Buckle up, this is lengthy- Christmas 2013

• I really like posts that I don't have to think up titles for.
• I'm currently
• eating: leftover bacon dip and sweet garlic bread for lunch (jealous?)
• ignoring: the massive pile of dishes from hosting Christmas dinner last night
• listening to: quiet. Both kids are down for naps before lunch. It's mostly for their safety (read: my sanity) but also because they didn't sleep long enough last night.
• watching: the snow fall
• waiting: for Steve's "half day" to end (HA! The Army has a sick sense of humor.)
• wishing: for the dishes to wash themselves
• hoping: that my Christmas cards are being transported via plane and not boat
• praying: that everyone realizes Christmas just started. It doesn't end til 6 January!
• Everyone has been writing about their various Christmas traditions all month long, and it kinda made me feel like a loser because
1. we don't really have any traditions outside of what we do with our families, and
2. we aren't with our families. Also,
3. I had no motivation to come up with new traditions.
• But what happened last night will surely be recreated for years to come. We hosted a "favorite things" dinner and I think it might just be the best dinner I've had. I made the traditional food for Thanksgiving and it was mostly stress. Stress because I am usually a spectator during the holiday food prep, and stress because play kitchens have bigger ovens than I do, and stress because I also am not skilled at time management and making a food-cooking-game-plan. So to avoid all the stress, I just asked everyone what their favorite things were. Then I made them. The menu?
• spinach dip with sweet garlic bread
• creamy bacon dip with crackers
• homemade breaded ranch chicken nuggets
• our favorite fried chicken from across the street*
• cracker mix aka "crack"
• taco salad with Doritos
• macaroni and cheese
• beer
• sweet tea
• (forgot to make pizza rolls and chocolate dipped everything, but they were on the initial list)

SNEAKY.

• It. was. AMAZING. If I'm going to eat a fatty meal on Christmas, by God, I want those calories to be filled with bacon and carbs. Amen. Also amazing was the fact that most of this menu could be prepped or made in advance, thus relieving the easy bake oven from becoming overworked on Christmas Day. It was easy and delicious and as good as it gets when we can't be home with family for the holidays.
• *Let me tell you about that chicken. I tell Steve that as much as I miss Chick-fil-A (and drive-thrus in general), I think I am going to cry long and hard when we leave Korea because we won't be able to go to this chicken place anymore. It is directly across the street from us and run by a sweet little family. The mom is cooking in the kitchen with a baby strapped to her back, the other toddler is sleeping in a hammock by the front door, and the dad hops on his scooter and delivers the chicken all over town. Pass a health inspection in the States, it will not, but I can look past all of that as I'm eating this fried, sweet, soy sauce deliciousness. Words can't even describe it, you should just come visit and give me an excuse to eat this stuff again. (Although, note: I need no special reasons to eat it again.) Anyways, we really wanted this chicken to be a part of our favorite things dinner so Steve asked a KATUSA (Korean Augmentation To the United States Army) how to say "Are you open on Christmas?" He relayed this information to me, and I set off to ask. (For the record, Steve always goes and orders the chicken, I just go and ask the weird questions.) The grandmother sitting inside just laughs at me as I squeak out my botched Korean. The husband stares at me blankly. The woman cooking comes out and I slowly say my line, trying to make sure I use the right inflection so as to not come across as demanding they open up on Christmas, but rather asking if they are. She looks confused, then starts motioning like she's eating and then says, "Christmas?" And I say, "Yes! Yes! Are you open on Christmas?" (Forget the Korean! Maybe they will understand me if I start speaking English very quickly!) She smiles and says no. Like, you silly American! I will be eating with MY family on Christmas! *Walk of shame out the door.* I tell Steve of this devastating news and he said, "They must not have known you are mine. I'll go talk to them." And while I (obviously) planned for enough food outside of the fried chicken, Steve went across the street anyway on Christmas day and sure enough- they were open! Maybe we celebrate Christmas on different days? Maybe they were just there cooking for themselves and not actually open? Maybe Steve slipped them an extra 20? WHO KNOWS. Steve walked in, pointed to our usual picture that looks nothing like what we actually order, and walked out. And behold, on this day in Dongducheon, the father delivered unto us our chicken, via scooter. And the angels sang many praises!

Just found out last night that the white squares in the bottom containers (that I always eat) are pickled radishes. Hmm. I can count that as a serving of veggies, right? (They are delicious.)

•  And now, since I appear to be doing my recap backwards, Christmas photos.

"Helping" me make cookies for Santa (and staff duty). Molly giving me the ol' stink eye.

Waiting for Myer to wake up. Santa managed to finish the cookies (but not all those "pankles") and left a note. The one and only time I got to see gifts under our scrawny tree. The present spread.

A stone cold fox holding a "The ass" mug (Korean dollar tree did not disappoint this year). Steve in footie pajamas. The man can rock a onesie.

Building with blocks

The dollar flashlights in their stockings are a huge hit. Molly got a Thomas the Train named Molly in her stocking. She was a bit blown away. She also wasted no time in showing Sam how his train set was supposed to be played with.

Molly was very into Christmas. She thought everything was for her and she thoroughly enjoyed herself. Until it was time to eat, and then she was all, FEED ME NOW LEST I STARVE.

 So then we sang happy birthday to Jesus, ate funfetti waffles, and drank mimosas. Life is good.