Christmas Dinner is Like a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree

Christmas time is here! The music of my oven, Igi, humming away is in the air! You know the little tree in the Charles Schultz "A Charlie Brown Christmas?" The droopy little fir in need a lot of love? Yep. That one. Well, think of ingredients like droopy little firs in need of love. Cooking is after all, a loving act in the same way as decorating a tree for Christmas is a loving act. We hang bobbles and tie bows onto the tree's branches. We wrap it in a skirt and place presents about its base. We wait in anticipation of what is to come...

Cooking is like that don't you think? We purchase yummy ingredients like standing rib roasts, organic potatoes and green beans. We lovingly prep the ingredients. We massage good flavors into the meat like herb salt and sliced garlic.  The potatoes get dressed up with fresh rosemary.  and we robe the green beans in sour cream and cheese. Wine is chosen. Desserts get planned and made.  The table gets set. We count backwards on the clock so our dinner is perfectly timed to have all the sides finished as soon as the roast is cooked, rested and carved. We light candles and say a prayer. We share our love with each other and are better for it; just as the little tree is suddenly a dynamic, glowing masterpiece at the end of the film. The tree 'just needs a little love' says Linus. Don't we all?

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