning where the unwrapping frenzy threatened to bury less alert family members. Lots of cool prizes and of course buckwheat pancakes for breakfast!

Back to the house for final dinner preparations and Christmas presents with my parents.

Jim's parents arrived later and the dinner party began in earnest. We rolled out the Bubba menus (which Jim made) and gave them choices. Here's the menu (and keep in mind that Jim cooked everything but the grits and the pumpkin pie)

Appetizer

Dry sausage accompanied by olives and a selection of cheeses

Soup

Carrot and leek soup with cracked pepper corns

Lobster bisque

Entree

Baked lemon dill salmon with herbed grits and roasted scallions

Rosemary and sage breast of chicken with asparagus shoots in a light vinaigrette

Beef and root vegetable pottage with rosemary and parsley

Dessert

Baked puree of orange autumn squash with sweetened cream whipped by mute Benedictine monks

Our wine selection was Est!Est!Est! for white and the 2002 Beaujolais Nouveau for red.

So - It seemed to be a success and everyone said they loved the food and hopefully they weren't just being polite.

So now it's back to work, but first a quick breakfast with my parents.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday!