A Christmas Cookout? Eh, Why Not?

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​A Christmas Cookout? Eh, Why Not?

      I had the holiday schedule mostly planned out:
    On Christmas Eve we'd set up luminaries on our block as we do every Christmas Eve, then afterwards our in-town children would come over for dinner.
       And then a few days after Christmas our out-of-town family would come for a visit, some staying for a few days, some for a week, which would be filled with the  celebratory feasting, and for which I'd been food shopping, food prepping, and baking for the past week and a half.
          But on Christmas day it would be just Tom and I, home alone, and I was at a loss as to what to do about Christmas dinner. Cook up something fancy for the two of us? Go out for dinner at the Iron Chef, a local Japanese steak house that's always open on Christmas? Or forgo the whole Christmas Dinner concept altogether this year and just sling up some leftover hash from whatever was hanging around in the refrigerator?
        I asked my mate for his input on my what-to-do-or-not-do-about-Christmas-dinner dilemma.
            "How about if I cook up some burgers on the grill?" he said.
            "A cookout on Christmas?" I gave it a moment's thought then said, "Sure, why not?"
              Actually, a grilled burger served up with some coleslaw and fries did sound pretty good. Not to mention simple, a little oasis in the midst of the storm of all the food preparation, but kind special all the same, since we don't normally grill out on our old,  old-school grill in the middle of winter.    

     And so my Christmas-dinner-for-two dilemma was solved, and a Christmas Day cookout it would be.
​     On Christmas Eve morning I lit my bayberry candle, as I do every Christmas Eve, following the directive of my mother, who was taught by her mother that:
         "On Christmas Eve,
          A bayberry candle burned down to the socket
           Brings health to the body and wealth to the pocket."

      Then at sunset Tom, Theresa, and I set up our neighborhood luminaries.

      Later Tommy and Emily came over for pasta primavera, green beans almondine, salad and hot rolls,

...and for dessert a fruit salad and a Kroger's Christmas Tree cookie .

      On Christmas morning I woke up all anxious to try out my Christmas present, a Cuisinart deluxe waffle-maker.

      That I gave to myself. So that I could make waffles. Which I did. They were great.

      As it turned out, Theresa ended up spending Christmas with us after all, which was nice, because there were now three of us for our Christmas cookout, which we all enjoyed.

      "These burgers taste so good," said my daughter. "From now on we should always do a cookout on Christmas."
        Tom, our burger griller replied, "Just as long as it's not too cold outside, guys."