Winter break Plans?

[jennybee1018]

Morning ladies!

It's been quiet over here - thought I'd try to liven it up!

What is everyone doing for the winter break? Traveling? Staying where you are? Having friends over to celebrate?

We were going to go to the US, but I was suffering with some pretty bad sciatica for the past two weeks, and traveling/being on a plane/etc would not have been comfortable. So we're in Doha for the winter break and will just relax. I'm fortunate to have the whole week of Christmas and New Years off, so I'll hopefully do some baking and cooking in that time. Otherwise, just relaxing and recovering!

[dorothyinAus]

I'm heading to the US for a Panama Canal cruise over New Year's, and then I'll spend a week in New Orleans. I'm catching up with friends & family while in the US. I'm excited about that, especially the chance to finally meet my brother's boyfriend, they've been dating since 2010.

[rupertpenny]

I’m too pregnant to travel so
We are stuck in HK. We will have Christmas dinner at a Peking duck place with my friend who is also enormously pregnant and her H.

I’m not taking any time off though. It’s going to be a very low key Christmas for sure.

[just]

I'm a reverse IL (Irish in the US).

We'll be in MA for Christmas just the two of us - I'm going to cook lasagna (non-american) from scratch, pasta and all. I'm off for a week, so had been hoping to visit my sister who is doing NYE in Miami, but the flights were more expensive than if I'd flown home to Ireland.

We're back in GB/WI for my DH's family in January. I have no real plans to go home in 2018. Since my mammy died, my dad has advanced alzheimers and my Sisters and Brothers have been visiting me more often, it's getting harder to justify. I am seriously considering going for US citizenship though

Happy Days to all of ya though ... Let's hope 2018 is fucking amazing.

[mrsukyankee]

Sorry to hear about your pain jennybee1018.

We're going to the States for Christmas for the first time in 8 years primarily because both my parents are finally in the same area. I'm quite happy to be going. It'll be interesting to go for the first time w/o having an American passport.

[cattledogkisses]

Christmas snuck up on me this year and I am completely unprepared for it.

We've been traveling for 4 out of the last 5 weeks, and I'm sick for the second time in as many weeks (thanks airplane germs), and I have so many things that I wanted to do that I probably won't end up doing this year. We live in an Orthodox country that celebrates Christmas on January 7, and December 25 is just an ordinary day here so I wanted to try to do something to make the day feel special, but right now I'm not feeling motivated to do anything except lay on the couch in my pjs and wish that I could breathe out of my nose.

My presents for H are sitting in unwrapped boxes under the tree. I made gingerbread cookies last week before I got sick again that are still sitting on my kitchen counter unfrosted. I have to get dressed and try to be a human tomorrow so I can go grocery shopping. This is basically the year of the half-assed Christmas. Lol.

We did have a great week in Germany/Austria cramming in as many Christmas markets as we could, so there's that at least.

[mrsukyankee]

cattledogkisses, hope you feel better soon!

[kaybee85]

We went to Strasbourg last week and are Christmased out lol. So much delicious vin chaud/gluhwein. Got home Christmas Eve around 4 pm. Now it's 8 am and I'm waiting for my kid to wake

[crimsonandclover]

just, how is non-American lasagna different? Just curious since here in Germany it's the same as where I'm from.

My mom is here visiting, and it has been nice having support during the kiddos' winter break. She'll be here until Tuesday- preschool starts again tomorrow and school for DD1 on Monday. I'm ready to get back to our regular routine.

[mrsukyankee]

Jan 4, 2018 1:24:23 GMT -5 crimsonandclover said:

just , how is non-American lasagna different? Just curious since here in Germany it's the same as where I'm from.

My mom is here visiting, and it has been nice having support during the kiddos' winter break. She'll be here until Tuesday- preschool starts again tomorrow and school for DD1 on Monday. I'm ready to get back to our regular routine.

When I grew up, the people in my area of the States used ricotta cheese as a layer. In England, they use a cheese sauce instead - no ricotta.

[just]

Jan 4, 2018 1:24:23 GMT -5 crimsonandclover said:

just, how is non-American lasagna different? Just curious since here in Germany it's the same as where I'm from.

As mrsukyankee said, the most served eaten version of lasagna in the states tends to be a ricotta lasagna, which is one of the authentic Italian versions. However through extensive lasagna eating research around the world, a bechemel version (also authentic) is more popular in many other countries. That’s the sort I grew up with.

Also my Christmas lasagna was so good!!!