All this food and more....

...that's what Christmas means to me my love.

A late trip to Shady Maple, the Pennsylvania Dutch smorgasbord tonight with the family. And for the unenlightened, a smorgasbord is a buffet to which some overzealous person kept adding food until it just got out of hand. Right now I'm feeling like I will never eat anything ever again.

As it should be.

First a trip to the gift shop:

Do you love this? I love it.
A pastor said in a sermon once that it was no coincidence that Santa had the same letters as Satan, and I could never look at him the same again.

Lovely Yankee candles with Christmas scents.

Now to the main event:

This might be about a fourth of the dining room.

About the same amount of the buffet.

If you don't know what this is, then you're definitely not Pennsylvanian Dutch.

Round 1: Roll with apple butter, autumn pumpkin soup, chili, coffee, cranberry juice.

Dinner Convo: Dad: "So, do you think the people here are more overweight than the general population?
>>>>>>>>>>Me: "It's difficult to tell. Maybe we should take a poll."

Round 2: Redbeet egg, buttered noodles, eggroll, baked lima beans, chicken cordon bleu wedge, baked sweet potato.

Dinner Convo: Dad: "If you take food out of here they can get you for shoplifting.
>>>>>>>>>>Me: "Really?"
>>>>>>>>>>Mom: "Yeah, they search your pockets and pat you down when you leave."

Round Three: Shoofly pie. This will also be on the Mennonite test. Right after: What is "Mennonite?"

Dinner Convo: Dad: "Aw man, I'm already almost full. Not like the good old days, when we used to come and eat ourselves sick. I just can't eat like I used too."

Round 4: Ice cream, apple crisp, egg custard, fig and date pudding.

Round 4 defeats me.

I know, a poor showing on my part. I'll do better next time coach.

Hey, look at the time. It's Christmas Eve!