Gentle Friends, it was a really lovely Christmas, we had a friend up from Monterey again to spend Christmas with us... starting off the evening with a Chinese dinner for a change then it was off to Mass... which was just beautiful... we got there on the early side so we could do the Caroling thing beforehand... the Choir and congregation sing carols before Mass... then Christmas morning I had made some sausage pinwheels, and we also had some really delicious pumpkin bread, a gift from a dear friend... and we opened up some presents... probably my favourite of the day was one from Rico...
... this great cookie jar of Jack Skelington wearing his Santa hat!! So now I will go from Oogie Boogie in the Fall to Jack for Christmas!!! I do love Nightmare before Christmas!!
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Then I had to get started on Christmas dinner...we had a tableful of folks coming so I had some snacks for when they arrive...
... there were deviled eggs, my great Aunt Sue's sausage Balls and Nuts and Bolts!!
... here is the table set and read for dinner...
... Rico made another stupendous arrangement... this sucker lasted until New Years with a little futzing so we had some pretty flowers on the table during the Holidays!! I forgot to take a snap of dinner. For dinner we had baked ham, "Luxury" Mashed Potatoes, brocoli with hollandaise sauce some homade pickle and Parker House rolls... nothing hard and what made the potatoes Luxury, the name on the recipe, not my word, was the addition of chives, roated garlic and some cream cheese, they were really tatsy. It was a pretty basic dinner, but I had asked everyone in advance for some input, my first mistake, and got their opinions, lordy what a can of worms!!... so I tried to please everyone and everyone seemd very happy!!
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One of our guests was very insistent about bringing dessert, so I said whatever he brought that it had to be cake, I always have a Birthday cake on Christmas... it is Jesus' birthday and its something my family has done my whole life... so he brought a delicious Oreo Cake, it was a super light textured cake with a whipped icing, so good and so very diffent than any other kind of cake I ever made.
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Later on during the week, that both Rico and had taken off, we headed over to St Ignatius a lovely church I'm sure I've talked about before. It's over in the Richmond District on the corner of Parker and Fulton Streets...
... there is a small display of the history of this church... its the fifth incarnation of St Ignatius in the City. This building was begun in 1912 and dedicated in 1914...
... this is a snap of a snap of the iron skeleton ...
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... the Christmas decorations are always lovely ...
... the Blessed Virgin Chapel... the alter was blessed on the feast of the Assumption in 1924. The chapel was built and renovated in 1935. Antonio Dolfi's year 2000 reproduction of the c. 1475 Andrea Della Robbia blue and white glazed terracotta "Annunciation" is above the western side door. The brass kneeler was added during the 2001 restoration/renovation.
... the side chapel of the Virgin of Guadalupe...
... and I'll wrap up this Post with a shot of the Creche at St Ignatius... yes, that camel is really small!!
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There you go sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!!
Take care,
edgar
