-Christmas 2001 Reno, NV-

 

So it was our first Christmas to host the family for dinner and to say that Christine was a little nervous was an understatement to say the least.

Absolute perfection was the goal…right down to the napkin rolls and place settings.

Now to really set the stage for this, it’s important to explain a challenge we faced. You see even though we lived in a great house, it was a rental, and as you know, top end appliances are generally not included.

So I was certain that attempting a Christmas dinner with what I liked to refer to as our “Fisher Price Cake Bake Oven” would lead to a group of people quietly sitting around the dinner table, suffering though a dinner that would be the butt of jokes for years to come.

Luckily I was able to talk Christine into buying a precooked meal, in the name of keeping things simple and keeping the stress to a minimum.

NOT SO FAST….No stress at Christmas….No Way!

After sitting down a few days prior to Christmas and putting a plan on paper (that I was sure resembled the battle plans for the invasion of Normandy), the one thing Christine was dead set on was making, was my Dad’s homemade eggnog.

Yes it’s that good!!!

Seriously…this eggnog is pure bliss in a glass. It could take any bad holiday party and turn into the talk of the water cooler for weeks, and all we needed was the recipe.

After a quick call to Dad, over the fax the recipe came, and I had one happy wife. But at the bottom, was a hand written note, “I dropped the brandy down to one cup.”

Now we’ll get back to that in a minute.

Christine’s Grandmother is not a quiet woman, but humble. She did not want others to fuss over her, and she certainly would not make a scene.

She and Grandpa, had come over the hill to spend Christmas with us, along with other members of Christine’s family.

Grandpa and I had to run out for the inevitable Christmas day last minute items, you know…”The I thought You Got Them” items.

So we headed out just as the eggnog was being served, and as we were stepping out the door, joking we said to Grandma, “Just Two Glasses, You Don’t Want To Get Run Over By A Reindeer.”

We returned not more then a hour later, and entered the house to the sound of uncontrollable laughter. We walked up the stairs to see Grandma dancing and laughing like it was going out of style!

Clearly you could see that the eggnog had brought out the Christmas cheer in her, and after helping Grandpa pick his jaw up from the floor, I whispered in Christine’s ear….

“Why Is Grandma drunk?”

“2 glasses of eggnog” she replied

You see Grandma, rarely if ever drank, but even I couldn’t figure this one out, until…

…I helped myself to some eggnog.

WOW….How about some eggnog with my brandy!!!

“This is really strong”, I told Christine, she said, “I know, I only had half a glass and have been mixing it to help the taste.”

As I struggled to keep my eyes from crossing, I began to wonder, did she not add something, so I asked, “Did you follow the recipe?”

“Word for word”…. Then she paused with a sheepish grin as she looked at Grandma.

It hit her, she forgot to cut the brandy back to a cup, and instead used the what recipe called for…1 quart.

Yep, that explained it.

And the Christmas legend of “Christine’s Knock You On Your Ass Eggnog” was born.

As for Grandma, she was fine. Nothing a little nap before dinner and a couple Tylenol couldn’t fix.

We have included the recipe, as a gift for you for the holidays. Download it and make it a part of your holiday memories. Just remember to cut the brandy back to a cup.

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah!

Matthew & Christine