Christmas Day 2003 - redux
Dec. 26th, 2003 07:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jdmkleinWe opened our home to ten strangers yesterday. The only thing I had In common with them is that we were all from Iowa. Master’s commonality with them was the military.
We had seven men and three women Iowa National Guard soldiers over for Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day. We were expecting a few more than that, up to 15-16, but they are so busy, these were the only ones who had free time. They got to the apartment at 2:00 on the nose and had to be back at base by 18:00 hrs. (6:00 for us non-military folk). I was in the kitchen when they arrived, so I didn’t see the girls take their weapons (M16s and a 45) and lock them in the back bedroom which was just as well for me, I am not a fan of guns. But as they came back out, I stood in the hallway by the front door and shook hands with each, asked their names, and welcomed them into our home for Christmas.
It seems it didn’t take long for them to warm up to us, Daniel and Ruth and the boys were already here when they arrived. One of the girls couldn’t believe we would have kids here. She reached down and touched Jere’s check to make sure he was real. The boys were a bit shy at first, but as the day went on, they loosened up and talked with the soldiers.
Pat and Norma and Kevin were the next to arrive. I was scrambling around in the kitchen again trying to find a place to put all the food. Odd how just 24 hours before I was frantically trying to figure out what we would do if we ran out of food, and at that moment I was frantically trying to figure out in my head where I was going to put all the leftovers. The counters were full, the fridge was overfull, you still can’t open it without jumping back in case something wants to leap out at your feet, the counter is the maid’s room was stacked with deserts.
About that time Suhare and Ahmed and Sarah came with even more food. Sarah had the grand distinction of being the only little girl and before the end of the party she was queen of all she surveyed. About this time I started putting dishes on the buffet in the dining room and making motions to get dinner started. I asked Master to get the turkeys out of the smoker. Smoked turkeys! One would have thought we had said gold soup for dinner. One of the guys followed Master out to the balcony just to watch the process.
We had a carver for the birds. He is from Ames, Iowa and his name is Chris, I believe. He was on the same ship as Gary at the same time when Gary was in the marines. Chris is an ex-navy guy, so Master likes him, of course. Chris stood and carved both birds, he didn’t have to, but I do believe he enjoyed himself. A very nice man. They all were nice.
The 1st Sgt., Tom is really proud of his unit. You could see his chest swell with pride whenever anyone said something nice about them. They mingled with the other guests, the others mingled with them. It was a very good day.
Kathleen arrived just about that time. Her tray of fresh veggies went over in a big way. Elijah and Sarah made short work of the carrots and cucumbers. But she had lots of other veggies so no one who wanted any went without. Gary, Arlene, and Sean were the last to arrive. They brought the dinner rolls.
I was waiting for the gravy to get done, and the ten tons of dressing to finish cooking. We had 9.5 tons left. I don’t know where my head was when I made that. It goes on the list of next year’s do’s and don’ts. Don’t make too much dressing. Don’t make too many salads, Daniel and Ruth’s salad went almost all to waste. They took home one bowl of lettuce and tomatoes, but the one she had dressed had to be pitched. Don’t need so many cranberries, either. One bag would have been plenty. Mashed potatoes about half the amount, the rolls were just about right. The vegetables are important. The spinach pie disappeared in a flash, the beans and tomatoes were nearly gone. They made short work of the turkeys. Master bought two 15 pound birds. My guess is there is only about 5 pounds left. We took the meat off the bones last night and froze the carcasses for soup later. The deserts were just about right. The pumpkin custard is gone, my Sarah will be happy to know that. About half of each pie is gone, they were cut into really small pieces. Master is happy the pecan pies weren’t all eaten. The cookies that were out, disappeared, but there are still a boat load of them left. I guess the trick is to have food for half the number of people you plan to serve. Everyone isn’t going to eat everything and even if they do, they won’t eat a whole serving of anything, so they can have more room for new stuff. The coffee needed to be made twice, no tea, but about 2 cases of sodas disappeared.
Dinner was a casual affair. There was no children’s table. Sarah ate with Arlene and Gary and Sean. Jere, Flacco, and ‘Zaiah ate at the coffee table near some soldiers. Some ate out on the patio, others ate at tables. Some stood holding their plates and talking. I got a chance to sit and watch and drink a bottle of water while they were being served. They looked so young, and were having such a good time. I am so glad we did this.
By the time I was ready to eat, I wasn’t hungry. I had a bit of potatoes and some dressing with gravy and a roll. I did manage to snag some pumpkin custard, the only dessert that was eaten entirely and a small piece of pecan pie and a small taste of the linzer torte and the fresh plum pie. Suhare’s Sarah reminded me of the old cool whip commercial about Uncle Harry who will only have cool whip. Sarah came to her mother’s table with a plate of just cool whip. One of the soldiers got a really great picture of her. I don’t know if we will get to share, we have only two email addresses from all the people there.
I have pictures to remind me of the joyous occasion. I will be able to look back and smile at the wonderful holiday dinner we had this year. And then a really nice thing happened today. Bobbie Masker, Jamie’s wife, sent a note with a picture of her and the family. She thanked us for being so kind to Jamie. Apparently he called her to let her know about his outing and how much fun he had. That makes my heart happy. Even if we never see any of these people again, it was a holiday to remember. Master remarked that it was one of the best He’s had since He’s been here. He said it was because we didn’t do it as a pay back to other social obligations, and we didn’t do it because we expected anything in return. We did it because we wanted to share the day with others. I think He is right on both counts. For me, yesterday was second only to being home with my family.
We had seven men and three women Iowa National Guard soldiers over for Christmas Dinner on Christmas Day. We were expecting a few more than that, up to 15-16, but they are so busy, these were the only ones who had free time. They got to the apartment at 2:00 on the nose and had to be back at base by 18:00 hrs. (6:00 for us non-military folk). I was in the kitchen when they arrived, so I didn’t see the girls take their weapons (M16s and a 45) and lock them in the back bedroom which was just as well for me, I am not a fan of guns. But as they came back out, I stood in the hallway by the front door and shook hands with each, asked their names, and welcomed them into our home for Christmas.
It seems it didn’t take long for them to warm up to us, Daniel and Ruth and the boys were already here when they arrived. One of the girls couldn’t believe we would have kids here. She reached down and touched Jere’s check to make sure he was real. The boys were a bit shy at first, but as the day went on, they loosened up and talked with the soldiers.
Pat and Norma and Kevin were the next to arrive. I was scrambling around in the kitchen again trying to find a place to put all the food. Odd how just 24 hours before I was frantically trying to figure out what we would do if we ran out of food, and at that moment I was frantically trying to figure out in my head where I was going to put all the leftovers. The counters were full, the fridge was overfull, you still can’t open it without jumping back in case something wants to leap out at your feet, the counter is the maid’s room was stacked with deserts.
About that time Suhare and Ahmed and Sarah came with even more food. Sarah had the grand distinction of being the only little girl and before the end of the party she was queen of all she surveyed. About this time I started putting dishes on the buffet in the dining room and making motions to get dinner started. I asked Master to get the turkeys out of the smoker. Smoked turkeys! One would have thought we had said gold soup for dinner. One of the guys followed Master out to the balcony just to watch the process.
We had a carver for the birds. He is from Ames, Iowa and his name is Chris, I believe. He was on the same ship as Gary at the same time when Gary was in the marines. Chris is an ex-navy guy, so Master likes him, of course. Chris stood and carved both birds, he didn’t have to, but I do believe he enjoyed himself. A very nice man. They all were nice.
The 1st Sgt., Tom is really proud of his unit. You could see his chest swell with pride whenever anyone said something nice about them. They mingled with the other guests, the others mingled with them. It was a very good day.
Kathleen arrived just about that time. Her tray of fresh veggies went over in a big way. Elijah and Sarah made short work of the carrots and cucumbers. But she had lots of other veggies so no one who wanted any went without. Gary, Arlene, and Sean were the last to arrive. They brought the dinner rolls.
I was waiting for the gravy to get done, and the ten tons of dressing to finish cooking. We had 9.5 tons left. I don’t know where my head was when I made that. It goes on the list of next year’s do’s and don’ts. Don’t make too much dressing. Don’t make too many salads, Daniel and Ruth’s salad went almost all to waste. They took home one bowl of lettuce and tomatoes, but the one she had dressed had to be pitched. Don’t need so many cranberries, either. One bag would have been plenty. Mashed potatoes about half the amount, the rolls were just about right. The vegetables are important. The spinach pie disappeared in a flash, the beans and tomatoes were nearly gone. They made short work of the turkeys. Master bought two 15 pound birds. My guess is there is only about 5 pounds left. We took the meat off the bones last night and froze the carcasses for soup later. The deserts were just about right. The pumpkin custard is gone, my Sarah will be happy to know that. About half of each pie is gone, they were cut into really small pieces. Master is happy the pecan pies weren’t all eaten. The cookies that were out, disappeared, but there are still a boat load of them left. I guess the trick is to have food for half the number of people you plan to serve. Everyone isn’t going to eat everything and even if they do, they won’t eat a whole serving of anything, so they can have more room for new stuff. The coffee needed to be made twice, no tea, but about 2 cases of sodas disappeared.
Dinner was a casual affair. There was no children’s table. Sarah ate with Arlene and Gary and Sean. Jere, Flacco, and ‘Zaiah ate at the coffee table near some soldiers. Some ate out on the patio, others ate at tables. Some stood holding their plates and talking. I got a chance to sit and watch and drink a bottle of water while they were being served. They looked so young, and were having such a good time. I am so glad we did this.
By the time I was ready to eat, I wasn’t hungry. I had a bit of potatoes and some dressing with gravy and a roll. I did manage to snag some pumpkin custard, the only dessert that was eaten entirely and a small piece of pecan pie and a small taste of the linzer torte and the fresh plum pie. Suhare’s Sarah reminded me of the old cool whip commercial about Uncle Harry who will only have cool whip. Sarah came to her mother’s table with a plate of just cool whip. One of the soldiers got a really great picture of her. I don’t know if we will get to share, we have only two email addresses from all the people there.
I have pictures to remind me of the joyous occasion. I will be able to look back and smile at the wonderful holiday dinner we had this year. And then a really nice thing happened today. Bobbie Masker, Jamie’s wife, sent a note with a picture of her and the family. She thanked us for being so kind to Jamie. Apparently he called her to let her know about his outing and how much fun he had. That makes my heart happy. Even if we never see any of these people again, it was a holiday to remember. Master remarked that it was one of the best He’s had since He’s been here. He said it was because we didn’t do it as a pay back to other social obligations, and we didn’t do it because we expected anything in return. We did it because we wanted to share the day with others. I think He is right on both counts. For me, yesterday was second only to being home with my family.
