Christmas Eve Dinner

That morning we began preparing dinner for 19.  A Honey Baked Ham was being delivered by UPS.  In fact the tracker indicted it was in the truck and on its way.  Jim had paid a premium shipping charge to assure December 24 delivery.  All was well.

I was responsible for a special appetizer so made a run to the grocery for fresh seafood while Robin began making our favorite cheese cake with raspberry sauce and Whitney family pine nut casserole.  I was to make scalloped potatoes and Jim’s sister was bringing a salad.  Grace had already made Christmas cookies. When I got home from the grocery Robin was making a double batch of Porcuines – beef, rice and onions formed into nut sized meatballs cooked in tomato sauce – just because she was hungry for them.

Guests arrived at 4:00 p.m.  Ham still had not been delivered.  We were a little nervous but began our cocktail hours.  Grace acted as bartender and was making her special Apple Pie Ala Mode drink.  We also had the Whitney family traditional Tom and Jerry’s.

Appetizers were artichoke dip and a huge Feast of the 7 Fishes seafood platter consisting of 2 pounds of shrimp, 3 pounds of Alaska King Crab Legs, a pound of scallops, smoked salmon, crab cakes, oysters and lobster tails.  Feast of the 7 fishes was a tradition in my mother-in-laws family but we had never done it.  It was a winner and the guests were eating and drinking when my son-in-law’s brother told me there seemed to be a problem in the kitchen and I better go give them some advice.

Well, the Ham still had not arrived and we couldn’t hold off any longer.  Robin called the guests to the table and opened the meal with a toast, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and telling all the young people in attendance they never had to worry about a flub up.  They could drop the birthday cake on the floor, burn the roast or spill the punch because we had the ultimate flub up – the main course Honey Baked Ham failed to  arrive.

About 11:00 p.m. UPS sent an email saying the ham would be delivered on December 26.  It is now 3:14 p.m. on December 26 and it is still not here.

More family stories are created by flubs than successes and we have been assured this will never be forgotten.  In fact Jim’s sister texted him from her car on the way home that she just the UPS truck on the highway headed in our direction.

We had a wonderful time and in case you are interested, porcupines are a fine substitute for ham.

Wishing all you readers a wonder holiday.