Boxing Day

While others go crazy for Boxing Day shopping, my Mom and I turned Boxing Day into the family dinner day. For years, we scrambled to do presents in the morning and dinner in the evening. The family would barely have left for the afternoon when they would just have to turn around and come back for dinner. Mom never got to see anyone open anything because she was constantly in the kitchen stirring something, mashing something or basting something.

A long time ago we decided to start doing presents on Christmas Eve. It was the best idea the family ever had....until a few years ago.

Every Christmas the uncles would have to try to decide between our house or the inlaws'. They would always be letting someone down. Once my cousins got older, they preferred to go to the maternal grandmother's house....so our dinner table got smaller and smaller. Then one year we realized that it doesn't matter what day we do dinner, as long as we do it. So we do it on Boxing Day now. This way the uncles can do the inlaw thing and then they can do the family thing. Mom and I get a day off to relax and do nothing and then a whole day to prepare the meal without all the added stress of family yapping, yelling and ripping presents open.

This year, it was great. I got to sleep in, help stuff the turkey and then head out for coffee with a friend that I really wanted to see before I move. Then still had time to come home and help get the appies ready, make the salad, get the table set and get all the other assistant duties out of the way.

Just immediate family this year which was fun because that doesn't happen often. Turkey dinner was delicious and we have enough leftovers for turkey & stuffing sammiches with all the trimmings!

Five hours of prep and cooking for five minutes of eating. But somehow it's always worth it. :)