Aftermath

The kids had a blast, which is most of the point.
The Fiend's fave gift was a tie between the trumpet Santa brought and Meek's postcard with a genuine piece of the Berlin Wall.  Fuss was completely mesmerized by a puzzle sphere wherein you navigate a ball bearing through a complex web of plastic chutes & hazards.  Watching us try to solve it was akin to hidden camera footage of a raccoon colony assembling a dresser from Ikea, but Fuss enjoyed it greatly.

On the growed up front, we relaxed and ate like royalty.
I made Bittmann's Overnight Waffles for breakfast- highly recommended, with or without the extensive spread of toppings laid out by Auntie Burl.  This years selection of Christmas Cocktails came courtesy of Martha Stewart.  The reception was mixed for the blood orange Champagne cocktail (Uncle Timmy found it too tart for consumption)  but the Christmas Punch was an unmitigated success.  I predict a return engagement next year- it was a delight.
My one complaint would be the preposterous claim that it "serves 12-16"....ah, only you're ladling it into empty acorn caps for an audience of woodland sprites.  You are advised.

Dinner was on an Arab theme, recipes from The Arab Table by May Bsisu.  My scheme to make flatbread failed, as a 2 hour rise for the dough didn't fit the schedule.  I'd planned to do the dough Christmas Eve & refrigerate it, but we ended up making rather merry and you know how that goes. We'll bake it up tomorrow and I'll report back.

Everything else was great.
The hummus was substantially more labor intensive than expected, but the extra step of rubbing the skins off the garbanzo beans made for a silky smooth texture.  Auntie Burl's yogurt/cucumber dip & tabbouleh salad were exceptional,  Uncle Timmy's BBQ grilled Persian spice rubbed chickens likewise.
After we'd all gorged to repletion and arrayed ourselves about the living room like a sea lion colony basking in the sun, Cousin Fiend piped up with "So what's for dessert?!"

Alas, we were too torpid to give her tickling she so richly deserved...