We’ve all talked, and the jury is in: this may have been one of the best Christmas weekends of all time.
There’s no real reason I can think of as to why this might be, other than the fact that I’m finally starting to feel like an adult, and the holidays are becoming more about having an excuse to spend a lot of time together and less about presents and stress and everything that needs to get done.
To kick off the weekend, Ari and I had a magical brunch at Café Triskell, a hole-in-the-wall with only a handful of tables but plenty of cheer.
We’d been meaning to try Café Triskell for over a year, since it was recommended to me by my former boss (three bosses ago, actually). It was well worth the wait, and I’m pretty sure we may have found a new favorite spot.
It’s both very “old France,” and very “old New York” as well. The items on the menu are ones you will find on a traditional French menu in, say, Nice: simple, fresh, and whole ingredients, with no butter spared. Just what we wanted.
We both got buckwheat crêpes with cheese, mushrooms, and herbed butter; Ari chose white cheddar and added an egg, while I stuck with swiss (or emmental, as it’s called in France). It was superb. We lingered over coffee, reading books (me) and playing chess (him). Pure bliss, I tell you.
We headed home to meet up with my parents, stopping first at Silver Moon Bakery to pick up the bûche du noêl. The line was out the door… the sign of a good bakery!
The rest of the afternoon was spent baking cookies and watching two of our favorite holiday movies: A Christmas Story and Christmas Vacation. We have a few staples that we rotate every year: The Santa Clause, A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Carol (the 1951 version with Alastair Sim). I think we watched these exact two last year as well, but the beauty of it is they’re always funny… even funnier than they were the year before!
My dad made us a fabulous Christmas Eve dinner. If we had a fireplace we would have eaten it around the hearth, but our dining room table was cozy, too.
Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup (recipe to follow)
Thai Green Curry with Shrimp and Tofu, Basmati Rice
And the pièce de résistance… the bûche! A bûche du noël is a traditional Christmas dessert in France, and we’ve had one on Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember. We’ve gotten them from Soutine Bakery in the West 70s, Balthazar in SoHo, and Silver Moon on the Upper West Side. They always come decorated… sometimes with just a simple curl of chocolate, but more often with a little holiday scene, like a deer in a snowy wood with meringue mushroom toadstools.
As soon as our last movie was over, we hit the sheets so we could hurry along Christmas Day.
I’ve mentioned my upbringing before: my dad was raised a relax Jew, my mom Christian. We don’t attend church or synagogue (unless we are visiting someone else’s family), and when we do celebrate the holidays, it’s more for memory and tradition: the lighting of a menorah, the hanging of Christmas ornaments.
To some, this might seem like a commercial way to do it, but that’s never been the case with us. It’s about joy, love, and family. I could hardly keep my secret the moment I figured out the perfect gift for my parents, and Ari, who celebrated his third Christmas with us yesterday, tried to convince me I wanted to know what he’d gotten me. (I did not.)
That being said, we got all got a lot of loot!
Even Charley is back to his hold self, and completely tuckered himself out running around with his new toys.
My dad made us a late Christmas breakfast, which was another rotating holiday staple: German Apple Pancakes.
Topped with confectioner’s sugar, Greek yogurt, and dipped in dark maple syrup, it was pure perfection.
After breakfast we headed to the movies (both a New York tradition and a Jewish one for Christmas Day) to see The Illusionist, the latest from the director of The Triplets of Belleville. We all loved it: the story, the animation, the quietness. It’s not playing in many theaters (only at the Paris and the Sunshine in NYC) but I highly recommend you seek it out. It’s magical.
When I was little, I remember the day after Christmas being kind of a letdown, the same way that coming home from sleepaway camp was both exciting (to be going home to family and friends) and sad (to be leaving new family and new friends), but that’s not the case today. Even though I have to work today, I still feel wrapped up in “the holiday spirit,” which I really think means knowing you are loved, and you have love to give. And both are most certainly true.
How do you celebrate holidays in your family? What does “holiday spirit” mean to you?
This was my best Christmas as well
So glad you had a lovely celebration!
wow what a breakfast!!! and I love seeing Ari and you together on the blog!! adorable!
your parents seem like amazing and awesome people too!!
YAY FAMILY.
We’re Jewish and celebrate Hanukkah and other holidays. As kids Hanukkah was much more about the gifts, though we lit the menorah candles every night. As adults all of our holidays are more about spending time with each other, and my sister and I try to buy tickets for the theater or gift cards to restaurants, to enjoy time and each other instead of more stuff (this year we all saw Billy Elliot on Broadway, which was wonderful).
Sounds like a great Christmas for you and your family. Have a good Sunday.
Buche de Noel always brings a smile to my face. My mom used to make them when I was a kid- it’s probably been about five years since she last made one, and I completely forgot about that tradition. Glad you had a good Christmas with your family!
So glad you had a great holiday with your family Katie. I agree, traditions don’t need to be the same for each person or family. And most of the time they don’t have to do with religious conventions or anything of the sort! Since my parents are split, Christmas is always a bit different every year and I don’t mind! I’ve been lucky enough to engage in the different traditions of many families and it’s a lot of fun!
Happy Holidays!
aw charley looks exactly like my in laws’ black standard poodle. i love when they’re not all shaved “poodle style”
looks like you had a great xmas
love the tree & the buche du noel! happy holidays 
Looks like you had a wonderful Christmas! Your dessert and breakfasts look so delicious. The holiday spirit for us is about spending time together and enjoying each others company and good food. We usually spend a lot of time talking about the year gone by and what we hope will be coming for the new year. Of course theres also presents, I just love seeing peoples faces when they open their gifts!
merry Christmas/happy Hanukkah (and all that jazz…)
looks like a great day! never heard of that german cake thingy before, but it looks super fluffy.
i cant even imagine the amount of yule logs that bakery had to make!!! holy crap!
It’s amazing how the feel of the day changes each year. Wait until you throw kids into the mix. Christmas just keeps getting better with age.
So glad you had a wonderful day!
German Apple Pancakes
the thing that looks like a raw chocolate mousse yule log
i want those 2 things!
I love the LOVE in this post. I can feel it! I think next xmas there will engagement presents, just sayin
relaxed jew – i like that. heh heh.
that cafe looks cute! aaaand your dad’s cooking all looks awesome. especially that breakfast. yuuuum.
i love the positive tone of this post. i like that holidays can do that to people. it really can be a special time. hope you’re enjoying the remaining few days of the year & holiday cheer!
So glad you, Ari, and the family had a wonderful christmas! I sooooooooooo agree it is better as an adult, no stress worrying about presents etc.. I loved the quality time me and my boys got to spend , it was the best!!!
Love ya girl! xoxo
Ahh yes, that german apple pancake looks scrumptious!!!
I love puffed pancakes like that with lemon juice and powdered sugar
Happy Holidays!
Glad you had a good holiday!
I’ve never seen you in glasses before — you look adorable.
<3 <3
It definitely does look like an absolutely wonderful Christmas! Love the picture of the gift-opening aftermath haha
Love those pancakes!
Aww! Looks like an awesome Christmas!
That German pancake looks so good! My family always has a pancake breakfast for New Years morning and we do German pancakes, Swedish pancakes and Norwegian. We have roots in those places and it’s fun to celebrate that way.
I’m so glad you had a wonderful holiday, filled with family, food, and happiness. I’m so glad to report that mine was much the same!
What a fabulous celebration! Aw, this just warms my heart. My family, of course, has it’s own traditions but the basics are the same lots of love, great foods, and even a few thoughtful gifts for good measure. Glad you had a happy holiday!
those german apple pancakes look amazing!
Those German apple pancakes look amazing! Yum.
Thanks for sharing your holiday via photos – definitely looks like it was a good one
I loved the Triplets of Belleville! Definitely going to check out that movie.
Glad to see/hear you had a great Christmas Miss Katie xoxo
i need a recipe for that apple cake. and stat!!!
Merry belated Christmas me lady – it looks like a lovely time spent with the family
Wow – those German pancakes look to die for.
My family are non-Christian Christmas celebrators – practically everyone in our family who was Catholic and the reason we did Christmas are gone now. I think we’re a rare case of a full-on atheist family! We feel a bit hypocritical, but it’s such a family tradition and a good excuse to spend time together….and eat of course!
I love the Alastair Sim of A Christmas Carol! I can’t go a year without watching it.
Your nice blog is normally worth a read if anyone comes across it. Im lucky i did because now Ive got a full new view of this kind of. I didnt realise that the issue was so important and for that reason universal. You definitely said in perspective for my family, thanks for the fantatic details.