Morning Beautifuls,
MERRY CHRISTMAS! I honestly hope that you had/are having an incredible day however you are spending it!
Christmas is a time of joy, happiness and love, to understand what you have will never go away. It is a time for appreciation of 2014, of all the things that happened, because there are always incredible times for you to remember. It is a time of bonding, of saying ‘thank you’ to those around you, who have positively shaped you in every way possible. Who helped you become who you are today.
So I really do hope you are spending your Christmas in the best way possible. Obviously, including food. Lots and lots of food. I find it really cool how different families have different traditions at Christmas – it really does show the diversity and wonderfulness of this world!
Therefore, for the 12th and final blog of Christmas, the blog posts to see…
- Twelve Festive Foods
- Eleven Sparkly Lights
- Ten Christmas Bon Bons
- Nine Christmas Carols
- Eight Advent Samples
- Seven Beauty Products
- Six Christmas Outfits
- Five Festive Hairdos
- Four Present Ideas
- Three Homemade Cards
- Two Christmas Films
- And a pretty awesome Christmas Tree
Yup, today I’m going to share with you twelve of my family’s staple Christmas foods. It’s been ages since we have had a Christmas at home – usually we’re off on some crazy adventure, doing the mass family Christmas party on Boxing Day. See what I mean? Unusual traditions.
But this year, we changed it up, spending the days up to Christmas travelling, coming back for Christmas and Boxing Day before leaving again for another unknown adventure.
However, wherever we are, whether we’re in the middle of nowhere, up at Uncles’ and Aunts’ houses or stuck somewhere overseas, we always try to stick with some kind of traditional festive food. Seeming that it is 9:30 at night and I am practically boiling in my shirt and shorts, our Australian Christmas feast is going to be on the cold side of things. Yes, I’m talking about the shrimp on the barbie.
FYI, I have never heard anyone call them that here. They’re prawns. Not shrimp! But I guess that makes it food number one on our traditional Christmas food list. Prawns.
Going in a crazy weird order, we always have to have some kind of salad, usually consisting on the Christmas-y colours – our reds and greens. As it is Christmas, we might as well get all festive with our food just for corny, comedic effect. This means carrot, tomatoes, celery and cucumber!
Now I don’t actually have pictures for food number three and four. Mainly because they got eaten before I could take a picture. Thanks family. But another staple for Christmas is Mince Pies and Fruit Cake. I remember growing up my Grandma every year used to make us a Christmas Fruit Cake no matter where we were or where we were going. Before we went away, we would go over and pick it up, taking it with us just to eat on Christmas day. Oh, her house used to smell like fresh Fruit Cake, making Christmas seem so real, so perfect, so alive. Even now, both those traditional Christmas foods are a staple to our table. Just don’t forget the custard!
Cheese platter! You cannot have a Christmas at our house without a cheese platter! They are the best things in the world and usually consist of Gouda, Tasty, Camembert and some kind of cream cheese… usually chives! Yum, yum, yum! They disappear within seconds at my house!
I’m half way! Number six is our traditional Coconut Ice. Every year, at Christmas, someone in our house makes coconut ice – white and pink! It is the best! Again, it wouldn’t be Christmas without it! I am hoping you all know what coconut ice is… if not, you are definitely missing out!
Number seven is a healthy hit – usually because we feel a bit sweet-toothed after all the coconut ice we have managed to eat in record time.
It is tradition at our house that Christmas is the first time we usually buy and eat all the stone fruit – obviously spurting slightly from then on. Peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, apricots, you name it! This is the time of year we have them all! Breakfast, lunch and dinner!
Which ties in nicely with food (or drink) number eight. Punches. Every year I like to make a concoction of whatever drinks we bought for Christmas, adding fruits and ices and colours depending what the cupboards hold. This year I kept it simple – and cool – with a sparkling apple juice with cherries and a cloudy sparkling pear juice! These were really quick to make as they only consisted of the juice of my picking, soda water (for a fizz!) and some sliced fruit! Quick, easy and refreshing!
We up to nine? I think so. Ice-cream is a necessity in our house at Christmas. Usually, we eat so much at lunch that by dinner we don’t want anything to eat, settling down with a bowl full of our favourite ice-cream, watching a Christmas movie as a family. My favourite ice-cream, you ask? Hands down Cookies and Cream. Nothing can beat that!
Breakfast. My favourite meal of the day. Homemade pancakes.
What can I say except yum! Especially with banana, drizzled in maple syrup and cream…
Number eleven is something I always have, regardless of the weather (and is probably a factor contributing to my overheating at the moment). You cannot, and I repeat cannot, have a Christmas without a warm beverage of some type. Mine, you’ve probably guessed it, is a hot chocolate – extra marshmallows! I mean, Christmas only comes around once a year!
Number twelve is my favourite! Cupcakes!!! This is one thing I always bake for Christmas every year, making certain I make enough to take anywhere we plan on going around Christmas. If you invite me over, don’t be surprised if I come armed with cupcakes.
I have to admit, some of my favourites this year are not that Christmas-y, but they sure do look cute! Sheep cupcakes! I can pass them off as Christmas cupcakes, I’ll argue with you if you try and disagree. The shepherds who visited Jesus had sheep. Hence they are Christmas. I mean, how cute do they look!
I guess, that is it. I have come to the end of my final Christmas blog. wow, I’m going to miss doing these blogs.
I really hope you have had the most amazing Christmas, wherever you are, however you celebrate.
Merry Christmas! May it be the best one yet!
Kay Anne
xx
Kay Anne 