Christmas Feast

This year, the general consensus was to do something other than the traditional turkey or ham for Christmas dinner. We searched through our cookbooks and decided on Beef Wellington, a dish that we had never tried to make before but looked simple enough. Little did we know that a 7 pound beef tenderloin would cost so much, but Christmas is as special an occasion as they come. As the old Pearson saying goes, "damn the expense, give the canary another seed".

I had fun decorating the loin with my 4-year-old niece Emily, who decided on a floral motif cut from puff pastry. The meal was delicious. We also had my hubby's famous scalloped potatoes, my mom's favorite veggie: brussel sprouts, yeast rolls, salad, baked beans with prosciutto ham, and a lemon bunt cake.

The best part of the day was when we all watched a DVD slideshow of some old family photos. I made it as a gift to my mom, who cried her eyes out and said she would treasure it always. It was a nice way to remember my dad, grandma BeBe, great grandma Woods, and others who aren't with us anymore.