<\/p>\n
\nBy Claudia Kwan, award winning broadcaster and writer<\/span><\/b>\n<\/p>\n \nI must have gone temporarily mad, \nFor somehow or another, I’ve \nI do have a back-up plan in case
\ndriven to it by the crowds at the airport and the throngs at the mall
\nand those carols that keep playing playing, playing, playing everywhere.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n
\nvolunteered to make Christmas Eve dinner by myself for 14 people (which
\nincludes four kids 5 and under), cooking in my tiny tiny condo kitchen<\/span>.
\nThere’s only room in there for one person at a time for heaven sakes,
\nand I’m already trying to figure out how I’ll keep everything moving
\nalong with just four burners on the stove and not much more room inside
\nthe oven than for a chicken and a couple of potatoes. I’ll manage
\nsomehow, although I may tear out half my hair in the process.\n<\/p>\n
\neverything goes kablooey — the high class equivalent of ordering
\ntakeout if you burn the roast. I’m fortunate enough to live in a region
\nrich with Chinese restaurants, and one of the major benefits — along
\nwith richly varied delicious food — is this fact: Chinese restaurants
\nare an awesome option for Christma<\/span>s
\ndinner, either on the 24th or 25th. They stay open for New Years Day as
\nwell, in contrast to other establishments, who try and save on paying
\nemployees double time by simply shutting down operations.\n<\/p>\n