It’s the last day of 2020! Although this has been a challenging year, I am proud of how resilient people have become. Each month was a new challenge, and each month we came out the other side better than we started. To be honest, the future feels uncertain, which is not comforting for a planner like me. But, uncertainty be damned, I’m forging ahead. Although the future is shaky, this past month was terrific! This holiday season featured all the hits: baking cookies, setting up my first adult Christmas tree, driving around looking for neighborhoods with light displays, and cheesy romantic holiday movies. On the inside, I felt like Buddy the Elf; I continued to play it cool on the outside.
Rose: I finally have a couch for my living room! What a game changer this has been. I finally broke down and rented a U-haul truck to pick up a sofa my mom was kind enough to gift me. Aaron was nice enough to not drop the couch on me as we pushed it up my stairs; it was deceivingly heavy. If anyone ever says moving furniture is a relationship test, believe them! I don’t pretend to be a strong person, but the fear this sleeper sofa was going to crush me like something out of Loony Toons helped me find the strength.
Thorn: The toilet paper aisle was bare again. My state had quite a large spike in COVID cases this month. And yet again, somehow, coronavirus correlates to paper goods disappearing off the grocery store shelves. My mom had a bit of a panic when I posted a picture of my empty toilet paper aisle on Instagram; she was down to her last two rolls and was unaware of how scarce it was becoming again.
Rose: I love seasonal foods. Pumpkin spice, peppermint mochas, eggnog, etc., are only the beginning of the flavors we get to enjoy during this time of year. What I look forward to the most are the more adult drinks. This year I created three different seasonal drinks: Mulled Wine, Coquito, and Spiked Cider. Each one was equally delicious. I’ve kicked myself a little that I didn’t do a full blog post on creating each drink (I owe you). Now that they have proven to be a success, I’m sure I will bring out these recipes next year (fingers crossed, I’ll document the process). Year after year, my favorite of the three drinks is the mulled wine. Not only does it taste great, but it’s the easiest. The wine doesn’t have to be anything fancy a simple red will due. Add the spices (usually cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, cloves, and orange slices), cognac (I prefer Grand Marnier), bring to a simmer, strain, and serve. Even though Christmas is behind us, this could still be made for a New Year’s drink or to warm up by the fireplace during the rest of the winter season.
This is my last “Rose and Thorns” and my last blog post of 2020! I cannot say thank you enough to everyone who has followed, commented, or in any other way interacted this year. While this year was different, I’m glad I could document parts of it and be a source of entertainment for every one of you who takes the time to enjoy my stories.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
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Happy New Year! (Cue Auld Lang Syne)
Happy New Year!