Animals - especially dogs, Celebrate, Food, Winter

Second Christmas

82 Comments

Because our daughter Shannon and our son-in-law Mike spent Christmas in North Carolina with his folks, we decided to have a belated celebration the first weekend in January. Unfortunately, the weather gods had other plans for us, and a storm kept Shannon and Mike home that weekend. The next weekend, then, we decided.

However, those weather gods were plotting yet again to send a storm our way, but this time we outsmarted them. Shannon and Mike came the day before the storm and left the day afterward. I am happy to report that we celebrated the holiday in our usual simple, cozy way, and it really did feel like Christmas.

It was lovely to see the girls again.

And the storm that came to central Maine on Saturday made it feel all the more like Christmas.

On Saturday morning, there were presents and pumpkin bread. In the afternoon, appetizers and a new game—Betrayal at House on the Hill. In the evening, homemade cheddar cheese soup.

Dessert, unfortunately, didn’t turn out that way it should have. I pressed chocolate chip cookie dough in a skillet to be baked and brought warm to the table and served with vanilla ice cream. But even though the skillet cookie was nicely browned on top, the middle was gooey to the point of being raw. We thought that perhaps I should have used only half the batter. Readers, any suggestions? I’m willing to give it another try.

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While the storm on Saturday wasn’t bad for central Maine—snow mixed with a little rain—it was devastating for our coast, which hadn’t recovered from the previous storm. More flooding, more property damage, more roads destroyed. It’s heartbreaking to see the damage. Even though I live inland, I love the coast, and as a Mainer, I feel connected to it. I have been to many of the places that were ravaged by the storm, driven on  roads now destroyed.

Governor Mills declared a civil state of emergency for all eight coastal counties. And rightly so. Those communities will need a lot of aid to recover from the storms.

All in all, in the past few weeks, Mainers have received quite the punch from storms causing damage that would have been inconceivable when I was young. Yes, we had a lot of snow, and the snowbanks really were taller than I was when I was a child. We plowed, we shoveled, and went about our business. As far as I can recall, there wasn’t much damage, and we hardly ever lost our power.

But these wind storms in the winter are something new, and because of the rising sea, the damage is made worse along the coast.

The effects of climate change are with us now, and we have to deal with increasingly destructive storms.

I can only hope that we have the personal and political will to stop the climate crisis from getting worse.

Here is a clip that shows one small part of the storm’s destruction. All along the coast, the story is the same.

 

82 thoughts on “Second Christmas”

  1. Christmas is Christmas, no matter when it’s celebrated! It sounds as though yours was lovely, despite the slight mishap with the dessert. The same thing happened with ‘something’ that I baked in the past couple of months. Unfortunately, I can’t even remember what it was! Apparently it was such a bad result I’ve blotted it out of my mind.

    I was going to turn an 8″ three layer cake into a two layer 9″ cake, and I remember reading that baking time and temperature both had to be adjusted — but that’s the extent of my knowledge. (Voila ~ I found the very article I read. It might have a useful tip.)

  2. Glad you all snuck your Christmas celebration in between storms! Sounds as if a good time was had by all, despite the dessert mishap.
    Seems as though destructive coastal storms are now a way of life along the whole east coast. I’ve seen similar news clips from the Carolinas. What I simply can’t fathom is why folks rebuild in the same place!! No wonder our homeowners insurance rates are sky high and growing. Sorry, didn’t mean to rant.
    THINK SPRING!

    1. A fun time.

      Yes, a destructive time the likes of which I have never seen. Normal snowstorms do not bring that much destruction. I think folks rebuild for a number of reasons, but chiefly because they don’t have the money to up sticks and move. While there is usually money for repairing or rebuilding, there is seldom money for leaving a wrecked place and moving. But, as another blogging friend noted, soon living by the ocean will be too dangerous and there won’t be much of a choice. Sigh.

  4. We had our 2nd Christmas with my son last week, not because of the weather but they too had to go to my son’s in-laws the day we usually did our Christmas party. So I kept all my Christmas decorations untill after the party. Sorry to hear about all the bad weather your state had recently, the weather is really crazy, you never know what to expect. Take care !

  5. Such cute dogs and such a cozy indoor scene.

    Heartrending video from the Maine Coast, from people who live in humble old houses rather than mansions. I don’t think living next to the sea will be viable for anyone anymore… I loved Gladys Taber’s memoirs about her later life on Cape Cod.

    >

    1. It was cozy and very much enjoyed. We aren’t fancy, but we do have a good time.

      Yes, heartrending. And much of the destruction was wreaked on humble houses. I am afraid you are right about living by the sea. Blogging friends from England and Australia have written to tell me that same thing is happening to their coastlines.

      Gladys Taber is a favorite of mine. I’ve read most of her books, including the ones about life on Cape Cod.

  6. Wonderful to finally celebrate Christmas!! It’s always satisfying to outwit the weather gods!

    The girls were ecstatic to see you (and all the extra treats they get from you! 😝).

  8. I think if my house was damaged liked the ones in your news report I would not want to rebuild anywhere near the coast! I am so pleased you managed to celebrate Christmas with Shannon and Mike; better late than never!

    1. I know what you mean, but it’s really hard to leave a place with little to no value and have enough money to start again. Many of the people who were affected were not really wealthy and might not have the resources to start again.

      On a happier note: We had so much fun with second Christmas.

  11. What can be better than another Christmas tucked inside your warm house with a snow storm outside! Though I know you have had some terrible weather in Maine. I’m glad you got to spend time with your daughter and son-in-law! I was thinking today that every day we get through now is one day closer to spring! My favorite month is May, so much hope in May. I’m already thinking about seeds.

  12. How nice that you were able to have a late Christmas with your kids, Laurie.
    I also feel for all the people and animals affected by ever-worsening natural disasters, such as the one that just hit Maine. I hope everybody will be able to recover and rebuild soon.

    1. Thanks, Tanja! Such destruction. It’s going to take a while to recover and rebuild. And when will the next storm come and knock everything back again? That is the question.

  14. We too enjoyed a second Christmas several days after the first, when my daughter and her family joined us from the Western Cape. It was great fun!

  19. I’m glad you were able to catch up with your Christmas festivities, but dismayed by the news of the Maine storms. It’s been much the same in the UK, severe storms and flooding. Not a a good start to the year!

  21. Your Christmas celebration looks lovely, Laurie, even with the raw cookie dough dessert! I would have eaten it anyway. 🙂 And I’m sorry to hear about the damaging storms. I have a feeling that even if humans were to make drastic changes today, the climate would take a generation to recover. Here, our big concern is fires, and every summer I cross my fingers. Be well and safe, my friend. ❤

    1. I fear you are right, but I am hoping we will wise up enough to stop things from getting too much worse.

      Yes, I can see why fires would be a big concern. Oh, my! Yes, stay safe.

  22. How grand that you got a second Christmas with family! Sorry about your cookies, but I’m afraid I can’t offer any suggestions either. I watched the clip, and gee, what a mess. Perhaps most coastal areas should look into the regulations required along the Gulf Coast after hurricanes blew through — things like having new building construction be on stilts and leaving right-along-the-water natural, rather than permitting construction. I don’t know, but such damage is unthinkable — and costly.

    1. Thanks, Debbie!

      Yes, those who live by the ocean are going to have consider measures like that. As I’ve noted in other comments, few people can just leave a destroyed house and move somewhere else. Generally, there is no aid for that.

  23. Merry Second Christmas, Laurie! I have no advice about the cookie. I’m not much of a baker. It looks like it was a very cozy Christmas.

    I hope, like you, that we find the will and way to do something about climate change before it’s much too late. I was reading some of your comments and appreciate your answer (“few people can just leave a destroyed house and move somewhere else”). The rich don’t have a problem. But the poor and even the middle class suffer most from these storms because they can’t afford to just pick up and leave. For some, they’ve been in those homes for generations. We still have houses here that were not repaired after Hurricane Sandy which was in 2012. I’m not sure the insurance companies paid up or that the county/state doled out all of the FEMA money. I know it was a very slow process and if you have no money to make repairs, the elements continue to create more damage.

    1. Thanks, Robin. A blogging friend suggested cooking it a lower temperature, and I might try that.

      So true about poor and middle class people. They can’t afford to just pick up and leave. And, yes, some of the homes affected have been in families for generations. I know this is probably a controversial statement, but I’m beginning to think that the government should pay people to relocate to safer ground.

  24. So lovely you had a wonderful second Christmas with Shannon and Mike Laurie, with snow and prezzies to boot! Our hearts go out to all the people affected by the storms and we hope they get the help and support that’s needed 🙏

  25. What’s not to like about having Christmas twice in one year? How lovely for you to celebrate with both your daughters. Cakes often seem to know when it is important they turn out right and don’t. We had to eat my wedding cake, made by my Mum, with spoons because the middle was gooey.

    Winter storms are becoming more frequent and worse over here too. One village in North Wales has been told that the necessary flood defences will not be cost effective and the entire (small) population will have to move in the next few years.

    1. Yes, two Christmases are lots of fun!

      Very sobering about that village in North Wales. Unfortunately, I think that what the village is experiencing will become increasingly common for other villages, including some in Maine.

      1. I agree. Many places are going to become uninsurable or uninhabitable over the next few decades with climate change.

  27. Sounds and looks like it was an absolutely wonderful second Christmas!!🙂 Glad you were able to get together and miss out on the worst of the storms. I’m having a difficult time adjusting to this new winter that includes high winds and rain. Your state has been making our news quite often during these storms because of the severity and I hope the weather pattern settles down soon.🙂

    1. We had a great time. I am with you all the way about our new winters. I hate the winds and the rain and can hardly believe it is winter in Maine, which, alas, has been making the news. My daughter was talking to a colleague from California who had heard about our terrible storms.

  28. Hi, Laurie – Your second Christmas sounds absolutely wonderful. I am delighted that Shannon and Mike were able to outsmart the storm. Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookies truly are divine (IMHO) and are definitely worth trying again. Did you use a cast iron skillet? 10 inches? Bake at 350? Bake for 18 minutes? Making the dough not as thick and/or using lower heat might be worth experimenting with. I find that this can be a tricky dish to get just right – but the trial and error attempts can be a fun and delicious process. Please keep us posted!

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  32. I have several emotions as I finish this post and watched the video clip. I’m glad you were able to finally outsmart the storm so you could have a cozy second Christmas with Shannon, Mike, and the girls. The snow is peaceful and pretty and there is something about your red (mailbox?) that really sets the scene.

    I’m with you on climate change, our slow actions to make a course correction before it is too late, the continued denial, and our love for the almighty dollar and oil. Sigh. I can’t imagine how sad it would be to lose a home in this way, and scary as well sitting in your home as the powerful waves rocked the foundation. My heart goes out to you and your beautiful state.

    1. Yes, I understand the mixed emotions. Second Christmas and the terrible storm are a weird combination, but the storm was such a punch in the gut that I felt as though it should be mentioned. The red is the house across the street, which does look pretty in the snow.

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  34. That is a beautiful second Christmas, Laurie. Deep dish chocolate chip cookie dough! It has been many years since I have eaten a cookie, and longer since I have made any. It does sound good.

    These extremes in temperatures and wild weather is definitely indicative of an unstable system, We had some severe ice storms last week, and I fear what summer will bring.

  35. So nice to have your whole family together for a Christmas at your house! As my three ( aged 32, 26, 26) have made lives of their own, with significant others and parties galore, we count any day that we are all together a holiday as well.

  36. So happy you were able to have your 2nd Christmas despite the postponement. We are still waiting on my London Aunt & Uncle – I do hope they are still able to make it out here when their neighbour’s renovations are done.

    P/S re the cookie. Did you put your skillet in the oven? If it is a gooey middle, I would agree with Donna (above) about lowering the temp and bake for longer. Happy Experimenting!

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