I've mentioned before that I am pretty nostalgic and particularly so at this time of year. My home is filled with many decorations that have either been in the family since I was a child or things I have collected since I was young. I had a completely sleepless night last night and I did a lot of thinking. As I was tossing and turning for hours I started thinking of the family gathering for holidays when I was young. I don't remember over night guests much at all, but I do remember fantastic holiday meals. The preparation started early! After the house was clean the leaves for the dining room table were brought out of the closet or from under the bed. The tablecloth and napkins were ironed and the table set with china. Most homes, ours included, were modest in size. When the dining room table was fully extended and set there really was no room to walk around. The kid table was also nicely set just a small distance away. Sitting down to the holiday meal was the high point and there was lots of laughter, passing food around in serving dishes and of course talk of when dessert would be served. I guess when you don't have multiple TVs, cell phones in every hand and numerous electronic devices a holiday meal looks much different. The meals then were planned on who was driving from where, how long they would get to stay and time to visit was factored in. Nothing was planned around what time the football kickoff would take place or needing to rush off to the next house for meal number two.
I guess it is just old people like me that get nostalgic for a time like that. Most young adults don't know of those leisurely holiday meals. Sit around a table, long after the food is gone, just to visit? What a lost treasure that is. About a year ago I traveled to my hometown, Jackson CA, for my 40th class reunion. I drove by all the old sites (I wrote about that a bit a couple of days ago) and that included driving through the neighborhood where I grew up. The houses all look so small! I stopped at one of my best friend's homes to visit her mom. What a joy it was to walk in that home. It was late afternoon and as I visited Mary in her kitchen it was like stepping back in time. The tile counter tops are the same, the table was set for dinner much like I remember when I would get to 'eat over'. The same dishes, the same glassware and the same warm welcome. I didn't eat with Mary, and her daughter and son in law who were cooking, but I was invited and I knew I could have stayed if I had wanted to. It was an impromptu visit, but I knew there was a place for me.
We now live in an extremely mobile society and people don't often live near their extended family anymore. Those large family gatherings are harder to plan and sometimes just don't happen. Did you ever have to help polish the silver? Somehow gravy served from mom's gravy boat and silver ladle just tasted better than 'every day' gravy. Did you learn to iron by practicing on linen napkins? Did you ever steal black olives from the appetizer plate, then put them on your fingers to chase your cousin around the room with 'monster fingers'?
Do you remember having to take your turn washing, and drying, the dishes? We even had a silver crumb tray and table broom that came out on holidays - it was my job to 'sweep' the crumbs after the meal as the adults sat around with coffee, liqueur and pie.
Maybe I'm just too tired after a night of insomnia. Maybe I'm just missing my parents a little too much. Or maybe I'm just not wanting times to change even more, precious traditions being lost and children not knowing the chaos, discussions and joy of a family dining table. Maybe I'm missing special holiday dining tables and simple daily dining tables. Maybe...........
Pray focus: Pray today for those facing the holiday alone. Pray for those mourning the loss of loved ones. Pray for those of us that grieve over lost traditions and melancholy. Pray for families to sit around the daily dining table again. Make room at your table.
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