[TheSpottedOwl]

Ah, the smells! Fresh pine tree, logs in the fireplace, and the smell of food : )

I got so sick of turkey, I started serving standing rib roast on Christmas.

As far as odor, I remember my Grandparents house in rural Massachusetts. The basement had solid rock walls, and I'm thinking they must have used dynamite to create it. The smell was odd, but not unpleasant. Over the years I've caught a whiff of that smell, and it brings me right back to my visit when I was 9.

[reformedliberal]

I also have changed Christmas to a prime rib or a whole tenderloin....except I hate having to cut that silvery membrane off the tenderloin.

New Year's, I do cold jumbo shrimp and good steaks. Our local butcher shop is closing in June...retirement, none of the kids want to carry on he business and the government regulations are making it really expensive for the small solely-owned butcher. There is another one about 30 minutes away, run by a young couple who took it over from their father and I will start going there.

Turkey isn't really even that special, as I probably make one every few months during the year, altho most often, it is just a bone-in breast. But for Thanksgiving, it is just expected.

I think I am going back on the low carb diet tomorrow. I feel like a stuffed turkey, myself.