the second Christmas

For Christmas last year, Adam, Elaine, Jeff and I all assembled at Adam and Elaine's apartment for a day of feasting, drinking, music, gifts and fellowship that will not soon be rivaled by anything on either sides of this world's oceans. We came, we saw, we exchanged gifts, we drank, we cooked, we listened to music, and we just generally had a gay old time. It was an absolute blast. I cooked beef stew and sweet potato souffle; Jeff whipped up some coleslaw and chicken wings; Adam did vegetables and Yorkshire pudding (a kind of dough that's baked and becomes as very fluffy pastry); while Elaine dished up some sausages wrapped in bacon that were absolutely divine. For presents, I got a bottle of J&B (now my favorite blended Scotch), some highball glasses, some whiskey glasses, a pocket watch from Mom and Dad, some meat on a stick and some other goodies. We all got loads of sweet presents and the event truly cemented our friendship.

So we decided to do it again. One more time, before we all split up and headed in different directions. We'd follow the same template as before: convene at Adam and Elaine's apartment in the morning and spend the rest of the day slowly cooking and drinking, culminating in a fine buzz and a contentedly full stomach.

This we did. We opted not to exchange gifts this time, but Jeff and I still received something wonderful and completely unexpected: personalized Newcastle United jerseys, courtesy of Adam's mother! Yes, it's true! Adam has converted Jeff and myself to Newcastle's cause, and I am now a die-hard supporter of their football (soccer) team. To that end, Adam had some jerseys personalized with our last names (well, mine; there wasn't time to Jeff's before our second Christmas celebration on May 30th), and sent over! Adam's mum is gorgeous (so are Elaine's parents; her dad's always asking how "that Andrew" is, which apparently is a mark of high esteem): she even sent me a Newcastle United ballpoint pen with my first name inscribed upon it. How sweet and thoughtful is that? Somebody I don't even know in another country is thinking of me. I was so grateful and blessed and cheerful and happy I thought I would burst. The jersey, replete with bold, vertical black-and-white stripes (Newcastle's colors), is now hanging in a place of pride on my coat rack, the name POST emblazoned on the back; and in the winter of 2010, when I journey to Newcastle for my beloved friends Adam and Elaine's wedding, you can bet I'll be wearing it when I step off the plane. And then we'll all head over for a "footie match" at St. James's Park!

The food was grand, too. I did souffle again and also some Irish potato cakes (mashed potatoes mixed with flour, salt and butter and fried; they didn't turn out so hot); Adam and Elaine did vegetables and sausages again; and Jeff whipped up some delicious pork cutlets with mozzarella cheese and spaghetti sauce on top, as well as some delicious barbecue. This time, Charles and Anne came too, and they made some cold noodles which were satisfying but not too heavy. In all, it was a grand feast, maybe not as much in quantity as its precedent, but nonetheless delectable. We listened to tunes, cooked, drank, and talked and talked and talked.

I remember I used to hate it when the "grownups" all sat around and gabbed for hours on end. What could they possibly find to talk about for so long? When were we going to get to the good stuff, like football or wrestling? Jeez. But now, I find I am finally old and mature enough to appreciate a good conversation. And boy, was there ever some good conversation, lubricated by the copious amounts of beer. Yes, we'd come prepared. Any Christmas celebration of ours necessitates a prior trip to Homeplus a few days beforehand to buy up ingredients. By "ingredients" I mean not only the raw materials necessary for our dinner dishes, but also about eighty gallons of beer. We pretty much cleaned out the import section again. Hoegaarden (Adam and Jeff's favorite, from Belgium), Tsingtao (one of my preferred brands, of Chinese origin), Asahi (Japanese dry beer) and Cafri (cheap Korean brew) were all in plentiful supply, and we all partook heartily. Also, there's a special little concoction native to England that Adam introduced us to: Buck's Fizz. It's basically champagne (or just sparkling wine) with orange juice: a mimosa, in other words. Adam uses cava, the Spanish version of champagne, which is a lot cheaper and tastes just as good, if not better. The result is agreeable, goes down smooth and sweet, and just tastes like a holiday.

I also made eggnog again...we all like it, but Adam's a fiend for it, bless his heart. I had to make a double batch just to keep the poor lad satisfied. I got the recipe out of The Bartender's Bible. Four eggs, a quart of milk, a third of a cup of sugar, two teaspoons of vanilla, and some nutmeg grated over the top of each cup. Bingo, an American Christmas special. In short, it was an awesome day and night. We went at it for twelve straight hours. I'm still collecting all my stuff from Adam and Elaine's apartment. The jolly, chummy experiences of those two happy days (and the gastrointestinal benefits) will never be forgotten.