It’s Christmas Day! I’ve had a wonderful Advent and now Christmas season with my family and close friends. It has to be the most relaxed Christmas I’ve ever had, having retired from teaching this January 12, 2024, I came into Advent this year without reams of papers to grade, midterms to create and then grade, and new units to prepare for the spring semester. As a result, my husband and I, leisurely and over the course of several days, went through crates of Christmas decorations, some that haven’t seen the light of day in decades, and we have covered this house in the bright lights and sweet joy of Christmas.
We shopped for our girls and family and dear friends in a relaxed way, not rushing around paying extra shipping fees to ensure timely delivery. For all the stress the thought of retiring and giving up my classroom brought me, the actuality of being retired has been delightful. I am reading and writing more, cooking simple but healthy and delicious meals every day, and fitting into each day a bit of exercise and self-care. I suppose, in a way, retiring has been a wonderful Christmas gift to myself!
Last week a dear book-loving friend gave me two books that have been on my TBR list for a while, Mrs. Quinn’s Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford and The Briar Code by Kate Quinn (odd coincidence there!). What an absolutely perfect gift! I am almost finished with Mrs. Quinn’s and I will be posting my review soon. Spoiler alert: I am LOVING it. I can’t wait to start The Briar Code!
Last week we had a visit from my husband’s college roommate, a dear friend who sang at our wedding 35 years ago! To celebrate his visit, I made a delicious beet and chèvre salad, a big pot of Belgian beef stew, and Emily Blount’s Roast Potatoes. Chocolate pecan pie, a family favorite that I’ve been making since 1982 when I found the recipe in a 1981 Southern Living cookbook, finished off the meal.
We had Christmas Eve dinner last night at a local Chinese restaurant and then later in the evening went to midnight Mass (lol at 9:30). We came home to a bit of dessert and turned in to await Santa’s visit!
This morning we opened presents and I got two more books from my family: Judi Dench’s Shakespeare: The Man who Pays the Rent and Martha Stewart’s ONE HUNDREDTH COOKBOOK simply titled The Cookbook.
I absolutely love receiving books as gifts, especially hardbacks by authors I know and love because I know I will want to keep them forever! And while I love reading novels, especially historical fiction and cozy mysteries, I also love tucking into a good piece of nonfiction, and my absolute favorite type of nonfiction will forever be a good cookbook. I read them cover to cover, just like a novel, reading each recipe, any headnotes at the beginning or tips at the end, lists of pantry staples or necessary equipment, little stories separating the recipes, every single word. So, when tracking the number of books I read each year, do I include cookbooks? ABSOLUTELY!
My end of year review of the books I loved will be coming soon. I’m hoping to squeeze a few more in before turning in for the night on New Year’s Eve! In the meantime, thank you to all who have followed along on my reading journey and the odd personal essay here and there about my life, faith, family, and food! Merry Christmas on this glorious day of the birth of Christ. Have an extra cookie, some eggnog, and hug your loved ones extra tightly! ❤
Michelle Blanchard Ardillo 
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