Christmas eve dinner at Sarah's

Christmas eve was spent with good friends. In the morning, we took Ryan to the salon at Forum to trim his hair (front only) and to have a quick lunch. We walked around the shops and took longer than we planned to. We had to rush home and then rush out again to Angelynn's house at Sentosa Cove to meet the others. It started to rain shortly after we arrived, so we were pretty fortunate not to get stuck in the storm. I stood on the balcony of the top floor of Angelynn's house (which is right next to the sea) and watched the waves tossing and the lighting bolts raining down. It was pretty scary, although Ryan was completely fascinated and wanted to stay out in the rain.

After the rain stopped and after a short game of mahjong, all of us drove over to Sarah's place at West Coast for dinner. Sarah is our domestic goddess - her place was beautifully decorated with all things Christmassy, from the big stocking on the door to the handtowels in the washroom. I lost count of the number of Santas that she had around the place. I have never seen more Christmas ornaments and decorations in anyone's home. It was lovely and gave the place a warm and cozy feel.

The highlight of the evening was, of course, the dinner. Sarah prepared a lavish spread for 8 adults - cream of mushroom soup with warm bread, roasted veggies, cauliflower with cheese gratin, twice-baked potatoes, sauteed greens, roasted turkey (Alan made the stuffing under Sarah's intense supervision), baked ham with pineapple glaze, plus three types of dessert - tiramisu, Christmas fruitcake with homemade brandy butter and no-flour chocolate cake. Truly amazing. And such an incredible and generous effort, not only in preparing the dinner but also in preparing such a wonderful environment for all of us, from the Christmas decorations, to the elegantly set table (with a printed menu at each place) and the cozy lighting. Thank you Sarah! I'm reserving my seat for next year!

 

Food was delicious, conversation and company were great. By the time we were willing to leave the table, it was already about 11 pm. Everyone had brought gifts for everyone, as per our usual practice, so we quickly passed them out. Nobody wanted to open their gifts until Christmas though. We left shortly before midnight. Most of the others stayed on for another game of mahjong.

We had a great time and it was a meaningful way to celebrate the season - in the company of good friends, with great food and conversation.