Traditions, closing doors on a closet project and the holiday joy

My track record at actually posting on time (my self-imposed timing) is a bit worse for wear lately. Fine, the last month or so. Anywho. I just stepped up to the plate, er, computer after one last admiring glance at the new closet in the porch. Hooray! It will happen, the ‘being done on time’ part. Tonight we’ll hang one door on the track. The other door is still drying from its last coat of espresso colored stain; that, and we don’t have the other set of pulleys yet. Apparently it’s hard to find three inch pulleys in stock (of the style we have on the other door). 

Once I find the support brackets for the closet coat hanger rail, we’ll install in that too. Wish me luck on my hunt for that tomorrow! Oh yes, pictures. I’ll post pictures in the next post of the ‘after.’ If I can find a ‘before,’ that will be included as well. My hubby did well with his carpentry and mad math skills and I’ll admit to lounging and watching him work. And then before I knew it, it was my turn to work. Uff da, that really sneaks up on a person. And that varnish stuff that I was using, is quite smelly. The fumes will intoxicate you and leave you feeling like you’re exhaling fumes for several hours afterwards. Yes, I had and have a fan running. In deference to winter and the extreme negative temperatures here, I opened the door periodically for a fresh air exchange.

While I completed the final coat of varnish on the closet cabinet doors and stained a door, my hubby was in town shopping. By himself. Semi voluntarily, haha. Ah well, I think he survived the experience. What can I say? He had some Christmas shopping to do.

It’s interesting trying to carve out new and similar Christmas traditions when you get married and start a new chapter in life. My family would always watch Christmas movies together the night before Christmas Eve and on Christmas Eve and sometimes Christmas night, if we didn’t have any family gatherings to attend.  The Grinch (animated and live), Christmas with the Kranks, and  Elf are just a few of the favorites we watch. Of course, I’m a complete and total sucker for the uber cheesy, cringe-worthy, sappy, made-for-tv Christmas movies. Sadly, since I don’t have cable or satellite and with slightly unworthy wifi, the only cheesy holiday movies I watch are those that I have on DVD.  My other half has willingly watched some of those movies with me but I suspect he does it only because he knows it makes me happy.  Aww.

This year we’re doing Christmas here and there; and while we visit my parents we’ll also squeeze in a party with the grandparents and the great aunts and uncles. Time with friends? Most likely unlikely, as they’ll be busy with their own family holidays and traditions. But I’ll send a text with a holiday greeting as we always do. 

Of course, mom will make lutefisk, a holiday delicacy. Note, it’s best eaten with tons of butter and hint of salt and pepper. If you don’t like it, it’s most likely due to it was not properly cooked; and by cooked, I mean, boiled. Baked gives an unsatisfactory result. It’s a very delicate fish, you must handle it with the proper respect and finesse in order to cook it to perfection. My little sister just might make more lefse but she and I did make a decent amount at Thanksgiving so we might be good. The meal isn’t replete without a little ham thrown in for the non-lutefisk lovers (those rascals!), mashed potatoes and gravy, pie and a veggie platter. I was toying with the idea of making lefse for the hubby’s fam party we’re hosting. However, I lack the pastry cloth to roll the dough out on and the pastry slip-on cover for the rolling pin. And a lefse stick, that’s absolutely essential. Maybe the hubby will surprise me with the lefse gear? We’ll see. 

What are some of your holiday traditions?