Last night we had "our" dinner here, the kids and I, six in all, with soup, turkey, bacon rolls, sausages, bread sauce, stuffing, and cranberry jelly; also potatoes carrots sprouts broccoli and parsnips, and PouillyFumé.
There was an initial panic when I discovered that my fridge had somehow gone into overdrive and frozen the lower half of my (fresh) turkey absolutely solid. Fortunately it wasn't the breast. Emergency defrosting was called for, and dinner was delayed an hour. I was somewhat stressed. But it turned out nicely.
People tell me that family Christmas dinners are a prime source of conflict, arguments, fallings out. Or hours of unappreciated kitchen slavery. Or hours of comatose slumping in front of the telly. I suppose if that's what you expect, that's what you get. That's not the experience I had. My companions were a total delight to be with.
