Happy Christmas! Happy Holidays! - No. 176

Quiet before the storm

IT’S HOURS BEFORE ANYONE ELSE WILL BE AWAKE. A flight is delayed coming into Nashville airport. My best friend and I fill the stockings and breathe before a granddaughter arrives, the old doll buggy starts screeching its rickety wheels around the downstairs, laughter begins, and the oven is preheated for Christmas breakfast one with local bagels, lox, cream cheese, etc., plus scrambled eggs and Alabama orange rolls. And some fruit, gotta keep it healthy, so oranges from the stockings and some nice fresh pears, a gift from Santa.

A belated Christmas breakfast two when a second daughter arrives is tomorrow, and that’s when we’ll bring out the hallowed breakfast casserole.

We’ll work around mandatory power outages. We’ll huddle up in the den around a fireplace and just be grateful for family, friends, and freedom.

This may be Crazy Christmas with Covid breakouts and weather cancellations, but I feel grateful to go off-script and to live where we can make that choice.

So I will share a few early morning images, and then be off til the end of the week when I’ll reminisce about this year, the best recipes and flavors, and look ahead to the new year with much anticipation and humility.

Be well, be safe,

- xo, Anne