Merry Christmas!

I have been on my vacation since Monday and I still feel like I should be doing something. Not that I'm just sitting around, I've had plenty to do. But this break feels a lot more like an actual break than some of the ones in the past. I don't go back to work until the 5th (followed by jury duty on the 6th), and school doesn't start up again until the 20th! WOW!

It's the morning of Christmas Eve, and the festivities are starting. I am headed out to buy A LOT of seafood for Cioppino, our meal for tomorrow. Every year we try to do something different and this year is no different. It's a Sicilian seafood soup that has had RAVING reviews. It only takes about an hour, prep and everything. I'm excited to try it. You can check out the recipe most similar to ours (we've made it our own) here. For some reason I can only get that to link to the Food Network homepage, but if you look up Giada De Laurentiis and Cioppino, that's the recipe.

I have to go find or make a dessert for my potluck/gift exchange with my "sisters" and their family. I'm thinking that there is a reason the stores overstock on desserts on Christmas Eve...so that people like me can continue to procrastinate!

Around 5 we're going to hop on the New Mexico Railrunner, a train system that runs North to South and that has just opened its route to Santa Fe. We will head into Santa Fe and stroll through Canyon Road. This has become a Christmas Eve tradition for us (my sisters and me) and if you're ever in NM for Christmas Eve you should try to make it there. It is the quintessencial Christmas scene; shops with lights, carolers, hot cider, bon fires, snow(!), it doesn't really get any better!

We'll be back in town in time for me to go to 11:00 service and then head to bed and get ready to spend Christmas day with my family.

I hope you all have a safe and blessed Christmas and that you find many things to be thankful for!