For dinner, I got a little ambitious and decided to make a Christmas ham. I'm not very experienced when it comes to cooking meat. I suppose that's because I would usually just help prepare side dishes or desserts whenever I helped my mom in the kitchen. I didn't think it was a good idea to attempt a turkey. It could go horribly wrong and then we wouldn't have enough to eat. So, I went with a pre-cooked, spiral cut ham instead. All I had to do was warm it up and glaze it. What could possibly go wrong? Ha. The simple directions on the package did not tell me how far in advance I should begin to thaw the ham so - although I appeared to do everything right - our 8 lb. ham came out of the oven still half frozen! Thank goodness it was pre-cooked and sliced so we were able to cut off several pieces at the last minute, stick them in a glass baking dish, and warm them up in time to serve. But it was a little chaotic in the kitchen there for a minute.Other than the near-crisis with the ham, the rest of the meal was delicious. I made some real garlic mashed potatoes with gravy, roasted asparagus, and baked apples. Our guests brought a collection of soups and chili's, as well as some bread and lots of tasty desserts. I also made some ice cubes with raspberries frozen inside of them to mix with sparkling cider or champagne. Very fancy! Needless to say, it was a very satisfying and festive meal!
9 friends crammed into a tiny kitchen.
After dinner was finished, our friends helped us clear away the dishes, pack up the left-overs, and reset the room for the cocktail party. I had already set out a large assortment of drinks, and baked 5 dozen chocolate chip cookies, plus a tray of tiger butter. I also set dishes full of mixed nuts, pretzels, and boxes of holiday candy all around the house. That, combined with everything our guests brought to share meant our house was bursting with good things: sugar, friends and laughter!
We have a small 2 bedroom townhouse and knew that our space was not sufficient for entertaining everyone that we invited. There was no way we'd be able to seat that many. However, we've learned through experience that no one wants to sit down in the living room during parties. No matter how many chairs you set out, all of your guests will invariably end up crammed like sardines into the kitchen. So we decided not to worry about it. Sure enough, we had just enough room. It was cozy but that's perfect for Christmas time. =^)
It's always kind of a bummer being away from family during the holidays. But honestly, our Misawa community is so tight-knit that these people feel like family. I was particularly excited to have our newest Samurai couple - Matt and Laurie Clark (pictured below on the right) - join us. They had a rough first couple of weeks here in Japan but are hopefully starting to settle in and make some friends!
The night was a huge success! Our neighbors hung around until 2 am so we were exhausted but happy at the end of the night. We woke up to a filthy kitchen but it was 100% worth it. Provide a place for people to gather and celebrate Christmas was our gift to our friends. Hoping you had an equally joyful Christmas wherever you are in the world right now! Blessings from Japan!
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