UOs!!!!

[comicSans]

Dec 15, 2016 13:41:59 GMT -5 emmagk said:

Dec 15, 2016 13:40:10 GMT -5 comicSans said:

My h loves a good mince pie, but I think he actually prefers mince meat pie. I'm still confused on this too, but apparently to him mince pie is all that other stuff, but also with meat. His grandma made one for him last year. She had to get the mince mix from a specific place because they don't all have meat.

I love eggnog, but it does not love me Rather, my body does not love milk products. And almond nog is gross.

eww, have never had or seen a mince pie with actual meat in it. Gross. At most the mixture has suet in it

I'm very confused about the whole thing. You can buy stuff for mince pie here, but no meat, and he says that's not the real thing. Lancaster county is another universe though and they eat some weird things.

[scotty138]

I'm late, but Santa wraps presents in our house. I usually make something homemade for the kids and DH picks out something special for them. Everything else is from Santa.

I'm really close with a few of my cousins on each side. Their kids are my kids best friends. We live within a couple hours of each other and get together about 1-2 times a month. Other than that DH and I don't get together with many other friends.

[comicSans]

Ooh! I found a good explanation www.welcome-to-lancaster-county.com/amish-pies.html

[Susan0utLoud]

Dec 15, 2016 13:40:10 GMT -5 comicSans said:

My h loves a good mince pie, but I think he actually prefers mince meat pie. I'm still confused on this too, but apparently to him mince pie is all that other stuff, but also with meat. His grandma made one for him last year. She had to get the mince mix from a specific place because they don't all have meat.

I love eggnog, but it does not love me Rather, my body does not love milk products. And almond nog is gross.

My dh has milk issues and loves eggnog. He is a big fan of the Lactaid eggnog. Have you ever tried that?

[jennyinheaven]

Dec 15, 2016 13:40:22 GMT -5 emmagk said:

I also think many people stress themselves out trying to make christmas magical and memorable for their kids. Or maybe i'm just too breezy and my kid will be in therapy for years over his half arsed christmases

I love Christmas and the magic. Even as a childless single lady in the city I always decorated, handed out random gifts and had a big Christmas party where I usually had a collection of people who needed a place to be. I don't do it to make myself feel nuts I do it to make myself happy now that my kid is starting to get it it's just even more happy and magical for me.

[emmagk]

Dec 15, 2016 13:49:14 GMT -5 jennyinheaven said:

Dec 15, 2016 13:40:22 GMT -5 emmagk said:

I also think many people stress themselves out trying to make christmas magical and memorable for their kids. Or maybe i'm just too breezy and my kid will be in therapy for years over his half arsed christmases

I love Christmas and the magic. Even as a childless single lady in the city I always decorated, handed out random gifts and had a big Christmas party where I usually had a collection of people who needed a place to be. I don't do it to make myself feel nuts I do it to make myself happy New that my kid is starting to get it it's just even more happy and magical for me.

if you love doing it and it doesn't stress you out then have at it, go wild! But soooo many people complain about how stressful christmas is because they have to do a zillion special moment things.  

[jennyinheaven]

Dec 15, 2016 13:51:50 GMT -5 emmagk said:

Dec 15, 2016 13:49:14 GMT -5 jennyinheaven said:

I love Christmas and the magic. Even as a childless single lady in the city I always decorated, handed out random gifts and had a big Christmas party where I usually had a collection of people who needed a place to be. I don't do it to make myself feel nuts I do it to make myself happy New that my kid is starting to get it it's just even more happy and magical for me.

if you love doing it and it doesn't stress you out then have at it, go wild! But soooo many people complain about how stressful christmas is because they have to do a zillion special moment things.  

Yah to me those are the same people who stress for days over the perfect snack to send to their kids school or the perfect shade of pink for their wedding bouquet etc... Anything can turn from pleasure to a chore if you approach it wrong.

[comicSans]

Dec 15, 2016 13:42:18 GMT -5 lrmrtn said:

Dec 15, 2016 13:40:10 GMT -5 comicSans said:

My h loves a good mince pie, but I think he actually prefers mince meat pie. I'm still confused on this too, but apparently to him mince pie is all that other stuff, but also with meat. His grandma made one for him last year. She had to get the mince mix from a specific place because they don't all have meat.

I love eggnog, but it does not love me Rather, my body does not love milk products. And almond nog is gross.

Have you tried soy nog? Silk makes an excellent version. We stock up every year. We prefer it because it's not as heavy as regular nog.

I'll have to look for it

[Susan0utLoud]

Dec 15, 2016 13:57:18 GMT -5 comicSans said:

Dec 15, 2016 13:42:18 GMT -5 lrmrtn said:

Have you tried soy nog? Silk makes an excellent version. We stock up every year. We prefer it because it's not as heavy as regular nog.

I'll have to look for it

We can only find it at Fred Meyer (which is Kroger) here.

[Deleted]

I tend to like English food, but all this talk about mince pies makes me think of Sweeney Todd

[emmagk]

Dec 15, 2016 13:47:47 GMT -5 comicSans said:

Ooh! I found a good explanation www.welcome-to-lancaster-county.com/amish-pies.html

oh so it's a medieval european thing. Well so was the plague. Some things are best left in the past, massive DWN

[comicSans]

Dec 15, 2016 13:48:49 GMT -5 Susan0utLoud said:

Dec 15, 2016 13:40:10 GMT -5 comicSans said:

My h loves a good mince pie, but I think he actually prefers mince meat pie. I'm still confused on this too, but apparently to him mince pie is all that other stuff, but also with meat. His grandma made one for him last year. She had to get the mince mix from a specific place because they don't all have meat.

I love eggnog, but it does not love me Rather, my body does not love milk products. And almond nog is gross.

My dh has milk issues and loves eggnog. He is a big fan of the Lactaid eggnog. Have you ever tried that?

Haven't tried it but maybe I will. I'm not entirely sure what my milk issue is, but I don't think it's lactose. I do get a stomach ache from higher fat milk and cream, but a day or 2 later I also get vertigo, so I think it may be a casein sensitivity.

[lrmrtn]

Dec 15, 2016 14:00:14 GMT -5 Susan0utLoud said:

Dec 15, 2016 13:57:18 GMT -5 comicSans said:

I'll have to look for it

We can only find it at Fred Meyer (which is Kroger) here.

Whole Foods. Once in a blue moon Shoprite or Stop & Shop will have it this time of year.

[emmygirl]

Lactaid nog is delicious. Lighter than regular but good flavor. I also have almond nog in the fridge currently.

Mince pies, delicious. I was going to make them this year but need to find a decent mix and a gluten free pie crust... and that seems like a lot of work right now.

[lulu]

Dec 15, 2016 11:20:33 GMT -5 activebaby said:

I have 0 relationship with any of my cousins (and aunts& uncles). I don't feel bad about this, but wonder if this is common or uncommon in this group. For reference- mom side, 5 cousin, biological father side, 13 cousins, dad who raised me side, ? Orphan - his sister died before I was born, so no clue

I see my cousins, aunts and uncles at weddings, christenings and funerals and that's about it. We've never lived close by so it doesn't really bother me.

DH has a completely different relationship with his aunts, uncles and cousins. They all lived on the same street and helped bring him up. DH's Mum gave him up to his granny when he was about 4 to move into the flat upstairs with a man and start her own family (she's disgusting). So - poor guy lived downstairs with his gran and had to listen to his mum, SD and new brothers all living upstairs!

All the aunties would help out the gran with DH so they are all really close and the same with the cousins.

I do get jealous at how close they all are but then I remember how horrid they all are and think distance is a blessed bonus where family is concerned.

[activebaby]

Dec 15, 2016 14:31:23 GMT -5 lulu said:

Dec 15, 2016 11:20:33 GMT -5 activebaby said:

I have 0 relationship with any of my cousins (and aunts& uncles). I don't feel bad about this, but wonder if this is common or uncommon in this group. For reference- mom side, 5 cousin, biological father side, 13 cousins, dad who raised me side, ? Orphan - his sister died before I was born, so no clue

I see my cousins, aunts and uncles at weddings, christenings and funerals and that's about it. We've never lived close by so it doesn't really bother me.

DH has a completely different relationship with his aunts, uncles and cousins. They all lived on the same street and helped bring him up. DH's Mum gave him up to his granny when he was about 4 to move into the flat upstairs with a man and start her own family (she's disgusting). So - poor guy lived downstairs with his gran and had to listen to his mum, SD and new brothers all living upstairs!

All the aunties would help out the gran with DH so they are all really close and the same with the cousins.

I do get jealous at how close they all are but then I remember how horrid they all are and think distance is a blessed bonus where family is concerned.

Your poor h. My heart hurts for him.

[lulu]

There's a reason Scottish people are known for their bad diets...our love of pies.

I love them all.

Mince pie (with baileys of course).



Mince pie (aka scotch pie...mince that's quite peppery.



Macaroni pie....teenager favourite for school dinners when your allowed to leave and go to the bakers.



Pizza pie - student favourite.



Curry pie - favourite of the workman



Haggis pie - delicious

[lulu]

Dec 15, 2016 14:37:02 GMT -5 activebaby said:

Dec 15, 2016 14:31:23 GMT -5 lulu said:

I see my cousins, aunts and uncles at weddings, christenings and funerals and that's about it. We've never lived close by so it doesn't really bother me.

DH has a completely different relationship with his aunts, uncles and cousins. They all lived on the same street and helped bring him up. DH's Mum gave him up to his granny when he was about 4 to move into the flat upstairs with a man and start her own family (she's disgusting). So - poor guy lived downstairs with his gran and had to listen to his mum, SD and new brothers all living upstairs!

All the aunties would help out the gran with DH so they are all really close and the same with the cousins.

I do get jealous at how close they all are but then I remember how horrid they all are and think distance is a blessed bonus where family is concerned.

Your poor h. My heart hurts for him.

Me too 😢.

I can't even imagine what she was thinking when she made that decision. To leave is one thing...to just bugger off to the flat upstairs with a man to make three more kids, leaving your child behind is wicked.

It's amazing that he turned out the way he did at loves her so much. I don't get it.

She was at school when she had him and he confided in me recently that he was made to feel like him being born ruined her life and that's why he's spent his whole life bailing her out financially and always giving her chance after chance.

Disgusting.

[emmagk]

lulu, you're forgetting the humble pork pie!

[lrmrtn]

lulu, I could definitely go for the macaroni pie.

And your DH sounds like a saint. Your MIL doesn't deserve him.

[sstwinklinglites]

Do you Brits just turn everything into a pie?

Granted, I would eat the macaroni one.

[emmagk]

Dec 15, 2016 15:14:02 GMT -5 sstwinklinglites said:

Do you Brits just turn everything into a pie?

Granted, I would eat the macaroni one.

yes. Can i interest you in a stargazy pie?

[becole]

Dec 15, 2016 15:16:12 GMT -5 emmagk said:

Dec 15, 2016 15:14:02 GMT -5 sstwinklinglites said:

Do you Brits just turn everything into a pie?

Granted, I would eat the macaroni one.

yes. Can i interest you in a stargazy pie?

😷

[becole]

Wtf I can't unsee that pie

[sstwinklinglites]

emmagk - Good Lord I cannot unsee that atrocity

[emmagk]

full disclosure - I have not ever and will not ever eat a pie with fish heads sticking out of it.

[kittyriot]

I am soooooooooooo late.

I'm with @whimsy, I have strong feelings on big gifts coming from Mom and Dad. And teaching kids modesty when it comes to talking about gifts etc...I went to a poor school that pulled from a rather destitute neighbourhood and the other neighbourhood it pulled from was significantly wealthy. It was always ugly (and sad) around the holidays....

And then working in my line of work, I need my kid to know even at five that just because you didn't get what you wanted, or the present wasn't extravagant enough, you're not a bad kid that Santa didn't love enough.

We wrap all gifts. But I love the idea of Santa gifts not being wrapped, but my sisters kids would be confused by that...so I'll wrap O's gifts.

Cousins, close with most of my cousins. my parents both have 10 siblings each. There's 18 first cousins on one side, and 21 first cousins on the other. Some live across the country, some I am closer to than others, but we all love one another and would be there in a pinch.

In the mix though, there are 4 cousins for a variety of reasons are estranged from the family (one due to a fight with his mom, and the other 3 are the children of my uncles who struggle with addiction).

Fruit cake/mince pies/mince meat pies are all ewwww!

Eggnog is delicious (but it must have rum), I have issues with milk as well so I will be chasing alternative eggnog this season!!!

[athn64]

I'm close with most of my cousins.Second cousins too. The majority of the family still lives in the same area and family get togethers happen regularly. My one female cousin was in my wedding and her brother was in my brother's wedding. So that kind of close.

And then there's DH's family. He barely knows the names of his cousins. It makes me sad for him, but he's not really missing nything he never had. THough I do see it perpetuated down on his side of the family. SIL isn't really the child type, but she has only seen DD1 twice in the past two years. Spoiler: She's been in the area to visit more than that.

[emmygirl]

On the note of eggnog, has anyone had coquito? It's the Puerto Rican version of egg nog with lots of rum in it. So amazing!

[kittyriot]

Dec 15, 2016 15:49:11 GMT -5 emmygirl said:

On the note of eggnog, has anyone had coquito? It's the Puerto Rican version of egg nog with lots of rum in it. So amazing!

No, but now I want to!