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MizSuz -> RE: Calgon Take Me Away!!!!!!!! (12/27/2006 7:38:17 AM)
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Erin,
I hope that your dinner went off without a hitch! It sure sounds good. Fifty people? FIFTY people? You are a true humanitarian.
For more than 10 years I've generally opted out of the traditional christmas shindig. I'd done it to death and found myself worn out for all the wrong reasons on the holiday.
This year, however, my son was with me on the holiday for the first time in a long time and I'm now living in close proximity to more relatives than I've ever met. So, with my son's encouragement and assistance, I did the full monty for 8 (it's all I have place settings for). Since my mother's silver, china and crystal hasn't been used since she died, there was much preparation in addition to shopping, cooking and cleaning to do. My son had never polished silver before and it was actually a very pleasant evening to spend in front of the TV with him while we wore our fingers out together as I reminisced about the convolutions my mother went through to pick out said silver/china/ et al, her motivations for doing same, and what the expense meant to her and my father. He now has a pretty clear understanding that my mother was trying to create a legacy, heirlooms, that she never had. When it's passed to him, as it was to me, he understands that it's not about 'the stuff' but it's about what his grandmother cared to create for him before he was ever conceived.
Having been terribly ill with a head and chest cold for the last 10 days or so there was no way I could have gotten it done without my son's help. As we were cleaning up afterwards he said "Good lord, I'm exhausted! Now I understand why you were always so stressed on the holidays" and that was quite a christmas present for me! [:D] Now he not only knows which fork to use when he sits at a formal table, but he knows how to set that table and how to fold the napkins!
I opted out of traditional holiday trappings years ago because I had lost the ability to experience the holiday due to the stress of it all. This year my son gave the experience back to me and sharing the stress made it worthwhile.
I hope your holiday was equally full filling.
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