Christmastime in the Valley - Part One

Christmas at home in America for the second time in a row

As we were loading up the car to drive upstate I got the most wicked pants rip ever.  It's one for the ages.  Enjoy.

the goose is loose!  gotta keep that goose cold during the drive upstate

Xmas cookies

found this classic soccer game in the attic

Steven and Sophie joined us for Christmas at our parents house.  Steven is from Newcastle, UK.  My parents and we also bought crackers, a british tradition.  They pop open when you pull them and a crown and a prize are inside.

cheese board a british tradition.  we tried to pile on as much british traditions to make Steven feel right at home even if he didn't want it.

Christmas morning.  I forgot to take a photo of Sophie's stocking and how I tricked my mom into putting her name in Chinese characters in glitter on her stocking so she could feel more at home/alienated hahaha. Someone got SPAM for christmas.

Bob got Frankies 457 normal and raw unfiltered olive oil.  It's pretty good stuff.

playing rock band

Christmas goose because it's a British tradition although Steven's never had one.  We might have gone back a little too far in history to get our traditional British Christmas ideas.

every cavity of this goose was violated by me.  Sorry

meat is pretty gross.  Looks like Aliens

British stuffing.  It's sausage with bread crumbs and apples basically.

Goose is done

bird carving instructions from dad

everyone is waiting for that goose

bob waiting for the yorkshire puddings because timing is important.  forgot to take a photo of another British tradition, the Yorkshire puddings.

so Goose turns out to be a red meat animal like duck only there is less fat and it tasted a little gamier.  We probably didn't do it very well and I don't know if we are gonna do goose again.  

There are also jokes inside the crackers and whistles in some of them with numbers on them so everyone plays a certain note in a group song like jingle bells.

the second year of our new Christmas tradition, the Buche de Noel turned out great.