Lewis and I received an invitation to visit our friend's country house for Christmasy festivities. His name is Lee, and he asked two other friends, Ron and Pierre, to join us. Since Pierre lived on Long Island, Lewis and I offered to ride the train with him from Manhattan's Grand Central Terminal. Sadly, that train station is never decorated festively, so it's not the best embarkation point.
Woefully behind other global cities, its MetroNorth trains are outdated, slow and dirty, but we only had an hour ride on ours.
It took great efforts for me to coordinate with Pierre. But I was jubilant to succeed. Sharing the train with Pierre (seen above looking concerned as usual), Lewis and I rode "over the river and through the woods" to decorate Lee's Westchester home for Christmas. Ron flew from Chicago and took a separate train.
Lee met us at the station with a catered dinner already purchased and stored in the trunk.
His home, named Wixon House, was prepared for our merriment! Both of Lee's housekeepers polished the silver before our arrival, so it gleamed under the candlelight. Lee elegantly served food from silver chafing dishes and covered platters. Another counter had trays of hors-d'œuvre.
The rosemary-crusted sheep's milk cheese was delish! As a fan of sheep's milk, it was my favorite.
Lewis did his favorite task: popping champagne. We dined at Lee's "casual dining table", alongside the formal dining room. A clever centerpiece dangled colorful Christmas balls above sparkly baubles.
Being festively frisky, Lewis attached mistletoe (that he bought earlier) to a stick and dangled it over each of us.
Even though he employs two housekeepers and a handyman, Lee forgot to ask them to set up his tall Christmas tree before they went home. So, Lewis and I hauled the 20-foot artificial tree from his cellar and erected it in his two-story foyer. I ripped my favorite jeans while doing it, but I didn't let that disturb me. The beauty of the season (and doing a good deed) overcame that mishap.
Straightaway, Lewis began decorating. Our Tree Trimming Party was underway! Celebrating that moment, Ron vigorously shook up some sublime martinis, and I played my repertoire of jazzy & classic Christmas carols on Lee's stereo.
Working up an appetite, we noshed on leftover cheeses and nuts in the living room. The gas fireplace was aglow, and votive candles flickered in every corner.
After hours of cheery banter, we heated some apple pie in the oven and served it with vanilla ice cream and canned whipped cream.
Seen below, you can see Pierre's face is concerned about the size of the dessert, while Lewis rolls his eyes at that attitude. Ha ha! Christmas is a joyous time of abundance, so portion sizes are understandably more generous.
Persnickety as usual, Ron fidgeted with his eggnog recipe until it was boozy and creamy enough. It built suspense. His recipe originated in Tennessee, where he was born... and it relies heavily on Tennessee's bourbon whiskey. The result is smooth and scrumptious: eggs, milk, sugar, whipping cream, a dash of vanilla, a whiff of cinnamon, and a dusting of freshly-grated nutmeg.
Alas, Pierre was impatient and tried to do a shortcut on the preparation by adding cartons of store-bought eggnog to thicken it. In Ron's opinion, any alteration to his classic Southern Cooking recipes is sacrilegious. So, the two men bickered. Humorously, it resembled this...
Meanwhile, I helped Lee prepare poached pears. We dyed them green and top them with cherries: red and green are Christmas colors.
The next morning, it was a childlike delight to open our bedroom door and peer down at the 20' Christmas tree!
We breakfasted on scrambled eggs, sautéed herbed potatoes, crispy bacon, and smoked salmon on freshly-made bagels (from a local bakery). Delectable!
We zipped to the supermarket for last-minute ingredients for Ron's famed Southern Christmas Dinner. Being a southern gentleman born in Tennessee, he was proud to share his mother's cookbook recipes.
That fellow's outfit reminded us that we were in the "country"
Back at Wixon House, we warmed up again. Lewis brewed turmeric/ginger tea (freshly blended at our local "OK Coffee" in Astoria). In the background, Pierre sat on a hard-bottomed chair in the corner and ruminated about life.
Ron double-checked his second batch of eggnog (to reach perfection from the version he served us the prior night).
As you can see above and below, Lee has a gas fireplace, but we savored using the real wood-burning fireplace! Nothing beats a roaring crackling fire, while sipping icy-cold champagne.
Pierre remained in almost the exact same pose, while Ron marveled at his stoic demeanor during Christmastime.
Without warning, Pierre abruptly announced that he had to go home. He said that he needed to get some work done. It was the second time that happened with him (where he departed midway through our plans), and it was unfortunate. Lee summoned a taxi to convey Pierre to the train station. It frustrated Ron, who bought/cooked food for a person who wouldn't be joining us for the upcoming meals, as initially anticipated.
We consoled him and assured him that any leftovers would be eaten. As twilight arrived, the flames in the hearth shimmered against the glassware in the living room.
Lewis loves to lay the table with finery, so he helped Lee in the formal dining room. For me, it was evocative of the Christmases that I hosted on Long Island.
To see my entertaining flair, please go here:
Feeling like a bundle of joy, Lewis pounded the piano!
We all "pounded down" my martinis, during our dinner preparation.
Our menu: butternut squash soup (with a dollop of sour cream), roasted mushroom medley, grilled asparagus, baked macaroni n' cheese, mashed spiced sweet potatoes, and stuffed chicken breasts--with perfectly crispy edges. With a lovely champagne toast, we commenced our feast, which was accompanied by bottles of white wine.
For dessert, we had coffee and an English plum pudding that I bought from Meyers of Keswick in Manhattan. It is the only purveyor of British food in the entire city. (Just like only one liquor store--among NYC's thousands--sells Dutch advocaat). I have a penchant for English Christmas treats, such as mince pies and spiced fruit cake covered with royal icing. It was Lee's first time trying plum pudding! I steamed it, lit it en flambé, and prepared the traditional brandy/butter sauce.
Carrying our plates, we adjourned to the library and sang Christmas carols. Feeling tipsy, I think we sounded as good as Saint Thomas Choir of Men & Boys! Then, we drifted off to the Land of Nod.
The next morning, Lewis poked the fire, we made another great breakfast with Kona coffee, and we watched movies!
Lewis peered out at squirrels and blue jays gathering at the birdseed that we left them.
After dinner at a seafood restaurant, we drove to the City of Peekskill to attend Lee's Christmas gift to us: tickets to a swinging Chris Botti concert!
Peekskill was named after Jan Peeck, a Dutch resident from New Amsterdam. Peeck settled the area in the 1650s. Other famous residents include basketball player Hilton Armstrong, abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher, and actors Jackie Gleason, Stanley Tucci, and Mel Gibson.
The highlight of the day was Chris' vivacious music: great drummer, bass player, piano, keyboard, violin, guitar, Italian tenor, and talented vocalists!
Two hours later, we headed back to the house for more plum pudding and fruit salad.
It was an effervescent weekend. The fun surprises that we bestowed on others came back to us. We had an amazing time spreading Christmas & yuletide cheer! It was a shame that it ended by us having to use a filthy old train to return to a filthy city that cost too much.
*To see our Christmasy experiences in Berlin, Germany, please use this link:
*To see how Lewis' company treats employees during Holiday Parties, please use this link:
