mulberryshoots

You know how things are when you’re about two weeks away from THE DAY if you are celebrating Christmas and things, although they seem do-able, start to feel a little overwhelming?

I’m happy to report that we have made a good deal of headway by discussing logistical puzzles that have given way to solutions that offered up more possibilities than when we were boxed into the “way it had to be.” One example for me and my daughters was that M. wanted very much to stop by H-Mart, a humongous asian grocery store halfway here on Christmas Eve day to be able to buy thin-sliced Kobe beef for Shabu-Shabu, and other delectable things for the holidays. She said she “didn’t want me to have to do everything myself.” (!) The big problem was that the H-Mart is located along an intersection across from a big shopping mall that makes a 30 minute wait seem like a blessing. So I was worried they’d be spending their whole time in traffic and not arrive here for Christmas Eve until late afternoon. Plus they would be tired out from all the driving and shopping.

What to do? Many scenarios were batted around by email and later last night, M. skyped me to say that they would make a separate trip to H-Mart on an earlier day and be able to take their time there since the closest H-Mart to them in Minneapolis was located in CHICAGO. Okay.

So, now that they were going to make an excursion out of going to H-Mart rather than a fly-by, I started thinking we could expand our food ideas for the rest of the holiday and that we could do a lot of cooking together during the rest of the time we had together. Isn’t it amazing how things click together when nothing seems to be working and something has to give, somehow? I love it when this happens.

Oh, and I also found a local butcher who, when asked on the phone if they could provide USDA Prime grade of a roast filet of beef answered, “That’s the only kind we sell,” and that they had over a hundred orders for Christmas Eve day already. What a relief not to have to drive more than an hour to pick one up at Whole Foods two towns over with the possibility that my anonymous order could be lost in the shuffle. Then, you might end up having to buy a goose or something rather than a roast beef. That wouldn’t be the end of the world either.

So, I guess I am feeling that one by one, the list is getting smaller. G. has said he’ll be happy to pick up the roast on Christmas Eve morning. And I can’t wait to hear about all the cooking ideas that my daughters come up with between now and when they show up on Christmas Eve.

“Deck the halls . . .”