Christmas preparation

We got a tree the day after Thanksgiving - I love having a Christmas tree in the house.  The lights, the smell, the  memories associated with all the ornaments hanging on many trees over many Christmas seasons. This year we also festooned the tree with some of my favorite strings of Mardi Gras beads, which is a new tradition that I love! Also, the cats love to lie under it, which is adorable.

(cats not pictured)

Today we went to Le Marché des Fêtes at the Pitot House on Bayou St. John, which was a lovely little holiday fair with artists and craftspeople selling their wares.  Saw Tom Fitzmorris wandering about for a bit, I stifled the urge to tell him about my burgeoning blogging career. Ate some chaurice and mustard greens gumbo (Crescent Pie and Sausage had a table set up, and I have learned that if you ever see any of Bart Bell's gumbo being served, YOU GET IN LINE.) I also had a warming Café Brûlot Diabolique, a New Orleans classic coffee cocktail.  Bought some presents for some niecephews.

I think we'll be making our annual Christmas fruitcake this weekend - it's full of dried fruits (macerated in rum) and pecans and candied ginger and marinated for several weeks with brandy and IS DELICIOUS.

I am thinking that we might hit the French Quarter tomorrow to do a little shopping.

Oh, I've been working on a new beer blog with a couple other beer bloggers in the area: the New Orleans Beer Guide.  Go check it out!