25 or 6 - 209 (Twenty-six or Six Two Oh Nine) OR Christmas Eve at the LeBlancs

How it Got Started

On Christmas Eve back in 1984 I got up at 3am to install the stove top in the counter of the house in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana that we were building.  This would mark the very first Christmas Eve Open House we would hold.  It also was the first Christmas in a new house built by our own hands.

We begin using the new stove to cook a traditional Christmas Eve fare that my mother and step father made a tradition back home.   We cooked a pork roast and some deer that a friend had given us and of course a Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. 

Later that evening about 4pm I put the homemade eggnog on the stove.   This recipe was handed down from my mother.  I can remember as a young boy beating the egg whites with a manual crank style mixer.  This was a tradition as long as I can remember to have Mom’s Eggnog every Christmas Eve.

We invited several friends to come to the new LeBlanc edition of the Christmas Eve Party.   Our neighbors came over and our home teachers making a total of 6 people that year.  We had a good time.

As the years progressed in Breaux Bridge we became great friends with the Stanonis Family and they became part of the tradition.  We would alternate years at which house we would hold the gathering. Several years later at our son’s wedding reception Peggy Stanonis told us they still kept up the tradition as well.

In 1992 I was transferred to the Houston Area when my company closed down the Lafayette office.  That first year we were living in a small apartment so we did hold the traditional event.  We instead traveled back to my parent’s  house to get *remedial training* on the real Christmas Eve Party. 

The Humble Tradition Begins

1993 marked the first time we held the *Humble Version* of the Christmas Eve Party in our home in Atascocita.  We invited our new Ward family to the event.  I don’t think most of them knew what to expect.   I think we had about 40 people show up that year.  We were using a manual version of counting people.  One of the kids was assigned shifts for front door duty to count the people that came in.   In 1997 we started having people sign up on a signup sheet.  That year we had 68 people show up.

The Food

Over the years we began adding things to the menu.  The traditional pork roast and deer became an expensive option and deer was difficult to get because most of my acquaintances were not hunters.  Of course the Fried Turkey was the star attraction for a number of years, until.. we tried to become vegetarians for two years.  The Turkeys were out and the attendance numbers dwindled.   We soon came to our senses when it did not seem to make a difference to our cholesterol levels anyway.   So the Turkeys were back in full force.   We started with only cooking three and now we typically cook 8 turkeys. One is always given as a door prize and one to a needy family or someone that had blessed us in a special way during the year.   We have added Chicken Gizzard & Sausage Sauce Picante,  Red Beans & Sausage, Corn Macque Choux, Dirty Rice Dressing and many family favorites of cookies and fudge.  We even tried the Texas Tradition of Hot Tamales one year but it did not go over as well as we liked.    

We added fried foods for a number of years that consisted of my twice award winning Hush Puppies, Stuffed Jalapeños, Cajun Fried Potato Logs and Fried Mushrooms.  Due to having to fry these at the last minute and the cost associated with 5 more gallons of oil we eventually eliminated the fried foods.  People still look for those Stuff Jalapeños though.   We also replace the fruit punch with Zatarains Homemade Root Beer which goes over really well.   Christmas Eve would not be complete either without my stepfather’s traditional *Papa Dunk’s Fruit Salad* which I fix several days in advance to let it marinate really well.

The Logistics

Some may wonder how we ever manage to pull off such a feat.  The cost usually runs us about $600-$700 each year but we put some money aside each pay check so the money is there come November.  This is our Christmas gift back to the many wonderful friends we have the privilege of knowing over the years. Melinda begins looking for turkeys just before Thanksgiving when the prices are the best and buys other goods as needed to fill the *with purchase of $20 of other items* specials.

Each year after the party we do an after action report on what went well and what did not.  We have kept a notebook over the years with the adjustments to the menus and timing of preparing things.  My training in project management has helped in the scheduling.   

Melinda then takes the updated menu and creates a master food list to purchase.   We also have a schedule of when to cook certain foods and preparation events as a countdown calendar to D-Day.   Some foods are cooked after Thanksgiving and frozen until ready to be thawed for heating for D-Day. Other things like the turkeys are cooked the day of the party.  Because it is easier to eat gumbo with boneless meat rather than on the bone, like we do in Louisiana, I have developed a way of pre-cooking the chicken and deboning it and then boiling the flavor out of the bones to make the stock which helps to impart the traditional flavor that would otherwise be lost.  So we just *assemble* the gumbo on the day of the party.    

One of the things that has been really hectic over the years is trying to stay ahead of everything during the party.  Now that the kids are older they are really a help in us getting everything ready.  We keep improving on how best to do things and this year we carved the turkeys prior to the party and put them in aluminum half pans in a insulate chest to keep them hot.  That gave me the ability to mingle with the crowd for the first time, rather than carving turkeys.

Then there is the Turkey Chef in Training program that has been so helpful over the years.  This serves a two-fold purpose.  1) The person learning to fry turkeys get to learn the correct and safe way to prepare, inject and fry the turkeys and 2) it frees me up to do the other things that I need to do the day of the party.  We have had several people graduate from the 3 year course of study with their diploma’s.  Next year will be Ricky II’s third year so anyone wanting the experience is welcome to join us.

It is a lot of work and I must admit that we are plum wore out by the end of it all but it is such a wonderful feeling we get watching people enjoying themselves so much at the party it is worth every ounce of our energy.  The help from friends and family on the day of the party has made this year one of the easiest ever.   Many thanks to all that come each year and all that help out as well.

The Numbers

This year we had 199 people show up for the party.  It marked the 26^th year we have done it having only missed a few years due to being in an apartment or Christmas Eve falling on the Sabbath.  (we have repented of not having it that year due to chastisement so it is held on the 23^rd when the 24^th falls on Sunday)  So this little party that started with only 6 people went to 209 people in year 25 thus the title 25 or 6 – 209 (twenty-six or Six Two Oh Nine) (from Chicago’s song 25 or 6 to 4) 

1997-68

1998-120

1999-168

2000-162

2001-130
We moved to our house in downtown Humble

2002-94

2003-87

2004-180

2005-153

2006-137

2007-203

2008-139  Not sure what happened this year to the numbers..

2009-194

2010-209

2011-199

The Photos                                                                                                                   
Link to 2011 Party Photos on Facebook