Getting Into The Christmas (Carol) Spirits
Our second date of 2024 is one of our perennial spotlights: “A Christmas Carol” by Dickens. Each year, we feature a different character, theme, or aspect of the story. This year, we're focusing on the four ghosts that visit Scrooge: Jacob Marley, the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. In the spirit of their spooky moniker, Ben cleverly dubbed our first day “Getting Into the Christmas (Carol) Spirits.” The day was packed with fun, with each ghost inspiring a meal, an activity, and (as was appropriate for a spirits-themed day) a themed cocktail.
We kicked things off with Jacob Marley in the morning. Known for his clinking chains, our breakfast was a chain of donuts. Our activity? Creating a paper chain countdown to Christmas! It was a bit early in the day for a traditional cocktail, but Ben found a clever smoked clove cocktail with rum and cold brew coffee that mimicked Marley’s wispy, transparent appearance.
For the afternoon, it was time to visit the Ghost of Christmas Past. Traditionally depicted as a milky, shimmering figure, we roasted ghost Peeps over a Sterno flame to make s’mores and whipped up a “Bailey’s Comet” cocktail with schnapps, Baileys, and a flaming high-proof rum topper. We reflected on past Christmases, flicking through our photo album filled with over a hundred Christmas dates we've enjoyed as a family and also playing some trivia games based on them.
Dinner brought us to the Ghost of Christmas Present. This jolly, robed ghost famously showcased a feast for Scrooge, including suckling pigs, mince pies, sausages, oysters, and chestnuts. We combined several of these elements into a Victorian-style dish of chicken thighs with mushrooms and chestnuts in a red wine sauce. We also honored the “seething bowls of punch” with a negus featuring a flaming cinnamon stick, mint, and red berries to capture the ghost’s jolly spirit. For fun, we played Victorian parlor games like Halving the Pear (which involves lighting the rope suspending a pear from the ceiling on fire so that the pear then plummets to the ground with the goal being to set-up knives on the floor so that the pear is perfectly bisected) and Lighting the Candle (which has each player holding a candle while balancing on one knee with the intent being to transfer the flame from one lit candle to the other unlit candle). Both were remarkably entertaining!
Lastly, we honored the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. This dark, mysterious figure got a fun twist with chocolate-enrobed ghost Peeps and a charcoal gin sour with a black sugar garnish. To play up his shadowy mystique, we enjoyed shadow puppet Christmas charades.
All throughout the day, we decorated the house to get into the Christmas spirit, capping it all off by watching the highly-recommended movie “Spirited.” All in all, it was an ambitious but incredibly clever start to our holiday season!
ACTIVITIES:
Christmas Decorating
Victorian Christmas Ghost Stories Book
Advent Paper Chains (Marley)
"25 Dates" Collages Reflections (Christmas Past)
Victorian Parlor Games (Christmas Present)
Shadow Puppet Charades (Christmas Yet to Come)
FOOD MENU:
Donut Chain (Marley)
Sterno Peeps Snowman S'Mores (Christmas Past)
Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Chestnuts in Red Wine Sauce (Christmas Present)
Death by Chocolate En-Robed Truffles (Christmas Yet to Come)
DRINKS MENU:
Smoked Clove Cold Brew Cocktail (Marley)
Bailey's Comet (Christmas Past)
Smoking Bishop / Negus & Flaming Cinnamon Torch (Christmas Present)
Charcoal Gin Sour w/ Sugar Garnish (Christmas Future)
INTERESTING READS & CONTEXT:
