Meet the Staff: Holiday Edition
With Thanksgiving in a couple of days and the rest of the winter holidays just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to share some of our staff’s holiday memories and traditions. So, I surveyed my colleagues and found out some interesting tidbits about their holiday favorites.
It will come as no surprise that our fondest memories include family. Several of us shared that spending time with family, whether in Texas or not, was extra special. One son recalled the years he and his father spent perfecting holiday recipes, while one father said his favorite holiday memory was having his son home from Operation Desert Storm. Another colleague wrote about being awakened after midnight on Christmas Eve to open gifts so that her parents could sleep in on Christmas morning. That’s parenting perfection right there.
The most touching memory was about a gift that almost wasn’t received: “I was six or seven and very upset when I didn’t get two toy guns with holsters. My mother asked why they weren’t on my list I had given her. My response was that I didn’t have to ask her because I asked Santa. My older brother (4 years my senior), who seldom paid any attention to me, was so moved, using his allowance money, he went out and bought me a swell set of two guns with holsters. This act of kindness astonished me, my parents, and I suspect my brother as well.”
Like the two guns with holsters, our favorite holiday memories can sometimes date us. For example, one colleague remembered receiving her first real camera…a Kodak Brownie. Another remembered the year she found a talking Mrs. Beasley doll waiting for her under the Christmas tree. If you’re under a certain age, you’re going to have to look that one up.
Our favorite holiday foods run the gamut, but the classiest has to be “Quick Hot Peas” because the recipe calls for Velveeta Cheese. Other favorites include more typical holiday dishes such as cornbread stuffing and sweet potato casserole (and an unusual “sweet potato divine”). One colleague’s family enjoys French onion soup every Christmas Eve before heading to church (with lots of breath mints). And then there’s this favorite holiday dish: roasted capon (neutered rooster). I had to look that one up.
You’re probably wondering about our favorite holiday wines. Well, no surprise, Lost Oak’s Holiday was named several times. But other wines made our lists as well: Merlots in general, a rich Chardonnay, and McPherson’s Sparkling Wine. Our roasted capon lover prefers a good, tawny port during the holidays.
Finally, the most important holiday question: colored or white lights? Our respondents were split 50/50 on this, and one of our colleagues (the one who might have broken the tie) prefers white lights on the tree and colored lights on the house. So, that age-old debate will continue….
No matter where you spend your holidays and with whom, what you eat, what you give, or what you receive, your friends at 4.0 hope that you’ll plan to spend some of your holiday time with us at the cellars. We’ve got all the tasty wine and good cheer you and your family and friends need this holiday season!