Festive Bonbons

Sandy

It’s the time of year where there’s a party everywhere!

My friends from What’s On Your Bookshelf, Donna, Debbie, Sue & Jo’s are also celebrating the holidays with a link-up on ‘Festive Bonbon: What Does Your Holiday Season Look Like?’  

They wanted to know a bit more than I offered in my Friendly Friday Holiday post, so here goes.

Christmas Trees – do you have one? When does it go up?

In our house we start celebrating Christmas after the last birthday party of the year on December 5th. When my son’s cake is all gone, it’s time to break out the Christmas decorations.

Rather than a pesky pine-needle-shedding tree, we decorate our Christmas piano. It’s almost as pretty and double-duties for musical entertainment.

I also decorate a large Chinese drum table. Actually, I spread it with a red blanket and place a tiny Christmas tree on top. On Christmas Eve all the presents go around and on the drum.

Santa got confused the first few times but he eventually got the hang of it.

Christmas Carols? Yes or No.

I like to listen to Christmas music when I’m baking or cooking Christmas treats. Which goes to say that it’s always playing in December. I prefer to hear modern songs.

Unless it’s Christmas Eve, in which case I enjoy traditional Christmas carols too.

I do hate the Christmas musak that’s played in shopping malls and supermarkets. There I uniformly despise both modern and traditional musak, no matter the day or time.

Unless it’s Christmas musak sung in K-pop or Mandarin.

Then I don’t mind it for the duration of a 20 minute shopping trip to the Chinese grocery store. Which let’s not kid ourselves, is really a 45 minute trip during the season, which can become an 80 minute trip if I’m stuck in a long line at check-out and there’s someone price checking the cost of vegetables … in which case, I really hate all musak.

Christmas Movies – Your faves?

I can’t get tired of A Christmas Story. I love how Ralphie’s little brother gets bundled up like the Michelin tire man and when Ralphie’s tongue gets stuck to a pole.

The most relatable scene is Ralphie’s mom’s reaction to Dad’s ugly lamp. It reminds me of an ugly lamp my husband bought when I inadvertently left him alone.

Most of all, I laugh when the family goes to the Chinese restaurant and gets roast goose instead of turkey. Chop!

Christmas Cake

Home-made Jamaican style Christmas cake aka Black Cake? Yes

North American style Christmas fruit cake with candied fruit, nuts and sometimes marzipan & icing? Maybe Yes but mostly No. Hubby loves the Old Fashion Claxton Fruit Cake and I will buy a brick or two when I see it. All the other fruitcakes pale in comparison.

English style Christmas Pudding with sauce & blazing brandy? Yes, for watching on TV with Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, Ebenezer Scrooge & Tiny Tim.

What’s on your Table?

All I want for Christmas? 

Health, Sanity and Happiness for everyone near and dear.  
Merry Christmas Everyone!

21 Comments

  1. We start Christmas decorations and baking when my husband’s birthday cake disappears (Nov 29 is his birthday), The food on your plates looks stunning and like you I love to listen to Christmas music when baking or when decorating. BUT my favourite radio station switches over to straight Christmas for the month and it drives me nuts! I listen to silence on my commute during the month. Nice to meet up with you on the Festive BonBon front. Bernie

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  3. Hi Sandy, this was pure delight to read! Your visuals worked so well and love the pudding question – British pudding, yes only on TV 🙂 It’s been so good to read everyone’s posts in the linkup, it has really helped me appreciate our customs and learn more about what others do at this time of the year. Thanks for joining us for #festivebonbons

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  5. I really enjoyed your post layout with the graphics! And it’s great to decorate musical instruments instead of a tree – we don’t but it’s happened that we’ve decorated a guitar stand with lights and baubles.

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    1. Thank you for saying so Susanne!

      I see nothing wrong with decorating a guitar stand. It’s roughly the same shape and with the right amount of tinsel, lights and streamers it’s an excellent stand-in.

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  6. This is such a fun post Sandy! I really enjoyed reading about your Christmas likes and dislikes, and the visuals are great! I’m with you on the muzak, but Christmas pudding belongs firmly on my dinner menu, not just on TV 😆

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    1. He He. It’s always fun to make the visuals.

      Christmas pudding/cake is a very particular thing. Strong feelings either way.

      I heard that in some places, people re-gift Christmas fruitcakes year to year, just to avoid eating it. I wonder if that’s an urban myth?! Having tasted some truly awful cake, I have to wonder.

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  8. You made me laugh Sandy! How could you leave your hubby alone? Lol! You have my boundless sympathy. When I return from an overseas trip there is invariably at least one new vaccuum cleaner in my house, various kitchen gadgets and motorised cleaning devices from dollar stores and some hideous item of home decor that quietly gets stuffed away in the back of a cupboard.

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    1. Hideous items … I know what you mean. The ugly lamp in question was a six foot tall monstrosity of teetering bits of wood & stone. He also purchased some Sri Lankan tribal masks that gave me nightmares. I was glad to leave them all behind when we left Singapore!

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  9. Hi, Sandy – Your answers, highlighted with very clever visuals, totally cracked me up.
    And the bit about the Chinese grocery store had me in stiches. Been there, done that, have the t-shirt!
    Sadly, my answer to the fruitcake question remains a hard no to all of the above. (My apologies to Paul Hollywood and gang)!
    Thank you for the evening giggle!

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