Munchie Dinner

Have you ever been at a party or a reception where the appetizers were so good, you'd rather pig out on them than sit down for a meal?  But instead, you nibble sparingly in order not to ruin your appetite for the main feast?

Well, nuts to that.  Although I don't remember how it started, for many, many years, our family has had a Christmas Eve tradition we call Munchie Dinner.  Although the offerings have changed over the years to account for different tastes and preferences, some things remain the same.  Of course there's always cheese and crackers and veggies and dip, but the main dish, the one we could never do without, is the breaded and sauteed artichoke hearts.  This was an appetizer that my grandmother always prepared, and then my mother, and now me.  And I think Jenna is ready to take over the assignment.

When the kids were little, they loved the idea of eating in the living room in front of the fire, nibbling from an assortment of plates overcrowding the coffee table.  It was at this time, too, that we would open our gifts to one another so as not to get them confused with Santa's gifts the next morning.

It was our tradition.

Tonight, there were only three of us to carry on the tradition.  Pete is gone twelve years now, my mother four, and Sam is in California.  So the girls and I munched and drank and laughed and cried and opened our presents.  We talked to Sam on speakerphone, and for a moment, it seemed like he was in the room with us.

I hope that one day, there will be more people crowded around the coffee table on Christmas Eve.  But whether two or twelve, there will always be the artichoke hearts.   And the love in our hearts, too.