A Few of Our Favorite Things

In the course of daily business
life, Outlook magazine is honored to also share in the personal lives of our
clients and colleagues. Enjoy a heartwarming glimpse into the traditions and
nostalgic moments that create holiday memories for the hardworking families who
bring you, our valued Outlook readers, the products and services you love.

“Growing up, my family had a
Christmas tradition that we didn’t put names on our gifts to each other. We
would just wrote something like “To: ABC from Dad” so we didn’t know whose
gifts were whose…just had to remember your own codes. As we got older, my
parents would make us wrap our own presents from them—until my dad realized
that I was sticking my hand in the box to see if I could figure out what I was
getting. I stopped that when he gave me jumper cables. I had no idea what they
were!”  

—Mille Shores, Millie’s Table

“I always look forward to mashed
potatoes & sweet potato casserole! I also love shopping for my nieces,
nephews and cousins—makes me feel like I’m a kid again!”   

—Andy Nelson, Nelson Lawns

“This year we will no doubt
preempt the Thunder game on Christmas Day with what will hopefully be a
friendly game of family hoops. No Christmas would be complete without a
private, extended family screening of Christmas
Vacation and some late night music courtesy of the family musical troupe
known as the Wynn Brothers.”                                    

—Joshua Morphew, Baxter Electric
Plumbing Co.

“The Kregger family cranberry
relish is always a hit for the holidays! Use an old-fashioned crank style food
processor to grind up two peeled apples, two peeled oranges and one bag of
cranberries. Add a cup of sugar or sweeten to taste.”

—Paul Kregger, Kregger’s Floors
& More

“My family gets together every
Christmas in the New Mexico Mountains. We set up an assembly line with everyone
from my wife and I, our children and even the grandkids and we make dozens and
dozens of tamales. It’s great fun! We eat some during our Christmas stay but
most are frozen for later consumption or given away to friends who like good
hot Mexican food. They aren’t for the faint of tongue, but they’re
delicious!”  

—Dr. David Minyard, OK TMJ &
Sleep Therapy

“Every holiday season my family
makes peppermint white hot chocolate: 2 cups half & half, 1 cup milk, 1 bar
of white baking chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract. Melt together
over low heat, pour in a mug, and add a candy cane. It’s Christmas in a cup!”

—Dr. Trevor Courouleau, Edmond
Hearing Doctors 

“Besides carrying on a tradition
from my own childhood of listening to Elvis Christmas songs while decorating
the tree—which my family considers a form of torture—there are two things I
look forward to about Christmas. One is getting together with family on
Christmas Eve for a soup dinner and games. Before the evening ends, we read the
story of Jesus’ birth from the Bible and reflect on what it means to us today.
Also, because we love seeing homes decorated for Christmas, the past few years
we’ve taken poinsettias to different neighbors whose homes we particularly
enjoyed and thanked them for blessing us during the Christmas season.”                

—Jennifer Ayotte, Crossings
Community Church

“Following a Christmas Eve
candlelight service, we return home to a dinner of linguini with
white clam sauce, salad, and crusty Italian bread. Desserts are a blend of the
old and the new: Grandma Connie Bruno’s delicious New York cheesecake (in honor
and remembrance of a lovely, loving mother) and Kristen Murphy’s fabulous,
frosted sugar cookies, our newest and treasured tradition. To quote my son,
Mike, “Food is love, Mom!” Truly, isn’t love what Christmas is all about?”

—Jean Murphy, Haggard’s Furniture