I discovered on saturday that one of the best way to jumpstart the Christmas mood is to invite good friends over for dinner.
It was a simple pot-luck. As the host, I made beef stew and potato cassarole. Mom chipped in with bee hoon and cheese cake. I put on some Christmas music, tealight candles and christmas lights to set the mood. L made caesar salad, K did her usual; konnyaku jelly (will expect something more advanced from K next year), HL brought fruits.
K was absolutely thrilled to have Alex share his cardboard playhouse,
ride on his dump truck together,
and entertain the adults by tickling the ivories.
Despite Alex being a little tired after a busy afternoon, K really enjoyed her company. We will definitely need to arrange for more playdates for the tots.
Before the evening ended, we exchanged christmas presents. We could not wait till boxing day and unwrapped them on the spot. It was truly a lovely evening with great company. Thanks ladies, tots and dads for the pressies and a fabulous evening.
After this dinner, I am actually inspired by my not-so-perfect attempt at potato cassarole to make better food next year. I refuse to believe that with 2 gifted cooks in my family; my Mum and Nick, I do not even have a miniscule of a cooking gene in me.
