Earlier today, we enjoyed dinner with some friends at their home. My contribution was a smoked ham that was given a brown sugar, orange and mustard glaze. Oh my, oh my, was it ever delicious!
I also brought chocolate-raspberry squares to share, but I left one dessert at home...a pan of gingerbread. This evening, we topped the moist, spicy cake with lemon sauce.
It was a traditionally perfect ending to a peaceful and lovely day.
I hope everyone had a beautiful and blessed Christmas.
Nancy
PS: Please stop by Designs by Gollum and see who served what this holiday. Our hostess, Michael Lee, has Mr. Linky up, running and ready to assist you.
Maybe you've gone to a Broadway show and have tried to get an autograph from one of the stars.
You may have walked by this synagogue in mid-town. This building is an amazingly accurate reproduction.
If you were very brave, you probably rode the subway. Hopefully you didn't fall on a patch of that famous sidewalk ice!
Walking the streets, you might have caught sight of more than one couple who were 
You may have seen a fabulous toy shop...
or prehaps you bought flowers from a street vendor.
Maybe you saw a business man getting a shoeshine on the street.
Did you ever see Christmas trees being sold in the middle of the sidewalk?
And there are always Policemen around, although everytime I've asked one for directions they don't seem to know where to go!
I'm old enough to remember organ grinders and their monkeys...
and the sidewalk newstands, although they are almost all gone now.
I hope that you've enjoyed this little tour, and that perhaps it's stirred a memory or brought a smile. Everyone should see the 'City' at least once at Christmastime! 
Except for a broken cup and chipped dinner plate, we still have them and enjoy them every holiday season.
Fruitcake update...It was fabulous. I say was, because it's gone.
It was moist, very boozy, and 
It's now a memory. I think our guests enjoyed it too.
some funny, cute, pretty or pious characters...
and many beautiful birds.
I've also seen them eat small versions of 
This year we're going to find out if they'll try this.... 
It's sauerkraut soup, and we serve it as part of our traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner called 
He's built on a large styrofoam cone and wire apertures. His gown, hat and sack are sewn, then saturated with fabric stiffener and draped on the form. Once he's dry, which takes forever, he's then given a liberal coat of gesso and painted. The final step is to apply an antiquing solution. I really look forward to bringing him out every year.
We also have a second tree in here, and it's a nice spot to watch a Christmas movie while my husband's watching hockey!
New this year is a scene on the small sideboard in our dining room. Victoria Station is a large piece, and really didn't fit any where else.
and a housewife buying her Christmas turkey...or is that a goose???
And then there are the pubs. We have several.
All of the streets are heavily populated with people running their Christmas errands or doing their jobs. In the scene below, there are children dragging home the yule log.