PAJAMAS, PUZZLES, AND POZOLE OUR TEAM’S FAVORITE HOLIDAY TRADITIONS
“Every New Year’s Eve, we’d have family dinner, play Trivial Pursuit, or put together a puzzle with either ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ or the top 100 countdowns of the year on the radio in the background. We’d watch an old movie — usually ‘Laurel and Hardy,’ ‘Three Stooges,’ or something along that genre. The important part was that we were together.” — Dr. Jason Schermer, Dentist “Once a year, my mamita (grandmother) would come home to visit us in Colombia. We would take a few days off of school and gather at my aunt’s house to spend time with my mamita. She would collect presents for each one of us during the year and would distribute them as Santa Claus would during Christmas. My mom had a calmness to her that I only saw during mamita’s homecoming!” — Dr. Andrea, Dentist “One of my favorite holiday traditions is wearing matching pajamas with my family on Christmas day. Every year, we pick a new set and make sure to get an annual pajama photo!” — Taylor, Registered Dental Hygienist
“My mom’s side of the family has Christmas Eve dinner, and at some point throughout the evening, the parents put a dot of honey on their child’s forehead so they’re ‘extra sweet’ throughout the upcoming year!” — Lauren, Registered Dental Hygienist “We always spend a weekend at my parents’ house to celebrate the holidays, and everyone goes bowling one night. There’s a good dose of playful competition no matter what age — and a few side bets to keep it interesting.” — Janae, Registered Dental Hygienist “My extended family does an unusual white elephant exchange where one person buys all of the gifts of various dollar amounts. One person might get a roll of toilet paper, and another might win a TV! You never know what you’ll walk out with!” — Erika, Dental Assistant “One of my favorite traditions is getting together with my family on Thanksgiving, sharing laughs, stories, and my aunt’s famous mac and cheese.” — Jordan, Office Manager
“We usually get together with friends who have no family in the area. Everyone usually brings a dish from their country.” — Maria, Insurance Coordinator “One of my favorite traditions growing up was helping my mom and aunts prepare tamales, pozole, and champurrado (a rich, traditional Mexican hot chocolate) while listening to Mexican music on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve, we enjoyed our dinner together, and then we would share the delicious leftovers on Christmas Day.” — Jennifer, Administrative Assistant “My favorite tradition is getting together with my family and watching ‘A Christmas Story.’ The movie plays for 24 hours straight, so we start on Christmas Eve and watch it until the night ends on Christmas Day!” — Gwyn, Dental Assistant
LEAH’S BAD DAD JOKES OF THE MONTH
Exquisite Lemon Bars
Q: Who doesn’t eat on Thanksgiving? A: A turkey, because it is always stuffed.
Ingredients •
2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup powdered sugar
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1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp grated lemon zest
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Q: Where do you find a turkey with no legs? A: Exactly where you left it. Q: What would happen if a cranberry became sad? A: It would turn into a blueberry.
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 tsp baking powder
4 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan. 2. In a medium bowl, combine flour and powdered sugar. 3. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Press mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. 5. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt. Pour over crust. 6. Bake for 25 minutes or until set. Allow to cool before cutting into bars.
If you would like your favorite joke featured, email Office@exceptionalsmiles.com You may see it in our next issue!
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