X Mouse

For Adam and I, Christmas isn't necessarily family time. My father hates the holidays and Adam's mother works them (she's an Anglican minister). Not to mention our penchant for bucking gift exchange customs; this can make things hairy with well-meaning mothers wanting to bestow goodies on their grown children.

Still, we always celebrate in style, usually with a big friends and neighbours brunch on Christmas morning at our house or a small gift exchange with the pastiche of family members and food friends who visit around the holidays.

This year, Jeremiah, Sarah and Elspeth joined us for a very yuppie Christmas. There was shaved truffle and strip loin, Adam's rum trifle, a fridge full of microbrew, a visit to the National Archives, expensive cocktails at Blue Duck Tavern (disappointed not to see the Obamas or Bidens), a Warhol exhibit, the jungle room at the botanical gardens near the Capitol Building, sweet potato pie from Ris, cured duck salami and Cork's home made ricotta, late nights and lazy mornings, some knitting, some reading, bacon shortbread, a lunch of Bobby Flay burgers, a rainy day trip to an obscure Peruvian chicken place in VA, and crates of organic raspberries for the baby.

Pour nous, il était simplement parfait.