Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Since most of my readers are not portuguese I think it's important to share what is usually the traditional Christmas Eve meal in Portugal. Codfish is like the national dish (even though it is brought from the North of Europe) and therefore it couldn't be absent from that night. Boiled codfish with potatoes is the dish for the night and at least the tradition from where my mom is from it comes with  a sauce made out of olive oil, onions, garlic, cumin, paprika and vinegar. Deserts vary a little bit but stuff like rabanadas  (equivalent to french toast), sonhos (http://armazemdasespeciarias.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/sonhos-de-natal.jpg)  are a must have item, but usually people enjoy a wild card! Usually I go for american deserts, since that's what most of my family has never had, this year I might be trying to bake chocolate bourbon pecan pie!
Time to start baking! Suggestions for deserts are accepted starting now!

Well,

I am seriously starting to hate Christmas!
When I was a kid Christmas Eve was the day my cousins and I could stay awake and just play around. It was the only time my mom would allow me to eat as much crap as I could possibly handle! It was the day I looked fwd to see my mom and my aunts gathered in the kitchen being bossed around by my grandmother (I really miss her!) while they were cooking Christmas Eve supper. It was the day in which I would wake up to a house smelling like cinnamon because my mom would be baking "rabanadas" (the portuguese equivalent to french toast) and all the Christmas yumiii deserts! I remember waking up on Christmas day and rushing with my sister down the stairs to see what Jesus (yeah, in my house we always had Jesus, not Santa) had left us! We would be happy with whatever,  I miss those days in which everything was simple, and Christmas was all about love and family being together!
Nowadays I have this feeling that it is all about gifts and gifts and more gifts! It's probably my fault, but I really think everyone has expectations to get something (and it is not only something, it needs to be a specific something), and that really sucks... Instead can I offer hugs and kisses to you all? I think that has a lot more to do with Christmas! Spread the love =D

Pity it didn't happen to me...