“Christmas Eve — the tree blazed with lights.”
I am still awake at 2:30. I’m not even tired. Today I made more cookies, snickerdoodles. The outsides of the cookies are brown and crisp and have a cinnamon taste. The insides are soft and taste of butter and sugar. They are wonderful cookies for Christmas time, for wintertime.
When I was a kid, my whole body shook with excitement on Christmas Eve. I wanted to go to bed when it got dark, too early my mother said. I remember sitting in my new pajamas reading A Christmas Carol in the living room by the lights of the tree. Finally I could go to bed. I didn’t fall asleep right away, but when I did fall asleep, I slept through the night into the morning, into Christmas.
I remember so many Christmas Eves when my mother and I were the only ones awake. She’d have an Irish coffee and I’d have coffee with Kahlua and Bailey’s and a bit of whipped cream on the top. Sometimes we watched a movie. I remember watching Jack Frost, a movie about a killer snowman. It was awful and sometimes oddly funny so we watched until the end. My favorite part of our Christmas Eve was when we’d open one present from each other, one perfect, special gift.
Tonight my friends and I will make our gingerbread houses. We each bought all sorts of candy to decorate our houses. I have Necco wafers, candy which looks like rocks and Lego block candy. My friend has spearmint leaves and more, but I somehow forgot what else she is bringing. Anyway, I’ll have us set up at the dining room table covered with a festive, vinyl cloth under our work spaces. They’ll be food: dips, meatballs, cheese and crackers. I love this tradition of ours.
Christmas Eve has always been the magical night. The sky is filled with stars, a blanket of stars. The air is clear and brisk. Christmas lights seem even brighter. I stay up late now.
Merry Christmas!
keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
December 24, 2018 at 5:55 am
Good Morning Kathy. Although I’m assuming you may be sound asleep. Which is as it should be. As you may have gleaned I am an early riser and was shocked to already see a posting from you. So I wanted to be the first to wish you a very Merry Christmas. I do very much enjoy your “musings”. Thank you for sharing so much. I was in stoneham recently and ran into Bev Longo. So nice to see her. So many wonderful memories. Have a wonderful Christmas.
Pat
December 24, 2018 at 12:16 pm
Hi Pat,
Thanks for the kind words about Coffee and the Christmas wishes. The blog was started when I first retired. I never thought I’d still be finding something to write about all these years later. We have a Coffee family from all over.
Last year, we had a St Pat’s get together at the China Moon, mostly the people you and I knew. It was great to see everyone. We all signed a card for Johnny Kelly who was amazed we still saw each other. He turned 90 around then and passed not long after. I saw a picture of him at his birthday. He looked the same.
I wish for you the happiest and the merriest of Christmases!!
December 24, 2018 at 6:28 am
It’s 5 am in Detroit and I am reading the KTCC Christmas Eve post. The day when the excitement was so great for us that my Mum used to give us a couple of disprin to get us to sleep
Mrs MDH is snoring, I am ready to make coffee and the 6:30 Mass awaits
December 24, 2018 at 11:36 am
My Dear Hedley,
My sister used to take her kids swimming on Christmas Eve. After that they did their pinatas. Opening the gifts was great fun and took the edge off the Santa excitement. On a couple of Christmas mornings my sister had to wake her kids up.
I slept quite late so I am glad I did my post in the wee hours.
December 24, 2018 at 10:01 am
Merry Christmas Kat and to all the other Coffee readers!
December 24, 2018 at 11:36 am
Thank you, splendid
Merry Christmas to you!
December 24, 2018 at 10:39 am
Hi Kat,
Merry or Happy Christmas to all of the coffee family.
December 24, 2018 at 11:37 am
Hi Bob,
Thank you!! Have a wonderful day!
December 24, 2018 at 11:50 am
Christmas Eve is our main Christmas event with gifts and all and it’s a bad day for being sick at home not able to eat anything. I hope it’s better tomorrow.
Making gingerbread houses is a nice tradition, have fun with your friends!
Happy Holidays to all of you!
December 24, 2018 at 12:06 pm
Birgit ,
Oh, I’m so sorry you’re sick. I’m hoping it is one of those twenty-four hour things and you’ll be just fine tomorrow.
Christmas Eve is a really personal evening. Families have a variety of traditions. Tonight is a time to get together, to celebrate with friends and family. Some open presents, others wait until the morning. We were a Christmas morning family.
Marry Christmas!
December 24, 2018 at 12:19 pm
The Christmas presents are now opened since most Yule gnomes have been to most homes to hand out the presents. The food is eaten and now everyone say that they have eaten too much and never will again 🙂 🙂 and a very big part of the population have watched Donald Dock and his friend even though everyone say they won’t 🙂 🙂 🙂 This tradition is now 58 years old 🙂
I’ve only made one gingerbread house in my life and it was a disaster, I never would have allowed my mother to take part in it but instead asked my aunt how to do it 🙂 I did however see a Hogwarts gingerbread house, well the entire place actually in a video on Fb and I must say that I would love to try and build that one 🙂 🙂
Have a Good Yule!
Christer.
December 24, 2018 at 12:46 pm
Christer,
You have finished with your Christmas Eve festivities, and It sounded like you had such a wonderful day. Good old Donald Duck!
I saw that Hogswart gingerbread house. That is way beyond even my dream talents. Mine is a humble house with four walls and a roof. It comes as kit in pieces.
God Jul
December 24, 2018 at 12:21 pm
Hi Kat,
Merry Christmas!
I made pizzelle this morning. This is my third batch and is not as thin and wafer-like as the other two. I think I put too much cocoa into this one so it’s a little more cakey side. Still tastes good and will travel much better than the previous ones which were so delicate they broke if I even breathed on them.
Tonight is my SIL’s Xmas party so that’s where I’ll be. There’ll be food and drink and good company. I’m looking forward to it.
Have a lovely Chrismas Eve gingerbread building party.
December 24, 2018 at 1:04 pm
Hi Caryn,
My cookies are now divided. Each of my two friends will get a tin of their favorite cookies, and I have some for me.
Christmas Eve construction is such fun. We don’t do a whole lot of talking; mostly we concentrate on building our houses. Tomorrow is more hoopla with the opening of gifts and the Christmas dinner.
Have a wonderful party tonight! Merry Christmas,
December 24, 2018 at 6:44 pm
Cheers to one and all, but especially to Kat for hosting this daily roundtable. I barely have any Christmas spirit at all this year. I’ve decided either my flu shot or pneumonia shot (maybe both!) accidentally inoculated me against the holidays, too. I didn’t even put up the tree, much less create a holiday “mixtape.” I’m a bundle of joy and a barrel of laughs, but I still wish a joyous and happy time to everyone else. Wish me luck making Trisha Yearwood’s grandmother’s coconut cake with lemon-coconut glaze. The Magic 8-Ball says there’s a mess in my future! Fa La La…
December 24, 2018 at 10:35 pm
im6,
Merry Christmas to you with an emphasis on the merry.
I was slow to start everything this Christmas. It all got done but only at the last minute. That is so unusual for me.
My friends just left. We decorated our gingerbread houses, and they looked great. We’ll get together again tomorrow for presents and dinner.
That cake sounds tremendous. I love coconut and lemon.
I hope you have a good day tomorrow.
Merry Christmas!
December 25, 2018 at 8:39 am
Merry Christmas!
December 25, 2018 at 10:16 am
Merry Christmas, Rowen