——Sam
Since it was our first Christmas dinner with an additional member to our family, Mom thought that we should make it extra special. The dinner was supposed to be a simple gesture in officially welcoming Dean to our family. She added three more dishes for our traditional Christmas dinner, two of which were Dean’s favorites.
And just like when Dad was still with us, our kitchen had become the busiest part of our house again, and I loved it. Dean had insisted on helping and ended up getting paired with Christie in preparing the gingerbread cookies and other sweet treats while I helped Mom with the roast beef and pasta.
To be honest, I didn’t like cooking, baking, or any other kitchen activity. But I was in such a good mood that I didn’t complain when Mom asked me to prepare the e
