At one point during Christmas dinner, I said something to my brother in law, who was sitting at the opposite end of the table, and he could actually hear me. It was a defining moment.
Our family typically hosts about 30 people for Christmas dinner. It’s a loud, raucous and crazy-fun event. Normally you’d be hard-pressed to hear the person sitting next to you, let alone the person at the other end of the table.
But in this pandemic, I believe you should do whatever the least-comfortable person in your group is comfortable with. For us, that meant celebrating with the 6 people in our immediate household and the two we’ve been isolating with.
Our Christmas was different, but it wasn’t terrible. It wasn’t terrible at all.
Dinner was easier to plan and make. We were able to have things that would have been a hassle to make for 30 people: salmon for one, fresh pasta for another (though my husband would argue otherwise about the pasta). We didn’t have to prep for days in advance, and cleanup was a cinch.
Did we miss being with our massive group of family and friends? Of course! But instead of lamenting what couldn’t be, we did our best with what could.
And we succeeded. I know that because my mom—who has been expressing her grief with weird COVID-themed gift wrap and a deliberately half-decorated Christmas tree—was happy.
Happy Holidays my friends. Here’s to what promises to be a much better New Year.
Well said. No point in moaning about what we don’t have. Savor what we have and hope for better in the future. A beautiful dinner, fantastic lottery, as always, fun for all.
much love,
Gail