Calling this a recipe is a stretch.
But it’s Monday, and it’s almost the end of the year, so I hope you’ll forgive me. Particularly after you take a sip of this.
My husband and I celebrated Christmas very differently as kids. While his family was very casual about it, we were showered, dressed in our best, and ushered into the living room to open gifts only after everyone was ready.
Everyone took turns opening their gift, with the whole family watching. There was the obligatory “ooh” and “aahs” while the gift was passed around, and the next person would go.
Afterwards, we’d head into the kitchen and fill our plates with the Indian feast my mother stayed up late to cook, and ate our meal together.
And THEN I could change back into comfortable clothing, and start playing with my gifts.
It’s lovely. But we do things a bit differently in the Palesimhan household.
It starts on Christmas Eve, when we dive into our stockings. I followed my mother’s tradition of filling them with toiletries for the upcoming year (toothbrushes, face creams, lots of Honest balm for Rho). I always pop a new grooming product as a surprise for my husband, and he adds a surprise from my extensive beauty wish list in mine.
At the very bottom of our stockings are a new pair of pajama pants, from Sudara. We wear them to bed that night, after we leave out cookies for Santa and read The Night Before Christmas to Rho.
Sri and I usually watch a Christmas movie (or get started on our annual Lord Of The Rings binge) while we eat the cookies. #parentingwin
We both wake up early the next morning. He makes the coffee while I whip up cinnamon rolls (Cinnabon – there’s nothing better). After Rho wakes up and we feast on sugar and cinnamon, we head to the tree.
Mayhem. Pure, gleeful, happy mayhem.
There are only a few gifts under the tree – a book and an actual gift for each of us, and cards outlining the donation we made in each others’ names.
And while we open and enjoy our gifts, we sip on mimosas and eat samosas (the latter being a lazy nod to my childhood Christmases).
We’ve been loyal to the classic orange juice-champagne combination since we started, but these festive ones may replace them.
They’re tart, even when paired with a sweeter champagne. The rosemary gives it a festive taste (and scent). And the frozen cranberries help keep the drinks cold.
Not that I have that problem. It doesn’t take long for me to be on my next one.
We’re celebrating Christmas next weekend, and these mimosas with Whole Foods frozen samosas (cooked in my air fryer) are on the menu.
I, for one, can’t wait.
Ingredients
- Sparkling wine (I love ONEHOPE, both for its mission and for the taste)
- Cranberry juice
- Frozen cranberries
- Fresh rosemary
Directions
- Pop 5 frozen cranberries in each glass. Cut a sprig rosemary into 1″ pieces
- Fill the glasses 1/3 to 1/2 full with cranberry juice. Fill the rest of the glass with sparkling wine.
- Top the glasses with sprigs of rosemary. Enjoy!
Here’s the other cocktail we enjoy in the winter. Mondays are the days I publish proper recipes (today’s not withstanding). You can find them all here.
