Christmas to me means many things. Food, classical music, family and friends, frantic gift shopping and many consecutive days off work.
Food commands a great deal of consideration on Christmas day. It brings people together and will become a part of your Christmas memories. In years to come you may still be reminiscing over mother's legendary Christmas turkey come December. Whether a BBQ at the beach, a big family dinner at home or a picnic in the gardens, the nostalgic properties of food are seldom more potent than at Christmastime.
When I was younger Christmas meant scoffing the chocolate from our Christmas stockings by noon. A mid-afternoon smorgasbord of breads, crackers and brie with dips, and finally moving on to whatever fattening banquet my mother had concocted for dinner. Common items included macaroni and cheese, garlic bread, potatoes in various forms, bacon and egg pie, salads piled high with eggs and leafy greens... sparkling grape juice for the children. Everyone was there.
This year, my siblings and I have grown up and we have our own Christmas plans. I'll spend my first Christmas with my soon to be in-laws. I'll bring a huge dish of macaroni and cheese and a more grown-up form of sparkling grape juice. They key elements will be there: family, good food and this time, I'll be helping out in the kitchen. The men can clean up though.
The library has plenty of new and old Christmas Cooking titles to explore:
You can flick through the digital Christmas issue of your favourite magazine through OverDrive or PressReader.
There are also lots of Christmas events happening this month at libraries around Christchurch.
And finally, I couldn't help but include some cute photos of Archie in his Christmas best.
What dish do you just have to make every year come Christmas?
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