Well, I’m a day late, but that is a testament to the wonderful time I am having with my family. Seeing folks I haven’t seen in decades is mind-boggling, and fun! We’ve eaten good food, shared many laughs, cried a few tears, and have said over and over that we will not wait so long again to do this! Family gatherings in our home are cherished. I hope your family gatherings have been joyful, too.
Now, on to the five question Friday questions! (with a few minor changes to suit our traditions.)
1. Is there a special dish you prepare that you are famous for?
Not really. I can put together a really good meal on special occasions, but I am really not known for my cooking. I do bake a mean Amaretto Cake, and I make great salads. But special dish that I am famous for???? Nahhhh…. Not me.
2. Are you (did you) go Black Friday shopping ?
I am not now, nor have I ever been a big shopper. I have never participated in the Black Friday shopping event, nor do I ever plan to. I don’t get it, although I have friends and family who look forward to it and treat it almost as if it is a sporting event. I will just enjoy that distinctly American custom vicariously through them.
3. What are your strangest holiday traditions?
We observe the Jewish holidays, and by some folks standards we have some strange traditions and observances, too many to go through here. But Succot has some beautiful traditions that may appear strange, like eating in the Sukkah, or shaking the lulav.
4. Pecan or pumpkin pie? (She actually asked “Apple or pumpkin?” I just T-giving’ed it!)
I love both, but pecan has got to be a favorite of mine. I’ll leave it at that.
5. When will you put up your Christmas tree? Chanukah begin this year?
We light the first Chanukah candle on the evening of December 20 this year. We will light a candle each night for eight nights to commemorate the miracle of the oil centuries ago. I will write more about this as we near that beautiful holiday (it’s closing in on Midnight now, and to be honest, I just don’t have the energy.)
Well that is it for this week. I hope to be back up to par next week, and I will fill you in on some of our strange traditions in the weeks to come. But for now, I’m signing off. Hope you and yours (in the USA) had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. For those of you beyond our borders, may your lives be filled with gratitude. Thanks for stopping by.
Related articles
- Theories on The Date of The First Black Friday (socyberty.com)
- Five Question Friday: 11/25/2011 (tapestryoflife.wordpress.com)
- The Black Friday Bucket List: 25 Things to Do on Black Friday (Shopping Not Included) (lifehack.org)
- 5qs? (ellejaysays.wordpress.com)
Inspired Vision 
Doesn’t matter if you’re a day late. I’m happy to hear from you whenever——
Actually, I’m famous for my apple pie and pumpkin cookies. I’m not nearly the cook my partner is. I bake instead.
We will put up the Christmas tree during the first week of December. I adore decorating, actually.
Happy Holidays, Cecelia———————-
Kathy
Happy holidays to you, too, Kathryn. Sounds like you have a festive time! Hope your trip to Lexington was fun. We are now back home in Cleveland. Take care and enjoy life! 🙂
Cecelia
Hi! I love your 5 question Fridays because we learn more about you! I would love the recipe for the Amaretto cake. I have some Amaretto in my cupboard right now that would be perfect to use!
Cheers,
Louise
Thanks for stopping by, Louise. My recipe is still packed in a box somewhere, but I will dig it out and include it in an upcoming blog post. Now that we have entered a holiday season, it might be nice to share customs, recipes, memories, etc. Have a wonderful week and I will post the recipe as soon as I find it!
I am with you about shopping! Even though I did go out on Friday, I have only gone out at the ridiculous time once…and I have sworn never to go out again before ten am. Those shoppers are insane. And if someone who reads this is indeed a Black Friday Shop-oholic, please note the fact that I am not a shopper. I don’t like any type of shopping, at any time of the year. This year it was my husband’s brain child to go out shopping – it was more to let the boys shop for each other and their sister than it was to get some great deal of the day. Great post! And I do look forward to learning about your customs and traditions in the upcoming weeks. 🙂
I’m with you on the shopping. What shopping I do is “necessity” shopping. Taking walks along nature trails, going to museums or natural gardens, etc., are my forms of entertainment. Glad you stopped by. Have a great week. 🙂
Cecelia, I am so glad you were able to go to Kentucky to be with your extended family. You have some great likes and traditions. I love salads and have always wished I could make great salads. Both of our daughters and a son-in-law remain here following Thanksgiving and we have had a wonderful time for which I am very grateful.
Thanks for stopping by, Barbara. We had a wonderful time with family in KY, and are now back home. I am glad to hear that your daughters and son-in-law were able to come for a Thanksgiving celebration. May the attitude of gratitude continue into the coming days.
I’m happy to hear you had such a nice time with your family, Ms. F! That really does sound wonderful)!
Hahaha… I’m famous for the results of my cooking (but not in a good way). Seriously, I think I’ve created new elements (none of them very tasty and all very messy)!
🙂
Hi SIG! Hope your thanksgiving was a good one . . . and that you did not cook anything! 😉 Yes, we had a wonderful time. I was relatives I haven’t seen in years, and for the first time in six years, all my children, grandchildren, siblings and parents were together in one place! Awesome. Have a wonderful week. 🙂
1. I’ve been known to make a mean turkey pot pie with the Thanksgiving leftovers.
2. Lord no. As long as there are stories of people getting trampled or shot, I’m staying home.
3. Trying to convince my wife not to open presents before Christmas? Not much of a tradition but it happens every year.
4. Pumpkin definitely although I did eat apple pie before pumpkin pie this year.
5. We put up our tree on Thanksgiving night and for the first time our four year old helped decorate it. It looks a little like a hot mess but she’s really proud of her work.
Thanks for stopping by, Dave. I am with you on the shopping; I DON’T DO IT on Black Friday, and only as is necessary at other times. Enjoy your week and the upcoming holidays. They should be great fun with a four-year-old to help out! 🙂
here i come uninvited this time 😛 cox you said come again to my site and i came again after visiting your site 2nd time 😛
family gatherings are nice as they belittle the aloof between the relatives 🙂
Yes, we had a wonderful time and I was happy to share the enjoyment with my fellow bloggers! 🙂 And thanks for coming back. Hope your day proves to be productive and happy.
it was not bad, have to prepare for the programming quiz and feeling lazy and sleepy 😛
That Amaretto Cake sounds delish… Share the recipe someday. 🙂
Several have asked for the recipe. I can’t find it now. I fear that it is in a box out in our storage room 15 miles away! When we relocate to a more permanent place (here in Cleveland) and I unpack it, I will write a special blog on this cake! Believe me, it is worthy of an entire blog all its own!!!! Hahahaha. (I’m not kidding.) 🙂