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 The extended family began to arrive at grandma's
house around 9 a.m., greeting each other with hugs and kisses,
exchanging words of kindness, expressions of happiness, and sharing
excitement about being together on this family holiday get together.
Sharing coffee, tea and beverages around the huge dining room table,
grandma took immediate charge and made the assignments. Littlest
ones would fetch and deliver. Teenagers would wash and clean.
Mothers and fathers would chop and peel, simmer and roast.
Grandparents and great grandparents would organize and direct. The
amazing menu was shared. Everyone began to move off to the kitchen,
the pantry and the sink.
Missing were the staring moments at cell phones and males parked in
front of the TV watching football. If they had cell phones, they
remained in pockets and purses. And the television was never turned
on. Everyone was fully engaged in this shared event of preparation
and participation.
Instead of staring at screens, the family talked together as they
began to assemble the holiday meal. They shared memories, they
shared hopes and aspirations, gratitude and wonderment. They talked
about how the kids were growing up, how life was moving along at its
fast pace. Everyone, young and old, talked and shared and truly
enjoyed each other's company.
No, this is not a scene out of the past, from some bygone age. On
the counter is a sous vide precision cooker, an Anova Precision
Oven, electronic timers, and a host of modern appliances. Cell
phones and televisions and technology are present, but it seems that
they are put away, forgotten and family relationship is the focus.
Children watched with interest as their parents prepared the
stuffing. The youngest ones laid out the white bread slices in the
roaster and on cookie sheets to be placed in the oven to dry. The
children learned every step of the preparation, and were encouraged
to carefully try chopping the celery. Everyone laughed together in
sympathy as childrens' tears fell while chopping onions, and great
grandma magically came to the rescue by placing a slice of onion on
top of each of their heads to stop the tear-filled overwhelming
onion effect.
As bowls and spoons and pots and pans are used, they are moved to
the sink where the teenagers carefully washed and dried them to
return them to the preparers and the preparation. Words of praise
were issued for their diligence, and grandma gave the teenagers her
special warm grandma smile.
Conversation flowed, instructions were shared, family interest was
expressed and everyone connected like a team, like a real family.
Everyone took part as the work done by many hands seemed like no
work at all.
Everyone young and old took time to admire the huge turkey as it was
unwrapped, washed and made ready for roasting. They talked together
about where the food came from, how it was grown and how it came to
this kitchen.
Potatoes were peeled, carrots too. Sweet potatoes were prepared with
brown sugar and butter, and the dried bread was removed from the
oven, the temperature turned up to prepare for the turkey and the
ham to roast along with special dinner rolls. The shared work and
roles in the preparation seemed to make even finicky eaters eager
for the dishes that would be shared later around the immense dining
room table.
Little snacks of chopped carrot and celery were munched on around
the kitchen. Little ones brought the teenagers snacks to stave off
their advancing appetites.
Great grandma showed the youngsters her technique for making deviled
eggs. Grandma attended to the oven and the roasting of the meat. The
kitchen was filled with amazing smells and even more amazing sights.
The whole family appreciated the camaraderie and teamwork that made
this holiday special, spending hours together making the food they
would share around the table. Everyone helped, everyone learned.
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Fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grand mothers,
teenagers and children had worked together in this kitchen filled
with family love. Everyone appreciated the great work it took to
prepare such a grand meal. The generations passed on the recipes,
procedures, techniques, and traditions.
The hours together flew by. The preparation was
almost complete. Everyone waited with anticipation as turkey
roasting came to a close and the little red button popped on the
butterball's breast.
As a team they assembled the dishes and delivered them to the table.
The teenagers were taught how to carve the ham and carve the turkey,
how to divide up the white meat and the dark meat, and grandma saw
to the special making of the gravy to enhance the flavors while an
audience watched the process and learned her secrets.
Finally everything and everyone was assembled as a family around the
great table. The food looked scrumptious, the family looked hungry,
and everyone felt proud for taking part in the preparation and proud
of being part of this family. A great word of thanks was offered to
the Great Provider, and everyone dug in and passed dishes around the
table, making sure that everyone got the stuffing that even the
young ones helped prepare, the deviled eggs that the teenagers now
knew how to make, and the special gravy that grandma prepared like
magic.
Hours and hours of preparation together in that hot kitchen made
them all ready to eat and the food was gone in what seemed like an
instant. The talk around the table turned to messages of gratitude
for each one's participation, and their gratitude in being part of
this special amazing family.
The dirty dishes were returned to the sink where the teenagers
washed and dried with diligence, the little ones helped grandma to
put away the leftovers in Tupperware and foil covered paper plates
for everyone to take home something in remembrance of this majestic
holiday meal.
And then the amazing day was over as darkness fell. Each family
group said goodbye with the same special hugs and kisses they gave
to greet each other this morning, and everyone felt as though
something really special had happened today and were eager to come
together and see each other again soon.
Service to each other and family love expressed is the highpoint,
the hallmark of our civilization, and the thing that bonds us
together. And that, indeed, is what holidays are for.
"No moral, no message, no prophetic tract,
just a simple statement of fact: for civilization to survive, the
human race has to remain civilized. Tonight's very small exercise in
hope and happiness from the Twilight Zone." [Rod Serling]
[Jim Youngquist]
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