mince pies and mulled wine

I know what you're thinking. What IS mince pie? And don't I mean mincemeat pie? Doesn't that mean that there's meat in it? And the answer is NO, ignorant readers, IT DOES NOT (although I still love you). Mince pie is something entirely different than the meat pie I had imagined as I quite suddenly discovered yesterday. Although they are made with mincemeat (and can be called either a mince or mincemeat pie), the filling no longer contains any meat although it did originally. I'd try and explain the whole thing to you but it's really quite confusing and I fear I've made quite a mess of it already.

Anyway, our reward for completing a thoroughly humbling circuit workout (painful, painful experience) for crew practice was our very own mince pie (below).

As you can see, said pie is a "festive British pastry" (I stole that quotation from Wikipedia), containing raisins, spices, and other gooey substances. Apparently these are what British children leave for Santa along with a glass of brandy. And I always thought I wasn't helping his figure with all those milk and cookies.

So mince pies were a great beginning to a very Christmas-y evening, as last night was the Pembroke Three Kings Caroling night. BEST TRADITION EVER. Apparently this happens every year. About a hundred (completely sober, I swear) Pembrokians took it upon themselves to bring Christmas cheer to all of the other Oxford colleges. I may or may not have attended. Merton may or may not have kicked us out. I may or may not have heard a porter respond to a student extolling the virtues of his own voice by yelling "You really suck, mate!" I'd also like to take this moment to mention that there was also a fair amount of applause, and that "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" was a popular favorite. But again, pure speculation.

Ahem.

ALL TOGETHER NOW!