I think I set a new personal best (or worst) for the amount of food eaten this Christmas season.
It all started with the lead-up to Christmas as my wife and I had a few days off. It began with a short trip to Blue Mountain near Collingwood for a walk around the village. Those candy cane cafe mochas with whipped cream and sprinkles are 'diet', right? And you can't pass on Beaver Tails, but we shared.
Things really ramped up on Christmas Eve with a charcuterie my wife put together. At any given time, I am a sucker for cured meats and rich cheeses, but put out an assortment and I am cooked. Toss in some pistachios and various nuts, pickles, olives... In reality, we had enough for two full boards, but we always take things to the max in our household.
Christmas Day was no better. Every form of chocolate imaginable (darn kids), snacks of all kinds, and then my famous bacon and eggs. Time for a nap.
From there it was off to my parents' house where things weren't about to get any better. A fruit tray made an appearance.
But that was followed by dad's turkey dinner with potatoes and gravy, stuffing, turnip-carrot mash, cranberry sauce... we managed to even throw in a green vegetable in the form of steamed broccoli. Top it all off with a generous portion of my mom's trifle. The belts were soon loosened.
Then my mom's homemade Bits and Bites concoction showed up on Boxing Day, just in time for the World Juniors on TV.
Turkey leftovers for sandwiches, ham and eggs, and then a series of what can only be described as power breakfasts.
Our teenager got a Netflix subscription for Christmas, so we started off with The Irishman, a marathon of a movie at more than three hours but with a star-studded cast. It had a few parts that I thought were a little drawn out, but that just meant more interludes to grab a few more finger foods.
Throw into that an assortment of beer and wine, well, you get the fuzzy picture.
I was a 36 waist for years and years, holding steady as things got a little snug (call it pride), but those days appear to be in the rear-view mirror. I am blaming COVID.
Raymond Bowe is the editor at BarrieToday.
