The holidays can be intimidating, especially for those hosting. In our minds we have images of flawless golden turkeys on pristine white platters, adorned elegantly with perfectly cooked vegetables or trimmed in rosemary or pine. Those images in our minds aren't reality, they're the creations of food stylists who spend hours perfecting these dishes for magazines.
Our table tops may or may not be perfectly poised, with elegant, festive place settings, silver perfectly polished, place cards, hand crafted and scripted in perfect calligraphy, centerpieces that look as though they ought to be in a holiday display in a Saks Fifth Avenue window. While we pride ourselves in our presentations of our homes, our tables and our This isn't what the holidays are about - most especially this isn't what this holiday is about. This holiday is about friends and family and gathering to give our thanks for all that we have, which, is so very much. And if a piece of silver is tarnished so be it. And if the stuffing is a little too crispy on top, so be it. This is not a holiday about perfection, but maybe about embracing the imperfections.
I've had all sorts of Thanksgivings. I've traveled on some. Spent some with friends, others with family. I've hosted a few as well. We've been snowed out and snowed in and one year we had to cancel plans to visit my family because we had a terribly ill child at home. I ran out, at the last minute - early in the morning, and got everything I needed so that we could at least have a small celebration at home. We had our turkey and all the trimmings. We ended up having a lovely and relaxing day at home and while it may not have been the Thanksgiving that we had anticipated, it was a lovely day none the less. I've nearly dropped an entire turkey on the floor and I've accidentally cooked a turkey upside down! While it may very well have been the ugliest bird I have ever cooked, it was in fact the tastiest. I didn't bring it to the table in its ugly state, but rather we sliced it and placed it on a platter as elegantly as we could.
With all the stresses and pressures we face in our everyday lives, Thanksgiving should be the one day we don't fret. No one's paying attention to the small stuff... No one but you that is. I believe in simplicity and I believe in imperfection. I learned early on that what makes a successful party isn't how glamorous or fancy your table or meal is, but that your friends and family are having fun and enjoying themselves... that conversation flows, that laughter is heard, that food is being eaten and beverages are being poured. Whether your centerpiece is a silver vase of perfectly cut, crisp white tulips or a lavish arrangement assembled by your florist isn't what matters. Do what you can do to the best of your ability. If you're a gourmet chef, wow your guests with your food. If you prefer to have your meal catered, there's nothing wrong with that. Put on some holiday music, your pearls, your heels and make sure to have plenty of good wine and champagne on hand. Don't hide out in the kitchen. Don't cry over a fondue that's fallen. Celebrate, enjoy and be thankful.
If you do want to try that fondue, just be prepared to have a backup plan!
And if it falls, why not serve it anyway? No one is perfect and no one expects us to be either!
Whatever your style, festive and formal or simple and chic, embrace it, relax and enjoy!
Jessica