At first we had planned a picnic by the bay as an early Christmas get-together with friends on Sunday 22nd...the weather was truly frightful and it didn't work out... so we finally decided to turn it into an 'indoor picnic' a la our own style for a different kind of Nochebuena (Christmas Eve)
I had planned on a seafood paella for the picnic, so that's what I made. Instead of meeting at the park by the bay as originally planned, we met at our friend Sharon's home.
I wanted the table to be colorful and festive and yet not too 'Christmasy' so I went with lots of color.

The colorful bowls are originally from Pier 1 but were a thrift shop find... they only had 4 and I got them all...there were also dinner and salad/dessert plates, but I did not care for the combination of colors in them... the 'tablecloth' in red with tiny white dots was yardage also found at the same thrift shop... The table runner was a Pier 1 purchase about 5 or 6 years ago...the clay cazuelitas I've had for some time, as well as the lantern, the blue stemware, and the flatware. The greens in the centerpiece are allspice leaves from a tree in my yard and branches of a prickly conifer found at a higher elevation not too far from our house. The Meyer lemons and oranges are from my yard.
I used napkins of different colors, pulled from the runner and the colors in the bowls, for each setting... Sharon's was orange

Anthony's was the teal - aqua

Galyn's was yellow...

...and mine was red

The napkin around the sangria pitcher features all of the colors

This is a very simple sangria... a robust red wine, orange juice, and ginger ale. Orange slices were added. Salud!

The paella was cooked at home...Anthony peeled the shrimp and lobster tails while I started cooking the rice. When I make paella, I cook the rice as if I was making a risotto...small amounts of liquids added while stirring...letting the rice absorb of that goodness, little by little, and adding more liquids as needed until the grains are full to bursting.
My Easy Shellfish Paella
2 cups Spanish rice or medium-grain rice
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped small
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 - 3 bay leaves
2 large pinches of Spanish saffron threads soaked in the juice of a lemon (*)
1 teaspoon Spanish sweet paprika
a small pinch of cumin (optional)
32 ounces vegetable, chicken, or shellfish broth (**)
1 large can beer (your preference)
Liberal amounts of dry Spanish sherry or dry white wine
1 pound sea scallops, bearded and cleaned
1 lb prawns or large shrimp or your choice, peeled and deveined
4 small lobster tails (about 6 oz each)
About a cup or so of petit pois (small English peas)
Roasted pimento strips
In a large pot, bring 3 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add the lobster tails and let boil very briefly (1-2 minutes) until pink. Turn the heat off. Remove the lobster tails with a pair of tongs. Let them cool, then peel the shells and reserve along with the shrimp shells if making your own shellfish broth...of course, if making shellfish broth, do not discard the lobster cooking water. Reserve the lobster tail meat until you're ready to finish the dish.
Heat the oil in your paella pan and add the rice. Sauté for a couple of minutes, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves...continue sautéing until onion is translucent but being careful to not burn the garlic. Add the saffron, sweet paprika, and pinch of cumin (if using)
Start adding your liquids, about a cup at a time, stirring as you would risotto, and let the rice absorb almost all liquid before adding more. Continue until the rice is nicely plump and liquid is almost all absorbed. Add and mix in the shrimp and scallops towards the end, when just a small amount of liquid is left to be absorbed, so that they too can absorb the flavors but not overcook and become rubbery.
When all liquid has been absorbed, add the lobster tails, the pimento strips, and the petit pois. Sprinkle with a bit more of the dry sherry or white wine, cover, and place in a very low oven until ready to serve, but don't let it sit in there too long, or the shellfish will overcook and the shrimp won't 'pop' when bitten into. Discard the bay leaves before serving.
(*) Place the threads in the bowl of a mortar, ceramic, or glass bowl. Soaking the saffron threads in lemon juice seems to help release more of the color and flavor. After about 10 minutes, crush them with the pestle or a stainless steel spoon. The lemon flavor will blend well with the rest of the liquids.
(**) If making shellfish broth, the easiest way is to use the discarded shrimp and lobster shells by first roasting them in the oven or even sautéing in a skillet with a bit of olive oil drizzled over them; put them in a large pot filled with the lobster boiling water, if desired, add some aromatics, such as a chopped onion and a bunch or parsley, bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer until desired flavor. Discard the aromatics before adding broth to the paella.

Dinner is served! Sharon made a simple salad that was perfect with the rich paella...a mixture of leafy greens and sliced avocadoes, with a very nice garlicky dressing... Galyn brought bread, which he sliced and added garlic butter...and he contributed the wine for the sangria, plus apple cider. Not pictured, Sharon made a delicious tiramisu for dessert!

A friend in Australia has a plate I admire very much...around the rim, in cursive letters, the following sentiment is written:
"The best memories are made when there is laughter around the table"
...there were memories made last evening...Great friends, delicious food, and lots of fun and laughter!

I wish you all, a very...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Felices Navidades y Feliz Año Nuevo!
Mele Kalikimaka and Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!
Whether you are experiencing swaying palms or lovely snow scenes, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and an extremely Happy 2020!