Pizza For Christmas (SCT WO) Dec 31 '05    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Kitchen Scanpan Ctx 11" Fry Pan From $100 Cuisinart PTK-330 Electric Kettle From $58 The Bottom Line Christmas pizza comes just once a year. Every December 25, my family gathers for Christmas dinner. My siblings may have spent most of their youth in East Chicago, but when they left, they settled in neighboring cities and started families. As the years have passed, many of my nieces and nephews have gone to college, but they're always home for the holidays. My brother's sons, who have graduated, have come home to "Da Region." Christmas is a joyous occasion for us, but we're quite informal about it. At some point in the nineties, those in charge of the cooking (i.e., my sister and my sister-in-law) decided not to make the traditional Christmas dinner. They wanted to make something everyone would eat, but not require a great deal of kitchen time - or a big mess. Thus, the tradition of Christmas pizza was born. Shortly after 5:00 on Christmas evening, everyone had gathered for the feast. All of the ingredients were there: pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and regular and low-fat cheese (no ham or turkey, though). Salad, shrimp, and sushi were available for anybody who wanted a little something to eat before the main course. Over the course of the next hour, people had the sorts of pizza they wanted. Nobody's tastes went unmet. Absolutely nobody goes hungry, for a few pieces remained after everyone had had their fill. By the time the meal was over, some of the younger members of the family were very ready to receive Christmas presents. The 2005 Christmas pizza came with an added bonus for myself and for the other football fans in my family. We had the meal during an exciting game between the NFL's oldest rivals - the Bears and the Packers. For the first time since Brett Favre joined Green Bay, Chicago swept the season series (Yes!). It's not that Favre didn't try, but the 2005 edition of the Monsters Of The Midway came up big on the game's final three plays to prevent Favre from throwing for the tying score. The pizza, as always, was delicious. The Bears' win - and, of course, the gift giving - made the night even better. Christmas pizza, in my family, celebrates the holiday in its own special way. This day, compared to Thanksgiving, is a quiet one in the kitchen. Nobody complains about not getting enough food, and everybody ends the evening with a few more gifts. The one Packers fan in my family was left waiting for next season for the next shot at the Bears, but that outcome became secondary on the holiday. The holiday is for celebrating many things, but the most unique of the day's traditions in my family is the pizzas that come from the oven every Christmas night. It's been said that some things about the holiday cannot be topped, but Christmas pizza is always topped with many tasty things. This has been my entry in the Strange Christmas Traditions Write-Off hosted by puckmugger. Other entries can be found here. Thank you Scott.

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