2010 Christmas

CB had a day off on christmas eve. So I went for last-minute gift shopping and came home around 4.00pm only to find that we will be going for 6.00pm service instead of 9.00pm.  My chores started at noon on friday and ended next day night. I worked non stop and I am definitely feeling old . Gone are those days where I usually cooked at least 16 items for 30 people for christmas party.

We went for 6.00pm service and the weather was better than last year. NR was quiet for ten minutes but cried when the choir started singing. Our church has the best acoustics and it was really loud at times even for us. We had minimal and safer holiday decorations at home this year and we will be following this rule for at least next three or 4 years.

I miss the Christmas day celebration at my mother in laws house.  She would wake up early and prepare dishes for breakfast while we sleep happily in our room. The kitchen would be packed with servants helping my MIL and full of action. In India, we usually go for night mass for Christmas and for early morning mass on New Year's day  . Last year when we went with NR we went for morning mass. After church service, we will have a nice south Indian tiffin spread for breakfast . My MIL will then start preparing lunch  items like chicken briyani, chicken kurma, thalcha, vada, potato curry , chilli chicken or fish fry. She makes her trademark sweet beet jam/chutney. She also painstakingly prepare Kara Murukku, sweet murukku, cake, my husband favorite Nei (pasiparuppu) urundai  and couple of other sweets . Loads of people will drop in and she will distribute sweets to every body.

This year, I made a simple south Indian vegetarian lunch (Hindu festival menu) for us. We invited our friend’s family who happened to be vegetarians  for dinner. So I made pongal, vada , sambar, chutney, poori and potato masala and  Pal payasam.  We exchanged gifts after dinner.  BTW after coming to US, I came to know thru a good church friend that lot of Saiva pillai's (mostly from Tirunelveli district) who embraced catholic faith  two or three generation back ,still follow a strict vegetarian diet .  

NR  absolute favorite gifts this year are his Trike that we gave him and leaptop that he received along with other gifts from my bff  "S" from Virginia. We have been friends since 4th grade .