Those of you who read this blog with any kind of regularity know that we’ve mentioned Daughter #1 and Daughter #2 . . . their names are protected to save them from “embarrassment” but other than that, they’re pretty awesome kids.  When we were both growing up in our respective worlds, we remember the transition from high school to college, and at Christmas time how much our parents actually looked forward to seeing us.  Truth be told, we actually looked forward to seeing them too!  Something about being in our own surroundings .  .  . and just long enough to enjoy the visit, but short enough to get back to school . . . Or, was it the other way around?

Funny thing about getting older.  We went through school, got married and found ourselves really, really enjoying the company of our parents.  When we bought our first house in 1984, we distinctly remember having both of our parents over for dinner.  It’s the stuff memories are made of . . . Bill and Hugh with Brian out on the patio while Bea and Margaret were in the house with Jean getting things ready for the table.  It all happens so fast, and now as we look back on it as fond memories, we now begin to understand the same feelings our parents had when we came home from school.  There is a wholeness that comes from your children coming home for the holidays.  There’s an anticipation that’s like an itch needing a scratch.  We clean the house, get the rooms in order, buy food that we only buy when they are coming home!  Even the dogs know that something is going on . . . they have NO idea what–but they’re pretty sure something is happening because ‘mom and dad’ are going crazy!!!  Needless to say, we’re very excited that Daughter #2 made it home safely this afternoon – a little tense this morning because of weather delays but all worked our well in the end.  Now, we await the arrival of Daughter #1 and then a certain Mom and Dad are going to be pretty happy having their kids back under one roof!

Tonight, we opened – from our trip to Central Market – a really nice, young Malbec.  This is a 2011 Tapiz from the vineyards of Fincas Patagonias S.A. in Mendoza Argentina.  For those of you tracking costs, this little gem retailed at $12.95; however, with our sale discount, we ended up spending $11.00.  Two things: if you love a nice, dark purple and fruity Malbec and if you don’t mind a young wine that has lots to offer, then you need to stock up on Tapiz.  We really liked this wine.  Upon opening, a beautiful toasted oak aroma encircled the glass . . . further swirling produced raspberry and blackberry notes to go along with the toasted oak.  The taste was very fruity and the raspberry flavor came to the forefront and we picked up subtle hints of cedar, earth and plums.  For us, this was a terrific wine to enjoy with grilled tenders in hot sauce and barbecue sauce – a boneless wings bonanza for a Tuesday night.  The wine paired nicely with the spiciness of the tenders.  With Christmas a week away, this is a wine to stock up and bring out for family and friends.  We think it’s got a lot to offer a Malbec lover.  The price is manageable and there are a lot of other wines on the market that cost a lot more and don’t deliver the flavor of this 2011 Tapiz Malbec.

Yep, there is something special about coming home for the holidays.  From our perspective, there’s something really special about our kids coming home for the holidays.  We’ve learned to cherish them — one at a time — because they become a blur as the years go by.  And, whether we think about or reminisce about the past or think about and dream about the future, we know that family coming home for the holidays is where our heart is and it’s made special by their arrivals!

It’s also a GREAT reason to open a bottle of our favorite wine – tough to chose because we have SO many – but we promise that we’ll enjoy responsibly, and we’ll even remember to recycle–because here, it’s possible.