Holly-day edition

Well, I've fallen quite behind lately.  Lots going on, all will be revealed one day.

I did spend quite a festive season in London.  They love Christmas here, completely uncynical and filled with actual holiday spirit, and people wear Christmas sweaters without a trace of irony.  Ones that light up, ones with multimedia incorporated into the designs.  Awful, acrylic things.

The subtle beauty of Oxford Street in December

Lucky enough to land an invite to a traditional English Xmas feast, I threw together some spicy cranberry sauce and grabbed my kit of Cards Against Humanity.  

Oh!  And the one thing I've found in all of the UK that was a produce import from the US was the cranberries.  I guess it's Massachusetts or bust on that one.  

It was a fantastic gathering in North London, with strict orders for all to stay out of the kitchen.  See the masking tape line on the floor?  Not allowed to cross it.  I had to sit on my hands and take photos instead.

The menu?  Very similar to the US Thanksgiving dinner, minus the sweet potato and squash dishes.  The turkey was divine- sous-vide, glazed and torched, with fried turkey skins scattered over the top.  None of these giant, unearthly birds to carve, just neat tightly rolled bits of perfectly cooked bird.

Much celebration and booze was involved, as the host had recently dipped his toes into the dangerous waters of home brewery.

An unironic Xmas sweater, complete with a "Christmas pud" and robin:

Crackers and streamers and paper crowns.

After din, I did my best to introduce the Brits to my favorite bawdy party game from across the pond.

A smashing success.