Fiona, one of Maya’s roommates and high school friend is staying with us over the Christmas holiday. Work prevented her from joining her parents who are celebrating in England. Also visiting us is Jeanine’s sister, Susan who we always look forward to spending the holidays with. This evening we gathered at the River House where we enjoyed raclette, a Swiss dish, also popular in other Alpine countries, based on heating cheese and scraping off the melted part onto boiled potatoes and sausages. Maya created a Bouche de Noël for dessert complete with woodland decorations (my favorite are the mushrooms). We also enjoyed fine chocolates, a gift from Nicolai’s girlfriend Samantha and her dog.