When most people think of Christmas dinner, they picture the Southern Living Magazine spread with red and green tartan tablecloths laid heavy with juicy turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole and stuffing.
When I think about our family’s traditional Christmas dinner, I think of General Tso's chicken, broccoli in garlic sauce, and egg rolls.
Let me start by saying we LOVE Christmas. My parents put up their tree the day after Thanksgiving and decorate every room in their house, including the bathrooms. Holiday music plays in the kitchen non-stop from Thanksgiving til New Year’s. We love it, and we love being together to eat the same meals year after year.
So much so in fact, that our Christmas Eve spread has been the same for my whole life. Mom and I spend all of Christmas Eve afternoon rolling up pigs in a blanket, dishing out olives, and slicing soft cheeses and salty meats for the end-all-beat-all Turner tradition of Christmas Snacking Eve. The butcher’s block is heaped with bar snacks that we never tire of. When my youngest brother returned from a military deployment around the holidays, he scanned the Christmas Eve feast and immediately declared it unfit- the table was missing the pickles and simply would not be right until they were put out. You can always add snacks to the Christmas Eve dinner, but God help you if you try to take something away.
(Pictured above: this one time Mom and I thought making sugar cookies "like the ones in the Hallmark movies!" was a good idea; my husband and I decorating the tree; our family in post-presents revelry)
Because Christmas Eve is such a big deal in our house (and because we start drinking very early on Christmas morning), it made sense to keep Christmas dinner simple. We started getting take-out from Tan’s Asian Kitchen about 7 years ago- not only is it delicious, it is also one of the only places open in Tallahassee on Christmas Day.
We all put in our orders around 4pm, then Mom and I volunteer to pick it up. If it’s really an excuse to sit at the bar while the food is finished, then so be it. In 2016 we placed our massive order and headed out the door around 4:30 to pick it up, blithely saying “see you in a few!” as we left the house.
We arrived at Tan’s and checked in. “Be about 15 more minutes,” the woman at the counter told us. No problem, grab a seat at the bar, settle in to wait. 15 minutes passes...then 25….then 45…”Should I ask?” mom wondered aloud. We siddled up to the front desk woman. “Oh yes, we have your order, should be up any minute.” 15 minutes passes...then 25...then 45… “Ok, now I am getting seriously hangry,” I say. We check in again. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you where this is going.
3 hours later, we have the piping hot food and are on our way home. At the time it was a little frustrating, I’m not going to lie. But here’s the thing- and be ready, because nobody said this wouldn’t be cheesy- I really enjoyed the wait because I got to spend some unexpected time with my mom. We laughed and sipped and talked about big things and small things, enjoying each other’s company and the glow of Christmas (ok, maybe it was the glow of the Sapporo sign, but still).
There’s something magical about not having anywhere to be, and just...relaxing into it. Not fighting it or wishing you were somewhere else. Because while I wouldn’t have minded an egg roll or two, I wouldn’t trade that Christmas night trapped in Tan’s with my mom for anything.
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