Holiday Merrymaking

Christmas Eve dinner was at Marie-Elisabeth's, after bingo, with our friend Ghalem. On the menu were verrines with avocado, cream, lox and fish eggs, and duck. It went until 1:30am, after which I started another hangout and Sylvain went down to Roquevaire to see his uncles. 

The girls were up at 7, eager to open gifts from Santa. While we waited for Sylvain to rise, we started watching The Princess Switch 3 and I cooked the veggies for Christmas dinner. 

Christmas dinner was in the veranda in the afternoon with Ghalem, Marie-Paule and the five Barrats. On the menu was foie gras, smoked salmon, seafood crêpes with pureed peas, lotte with onion cream sauce for non-poultry eaters, pintade chaponné for the others, sautéed fennel, carrots and turnips, cheese and garden green salad, yule logs and 13 desserts. The kids played Switch (the girls got two extra joy cons and four racing wheels for Christmas), Laureva's new Mario Kart Monopoly, and watched a movie, among other things. Our last guests but one left about 7pm.

At 7:30, we piled into two cars with Marie-Paule in tow for supper at Sophie and Jimmy's. Sophie's aunt Elaine from Corsica was there, along with some cousins. I enjoyed talking to them. We had seen them before at at least one party, but never interacted. The daughter is a freshman psychology major at the university in Nice. We stayed until past 1am. On the menu, scallops for me and toro stew for the others, plus 13 desserts, of course. 

Tuesday morning, I rose at 7 to start putting presents away before the cleaning lady arrived at 8:30. The girls slept in until then. Once Arlette had finished in the kitchen, I baked a batch of banana cupcakes to take to lunch at Maryelle's house. 

We spent the afternoon, until 8pm, with the Giraud/Zunino family in Roquevaire. Lunch was apéritif dinatoire style. There was foie gras, homemade pizza, lentil salad, pumpkin and feta salad, vegetable soup, cheese and 13 desserts.