After an AM thrift-store run, Joe, his sister Liz and I headed to the Victorian Pantry for lunch.
Liz and gluten don't get along but these guys had several GF options, so she was a happy camper!
Joe and I each opted for the soup and 1/2 sandwich lunch specials. He got a ham & cheese croissant with cheeseburger soup- I went with the roasted veggie sandwich with squash, apple and pumpkin soup.
Good food makes us happy!
I LOVED the veggie sandwich- so fresh and delicious!
We ran home to shower and get ready for candlelight service and then went to Carrabbas for dinner!
We even dressed the part! :)
So does the rest of the fam! :)
The bread and olive oil that's served while you wait for your meal is the reason I dream about this restaurant. It's. Just. So. Darn. Good. No picture, obvs, because I inhaled my portions (and pretty much anything no one else claimed) as soon as it arrived.
I ordered the Seafood Canneloni for an entree, and it was pretty delicious! I think it contained crab, lobster and maybe scallops...
Joe got Shrimp and Scallops in a Champagne Sauce over pasta- also pretty delicious, but not garlicky enough for my tastes...
Since we were already moderately dressed up, I asked Joe to get a few pictures in front of the tree for next year...
I should know better...
Our photo shoot quickly devolved into a very strange interpretive dance pas de deux...
It's tradition in Joe's family to open presents from out of town friends and family on Christmas Eve. He who pulls the presents from under the tree wears a Santa hat.
Most of the gifts were edible and delicious!
Some were warm, fuzzy and handmade!
Afterwards, Joe and I headed downstairs to Skype with my family, who's Christmas Eve tradition is exchanging pajamas!
My sister's webcam is a bit pixely, but it's as close as we're getting to a Christmas Eve picture this year!
If you celebrate Christmas, do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?
If you don't celebrate Christmas, do you have any favorite winter or other holiday related traditions?
